Minutes for December 2021 meeting

December 15, 2021

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS [Jeff Singleton]: Jeff, Barbara. Bob, Bill, Tilo, Marsha

REPORTS [5 minutes each]

• Minutes (Marsha): November minutes were posted right before this meeting
• Treasurer’s report (Tilo): No change
• Social Media Director’s Report (Barbara): Jeff wondered if we should have a monthly budget for social media posts? Barb says she’s not feeling so good about Facebook these days; other social media is free; she posts meeting info on our website
• Group 342 Coordinator’s Report [Jeff Singleton]:  Jeff is enjoying planning meetings with Barb and Bob
• Amnesty News [Barbara Quintiliano]
• AIUSA Ex Dir Paul O’Brien made statement about the not-guilty verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse trial https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/aiusa-condemns-racist-vigilantism-and-white-supremacy-in-the-us-criminal-justice-system/
• Press release about 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to two journalists: Maria Ressa was the focus of several Amnesty freedom campaigns, is the subject of the documentary A Thousand Cuts, and has been jailed many times in the Philippines; Dmitry Muratov is a Russian journalist who has also been jailed many times): https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/75246/
• Maria Ressa’s acceptance speech: www.rappler.com/world/global-affairs/full-text-maria-ressa-speech-nobel-peace-prize-awarding-ceremony-2021/

PRIORITY CAMPAIGNS & ISSUES [5 minutes each]

• Gun Violence [Bob Rodini]
• Should call it “gun violence prevention”
• Bob and Jeff attended a Sandy Hook commemoration event on December 5; Josh Maxwell talked about his experience with domestic violence while he was mayor of Downingtown
• Gun violence prevention (GVP) organizations: Every Town for Gun Safety, Ceasefire PA, Moms Demand Action, GunSenseUs, Unitarian Universalists Seeking Justice for All
• Bob has not seen relevant updates on the AIUSA website
• Free People From ICE Detention [Bill Schomp]
• info from AIUSA website “our work” “free people from ICE detention” (amnestyusa.org/campaigns/freethemnow/)
• AIUSA seems really spread out; Bill will try to find out who at AIUSA is the “czar” for this topic
• As of October 8: 22292 people detained, many of whom got COVID; AIUSA doesn’t say where those people should go if released
• actions on the website
• have any questions? Bill will do the research, will also research if anyone in Congress is trying to do work on this
• Refugee & Migrant Rights [beginning 01/22]: [Jeff: Does anyone have special interest in this subject?]

UPDATES [5 minutes each]

• Kabylia Update [Marksen Harouz]—not present tonight
• Death Penalty Update [Brendan Hickey]—not present tonight

 

REVIEWS [5 minutes each]

• Jeff: watched first three episodes of the documentary miniseries Struan recommended (“Can’t Get You Out of My Head”) about how governments infiltrate protest movements
• Bob: HBO released the documentary The Forever Prisoner about Abu Zubaydah in Guantanamo; he is now insane and will probably be there forever

WRITE FOR RIGHTS (part 2)

Online petitions and letters prepped by Barbara and Bob (distributed to our e-mail list before this meeting)

• Mohamed Baker (Egypt)
• Zhang Zhan (China)
• Ciham Ali (Eritrea)
• Imoleayo Michael (Nigeria)
• Wendy Galarza (Mexico)

Visit write.amnestyusa.org/good-news/ to see Write for Rights success stories