Write for Rights 2022 Certificate

AIUSA sent this certificate to Group 342 for our participation in the Write for Rights 2022 campaign. 

Way to go, Group 342!

(And thanks for Barb for tracking our letter count and submitting it to AIUSA!)

Minutes for January 2023 meeting

18 January 2023 (via Zoom)

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Heather, Emily, Bill, Struan, Marsha

GREETINGS AND MEMBER CHECK-INS

• Happy New Year!
• Thanks to Bill for faithfully providing urgent actions and to Brendan for death penalty information

UPDATES

• GOOD NEWS: Effective January 31, the Department of Homeland Security is ending its contract with the Berks County "Residential Center" Immigration Jail! (link) 
• GOOD NEWS: The Department of Homeland Security Grants Extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti! (link)
• GOOD NEWS: On January 10, Governor Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act banning the sale and distribution of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and switches in Illinois! (link)

AIUSA NEWS

• The 2023 AIUSA Annual General Meeting will be a hybrid event 
• March 3–5
• San Diego Omni Hotel and Whova Event Platform (online)
• Event website

GUANTANAMO BAY PRISON

• January 2023 is the 21st anniversary of the arrival of detainees at Guantanamo Bay Prison
• Send an e-mail to President Biden urging him to close Guantanamo Bay Prison (action link)
• Print and send a postcard to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urging him to close Guantanamo Bay Prison and release Toffiq Al Bihani (action link)
• AIUSA page "Now Is the Time to Finally Close Guantanamo" website with other actions (link)
• Emily update on this topic
• attended Amnesty USA webinar last week for remembering the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
• Nonprofit that provides direct financial support to prisoners released to foreign countries, where they may not speak the language or be able to find work to support themselves (link)
• Postcard campaign (leave postcards in places for people to find them)

WRITE FOR RIGHTS 2022 (LAST FIVE CASES)

• Support all 10 cases with a single e-mail (link)
• SHAHNEWAZ CHOWDHURY / BANGLADESH
• DORGELESSE NGUESSAN / CAMEROON
• NASSER ZEFZAFI / MOROCCO AND WESTERN SAHARA
• JOANAH MAMOMBE, NETSAI MAROVA, AND CECILLIA CHIMBIRI / ZIMBABWE 
• CHOW HANG-TUNG / HONG KONG

OTHER AI CAMPAIGNS AND ACTIONS

• Protect the Protest campaign (Sri Lanka) (video) (petition)
• Russia's war on Ukraine
• AI petition
• AIUSA will launch a Spotlight on Ukraine soon, urging all of us to contact our members of Congress, telling them not to abandon the Ukrainian people

           

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, March 15, 7:30 p.m (via Zoom)

Minutes for November 2022 meeting

 16 November 2022

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Heather, Bill, Marsha

GREETINGS AND MEMBER CHECK-INS

GUN VIOLENCE REPORT [Bob]

• Looking through the photographs in the CeasefirePA literature he has received, Bill observes that all of the politicians who advocate for gun control are Democrats. He sees zero Republicans in the mix. 
• The 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting is coming up on December 14. Since that event, the only gun control measure enacted is the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed June 25 (and got support in response to the Uvalde shooting).
• The PA House impeached Philly D.A. Krasner today. However, a 2/3 vote in the PA Senate is needed to convict, and if the vote goes along party lines (which is almost certainly will), the GOP does not have enough votes. This impeachment is a dog-and-pony show to appease the GOP base. 
• The Democrats are poised to take control of the PA House. If they can control at least one chamber, this will prevent the GOP from trying to sneak in legislation (especially anti-abortion legislation) by putting it on two consecutive legislative ballots. 

MIGRANTS' RIGHTS [Bill]

• "Amnesty has thrown in the towel, apparently": Bill is having trouble finding info/campaigns/actions on Amnesty's website on this issue.
• Bill is interested in housing refugees (and wrote to the governor of Ohio offering to do this).
• Our last Amnesty case file, Ivo Feh (Cameroon), was released from prison last December. Do you want to take on another case file?
• Some discussion of this. Barbara will look into it.

OTHER DISCUSSION

• Do we want to meet bimonthly? --> Sure, let's try it. (We can always switch back to monthly if we like.) We will skip the December meeting and meet again via Zoom in January. Maybe we can do an in-person meeting at Wegmans in the spring.
• Any other actions we can take? --> We can continue to use the Google Group for sharing actions, news, etc. Everyone should feel free to post there.

