30 May 2008
The cell tour has arrived
The City of Brotherly Love got its first exposure to the Guantánamo cell replica today – the cell traveled all around Philadelphia today with canvassers covering over 8 miles of Center City Philly, with stops at Dilworth Plaza - the main event site, LOVE park, the Ben Franklin Parkway, Independence Mall, Old City, South Street, and Rittenhouse Square, passing out almost 3,000 flyers about the event.
News of the event is spreading – even without flyering throughout the city, posters, radio promotion, and word of mouth have already started to spark interest – canvassers had many great conversations. Stay tuned for the weekend – Philly promises to be an exciting stop on the national tour.
-Jen Horwitz
Amnesty International launched the ‘Unsubscribe’ campaign in November 2007 with this truly powerful film entitled Waiting for the Guards. This film shows a performance artist undergoing, for real, interrogation techniques permitted in the CIA handbook.
26 May 2008
Video 04 - Miami, May 2008
15 May 2008
Making friends in Miami
My first time in Miami: judge at the Elite Model Look competition, with after party in the Versace mansion.
My second time in Miami: campaigner with Amnesty International’s Guantánamo Cell Tour, no after party.
While a lot has changed for me in that time (before: private car, after: SuperShuttle), not much has changed for people illegally detained by the U.S. government in Guantánamo, Afghanistan and God-only-knows where else.
They are still held without charge. Still denied habeas and fair trials. Still at risk of torture. And we still wait for justice for the September 11th attacks. I’m a New Yorker, saw the towers with my own eyes, and I want to see those responsible punished. But abusing human rights is not the way to do it. Fighting terror with terror doesn’t work. Duh.
Anyway, Miami gave me hope that we can turn things around. All the people who stopped by the cell were great–or at least entertaining. I loved the homemade anti-Amnesty t-shirt one of our repeat visitors wore. I wanted to trade him my orange Counter Terror With Justice shirt, but I got shy. I was sad that the huge counter-protest he promised never materialized–we could have gotten even more press.
7 May 2008
Heating UP South Beach!
It is a clear blue sky; no overcastting clouds, reggae and flamenco intertwine in the air. The streets cafes are jammed pack and all you can see are the bright orange jumpsuits and the bright orange box.
Yep, you read it right, orange colored jumpsuits filled the South Miami Beach streets spreading the word about the National Launch of the Counter Terror with Justice: Guantanamo Cell Replica Tour.
Saturday and Sunday, a buzz team comprised of local activists hit the streets and passed out over 5,000 handbills announcing the arrival of our special guest, the Guantanamo Cell Replica.
