article 19 - may 2010

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Whats InsideActivist Spotlight: Santa Clara and Palo Alto

Global Day of Solidarity with Troy Davis

Torture Awareness Month and CTWJ

Amnesty West Calendar

Organizing Toolbox: Sustaining Groups this Summer

FAQ: What is the annual group assessment fee?

New Faces in Amnesty West

Open Leadership Positions

ctivist Spotlight: Santa Clara and Palo Alto Local Groups

May 22, 2010 Amnesty International Local Groups in Santa Clara and Palo Alto, CA held a candlelightil to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the end of war in Sri Lanka between the Government of Srinka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. More than a 100 activists and sympathizers attended theent to demand justice for the thousands of civilians believed to have been killed during the last stages ofe war, and to remember and honor them. Amnesty spoke with Dhamy Rajendra of the Santa Clara group

: Did you feel your goals were met? Definitely. We wanted to raise awareness to the general public anow solidarity with other communities that have gone through similar experiences. We used varioustworks to spread the word. We collected over 100 signatures, on the Sri Lanka petitions and others.

: Members from many diverse communities attended the event in solidarity with the people of Sri

nka, including Kurdish, Native American and Armenian. How did you reach out and why was thaimportant? Thousands of people were killed in Sri Lanka and so little was known due to minimal pressverage. We attended similar rallies and connected with other groups. A lot of the people that showed upre from communities that had gone through similar experiences and could relate to what had happenedSri Lanka. For example, one of the attendees was a man that had escaped the Rwandan genocide. Andmenian people told me that what had happened to them was years ago, and they were now looking at ammunity that went through something similar just last year.

How did your group start working on Sri Lanka? When I joined the group nine months ago, I wasked to talk about what had happened in Sri Lanka. We started discussing specific issues and gatheringtitions and at the 2009 Western Regional Conference I worked on a resolution related to Sri Lanka. A

uple of months ago the Amnesty requested local groups hold a Sri Lanka Remembrance Day event.

May 20

Article 19Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

ebook.com/amnestywest twitter.com/amnestywest

her tips and tricks from Dhamys group:

Go local and keep it accessible! Lytton Plaza was chosencause the local communities can access it easily and eventsve worked well there in the past.etwork, network, network! Our AI groups are small, so it is

portant to show and receive solidarity with other groups toercome isolation and come together.

ngratulations to the Local Groups in Palo Alto and Santaara for putting together an outstanding event!

e 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhoo
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orture Awareness Month and Counter Terror with Justice

ne marks both Torture Awareness Month and the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (Junth), and our Counter Terror with Justice Campaign has put together an activist toolkit to help you seize th

omentum. Activists around the country will be organizing two events: a film screening of the documentaryhe Response and a vigil or other action on June 26th.

lobal Day of Solidarity for Troy DavisAmnestys long-standing fight to abolish the death penalty in the United States,oy Davis case is representative of the flaws in our justice system and the

fairness of the death penalty. For nearly two decades, Troy Davis has been onath row for murdering a Georgia police officer. However, throughout these years,

e case against him has fallen apart. There is no physical evidence against him;ven out of the nine witnesses have recanted their testimonies and have signeddavits stating they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying against Troyvis; and one of the two witnesses who have not recanted is the principle alternate

"I am still truly optimistic, so many people are working hard on his behalfthe lawyers are still working and

activists from around the world are writing and emailing and calling. Troy Anthony Davis is making a statementabout human rights and people are listening.Martina Correia, Troy Davis' sister.

May 20



There are a number of resources available, including postcardactions to President Obama urging accountability for torture, aDVD copy of The Response, campaign brochures, stickers,

shirts, and tips on how to hold a dynamic yet easily managedevent. To order materials, email [email protected]. To access thtoolkit, which provides a step by step organizing guide for eac

event, as well as argument rebuttals, campaign FAQs, and anUrgent Action, please visit www.amnestyusa.org/ctwj . Dontforget to send us your pictures after the event!

To support Troy and demand justice, Amnesty is participating in aGlobal Day of Solidarity on June 22, 2010. Please help us byorganizing a Troy Davis solidarity event in your area! Your support instrumental in demanding justice for Troy Davis, and we are askinmembers to hold vigils, tabling, and teach-ins (or other creativeevents!) to show solidarity. Please take a pledge to stand with Troyon June 22, inform your Field Organizer about your plans, anddownload our organizing kit for Global Day of Solidarity activities atwww.justicefortroy.org . Together we will demand Justice for Troy!

spect. On August 17, 2009, the Supreme Court issued an order mandating an evidentiary hearing for Tro

d now, on June 23, 2010 Troy has a final chance to prove his innocence before the Georgia State Court
http://www.facebook.com/amnestywesthttp://www.twitter.com/amnestywestmailto:[email protected]://www.amnestyusa.org/ctwjhttp://www.justicefortroy.org/http://www.justicefortroy.org/http://www.amnestyusa.org/ctwjmailto:[email protected]://www.twitter.com/amnestywesthttp://www.twitter.com/amnestywesthttp://www.facebook.com/amnestywesthttp://www.facebook.com/amnestywest

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round the Regionne 12: First Year Anniversary of 2009n Elections will be marked by events

obally. To participate contact your Fieldganizer or visit www.12june.org.

ne 12: World Coalition Against theath Penalty Annual General MeetingSan Francisco. For more informationto www.worldcoalition.org.

ne 27: San Francisco and Seattlede. To volunteer or participate contactur Field Organizer.

cross the Section

ne 22: Global Day of Solidarity for Troyvis. Visit www.justicefortroy.org!

ne 26: International Day in Support ofctims of Torture. For local actions

ease contact your Field Organizer.y 5-9: In-district lobby week.

v 5-7: Western Regional Conference,n Francisco.

