SF 8 Joint Statement on Torture

Anti-Torture Legislation Campaign

In our joint statement, we, the SF 8, proposed three (3) specific goals to be achieved in support of our case. We believe true solidarity means struggle, and in support of the SF 8 our struggle is to challenge human rights violations in accord with the UN Declaration on Human Rights. In this regard, our first initiative will be an Anti-Torture Legislation Campaign.

We therefore are asking friends and supporters in solidarity with the SF 8 to organize the following goals:

1 – In your specific locality, we ask you to organize a broad-based coalition to persuade your City Council, Board of Supervisors or Mayor to declare either by legislation or proclamation the use of torture by law enforcement as an interrogation technique a violation of human rights.

Develop a survey and a petition. Each locality or city needs to structure a survey to raise two specific questions.

Do you believe torture of any kind should be used by law enforcement as an interrogation technique?
Do you support a city proclamation or legislation declaring torture to be an inhumane infringement on civil and human rights?

The compilation of the survey and petition will then be used to persuade and enable local elected officials to in fact declare torture of any kind a human rights violation.

2 – This objective will permit SF 8 friends and supporters to organize young activists to advocate at various programs, venues and events against torture as an interrogation technique; to educate others on the legal and political developments of the SF 8 Case; and further coalition building on local and national levels among progressive forces in solidarity with the SF 8.

Target groups:

Consideration should be given to establishing a youth contingent of activists in the various ethnic communities to canvas with the survey and petition.

Contact and communications need to be developed to persuade community activists and progressives to join in a broad-based coalition in support of the SF 8 and the objectives of the campaign. To further identify, record and report on other incidents of torture by law enforcement on local levels. These records/report will eventually be used to indicate the pervasiveness of the problem on both local and national levels.

Identify specific faith-based institutions and persuade them to support the campaign, introducing the survey and petition to their respective congregations. Parishioners of the many faiths should be encouraged to conduct the survey, sign the petitions, and communicate their support of the campaign to their elected city council board members and the mayor’s office. This also applies to union groups, immigration rights organizations, and anti-war activists.

Gain the support of students to organize fundraising events on college campuses to facilitate this campaign, and extend the potential for broad-based coalition building.

It is believed by virtue of this campaign, Anti-Torture Legislation and Proclamations across the country will eventually challenge the national policy espoused by US Attorney General Gonzalez and end support for torture as an interrogation technique by law enforcement and military personnel.

It is our sincere hope that activists and progressive folks will see the utility of the campaign to broaden our national determination toward coalition building and demanding an end to torture and to ensure human rights is the order of the day.

Signed

The San Francisco 8

Woodfin & ICE Caught in Political Scandal !!!

The Bay Guardian revealed today that Samuel Hardage owner of the Woodfin
Suites hotel chain used his political influence as a Republican Party
leader and donor to have his Congressman persuade the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency to investigate his very own hotel and
workers.

In an interview with a Guardian reporter, a representative of Congressman
Brian Bilbray's office admitted that the Congressman's office had been
asked by the Woodfin Suites Hotel in Emeryville to initiate an ICE audit
of their very own hotel. Bilbray then asked Julie Myers, the head of ICE,
to conduct the audit. ICE agents arrived at the hotel in April despite
ICE's written policy not to intervene in labor disputes. Woodfin then used
the ICE's audit as justification in court for firing these workers.

For almost a year, Hardage and the local hotel management have repeatedly
denied that their motives for terminating the Measure C whistle blowers
were retaliatory. Instead they have claimed that they were complying with
federal immigration law to avoid criminal and civil penalties. However,
while Woodfin told the Alameda Superior Court, the Emeryville City Council
and the media that it was firing workers because of the ICE audit, it
never mentioned that it had brought this audit onto itself and had used
political connections to do so.

According to the Guardian:

"For months the Woodfin Suites has tried to justify firing workers who
organized for better labor conditions by alluding to fears of reprisals by
ICE The 'fact that our hotel has been asked by the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement to provide employment records suggests that our
actions are anything but voluntary,' he [Woodfin General Manager, Hugh
Macintosh] wrote. The Bilbray connection significantly undermines this
claim?"

To read the article, go to:

This is a drastic example of why we need comprehensive immigration reform
that includes strong workers' rights protections! Let's rise up against
this political corruption and send a strong message to ICE and the Woodfin
that the community won't stand for this scandalous cronyism!


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