WRITE FOR RIGHTS 2022

Discussion of five cases (we'll discuss the other five next time):

• LUIS MANUEL OTERO ALCANTARA (CUBA): "ARTIST JAILED FOR PROTECTING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION"
• ALEKSANDRA SKOCHILENKO (RUSSIA): "SHE OPPOSED THE WAR, NOW SHE FACES PRISON"
• YREN ROTELA AND MARIANA SEPÚLVEDA (PARAGUAY): "DON’T TELL US WHO WE ARE"
• ZINEB REDOUANE (FRANCE): "KILLED BY A TEAR GAS GRENADE"
• VAHID AFKARI (IRAN): "TORTURED AND UNJUSTLY JAILED FOR PROTESTING"

           

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, January 18, 7:30 p.m (via Zoom)

Minutes for October 2022 meeting

19 October 2022

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Heather, Emily

GREETINGS AND MEMBER CHECK-INS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Write for Rights will launch on November 1. We will sign petitions during our November and December meetings (although AI usually extends the deadline to the end of January).

GUN VIOLENCE REPORT [Bob]

• Verdict in Stoneman High School shooting: Imposition of the death penalty in Florida requires a unanimous decision on the part of the jury. Unanimity was not reached, and an automatic sentence of life without parole was imposed on convicted shooter. Gov. DeSantis is calling for changes to Florida's death penalty law. 
• A shooter with a felony record was able to purchase ammunition in Philadelphia. because Pennsylvania lacks state laws requiring background checks. This person was one of several suspects in the deadly shooting at Roxborough High School on September 27.

           

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, November 16, 7:30 p.m (via Zoom)

Minutes for September 2022 meeting

21 September 2022

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Bill, Struan, Frank, Heather, Marsha

PERSONAL CHECK-INS [everyone]

• Jeff is stepping away from Group 342 for a while.
• Bill wants to house a refugee—how can he find one?
• Barbara would like someone to serve as co-organizer for this group. Struan will consider taking this on.
• Let's think about moving to a hybrid meeting format with occasional in-person meetings at Wegmans.

GUN VIOLENCE REPORT [Bob]

• Discussion of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed June 25. It's the first law in 28 years to address gun violence prevention. Its features include: firearm safety act support for red flag programs and closing the "boyfriend loophole." Credit card companies now agree to enact tracking code to track gun-related purchases.
• Recommendation of the Amnesty-promoted documentary The Sweetest Land, about gun violence in Hartford, Connecticut. 
• There will be a Moms Agains Gun Violence rally in Harrisburg on September 25 to promote candidates who are working on gun violent prevention.

I.C.E. / IMMIGRATIO REPORT [Bill]

• Has Amnesty taken this off their website? (Bill can't find it there anymore.)
• Discussion of the "remain in Mexico" policy.
• Bill thinks there are fewer urgent actions available these days.

BANNED BOOKS [Barbara]

• The AI banned books website will be up until October 21. 
• It's kind of like Write for Rights: there's photo for each case, and clicking on it takes you to information about it and a letter for action

GOOD NEWS

• Mohamad Imran (Sri Lanka) released on bail on August 31.

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, October 19, 7:30 p.m.

Minutes for May 2022 meeting

 18 May 2022

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

In attendance: Barbara, Bob, Bill, Tilo, Marsha

REPORTS [5 minutes each]

• Treasurer’s report [Tilo]: no change
• Social Media Director’s Report [Barbara]
• currently using free posts on FB, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Patch
• Barbara raised the question of paying Wix (about $100/yr) to have our own URL; Tilo and Marsha don't think it's worth the expense
• Group 342 Coordinator’s Report [Jeff]: no report
• Amnesty News [Barbara]
• April is Global Volunteer Month: AIUSA thanks all volunteers
• AI statement on Ukraine
• [BOB] Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob freed at end of 2021 (had been in jail since Nov 2016) (further info here)
  
  

GUN VIOLENCE REPORT [Bob]

