compiled by Kate Cowley
We started off Day 10 of the fast with a procession to the White House for a press conference with CodePINK. Watch a video of Matt speaking at the press conference.
Next, we made our way to the Senate Hart building, where, after lots of meetings and planning, we had the opportunity to put our ideas into action. All of those meetings paid off - the action came together beautifully! Read a description/ of today's events in the Hart Building, and watch a video of the action (it includes a procession, beautiful singing, and no arrests!).
Upon returning to the church, we met with Larry, the doctor who has been kind enough to check our blood pressure and pulse to make sure we are doing okay throughout our fast. Thank you to Larry for spending the time to come here and check on us!
We gathered again later in the afternoon to continue working out the details for tomorrow's action. Many new faces were welcomed into the community, some of whom are people who have been fasting with us from other parts of the country.
To end our day together, we had a reflection from Joshua. He began by playing guitar and singing "I Shall Be Released." He then talked about the "gift of anger," and asked how we may use our anger in the right way - a way that honors the struggle of the detainees and all victims of torture. He stressed the fierce urgency of now: a reminder to us as we are plan and reflect, of the men who at this very moment are still sitting alone, being held indefinitely. These thoughts are good ones to hold in our minds as we prepare for our day tomorrow.
Thank you for all that you do!
Peace with Justice,
Witness Against Torture
www.witnesstorture.org
Table of contents:
- January 20, 2010 - Press Advisory: For Immediate Release
- Fast for Justice, Art Laffin
- Video from Afghanistan Youth Peace Volunteers
January 20, 2010 - Press Advisory: For Immediate Release
WITNESS AGAINST TORTURE
Contact: Helen Schietinger, 202-344-5762, h.schietinger@verizon.net
Matt Daloisio, 201-264-4424, daloisio@earthlink.net
WITNESS AGAINST TORTURE DECRIES OBAMA'S BROKEN PROMISES, AMERICA'S BROKEN LAWS, LIVES BROKEN BY TORTURE
DAY OF ACTION THURSDAY TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO AND BAGRAM AND END TORTURE
WASHINGTON, DC: A year ago today, Barack Obama was inaugurated President, riding a waves of hope and excitement into the Oval Office. Two days later, he signed executive orders outlawing torture and committing his administration to closing Guantanamo within a year.
"We in the anti-torture movement were so hopeful," comments Sherrill Hogan from Western Massachusetts. "We looked forward to seeing Guantanamo closed, to seeing the many innocent men there freed, and to seeing those against whom the U.S. had credible evidence at last charged and brought to trial. But now, we hear that the administration plans to keep Guantanamo open at least until 2011. Its promises are broken."
Under the banner "Broken Promises, Broken Laws, Broken Lives," Witness Against Torture is mobilizing for a march and action on Thursday, January 21. The march of Guantanamo prisoners dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods begins at the Obama White House and travels a mile and a half in silent and solemn procession to the Supreme Court and by the Capitol, highlighting all of the institutions that have failed to execute their most basic function-- justice.
"We march to hold the Obama administration to its words and promises," says Helen Schietinger of Washington, DC. "The United States continues to detain dozens of men at Guantanamo who have been cleared for release. In addition, the Obama administration is expanding the prison at Bagram, and proposing indefinite detention without charge or trial for many and an Illinois prison facility for others. We see President Obama trying to replace the lawlessness of Guantanamo with a "legal black hole" in the continental United States. The laws are broken."
The day of action follows a twelve day fast and vigil for justice. More than 150 people from around the country joined the fast, 50 of them vigiling and meeting daily in Washington, DC. The fast ends on Friday, January 22-- the Obama administration's widely proclaimed and now-voided-- deadline for closing Guantanamo.
"We have been fasting to remember the men who continue to languish at Guantanamo. For many, seven or eight years have gone by," says Matt Daloisio of New York City. "Children have grown up without seeing their fathers. Parents have died. Families, whole communities, have been torn apart. The lives of these men have been broken."
SCHEDULE OF THE DAY
10:15 am Gather at the White House for a brief program
10:45 am Begin "prisoner" procession to Supreme Court (mile and a half walk). This will be a silent and solemn procession of people dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods
12:15 pm Arrive at the Supreme Court (across the street from the U.S. Capitol) for vigil with "Broken Promises, Broken Laws, Broken Lives" banners.
Witness Against Torture is a grassroots movement that came into being in December 2005 when 24 activists walked through Cuba to the Guantanamo base to condemn the prison camp and torture policies. Since then, it has engaged in public education, community outreach, and non-violent direct action.
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I Fast for Justice
I fast in repentance for the sin and crime of Guantanamo and Bagram.
I fast, too, for my own complicity in not speaking out early and strongly enough when these crimes were first initiated.
I fast for justice.
I fast for the 198 prisoners who are still being held in indefinite detention at Guantanamo,
many of whom have already been cleared for release,
whose lives have been broken by torture.
I fast for justice.
I fast in memory of the five prisoners who have died in Guantanamo over the last four years.
I am heartbroken over new revelations that three Guantanamo prisoners who died on June 9, 2006 were tortured to death in a secret CIA prison called "Camp No."
God forgive us!
I fast for justice.
I fast for the 645 prisoners at Bagram,
denied due process, tortured,
subjected to indefinite brutal dehumanizing confinement.
I fast for justice.
I fast for a change of heart for all those responsible for imposing and enforcing the crimes committed at Guantanamo and Bagram.
I pray that they will repent and make reparations to the prisoners for the crimes they have participated in.
I fast for justice.
I fast to awaken the conscience of Americans to see that the men at Guantanamo and Bagran are our brothers.
I fast to arouse compassion in all people indifferent to their plight.
I fast for justice.
I fast for an end to broken promises,
broken laws,
and broken lives.
I fast for justice.
I fast to loose the bonds of injustice,
to declare that the oppressed be set free.
I fast in the hope that these prisoners long-awaited freedom will soon become a reality.
I fast for justice.
by Art Laffin,
January 20, 2010
Day 10 of the Fast for Justice to Close Guantanamo and Bagram
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3. Video from Afghanistan Youth Peace Volunteers