Political Commentary

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The Closing of Tamms

Put simply, men were sent to Tamms to disappear.

Published by the American Civil Liberties Union, “Refusing to Disappear: Prisoners at Tamms and their Families Conducted a Sustained Advocacy Campaign to Shut this “Supermax” Down” was written by Alan Mills, Legal Director, Uptown People’s Law Center.

Click here to read his full report.

The notorious Tamms Correctional Center in Illinois officially shut its doors on January 4th, 2013. Like other “supermax” prisons, Tamms symbolized the ever more punitive, dehumanizing, and ineffective state of our criminal justice system, in which entire institutions are built to hold prisoners in extreme solitary confinement. With Tamms closed, we are one step closer to stopping solitary.

Click here to explore additional articles and reports published by ACLU.

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Finnish Conscientious Objector Joonas Norrena

War Resisters’ International‘s database of prisoners for peace and conscientious objectors is part of the Right to Refuse to Kill programme. It keeps track of known prisoners for peace and conscientious objectors, and allows supporters to access information on conscientious objectors. It is also linked to War Resisters’ International’s co-alert system.

Click here to review a list of activists currently in prison, followed by the latest additions to the database.

A current campaign now requesting your attention is the recent sentencing of Joonas Norrena, a 20 year-old conscientious objector from Imatra, Finland. Joonas Norrena was sentenced to 179 days of home detention for “refusal of conscription” (asevelvollisuudesta kieltÃytyminen) on 26 November 2012 by Kymenlaakso district court. He had refused to do military service in July 2012 in Vekaranjärvi garrison in Southeastern Finland.

Click here to read more about his case and use the WRI interface to send a letter of concern.

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A CALL TO ACTION CONCERNING SHAKIR HAMOODI

Guest Author: David Finke

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Will you please take 5 minutes to help free a peacemaker from unjust imprisonment?

Shakir Hamoodi — a beloved businessman and father of five, well-known to Columbians as a committed bridge-builder between different faiths and cultures — has been locked up in federal prison since August 28th, on a 3-year sentence which we all had expected would be probation according to plea negotiations. He was convicted of violating sanctions during the 1990s by sending money to family members in Iraq when he heard of their dire suffering: we are calling it a “Crime of Compassion.”

Here in Columbia we have seen an outpouring of letters, favorable editorials, public meetings, celebratory dinners, all in tribute to Shakir’s leadership among us, in baffled outrage at the draconian sentence, and with compassion for his stellar family. I am part of a group working with a pro bono attorney who filed a 5-inch-thick set of documents officially petitioning President Obama for executive clemency to commute Dr. Hamoodi’s sentence. I have studied and summarized 60 letters attesting to Shakir’s character and contributions (and could copy you on request). There were even more letters from Iraqis whose family members’ lives were saved due to his selfless act, on which he kept meticulous records. Click here to read David’s August 2012 post on this blog regarding Dr. Hamoodi’s case.

Now, in the next two weeks, we have a window of opportunity to try to get the President’s attention to act on humanitarian grounds to mitigate this injustice which we feel has been done. I’ve been in personal communication with a staff member of now-reelected Missouri senator, Claire McCaskill, to set up a meeting with her to urge her to personally intercede with the President.

Here’s where you can help:

First, read a quick summary of the case and circumstances at the website established by Shakir’s eldest son: www.helphamoodi.org. There is a link there to add your name to the nearly 7,000 others asking the President for clemency.

But we know that this alone — and even the excellent set of documents which we’ve conveyed to “The Pardon Attorney” at the White House, plus two Senators’ staffers — will not suffice to get positive action. NOW: We need a flood of phone calls, faxes, messages on Senatorial websites, and office visits to show our senators that this is worthy of their attention, and invite (urge, demand, plead) that they bring this to Obama’s awareness. Senators listen to constituents: YOU.

If you have only 5 minutes or fewer, I urge you to pick up the phone and call McCaskill if you’re in Missouri, Durbin if you’re in Illinois, and Gillibrand if you’re in New York or anywhere else in the country*. Tell them that you’ve become aware of a situation crying out for Executive Clemency, and urge the Senator to intervene on behalf of justice and human decency. You can offer weblink resources if you wish (“helphamoodi” is an easy one to remember); you can ask for a report back as to what the staffer finds. Phone numbers are at the end of this memo.