New FacesAmnesty West welcomes six new summer interns!Amanda Drake leads the Amnesty group at the Universiof South Carolina, where she studies InternationalStudies; Angela Meng studies Sociology andAnthropology at Swarthmore College; Maryam Rastegaattends UC Berkeley where she studies English; KarlaMacias studies Government at Harvard University; NikkiRubin studies Biological Sciences and Health and Huma

Rights at the University of Connecticut; and TejeswiPratima Dodda is completing her Masters in MassCommunications from the University of Hartford. Welcomto Amnesty West and thank you for all your hard work!

Organizing ToolboxSustaining Groups Over the Summer

For student and local groups alike, summer can be a timeof lost momentum. If you follow a few simple tips yourgroup should be able to bounce back come fall!

If your group stops meeting during the summer, makesure your group has a leadership team established for thfall with access to group information, listservs, and pastcontacts and events. This way, group leaders can

continue planning over the summer. Stay in touch with your group via email and phone callsYou may not have meeting reminders to send, but identifsomeone who is responsible for updating the group onAmnestys actions and progress over the summer.

Forward messages you receive from the Regional andNational offices, and give people opportunities to point-and-click even if you dont have actual events takingplace. This can serve as a catalyst for fall actions.

Make connections for the fall! Are there otherorganizations you want to work with? Get in contact withthem, and even if your groups summer will be low key,

start planning fall events.

Stay connected with your Field Organizer! Becausemany groups are on break during the summer, this is agreat time for some one-on-one planning with your FO.

Happy summer activism!AQ: What is the annual groupsessment fee?

Amnesty groups are expected to make

minimum annual contribution of $50 toUSA to help cover the cost of training,sources, materials and other supportoughout the year. For student groups,ep in mind that the fee does nottomatically register your student group

at is done separately.

youre not sure if your group is paid up,

ntact the Western Regional Office at

5-288-1800. If your group cant afforde assessment fee or needs ideas forndraising, contact your Field Organizertalk about options for your group.

May 20


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(Detach here)

JOIN AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA

ANT TO JOIN AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL. Enroll me as (check one): INDIVIDUAL (suggested $25 or more) COUPLE (suggested $40 or more)

SENIOR (suggested $15 or more) STUDENT (suggested $15 or more) OTHER: $ __________

ANT TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL DONATION $25 $50 $100 OTHER $ __________

ASE KEEP ME INFORMED EMAIL MAIL

YMENT OPTIONS CASH or CHECK (payable to Amnesty International USA) enclosed CREDIT CARD Please charge the amount of $ __________ to my:

American Express Discover Mastercard Visa

______________________________________________

CREDIT CARD #______________________________________________

EXPIRATION DATE

______________________________________________

SIGNATURE DATE

________________________________________________________________

NAME

________________________________________________________________ADDRESS

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________CITY STATE ZIP

________________________________________________________________EMAIL ADDRESS

________________________________________________________________CELL PHONE HOME PHONE

________________________________________________________________

Check here if you do not want your postal information exchanged with otorganizations.

RETURN COMPLETED FORM AND PAYMENT TO:Amnesty International, 350 Sansome Street Suite 210, San Francisco CA 9

Jared FeuerInterim Regional Director

[email protected]

Rocio AvalosOffice [email protected]

Will ButkusField Organizer forNor CA, NV, AK, HI, [email protected]

Kalayaan MendozaField Organizer for SouthernCA, WY, ID, [email protected]

Sara SchmidtField Organizer for AZ, NM, OR,UT, [email protected]

Isabel, Amanda, Angela,Karla, Tejeswi, Maryam,Cameron, Nikki, Interns

350 Sansome Street, Ste 210 San Francisco, CA 94101Office (415) 288-1800 Fax (415) 391-3228

pen Leadership PositionsWant to take your activism to the next level?Interested in building your skills as a leader?

onsider becoming a statewide volunteer leader!We are recruiting for the following positionsontact your Field Organizer for more info and to

get involved!

Area CoordinatorColorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming

Student Activist CoordinatorAlaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana,

Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Legislative CoordinatorColorado, Nevada, Southern California, Utah

State Death Penalty Abolition CoordinatorMontana, Utah, Washington

Organizing Cities Activist Networkositions available in Seattle, San Francisco Bay

Area and Los Angeles

Left to right: Sara Schmidt, Jared Feuer, Cameron Casey, Gouri

Sadhwani, Doroteja Enceva, Isabel Wagemans, Will Butkus, CindyMathew, Krishanti Darmaraj, Jamie Hill, Kala Mendoza

The Western Regional Office

May 20


mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/amnestywesthttp://www.twitter.com/amnestywesthttp://www.twitter.com/amnestywesthttp://www.twitter.com/amnestywesthttp://www.facebook.com/amnestywesthttp://www.facebook.com/amnestywestmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

article 19 - may 2010

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