PUBLIC MEETING-"Iraq, Guantanamo & Ireland" *On the first day of Ploughshares Trial!

by Felton Davis - New York Catholic Worker Wed Jun 28, 2006 18:45

About sixty of us from a variety of peace and
religious groups gathered at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on
June 26th, the international UN Day of Action for
Survivors and Victims of Torture, and then walked in a
slow and silent procession through the rainy streets
to the US Mission to the United Nations.
Representatives of Christian, Jewish and Muslim
churches delivered statements calling for an end to
torture and the closing of the US Detention Center at
Guantánamo. Bill Goodman of the Center for
Constitutional Rights described the efforts of the
legal community to have the detainees released and
secret detention centers outlawed. I personally
estimated the crowd size for this demonstration at
10,000 people, but saner heads have estimated that
about 60 people took part.
After the march and press conference, 25 of us sat or
kneeled in front of the entrance to the US Mission’s
temporary home on East 45th Street. We were all
arrested for Disorderly Conduct and taken to the 7th
Precinct on Pitt Street.
Never have I climbed into a police truck with such a
distinguished group of activists and religious
leaders, including our own Deacon Tom Cornell from
Peter Maurin Farm, Fr. Earl Kooperkamp of St. Mary’s
Episcopal Church in Harlem, Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the
Shalom Center in Philadelphia, Sr. Anne Montgomery of
the Kairos Community, Quaker peace activist Francis
Crowe from Boston, and Fr. Daniel Berrigan, SJ, who
did not take the recent celebration of his 85th
birthday as an opportunity to retire from civil
disobedience.
By 11 pm that night, 22 of the arrestees had been
released with desk appearance tickets and scheduled
for court on July 20th. The other 3 of us did not
produce any identification, but instead took the names
of the three prisoners at Guantánamo who committed
suicide on June 10th.
Carmen Trotta took the name of Mani Shaman Turki
al-Habardi al-Utaybi of Saudi Arabia. Matt Daloisio
took the name of Yasser Talal Abdullah Yahya al
Zahrani of Saudi Arabia. And I took the name of Ali
Abdullah Ahmed of Yemen. Our arresting officers know
us well from many previous demonstrations and would
not enter these names on to the arrest records, only
booking us at John Doe #1, John Doe #2, and John Doe
#3. Neither would the officers accept our address as
“Guantánamo Bay Concentration Camp,” only recording us
as “Homeless.” Carmen also declined to stand when
arrested, and was carried to the police truck,
resulting in an additional charge.
From the 7th Precinct we were taken downtown to the
basement holding cells underneath the 100 Centre St.
courthouse, and spent the night attempting to sleep on
the cold concrete floor, with about thirty other men
who had also been arrested that day. Given the horror
stories that have come out of Guantánamo, I would be
ashamed to describe the conditions in Central Booking,
or to say that our time there was particularly
challenging. The city offered help with any medical
needs that we might have; food, water and access to
toilets was provided; there was a functioning pay
phone in the holding cell; and last but not least, we
were taken before an arraignment judge less than 24
hours from the time of our arrest, and a lawyer to
represent us was provided on the spot.
Carmen Trotta entered a plea of Not Guilty, and is
scheduled to return to court on July 28th. Matt
Daloisio and I accepted adjournments (ACD’s) which
will become de facto dismissals in six months. As our
lawyer, Ms. Samuels of the Legal Aid Society, spoke to
the judge, she read into the court record, without
objection from the prosecutor, the names that we had
assumed during our detention. To the best of our
knowledge, this was the only occasion in which Mani
al-Utaybi, Yasser al Zahrani, and Ali Abdullah Ahmed
had their names heard in any American court.
“The practice of arbitrary imprisonments,” has
been “in all ages... one of the favorite and most
formidable instruments of tyranny,” wrote Alexander
Hamilton in No. 84 of the Federalist Papers. Is this
what it has come to, that the United States now
practices what its founders considered tyranny? If
so, what does this mean? What are the implications
for our freedom, and what are our responsibilities and
obligations to those who are unjustly held under
torturous conditions in the global network of
anonymous detentions sites?

For more information about our campaign, go to
www.witnesstorture.org

Photographs of our action can be found on the link below......

by Pit Stop Ploughshares Sat Jul 01, 2006 09:00 087 918 4552

Since 1989, Carmen Trotta has lived and worked with the homeless of New York's Lower East Side. He is based out of the original Catholic Worker (established by Dorothy Day) 36 East First St. a buiding which ground floor serves as a soup kitchen for the homeless 7 days a week and the other 3 floors as sleeping space for homeless & CW volunteers.

Carmen has long history in nonviolent resistance & organising in New York City, Washington DC & other sites of U.S. military power. Solidarity journies have taken him to Colombia, Cuba & Rikers Island. Carmen worked as a national organiser for the anarcho pacifist War Resisters League, which is headquartered around the corner from the NYCW. it was from the roof of the building where WRL is located that he saw the second World Trade Centre tower fall. He was a primary organiser in the peace demonstrations that immediatel followed the attack and the first anniversary commerations.

