BLOCKADE AT DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE UNDERWAY - ATTORNEY GENERAL REFUSES TO MEET WITH ANTI-TORTURE ACTIVISTS
Press Release,
Contacts: Frida Berrigan, 347-683-4928, frida.berrigan@gmail.com, Matthew Daloisio, 201.264.4424 daloisio@riseup.net, Jeremy Varon, 732-979-3119, jvaron@aol.com
Witness Against Torture Demands Justice From Guantanamo to Bagram to Florence, Colorado
The whole report is
Fast for Justice 2011: Day Nine
Once again we were not arrested before the Department of Justice.
There was, however, quite a spectacle to behold. 7 or 8 Homeland Security police vehicles, including a police transport wagon, came rolling up with sirens and lights, parked right in front, the police had plastic handcuffs in hand, a police tape was rolled all the way around the group... and then, a phone call? We were told we were free to go? Rest assured, we didn’t go, and haven’t yet. At this writing, we are currently in the middle of an all-night vigil, and the stories will be aplenty tomorrow!
Tuesday Video of 60 Blockade Department of Justice to close Guantanamo
Fast for Justice; Days 1-9 Reports, Pictures, Links
Washington Post of Initial Day One Action of the Fast
P.S. We are completely crestfallen over January 20th’s front page article of The New York Times reporting the possible re-institution of military tribunals at Guantánamo. http://tinyurl.com/...
We are grateful for CCR’s immediate condemnation:
http://tinyurl.com/...
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In this e-mail you will find:
DAY 9 – WASHINGTON DC – RE-CAP (Compiled by Amy Nee)
TWO PERSPECTIVES ON THE SAME DELEGATION TO GUANTANAMO: PINGREE URGES THE CLOSING OFGUANTANAMO U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE VOWS TO KEEP GUANTANAMO OPEN
SUPREME COURT DECLINES APPEAL FOR GUANTANAMO DETAINEE ONCE ORDERED FREE
We would once more converge upon the premises of the Department of Justice. An announcement would be made over the sound system, explaining our presence, outlining the steps that have been taken to date; namely, our attempts at more conventional routes of communication - letters, meetings, phone calls — that have been rebuffed. Then, an invitation is made to Attorney General Eric Holder (or the highest official present for the day) to come outside and speak with us.
With this invitation, we offered to break our fast (9 days and counting) and to break bread with him, offering him the opportunity to justify present policies and us to express our dismay at the injustices we have seen committed by U.S. representatives and supported and enforced by U.S. policy makers
While we waited for Mr. Holder or another representative from the DoJ to accept our invitation, a program began with alternating speakers that presented stories from Guantanamo: stories of the detainees, of the policies and practices of the military, of the types of torture, of the infamous beginnings that involved buying men with bounties with no evidence of wrong doing, extraordinary rendition, etc. After the first hour, those willing to risk arrest removed their hoods, in effect, releasing themselves from representing Guantanamo detainees and reasserting their identity as American citizens who have come to make use of the alleged power we have as citizens of a democratic republic.
There were two instances during which those of us risking arrest "put our bodies on the line," so to speak. The first began an hour after our invitation to Eric Holder to break bread with us. Carmen invited those of us dressed as detainees to remove our hoods and reveal our identity as "dismayed citizens" here to address the injustices being committed and sanctioned by the U.S. Government. We were then called upon to step forward. Previously when blocking the entrances to the DoJ we had turned to face the street, the public, with our backs to the building and the officers guarding it. This time we stepped forward, face to face with those opposing us, both symbolically (the employees and policy makers represented by the DoJ) and literally (the officers that barred our way). It felt strange to walk forward toward these resolute, stone-faced men. My body resisted but my will and the presence of those beside me surpassed that inhibition.
We kneeled and sang, "Woke up this morning with my mind, stayed on freedom," and the song and the voices of those around me and the hidden voices of the men we had come out for, buoyed my spirit and my resolve. We waited until our knees ached and our feet fell asleep, mindful of how minor this discomfort was as the program continued behind us and we heard story after story of the abusive, inhuman treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo
A yellow crime scene tape was drawn around us and those from the support group quickly placed bottles of juice before us in anticipation of imminent arrest. More time passed and the tape was removed. More passed still and still we waited. The police cars and paddy wagon remained, the clusters of officers remained, we trespassing vigilers remained, and it began to be evident that all parties involved were attempting to wait each other out.
A small group remained for what continued to be an overnight presence, some staying continuously through the night to represent the torture technique of sleep deprivation, others taking a few hours at a time in shifts indicating the seriousness of our intentions. We are determined to be heard, to be a voice for the voiceless, to put an end to this madness.
If it is at all possible to believe that we could fit anything more into this ninth day of fasting, those who returned to St. Stephen’s to prepare for their night shifts, also, and more importantly, met with members of Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Collation (TASSC). We broke up into three different small groups so that we would more personably hear of the lives of individual torture survivors. We cannot express our gratitude for their openness and trust to share their most painful experiences with us, and to work together with us to stop torture. If most of our day was dedicated to speaking out, it was all too necessary for us to end by listening.
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TWO TAKES ON THE SAME DELEGATION TO GUANTANAMO:
Pingree Urges the Closing of Guantanamo
http://tinyurl.com/...
US House Committee Vows to Keep Guantanamo Open
http://www.presstv.ir/...
Washington Post of Initial Day One Action of the Fast