Another means of contact is the official website for each Senator. I have found that constituents’ comments there get more response than e-mails, and are far more effective than just adding yet another name to a petition (though that’s important too, to keep building the numbers); I urge you to send letters by FAX as well. If you are able, I recommend a visit to your local Senatorial office, possibly with a delegation of 2 or 3 others with this concern.

I mentioned “the next two weeks” because the Christmas-New Year period is one in which pardons and commutations are traditionally given (though possible at any time). This may be our best opportunity until next year at this time, and we are determined to not let Shakir suffer more time locked away from family, if humanly possible.

I also welcome you sharing this information with a personal note on any of your social media, and announcing in your Friends Meeting or elsewhere. Thank you for reading and considering this. I commend it to your heart.

In peace and love,
-DHF

*We mention Senator Gillibrand because we learned that a staffer in her NYC office saw Glen Greenwald’s article about Shakir in The Guardian, and has possibly brought it to her attention. We now have a direct contact with Gillibrand’s office, and are urging her to work with Claire to present this concern to the President. You could show concern beyond her direct constituency by urging her favorable action.

RESOURCES:
There was also excellent coverage in Newsweek’s online journal.
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I. Senatorial office telephones

Sen. Claire McCaskill:
Washington, DC Telephone 202-224-6154
Columbia, MO 573-442-7130
St. Louis, MO 314-367-1364

Sen. Dick Durbin:
Washington, DC Telephone 202-224-2152
Chicago, IL 312-353-4952
Carbondale, IL 618-351-1122

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand:
Washington, DC Telephone 202-224-4451

II. Senatorial fax numbers

McCaskill: Washington, DC 202-228-6326
Columbia, MO 573-442-7140
St. Louis, MO 314-361-8649

Durbin: Washington, DC 202-228-0400
Chicago, IL 312-353-0150
Carbondale, IL 618-351-1124

Gillibrand: Washington, DC 202-228-0282

III. Senatorial websites for comments:

McCaskill: www.mccaskill.senate.gov/contact/
Durbin: www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Gillibrand: www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/

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Inside Solitary Confinement of America’s Prisons

Today in Chicago an exhibit opens at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago showcasing the work of volunteer photographers who, hoping to provide some solace, are filling requests from inmates in Illinois solitary confinement. You can read more about what photos were requested, the inmates behind them, and the participating photographer’s experiences by reading this WBEZ article describing the project, which is run by Tamms Year 10, an advocacy group that’s working to close that prison. The future of Tamms is stuck in a legal battle between Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s office and AFSCME, the union that represents the prison employees. Quinn wants it closed, but a judge recently ruled in the union’s favor. The governor’s office has said they’d appeal to the state supreme court.

The November/December 2012 issue of Mother Jones also took on this issue with their article, “Solitary in Iran Nearly Broke Me. Then I Went Inside America’s Prisons.” by Stephen Bauer. He writes:

“There was a window,” I say. I don’t quite know how to tell him what I mean by that answer. “Just having that light come in, seeing the light move across the cell, seeing what time of day it was—” Without those windows, I wouldn’t have had the sound of ravens, the rare breezes, or the drops of rain that I let wash over my face some nights. My world would have been utterly restricted to my concrete box, to watching the miniature ocean waves I made by sloshing water back and forth in a bottle; to marveling at ants; to calculating the mean, median, and mode of the tick marks on the wall; to talking to myself without realizing it. For hours, days, I fixated on the patch of sunlight cast against my wall through those barred and grated windows.

When, after five weeks, my knees buckled and I fell to the ground utterly broken, sobbing and rocking to the beat of my heart, it was the patch of sunlight that brought me back. Its slow creeping against the wall reminded me that the world did in fact turn and that time was something other than the stagnant pool my life was draining into.

Here, there are no windows.

