The operators of McCormick Place are violating the constitutionally-protected free speech rights of a national organization committed to protecting consumers from intrusive surveillance by commercial interests by barring the group from distributing leaflets, wearing t-shirts with anti-surveillance messages and speaking to individuals in public areas at the prominent convention center, according to a lawsuit filed in federal district court today. The organization, Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN), have been denied access to the Grand Concourse at McCormick Place and a park area outside the Grand Concourse during the Electronic Product Code Symposium scheduled to take place at McCormick Place on September 15 through 17, 2003. . . .

Because of the time sensitivity of the issue, the ACLU of Illinois has asked the court to schedule an emergency hearing to consider a motion for a temporary restraining order mandating that the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) allow representatives of CASPIAN to access the Grand Concourse and nearby park area for distribution of leaflets and other expressive activity. . . .

The ACLU of Illinois argues that the Grand Concourse should be open for expressive activity because it is a public area. . . .

McCormick Place funded, operated and owned by the government has no legitimate interests in denying free expression in areas that are otherwise open to the general public. . . .

Because the facility is operated by the State of Illinois, the managers have an obligation to insure that all viewpoints have an opportunity to be heard in the public areas of the convention center fostering critical discussion about important issues. . . .

CASPIAN is a national, grassroots organization that opposes the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices to tag and track individual consumer products. CASPIAN also has voiced strong opposition to the development and implementation of the Electronic Product Code (EPC) network, a system that is designed to uniquely number all RFID tagged items and connect them to computer databases via the Internet.