Category — Past AFSC Events

Paki Wieland (Northampton resident) arrested in Bahrain

by Jeff Napolitano

Urgent:

Northampton resident Paki Wielend arrested and detained in Bahrain

Northampton resident Paki Wieland was one of six U.S. citizens arrested Tuesday in Manama, Bahrain while acting as international observers of a peaceful protest on the one year anniversary of the Arab Spring. The six US citizens were part of a peaceful protest marching towards the Pearl Roundabout – site of last year’s peaceful round-the-clock protest in Bahrain, modeled after Egypt’s Tahrir Square – when they were attacked by Bahraini authorities. The six observers remain in Bahraini custody in the Naem Police Station in Manama. This group of internationals is the second to be deported by the Bahraini government. The U.S. State Department is currently providing consular assistance to the six arrested U.S. citizens.

What you can do: Call 202-647-4000 and leave a comment with the U.S. State Department. Ask them to halt the Bahraini government’s deportation of U.S. citizens who are in Bahrain and have observed government brutality against peaceful protesters. You can also tweet the State Department at @StateDept. Please help spread the word.

February 14, 2012 No Comments

Northampton opts out of Secure Communities, rejects ICE, and passes sanctuary clause

by Jeff Napolitano

Last night (September 1, 2011), Northampton City Council passed a resolution that indicated the city’s desire to opt out of not only the failed federal program “Secure Communities”, but all “federal law enforcement programs relating to immigration enforcement”. The resolution went on to establish a “sanctuary” clause:

“Municipal employees of Northampton, including law enforcement employees, shall not monitor, stop, detain, question, interrogate, or search a person for the purpose of determining that individual’s immigration status. Officers shall not inquire about the immigration status of any crime victim, witness, or suspect, unless such information is directly relevant to the investigation, nor shall they refer such information to federal immigration enforcement authorities unless the information developed is directly relevant.”

The vote was not only unanimous, but the resolution was amended to include each and every city councilor as a co-sponsor. The Northampton Chief of Police was also an original co-sponsor of the resolution. The 9-member council passed the resolution 9-0, and (without the amended full list of co-sponsors) can be found on the Northampton City Council website.

The vote follows a declaration to opt-out of Secure Communities nearly two months ago by the Springfield City Council – sponsored and led by Councilor Amaad Rivera.

The resolution was passed after approximately 6 months of dialogue and work with the police department and city councilors by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts. The three organizations launched the Preserving Our Civil Rights campaign (http://preservingcivilrights.org) on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January, 2011.

“This is a good first step in our campaign to preserve our civil rights,” Emma Roderick, organizer for BORDC stated. Next for the campaign is addressing PATRIOT Act –based “fusion centers” and creating more transparency about racial demographics in arrest and conviction records.

September 2, 2011 No Comments

Thursday: Barry Sanders, author of “Green Zone” at Smith College

by Jeff Napolitano

In Honor of Earth Day, the Author of The Green Zone examines the relationship between U.S. militarism and ecological destruction. An event not to be missed.