Stephen Bauer is touring the Pelican Bay SHU in California, where 94 percent of prisoners are celled alone. It’s been seven months since he’s been back in a prison cell. After being apprehended on the Iran-Iraq border, he, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal, were held in Evin Prison’s isolation ward for political prisoners. Sarah remained there for 13 months, Stephen and Josh for 26 months.

You can read more about Stephen’s experience and reflections on America’s prison system as he shares about corresponding with inmates in SHUs around California as part of an investigation into why and how people end up in these conditions. More than 80,000 people were in solitary confinement in the United States in 2005, the last time the federal government released such data.

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America By The Numbers: Clarkston Georgia

This Georgia town is the current home to QVS volunteer, Justin Leverett, where he is assigned as a communication specialist to a non-profit agency. Clarkston, Georgia is being called one of the most diverse communities in America with residents from over 40 countries speaking over 60 different languages:

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With animation and a cinematic lens, “America By The Numbers: Clarkston Georgia” presents Maria Hinojosa’s exploration of the lessons that can be learned from our newest Americans about democracy and getting along.

Click here to learn more about the project and PBS broadcast times near you.

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A call for compassion

Friend David Finke wrote to the committee:

“I gladly call to your attention this situation of an eminent leader in our Islamic community. I believe he deserves support from every person with a concern for Justice.” Here is the letter he has request you read and reflect on:

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Dear Friend,

I never yet have obeyed the “Send this to everyone you know!” command when getting a passionate e-mail appeal.  Aren’t you glad?  But this message, originating with me alone, is one that I hope you will both read and act upon, and I’m urging it to everyone I know.

A friend of Nancy’s & mine here in Columbia must start serving a 36-month federal prison sentence in just 2 1/2 weeks. His “crime” to which he had to admit in a plea agreement (to avoid an even longer sentence) was that he sent money to his family in Iraq during the UN/US sanctions regime: 1990-2003.  His mother was going blind; his sister lost a baby because they couldn’t get $10 worth of antibiotics.  As so many in this town have been saying since we were stunned to learn his sentence several months ago, “Who among us wouldn’t have tried to do the same?”

Shakir Hamoodi’s only chance for not having to be separated from his family for the next 3 years is to be granted Executive Clemency.  We don’t expect that the President will act on this request until after the fall elections, and in fact the appropriate documents can’t be filed until Shakir is locked up.  But a highly committed group in town — including people who have never been “political” before — is organizing to do our best to bring this to President Obama’s attention, including working with the cooperative staff of our Senator McCaskill.

There’s more about this case that I’d be happy for you to read, and I’m giving links at the end.  We’re delighted how much positive publicity Shakir, as a community leader, has gained. At the very least, I hope you’ll take the next minute to click this link to read more, then consider adding your name to the 3,500 plus signatures we have on an electronic petition.

Many hard-copy petitions have also been circulated.  From these we are working on collecting the best several dozen personalized letters of support and testimonial to add to the official Petition to be filed August 28th with the Justice Department’s “Office of the Pardon Attorney.”  I feel honored to be part of this work, and also to serve as trustee of the “Hamoodi Family Benefit Trust” established to help the family during their breadwinner’s absence.

Our friend Shakir is a naturalized American citizen who came from Iraq to the U.S. to study nuclear engineering, for which he has a doctorate and on which he was teaching at the “Mizzou” campus here.  I find it significant that he chose not to return to Iraq where his skills might have been used to build weapons for Saddam Hussein.  Our government has “thanked” him for this service by having raided his home and seized records 6 years ago.

However, after 5 years of searching through them with Shakir’s full cooperation, they found no evidence that any of the money he transmitted went for anything other than humanitarian relief to individuals.  And then, for reasons that we’ll probably never know, the “Team A” of FBI and federal prosecutors was suddenly replaced earlier this year by “Team B” which recommended a sentence of 5 to 6 years.  So much for cooperation with the expectation of probation — which, in fact, has been given in similar cases even to defendants who moved much greater amounts of money and who took a percentage for themselves.

I will get off my soapbox now (while preparing for 2 testimonial/send-off dinners in Shakir’s honor) and simply ask you to respond — with your signature at least, and a monetary gift if possible (details on request.)  It will be important to mention in our filings how many individuals have gone on record asking respectfully for Executive Clemency.