• 
  April 26: Advocacy Day
• Jeff and Bob drove together, met Tom Buglio there
• met with Dianne Herrin (PA House District 156)
• various speakers, including some relatives of young people who died violent deaths (MOMS—Mothers of Murdered Sons) and Governor Wolf, criticized legislature for not taking up gun violence laws in past three years
• upcoming event: “Wear Orange” (Bob is looking for more info)
• Bill: there are lots of groups—do they work together?
• Bob: yes! (two big national groups are Everytown USA  and Moms Demand Action)

FREE PEOPLE FROM ICE DETENTION [Bill]

• Latest stats from https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/freethemnow/
• 20,033 PEOPLE DETAINED BY ICE as of 3/31/22
• 134 ICE DETENTION FACILITIES As of 4/4/22
• CONGRESS PASSED A FUNDING BILL FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022 THAT:
• Gives DHS $23 billion to fuel its ICE/CBP detention and deportation machine
• Allows 34,000 people to be locked up in ICE detention
• Includes $10 million for ICE’s so-called “alternatives to detention” that still restrict, surveil, and harm immigrants, and have NOT resulted in fewer people detained
• unequal treatment of asylum seekers evident in US government positive response to Ukrainian refugees

ABORTION RIGHTS [Barbara]

• AI Statement: "Access to Abortion Is a Human Right"
• Amnesty International USA Statement in Response to US Senate Vote on Women’s Health Protection Act, May 11, 2022 Abortion Advocacy Training (via Zoom) on May 23: register
• Abortion Advocacy Training (via Zoom) on May 23: register here
• Monthly Membership call on women's rights on May 25 (no further info yet) Toolkit:

"How to Fight for Abortion Rights in Your State"

ACTIONS

• "Charge or Release Student Mohamed Imran" (Sri Lanka 42.22)
• "Free the Gezi Defendants" (Turkey 37.22)
• "No Access to Family and Proper Medical Care" (China 284.16)
• "Human rights defender at risk in Gambia: Madi Jobarteh" (Gambia 40.22)

NEXT MEETING: 15 June, 7:30 p.m. 

Minutes for April 2022 meeting

20 April 2022

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

In attendance: Jeff, Barbara, Bob, Heather, Bill, Tilo, Marsha

REPORTS [5 minutes each]

• Treasurer’s report [Tilo]
• no change (about $1042 in bank, $200 in cash)
• Social Media Director’s Report [Barbara]
• will send out via e-mail the link to our group address list so everyone can update/add their contact info
• no longer buying ads on FB, now using patch (Malvern, Tredyffrin, West Chester)
• Group 342 Coordinator’s Report [Jeff]: no report
• Amnesty News [Barbara]
• April is Global Volunteer Month: AIUSA thanks all volunteers
• AI statement on Ukraine
• [BOB] Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob freed at end of 2021 (had been in jail since Nov 2016) (further info here)

GUN VIOLENCE REPORT [Bob]

• April 26:Advocacy Day: go to Harrisburg to petition state reps (further info here)
• HR 748 (Ethan’s Law) calling for federal legislation to address safe storage of firearm
• April 11: Biden established new ATF rule regarding ghost guns
• Note this is NOT A BAN; it requires the use of registered serial numbers so weapons used in crimes can be traced
• Biden has nominated US Attorney Steve Dettelbach to lead ATf (agency has had no director in 7 years) 

FREE PEOPLE FROM ICE DETENTION [Bill]

• Biden administration finally giving Cameroon Temporary Protected Status (further info here)
• Actions: sign up to lobby Congress, ask for end to Title 42, tell Biden to protect all people seeking safety

ACTIONS

• "Uyghur Teenage Girl and Mother Detained" (Saudi Arabia: UA 27.22)
• "Woman's Execution Would Violate International Law" (USA 29.22) [NOTE: SEND ASAP!]
• "Two Qatari Lawyers Arbitrarily Detained" (Qatar UA 30.22)
• "Activist Defending Safe Abortion Risks Jail" (Poland 28.22)
• "Investigate Violations Against Raped Activist" (Morocco / Western Sahara UA 33.21)

FILM REVIEW [Barbara]

"The State of Texas vs Melissa": Documentary by Sabrina Van Tassel about the trial and death sentence of Melissa Lucio for the death of her daughter. Melissa Lucio was the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas. For ten years she has been awaiting her fate and now faces her last appeal. Her date of execution has been set for April 27, 2022  [see related urgent action above]

(Streaming on multiple sites/channels)

NEXT MEETING (online): 18 May, 7:30 p.m.