Seattle Human Rights Network

The Right to Counsel for Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Monday, November 17, 2008

12:00 -12:50 p.m.

Sullivan Hall, Room C5

“[A] rigged system that guarantees convictions in order to cover up wrongdoing…”

“Kangaroo courts…”

“[E]veryone involved is potentially guilty of war crimes …”

Please join Professor John McKay and 2008 Reutlinger Legal Writing Scholarship recipient Jeannie Duncan for a brief discussion of the historic roots of the right to counsel, the restrictions on counsel for detainees in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the future of these rights in light of current trends and the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Boumediene v. Bush.

Light refreshments will be served.

There will be a fundraiser & clothing drive at SU on Wednesday, Nov 12 & Thursday, Nov. 13- please donate!

CLEAN BIRTHING KITS EVENT:

Every woman has the right to safe motherhood. This event is designed to raise awareness about internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) and refugees’ reproductive rights and the difficulties they encounter in accessing reproductive healthcare due to their unstable living environments. The project’s goal is to raise money for clean delivery kits that can be used by untrained birthing assistants or by pregnant women giving birth unassisted. These kits greatly reduce the risk of potentially deadly infections to both women and newborns. Each kit contains: (1) square meter of plastic sheet for the birthing table; (2) cotton cloth (2 meters by 1 meter); (3) razor blade (single edge); (4) string to tie umbilical cord (3 cm by 15 cm); (5) examination gloves; and (6) sealed bag for packaging. Each kit costs about $2.00, so that is the donation we ask of students. In return we give students stickers that read “I helped safely deliver a baby.” We will send the money raised to an organization that sends birthing kits to IDPs and refugees (Marie Stopes International).

The conversation was facilitated by Professor John Mitchell .

First student comment: We have a general disdain to state action in taking life.  This initiative sanction state action in taking life.

Comment: We have a general policy against suicide in this society.

Question from JM: How is this different from suicide?

Comment:  There is less of a shock and more opportunity for changing the outcome.  Consulation before taking ones life is much more likely.

Comment: This law does not allow healthy people to take there life.

Comment: This law just sanitizes the realities of death.  Anyone can kill them self.

Comment: We sanitize medical decision all the time, childbirth is not the painful high mortality practice it was 100 years ago.  Why should death be different.

Question from JM: Why is this not like other medical decision?

Comment:  This is different from other medical decisions because it is final.

Question JM:  What are other reasons for or against this?

Comment: There are high chances of cohesion.  What if children what early inheritance or are just tired of taking care of a parent?

Comment:  This initiative could prevent research on dieing patients. (Brian: Do we want to view dieing people as mere lab rats?)

Question JM: Does this change the fundamental function of doctors?

Comment: The propaganda on each side claims it will change doctors relationship with patents.

Question JM: How do we gauge success if it passes?

No real answer was given to this question.

Comment from Brian:  The main arguments almost all came down to autonomy v. the value of life.  All comment were from current students.  The discussion was much more in depth then one can capture in a quick blog post.  I strongly recommend attending future Social Justice Monday events.

PS: I am personaly pro Initiative 1000.

Today for social justice Monday Seattle University is talking about one of the more difficult issues for students: the financial constraints of practicing in a Social Justice profession.  Law school is extemely expensive and many of us worry about paying off student loans totaling more then $100,000 or in some cases more then $200,000.  I hope this is a good discussion and will live blog it if there are any strong ideas on how to deal with insane debt while working for a better world.

A Conversation with Professor Dean Spade

Money Problems: Balancing a Commitment to Social Justice
with Concerns About Financial Security

Monday, October 27, 2008
12:00 -12:50 p.m.
Sullivan Hall, Room C5

Refreshments will be provided.

This short interactive workshop will be a place to confront the hard issues law students face balancing student debt, career choices, family obligations and a desire to use legal skills to change the world.  We will explore the complexities of navigating different kinds of pressures and retaining a focus on doing work that we feel passionate about and believe in.  We’ll talk about how to put our own choices in the broader context of the domestic and global wealth gaps, and how to build community conversations about the ethical choices we face when it comes to money amongst our friends and colleagues.