This is as clear a case as I’ve ever witnessed of the necessity for concerned citizens to come together with compassion to try to undue a manifest injustice.

Whatever you decide to do, I send you greetings, and hope to stay in touch.

In peace,    -DHF

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Five Specific Requests, outlined by Steve Tamari

Sandra Tamari’s husband, Steve, recently wrote about Sandra’s experience and its aftermath, following a trip in May where she was refused entry at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport and deported. For Steve, the most unexpected part of the experience was what happened after Sandra returned to the US.

From the piece he titled: “US missing in action as Israel targets Palestinian-Americans” Steve writes:

Sandra’s experience and the outcry that followed made this an opportune moment to act. With assistance from various activist networks, our petition drive secured enough support within a short time to get us an audience with State Department officials on June 26.

We had five specific requests for the State Department officials: to treat Palestinian-Americans in Israel as they would any other US citizen; to raise this issue with Israeli counterparts; to examine the legality of this all-too-common scenario in light of the aforementioned 1954 Treaty; and to inquire whether US embassy or consular officials have any records related to the numbers of Palestinian-Americans denied entry to Israel and areas under its control.

We also petitioned the State Department to protest Israeli plans to destroy the Palestinian village of Susiya, the most recent example of 65 years of Israeli whole-scale ethnic cleansing.

Our exchange with the State Department demonstrated once again our government’s inability to guarantee basic assistance to Palestinian-Americans at Israeli ports of entry.

The officials expressed sympathy, and acknowledged that US officials have repeatedly raised such concerns with their Israeli Foreign Ministry counterparts to no avail. But they could offer little more than a verbal promise to relate our concerns to higher-ups.

I am not holding my breath. The State Department has a 30-year record of offering no effective assistance to its citizens in this regard. Why should we expect anything different this time around?

That said, Sandra’s case solidified my optimism in the citizenry’s basic decency and in the power of grassroots organizing and hard-nosed questioning.

Click here to read the entire piece: “US missing in action as Israel targets Palestinian-Americans” from Ma’an News Agency (updated 7/14/12).

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Denied Entrance: Quaker mother of two is deemed an Israeli Security Risk

Sandra Tamari has given PRC permission to share her story, sent to family and friends on May 24, 2012:

Dear Family and Friends,

My participation in the May 2012 Interfaith Peace Builders delegation was blocked by Israeli officials at the airport who deemed me “a security risk.” After an eight hour wait with several interrogations, I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea that a Quaker mother of two had the ability to be a risk to one of the most powerful countries in the world.

The questions started at passport control.  “What is your father’s name?”  “What is your grandfather’s name?”  I was immediately escorted to a dirty waiting room to await further interrogation.  I was questioned no fewer than seven times and was asked directly, “Are you a terrorist?”

All this because I am a Palestinian and I refuse to be silent.

The Israelis demanded access to my gmail account.  When I refused to provide my password, they said that I must be hiding something sinister.  They obviously knew about my activism for Palestinian rights.  They asked about my political activities at home and what organizations I worked with.

I was taken to security to claim my suitcase.  They went through my belongings thoroughly and searched me (but thankfully did not make me strip my clothes.)

When they discovered that I had taken detailed notes about my interrogations, the lead interrogator was furious.  He accused me of sound recording or photographing the questioning.  He was especially interested in my notes about my phone conversation with a staffer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. IFPB alerted the Embassy to my detention and the staffer had called me earlier at the airport.  I told them that the Embassy advised me to keep a record of my treatment.  They seemed to be a little nervous at that point.

I was able to inform the delegation co-leader and my dear friend, Anna, that I was being deported.  She had been at my side throughout the entire ordeal prior to my search in security.  I knew she was imagining the worst during my hour-long absence.

I was taken to a prison cell where I stayed for several hours and then driven onto a runway to board a commercial flight to Europe and then onto the States.  How grateful I was to find Mike Daly of IFPB waiting for me at Dulles.  I was unable to reach my husband Steve from the airport in Frankfurt and no one was sure of my whereabouts for 12 hours.  I feel especially sick about all the worry this caused to my family and friends.  I am also so sorry to miss being on this trip with my amazing friend, Nancy Duncan.  We had been looking forward to sharing this time for months.

