From the Archive

The State of Guantánamo

President Obama thundered last night that “as long as we maintain our common resolve. . . the state of our Union will always be strong.” But so long as Guantánamo remains open, and men are imprisoned without charge or trial, the United States is weak, in fatal breach of its own ideals. Energized by 10 days of protest in Washington, D.C. and the national outcry at the National Defense Authorization Act, we must now strengthen our own resolve to close Guantánamo, end indefinite detention, and secure justice for the victims of US abuse. We can all sign the “We the People” petition by our friends at Close Guantánamo to force the White House to answer to its bankrupt policies. We can all work — in the streets and in our communities — to create a world without torture and the sacrifice of liberty to fear and hatred. Join us.

1.12.12

Dear Friends,

It was a very different atmosphere in the church this morning, with so many of those who had been fasting, now filled, having already returned to their respective homes. Those who lingered received the gift of a “home-cooked” breakfast of pancakes and eggs, courtesy of Jake Olzen (see his final reflections on the fast) and the White Rose community. Much of the day was spent packing up and cleaning up, tying up loose ends with friends and supporters.

We are, as ever, in need of financial support to cover our many expenses—nourishing liquids, materials for signs, jumpsuits and hoods, a contribution to the churches which offered us hospitality, to name a few. Visit our donation page to see the variety of ways you can make a contribution, and thank you in advance.

While visiting the Museum of the American Indian today, I came across this quote from an anonymous source, “Let us bring our minds together and greet each other as human beings.” This simple phrase called to mind the complex themes that had risen and woven together throughout the fast, particularly the ideas of interconnectedness and of human dignity. Torture is an attempt at dismantling both of these things. As Juan Mendez said last night, “torture is a direct attack on the dignity of every human being.” Frida added, “torture breaks the social contract that we enter into as citizens.” This calls to mind the questions Matt posed to the law students, and to all of us:

1) What does it mean to be a U.S. citizen in our time?
2) What does it mean to be a lawyer or law student when indefinite detention is now part of the law? When torture persists unaccounted for?
3) What does it mean to be human?
4) And finally, what are we willing to risk – knowing the repercussions the men at Guantánamo who are protesting face when trying to cry out – how do we answer that cry? What type of risk do the times we live in require us to take?

Matt’s questions were fresh on my mind as I visited the Martin Luther King Memorial. Many of his quotes are boldly etched in marble. One that struck me was, “We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.” This resonates with Carmen’s final words to the jury, “You are the conscience of this community.” And again to the judge during his sentencing statement, “As far as sentencing, Judge Fisher, you must follow your conscience.” The same can be said for us all, when it comes to being a U.S. citizen, a human being, at the end of the day we are left with our conscience – what is it beckoning us toward?

It is a question that meets us each day, whether we fast or feast, whether we are together or apart, whether we are in sorrow or rejoicing; our responsibility for our own actions and for one another never ceases. And though emphasis on the injustice inflicted on the men at Guantánamo (and on so many hidden behind other prison walls) may grow increasingly dim and distant as this peculiar anniversary passes, it remains a part of every one of us. As King observed, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever effects one directly, effects all indirectly. “

In Peace,

Amy Nee and Ted Walker for Witness Against Torture

Links

Close Guantánamo
NDAA Hoodwinked
White House Petition to Close Guantánamo

Daily Rundown

Day 1:
Days before the 10th year anniversary of Guantánamo, close to fifty people gather to form a community in the basement of First Trinity Church in Washington DC. The following morning, we hold a vigil in orange jumpsuits and black hoods in front of the court. Our case, “The United States Versus Shakir Ami,” begins with the government prosecutors arguing that this “was not the time and place” to present our grievances over Guantánamo. (Read more)

Day 2:
Frida Berrigan, Josie Setzler, Tom Casey and Jeremy Varon address reporters for a brief press conference before court convenes for the morning. In the courtroom, after testimony from several Capital Police officers, the prosecution rests; Josie S. is acquitted, and the defense introduces their first and final witness, Shakir Ami (a.k.a. Brian Hynes). (Read more)

Day 3:
Our morning begins with a legal argument over words and their meanings, the application of the First Amendment and right conduct. Jury instructions are decided, closing statements given. The jury deliberates for three hours and returns to find Brian Hynes, Mike Levinson, and Carmen Trotta guilty. They are “truly deadlocked” over Judith Kelly. The judge asks them to return in the morning and deliberate further. (Read more)

