Minutes for September 2023 meeting

AIUSA Group 342 meeting
20 September 2023 (hybrid: United Way of Chester County office and Zoom)
In attendance

—in person: Barbara, Bob

—via Zoom: Frank, Struan, Dorothee

Coordinator’s note: Thanks to Bob for taking minutes.

UPDATES

Meeting location

• Bob and Barb met for the first time at the United Way Office (see below) in Exton. UW provided
• a beautiful meeting room equipped with a huge monitor. With a laptop they conducted a
• standard Zoom meeting for the virtual attendees. In the future, Bob will learn Microsoft Teams
• so we can use the monitor’s built-in web cam effectively.
• United Way of Chester County, 150 John Robert Thomas Drive, Exton, PA 19341

Gun Violence Prevention (Bob)

• Democrats won back their one-vote majority in the PA House. Earlier in the year the House sent
• two GVP measures to the Senate for a vote. It is up to the Senate leader (Republican Lisa Butler)
• whether the Senate will vote on these.
• The PA Pre-emption Law will be ruled on by the PA Supreme Court soon. This is to resolve a suit
• brought by the City of Philadelphia challenging the pre-emption law so it can have tighter gun
• regulations within its boundaries. A ruling may be given in next few days or weeks.
• Bob attended a mandatory Active Shooter Training at his Community College. Instead of being
• teacher-oriented, this training by a veteran FBI agent was consumer-oriented. The FBI agent
• taught everyone to be aware of possible escape routes whenever we enter a supermarket,
• school, or any public space. The plan should be “Run, Hide, Fight.”

Co-Facilitator Need

• Barb made an appeal for a co-facilitator to occasionally prepare and conduct meetings and for a
• member to follow migrants’ rights news. 
• Anyone who can occasionally prepare Urgent Actions
• and post them to the Google Group would be also greatly appreciated.

Birthday Card for Leonard Peltier

• Amnesty has lobbied for the release from Federal Prison of Leonard Peltier, member of the American Indian Movement, for many years. Leonard is in poor health and has served over 40 years for the murder of an FBI agent, a conviction which remains in doubt. The Amnesty action was to send him a birthday card (his birthday is Sept. 12) but address it “care of” the White House.

Banned Books Week Action

• Barb explained how AI was celebrating Banned Books Week this year. She displayed AI’s webpage and asked everyone to take action by clicking on the button below the featured authors, singers, artists, etc.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 15, 7:30 pm (hybrid)