As I was sitting in prison waiting for my deportation, I could not help but think of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention with no idea of when or if they will ever be released.  I thought of the millions of Palestinians denied the right to return to their homeland by Israel.  Israel has created and maintains through violence a Jewish majority at their expense.  My experiences of detention and deportation were scary. I am disappointed to be missing the delegation trip and my cousin’s wedding in the West Bank on June 9, but my ordeal is only a small part of Israel’s systematic oppression of Palestinians.  In fact, I among the very lucky and privileged.  I am at home now unharmed with my beautiful family.

My privilege demands that I speak fearlessly against the injustices of Israel against the Palestinian people.  Count on hearing from me.

Peace to you all,
Sandra Tamari

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Quakers Divest from Caterpillar!

The “End the Occupation” campaign is proud to announce:

After a roller coaster United Methodist divestment campaign ending in partial victory, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is so excited to announce that the Quaker Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC), which holds over $200 million in assets, has divested from Caterpillar! FFC divested $900,000 in shares of Caterpillar, which continues to feel the pressure from all sides for its production and sale of weaponized bulldozers to Israel, used to violate Palestinian rights and destroy Palestinian homes, schools, hospitals, olive groves, and lives.

Ann Arbor Quakers asked FFC to divest and issued this warm statement of thanks:

“Ann Arbor Friends welcome the decision by Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC) to divest from Caterpillar Corp. This is a significant step since FFC handles investments for over 250 Quaker meetings, schools, organizations, trusts, and endowments around the US. In taking this action, FFC is truly upholding the core commitment of the Society of Friends to peace. We ask Friends and people of faith everywhere to join us in expressing thanks to FFC and asking them to continue divesting from all companies that are helping to sustain the Israeli occupation.”

Click here to thank FFC for its decision to divest from Caterpillar!

FFC has a “zero tolerance for weapons and weapons components,” and said, “We are uncomfortable defending our position on this stock.”

FFC is not the first Quaker institution to avoid companies that support the Israeli occupation. In March 2008, the Board of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a US Campaign member group, approved an Israel/Palestine investment screen, stating:

“Investments should not be made in any company that provides products or services, including financial services, to Israeli governmental or military bodies… or to Israeli or Palestinian organizations or groups that are used to facilitate or undertake violent acts against civilians or violations of international law.”

The AFSC investment screen is based on a 29-company “no-buy” list — originally compiled by the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church — which includes Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions, Veolia, and Hewlett Packard. In June 2011, AFSC also joined the “We Divest Campaign,” which calls on financial giant TIAA-CREF to divest from the Israeli occupation.

We Divest
Illinois Yearly Meeting and St Louis Monthly Meeting support the “We Divest Campaign.” 

And that’s not all. Illinois Yearly Meeting and St. Louis Monthly Meeting of Friends also came out in support of the “We Divest Campaign,” Sandy Springs Monthly Meeting called on FFC to divest from all companies profiting from violence in Israel/Palestine, and the Ann Arbor Meeting agreed to a call from its Palestine-Israel Action Group(PIAG) — a member of the US Campaign — to boycott companies supporting the Israeli military and Israeli settlement products, building on a similar decision by Britain Yearly Meeting.

FFC’s decision is a new step forward for aligning Quaker values with investments. Please click here to thank FFC, whether or not you are a Quaker!

We are hopeful that these actions will put wind in the sails of the exciting divestment campaign at Earlham College, another Quaker institution. The campaign, led by US Campaign member group BDS Earlham, aims for “Earlham to divest from Caterpillar, Motorola, and Hewlett Packard because they are profiting from Israeli violations of international law and principles of human rights.”

In less than two months, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will vote on divestment from those same companies. In addition tothanking FFC, please click here to sign a letter of support for Presbyterian divestment if you haven’t done so yet!

The snowball is gathering momentum. Let us continue our support for courageous churches and other institutions that are putting their money where their mouths are.