Day 4:
In the court room, final uncharged defendant, Judith Kelly, is found guilty and Mike Levinson delivers a poignant, powerful sentencing statement, while sentencing for the remaining three is delayed until the following week. Moving to the public sphere, groups break into a three-way vigil, making appearances in jumpsuits and hoods at the Department of Justice, White House, and Capital Building/Supreme Court. (Read more)

Day 5:
We reconstruct a large, steel rod cage on wheels and, with one hooded person inside, roll through the streets of DC with a long line of us in jumpsuits in tow. We circle the Washington Monument and stand before the White House. Nearly one thousand flyers are distributed. We end by lifting the cage over the Lafayette Park barriers and set up what will become a 92-hour vigil in front of the White House. (Read more)

Day 6:
The morning begins with a conference call with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers after which a large group travels via metro to join the continuing 92-hour cage vigil at the White House. In the evening several fasters join folks at the McPherson Square Occupy site for a viewing of the documentary Taxi to the Dark Side. (Read more)

Day 7:
We wake very early to participate in a weekly vigil at the entrance of the Pentagon. There is a teach-in at Freedom Plaza with Chris Hedges, a discussion with SOA Watch, and a faster’s conference phone call to hear from and be in solidarity with fasting friends across the country. (Read more)

Day 8:
Folks begin rolling in for the January 11 rally and preparations intensify. Small groups have the opportunity to attend two events featuring Andy Worthington: a panel at the New America Foundation and a screening of Guantanamo documentary Outside the Law at local eatery, Busboys and Poets. (Read more)

Day 9:
January 11, 2012 – the 10th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo as a detention camp for the US “War on Terror.” Ten years too many. A thousand people gather in Lafayette park for a rally, then 171 people (one for each of the men still indefinitely detained at Guantánamo) with the rest behind process hooded, in orange jumpsuits past the four main governmental institutions responsible: the White House, Department of Justice, Congress and Supreme Court. The event ends before the Court with a human-mic recitation of a detainee’s poem, “Is It True?” An interfaith service is held afterwards. (Read more)

Day 10:
Our final day in court; Judith, Brian and Carmen deliver moving sentencing statements. Immediately after, we processed to the White House with a brief detour at the Freedom Plaza Occupy to pick up “the cage.” 36 were arrested in a visually stunning action, creating an “orange-out” at the White House in protest of Guantánamo and the NDAA. The evening closed with a panel discussion and fast-breaking meal at American University. (Read more)

Articles

A Guantánamo Prisoner Has His Day in Court
by Frida Berrigan

Thirty-seven Arrested and Final Reflections
by Jake Olzen

Press

Guantánamo Detainees Launch Hunger Strike to Protest Prison’s 10th Anniversary
in Democracy Now

Protesters Condemn Guantánamo Bay on 10th Anniversary with March from White House
in The Washington Post

Guantánamo’s 10th Anniversary Marked by Protests (video)
in VOA

Opponents Start Guantánamo’s Second Decade with Jumpsuit Protest
in Miami Herald

Photos and Video

Witness Against Torture’s Flickr Group
Hungering for Justice (Jan 11, 2012)
White House Witness (WAT Jan 12, 2012)

Donate

After a whirlwind ten days in DC (with a day of prep on one end and a day of clean up on the other), we are home again and in recovery and catch up mode. At least some of us hit the ground running, getting back to law school, local Occupy work, catching up with kids and pulling extra hours at our abandoned jobs. Most of our bills from the fast, trial, vigil, big J11 mobilization and day of action are paid off– in large part because of the generosity of so many people– but there are still some lingering debts and a bit of red ink. And, given all the givens on the political landscape, it looks like we should bedoing more than just settling everything up. We actually need to get organized for more protest, more resistance and more organizing.

If you can, please take a moment and make a contribution to Witness Against Torture.

Also, buy t-shirts for your friends and family! All proceeds help Witness Against Torture and they make lovely Valentines and Saint Patrick’s Day gifts!

Reflections

Reflections of a First Time Faster
by Chrissy Nesbitt

Ten Years of Guantánamo
by Sherrill Hogan