Amnesty International USA Group 4 of Seattle

Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 4, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the den at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm.

We’ll have report backs from members who attended AIUSA’s Western Regional Conference in San Francisco in November and updates on December events including:

Sun. Dec. 9, 2-4 pm at the  Chaco Canyon Cafe in the U District – our annual write-a-thon. Join us  to Write #4Rights around the world. See previous post for event details: https://amnestyseattle.org/?p=646 and http://www.amnestyusa.org/writeathon for specifics on cases.

Thurs. Dec. 16, 6:30 – 8 pm – We are co-sponsoring Seattle Human Rights Day at the Seattle City Hall. Keynote speaker – Van Jones, New York Times best selling author, Green Jobs adviser to President Obama, founder of Color of Change. Emcee – Magdeleno Rose-Avila, Director Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. RSVP:  Felicia.Yearwood@seattle.gov Flyer at: http://www.seattle.gov/humanrights/documents/SeattleHumanRightsDay121312.pdf

Sun. Dec. 16, 10 am – 1 pm, Theatrical Protest for Pussy Riot at the Lenin Statue in Fremont, 600 N 36th St., Seattle. Post coming soon here, for details see Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/262881753837663/

The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind the Dick’s Drive In on 45th Street in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check for directions, free parking and bus line information at:http://www.mosaiccoffeehouse.org/directions.htm

Due to our regular meeting night, Tuesday, November 6, being on election day, we will have no Amnesty International Group 4 meeting this month. No known AI events in November yet (other than the Western Regional Conference on Sat. Nov. 10 in San Francisco).

So join us for our next meeting on Tuesday, December 4, 6:30 pm at the Mosaic Coffee House.

*UPDATE:   Other events in December will include Human Rights Day events, including our annual Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon event that we are in the process of planning, and also poetry reading with Poets West on behalf of freeing members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot.

Also, Eugene Martin of the United Nations Association, Seattle Chapter, will be our guest speaker at our January, not December meeting.

More details on all events as we get closer.

Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 2, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the den at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm.

Topics & updates likely to included: working to free members of the Russian band Pussy Riot; work to abolish the death penalty including the 1 year anniversary of Troy Davis’ death, Reggie Clemons’ hearing and other cases, and the upcoming Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty meeting on October 13; and women’s human rights including work to pass the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) including protections for Native American & Alaska Native women, immigrant women and LGBT survivors; and Guantanamo updates including the death of  Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif and transfer of  Omar Khadr to Canada.

See Fall Core Action Guide for further ideas:

https://amnestyseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/AmnestyCoreAction_Fall2012_FINAL.pdf

See also still to relevant op-ed on torture by AI Washington State Area Coordinator Larry Ebersole from the June 20 edition of Real Change:

http://realchangenews.org/index.php/site/printer-friendly/6669

The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind the Dick’s Drive In on 45th Street in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check for directions, free parking and bus line information at:http://www.mosaiccoffeehouse.org/directions.htm

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/403939749672128/

Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 4, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the den at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm.

Sorry for the short notice! Meeting just confirmed & agenda details below:

6:30pm to 7pm: Individual at Risk Letter Writing;

7pm:                   Introductions, of everyone present;

7:15pm               Review of August Events

–          Amnesty International Puget Sound Meeting of August 19^th

a)      Election of new Executive Committee in April 2013; Good discussion of ways to support

The national AIUSA around trainings and engagement of youth and college Amnesty Groups;

–          Anything else from August to share or follow up upon?  We can do so here;

7:30pm:           Future Action Scenario: Planning from December to Now –

–          December 11: Human Rights Day Week Writeathon and (probably) a rally for Human Rights Day;

November, October: Ideas? Letters Only? Plan an Event?  Interests? Think on it.

–          November: See October; and also below –

Regional AIUSA Conference for one day, in SF: An occasion to discuss implementation of the new AIUSA Action Strategy Plan. AIPS will likely offer subsidy to assist with costs of attending – more soon about this subsidy and Conference program;

8:00pm: Announcements and TBC.

September 5^th:  “Ending US-Sponsored Torture Forever: Successes and Challenges”

 Wednesday, September 5; Reception at 5:45pm, presentations begin at 7:00pm

          University Temple United Methodist Church, Fireside Room

          1415 Northeast 43rd Street

(next to the UW campus in the University District)

“We are pleased to have both Rev. Killmer and Dr. Crawford join us for this program and share their perspectives. Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director of National Religious Campaign Against Torture, is intimately involved in the anti-torture movement on the national level and will speak about the organization’s initiatives in Washington, DC. As founder of WSRCAT, Rob Crawford’s years of leadership, teaching, and research experience have shaped his perspective about the obstacles and possibilities of anti-torture politics.”

The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind the Dick’s Drive In on 45th Street in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check for directions, free parking and bus line information at:http://www.mosaiccoffeehouse.org/directions.htm

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/280406668731296/

Join us for our monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 7, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the den at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE. First half hour is letter writing and socializing. Meeting starts at 7 pm. Our meetings are open to the public, and all are welcome.

Discussion will include what we want to work on for the upcoming year, including information about AI’s new program structure. A few thoughts from Larry:

I invite ongoing reflection,on kinds of projects each of you/any of you might want to

develop and continue work on this upcoming season. AIUSA now uses a Program

Structure – Programs include – “America Program”; which is how detainee rights at Guantanamo   and Bgrm, CATreaty violations by the U.S.such as NDAA 2012,indefinate detentions, lack of fair trials, rendering of suspects, more;  Migrant rights issues and racialist profling can use our reponses, I feel.; Films and panel discussion at Ethnic Cultural Center/UW, cosponsored by UW Amnesty, is

a do able way to present each of these projects.

The Mosaic Coffee House is a nonprofit coffee house located in Seattle First Church (behind the Dick’s Drive In on 45th Street in the Wallingford Neighborhood). Check for directions, free parking and bus line information at: http://www.mosaiccoffeehouse.org/about-us/mapdirections/

Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/193456804118937/