Carmen is an excellent speaker, experienced anti-war organiser & talented singer (Phil Ochs, Johnny Cash & Elvis being his specialties).

This past December Carmen & others walked through Cuba to Guantanemo Bay. You can find their story on their website www.witnesstorture.org

A photo of Carmen & 85 year old Plowshares founder Fr. Dan Berrigan SJ on the link below.....

by Pit Stop Ploughshares Sat Jul 01, 2006 09:17

Teresa Grady grew up during the Vietnam War in an anti-war activist family. Her parents John & Teresa Grady worked with anarcho-educationalist Fr.Ivan Illich SJ in the 1950's in Peurto Rico and New York City.

Teresa was baptised as a child by anti-Vietnam War activist priests Fr. Dan & Phil Berrigan. Her father John was a key nvda organiser against the Vietnam War and was indicted by the FBI in the Camden 29 Draft Board raid conspiracy case- later collectively acquitted after a long trial (subject of a recent excellent PBS documentary). The father of local Dublin journo Harry Brown & John Grady were with Phil when the FBI raided a New York presbytery and found him in the closet of the sacristy after an exhaustive national manhunt by the Feds. Phil had gone underground after sentening for the original Catonsville Draft Board Raid (subject of a celebrated play by Dan Berrigan & film by Gregory Peck)

The Grady family were involved in an anti-war nonviolent action at their local military recruitment centre in Ithaca, upstate New York, on St. Patrick's Day 2003. Teresa's sister Clare & brother-in-law (Vietnam Vet) Peter De Mott remain imprisoned as consequence of this action. Teresa has worked in CW houses of hospitality wit the homeless in NYC,California & Ithaca. Teresa's anti-war pilgirmages have taken her to Vieques (Peurto Rico), the Pentagon, White House, Bush's Crawford Ranch, the first Pit Stop Ploughshares trial in Dublin & many military sites & plowshare trials. She is a dance instructor at Cornell University, massage therapist, nonvilent resister & excellent singer.

Photo of Peter De Mott (presently imprisoned), Cindy Sheehan & Teresa outside Bush's Carwford Ranch on the link below......

by SP4 Sat Jul 01, 2006 09:30

*Include Federal prison number listed after their names, otherwise mail will not be delivered!

Clare Grady 01264-052
FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER
P.O. BOX 562
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106
USA
Release date: July 17, 2006

Peter De Mott 10891-083
c/o Volunteers of America
295 Clinton Street
Binghamton, NY 13905-2055
USA
Release date: Sept. 2006

Daniel Burns 13182-052
MDC Brooklyn
Metropolitan Detention Center
PO Box 329002
Brooklyn, NY 11232
USA
Release date: July 17, 2006

Background on their nonviolent anti-war action on link below.....

by Gig Mon Jul 03, 2006 18:10

gig

by Get Up Tue Jul 04, 2006 09:06 Australia

Dear friends,

For four and a half years, Australian citizen David Hicks has been
locked up - allegedly tortured - without trial. Now, the US Supreme
Court has confirmed what the world already knew: that David Hicks never
had a hope for a fair trial because the system set up to try prisoners
at Guantanamo Bay was fatally flawed from the start.

Enough is enough! No more waiting for a decision to be made somewhere
else. No more excuses for supporting a system found to be unlawful.
With our government facing unprecedented pressure to find a real
solution now, tell them it's time for David Hicks to come home and let
justice run its course.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DefendAustralianRights

As leaders from around the world had their citizens removed from
Guantanamo Bay, and even America's staunchest allies called for this
'symbol of injustice' to be closed down, the Australian Government
continued its support.

Their excuse has been that David Hicks cannot be tried in Australia -
but eminent legal authorities have refuted this claim.*

The only path to justice now, without months or even years more of
unwarranted delays, is for the Australian Government to step up and
finally do its job. Demand Alexander Downer and John Howard take action
to bring David Hicks home immediately - and let the evidence be heard.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DefendAustralianRights

When GetUp first began this campaign last year, media from around the
world, starting with The New York Times, reported our willingness to
defend the rights of a citizen our government had abandoned.

This week, one of Australia's leading prosecutors, NSW Director of
Public Prosecutions Nick Cowdery, QC, called Hicks' case "an
unprincipled disgrace" and said the Government now had "no excuse" for
not seeking his return.

Each of us has the right to a fair trial, and David Hicks' rights must
no longer be forsaken for political convenience. If you haven't
already, please join us now in taking a stand.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DefendAustralianRights

Thanks for being part of this,
The GetUp team

*including Professor George Williams and Devika Hovell, directors of
the public and international law units respectively at the University
of NSW