ALBUQUERQUE – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico will honor four people for their outstanding contributions to civil liberties at its annual Bill of Rights Dinner on Friday, December 9 at 7 p.m. at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. The last day to buy tickets for this event is Monday, December 5.

Ousama Rasheed and Roger Smith will receive the Cooperating Attorney Award for their work in stopping an Albuquerque law that empowered the City to seize and forfeit vehicles upon first arrest (not conviction) for DWI. Judge Theresa Baca declared the ordinance unconstitutional in August 2005.

Ousama M. Rasheed, is a Palestinian-American attorney in private practice in Albuquerque. A Muslim born in California, he spent a year living on the West Bank before moving to New Mexico in 1976. He is a graduate of Eldorado High School, received his B.A. in Communications from UNM before receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1990. After law school, he was an Assistant District Attorney in the Bernalillo County D.A.’s office, handling misdemeanor and felony cases. He is currently a board member of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Chair of the Criminal Section of the New Mexico State Bar.

Roger Smith has been practicing law for over a decade. He is a native New Mexican who graduated from Albuquerque High School, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 and his law degree in 1992 from the University of New Mexico. Since August of this year he’s been an associate with The Revo Law Firm where he helps those who have been injured by the negligence of others.

Joyce Briscoe will receive the ACLU’s Volunteer of the Year Award for her assistance in the ACLU’s public education program. Among her contributions, Joyce organized community demonstrations to raise awareness about the USA Patriot Act; organized an ACLU workshop on teacher rights through the teachers’ union; and organized projects centering on student privacy, military recruitment, and intelligent design. She recently retired from 25 years of teaching American literature, Western civilization and government at Manzano, La Cueva and Sandia High Schools.

Bennett Hammer will receive the Civil Libertarian of the Year Award for his outstanding efforts in arranging for the purchase of the ACLU’s own office building, located near Tingley Beach. Bennett has served on the ACLU state board of director for 12 years, and for the last two has represented New Mexico on the national ACLU board of directors. He has a thirty-year career as a real estate broker and is the Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the City of Albuquerque, an appointed position.

Public radio talk-show host Arcie Chapa will moderate the Bill of Rights Dinner and hand out the awards. The Bill of Rights keynote speaker for the event is Phil Donahue.

A press conference will be held with Phil Donahue at 3:30 pm on Friday, December 9 at the Fireplace room in Hotel Albuquerque on 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW. The last day to buy tickets for the event is Monday, December 5, the reception begins at 6pm that evening and the awards dinner starts at 7pm. Tickets are $85 each and $800 for a table of 10, and you can call 266-5915 or go to www.aclu-nm.org to buy tickets.