Minutes for February 2022 meeting

 16 February 2022

AIUSA Group 342 meeting (via Zoom)

In attendance: Jeff, Barbara. Bob, Frank, Heather, Bill, Tilo, Struan, Kathleen, Marsha

Guests: David Rendell (from AIUSA Philly chapter), Jim McDonald (AIUSA country specialist for Sri Lanka)

REPORTS [5 minutes each]

• AIUSA Annual General Meeting: March 4–6 (virtual), info and registration

REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Jeff is watching this year's Oscar-nominated documentaries
• Jeff: Time
• Kathleen: After Innocence, Clemency
• Struan: Flee

GUN VIOLENCE REPORT (Bob)

• Tom Buglio Gun (chair of the Chester County Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence) invited to speak at our next meeting
• 14 February 2022 was four-year anniversary of shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
• Sandy Hook families reach settlement in lawsuit against Remington; this sets a precedent
• Bob attended GunsenseUS Zoom session on 27 January 2022
• featured Chester Community Coalition and Chester Peace Initiative
• recording of meeting here (passcode ZbWh#mg8)
• CeaseFirePA petition for universal background checks
• CeaseFirePA petition to stop illegal gun sales
• in the past month, no new AIUSA materials on gun violence prevention
• Kathleen: questions about the gun violence prevention programs

"FOR THE PEOPLE": LARRY KRASNER TALK (Kathleen)

• Thursday, 24 February, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (virtual)
• Registration
• so far 156 people signed up

ACTIONS

• Melissa Lucio (Kathleen): lots of bad links/petitions out there; use/share only the info from the Innocence Project
• Three actions prepared by Bill
• "Detained Journalist Must Get a Fair Trial" (Morocco: UA 136.20)
• "Stop U.S. Abuses Against Haitian People" (USA: UA 99.21)
• "Activists Convicted by Emergency Court" (Egypt: UA 132.19)

GUEST PRESENTATION: JIM MCDONALD

• AIUSA country specialist for Sri Lanka for 31 years
• brief overview of the civil war
• "Trinco 5" case is emblematic of the conflict
• lots of forced disappearances (since late 1980s: 60,000 to 100,000 cases)
• discussion about how Group 342 can get involved in Sri Lanka cases
• not case studies (other AIUSA groups are covering those)
• maybe find other ways
• Sri Lankan government very responsive to outside pressure/attention
• AIUSA country page on Sri Lanka

NEXT MEETING (online): 16 March, 7:30 p.m.