Made in L.A. follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a mega-trendy clothing retailer. In intimate verite style, Made in L.A. reveals the impact of the struggle on each woman’s life as they are gradually transformed by the experience. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice.

http://www.madeinla.com/

We have the special opportunity to screen Made in LA. After the film you can listen to special guest, Almudena Carracedo the Emmy winning documentary film director.

When: November 19, 2008
6:30 p.m for refreshments
7:00 film screening (68 minutes)
8:00 post-screening discussion

Where: TBA

UW Tacoma- Longshore Hall
1710 S. Market Street
Tacoma, WA

Discussion moderator: Professor Rachel May PhD

Co-Sponsors: UW Tacoma Student Activities Board, UW Tacoma Arts and Lectures fund, Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, AVC Cedric Howard

Co-hosts: Student Labor Action Project, Latino Student Organization, ACLU student chapter, Black Student Union, HOPE Network

2008-hate-crimes-workshop

flyer-hate-crimewokshpr

Below is information on an upcoming workshop on hate crimes.

The Organization of Chinese Americans - Greater Seattle Chapter will be putting together a workshop this upcoming Saturday 10/25 regarding Hate Crimes Prevention. Please see attachments containing an event press release and outreach flyer.

Organization of Chinese Americans - Greater Seattle Chapter:

Local Chapter Website: http://ocaseattle.org/index.html

National Office Website: http://www.ocanational.org/

Location:
Asian Counseling & Referral Service
3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S
Seattle, WA 98144

http://www.acrs.org/

* Parking is available

Date & Time:
Saturday - October 25th, 2008
9:00AM - 3:00PM
* Lunch will be held from 12:00PM - 1:00PM - (Provided by OCA-GS)

Cost:
FREE

Guest Speakers include:
Michael Hogan, King County Prosecutor’s Office
Michael Chin and Martin McMurray - Washington Human Rights Commission
Judge Charles Smith
David Beard, Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities  
Pat Valerio, Associated Counsel for the Accused
Representatives from the ACLU, and others.

This event is part of social justice week at Seattle University Law. It included four short presentations of student papers and a Q&A.

Michael Cherry -Technology board member -
Michael’s paper is on affirmative action and alternative admissions. He argues that we can still run affirmative action constitutionally. He also emphasizes the need not only to accept a divers student body, but also to graduate a diverse student body. 30 years after allowing affirmative action in admissions we are still way in creating a professional class that is truly diverse. State bars and other professional disciplines are still dominated by white males.The paper is called; The Future of Law School Access Admissions and Academic Support Programs in a Post-Gutter and -Parents Legal Environment.

Diana Chaikin - SJSJ Article Editor

White Wall Purgatory: Graffiti, Art Brut, and the moral rights of outsider artists under the Visual Artist Rights Act.  This paper focuses on the moral rights and VARA.  Moral rights are not economic rights they are the rights that an author gains for creating a work that can not be sold or traded.  These rights in the US are basically meaningless.  The US law has limited anti destruction provisions for works of recognized stature, which means that for works to gain protection from destruction if they have high value as judged by the community.  Diana argues for more moral rights and more availability of these rights to the masses.  This article will be published in the The Entertainment Law Review at the University of Florida

Sunshine Eversull - SJSJ Staff

“The Right to Education Goes Beyond Education”:  Welfare ONLY recognizes vocational education as compliance with job retraining or educational options in welfare.  This means that most people on welfare will never have the opportunity to engage in sustainable work.  (Note from Brian: I strongly agree with this paper.  For a short period of time in undergrad my family needed help in the form of health care and cash from the state.  I had to fight with DSHS for any support, because I was in the last year and a half of my bachelors degree.  I would have received more support from the state if I quit school.  This approach encourages class divisions and denies basic access to real education to the poor is simply insane.) Great talk. Eversull also addressed some of the problems with the pro marriage portions of welfare reform.

Dan Barkley - Content Developer SJSJ

Article Name:
Dan was a teacher before returning to law school and brings a mature perspective to education and social justice. Dan’s paper focused on educational privacy law and how to address school shootings. Schools need help, students are facing severe pressure in schools that is resulting in depression and feeling of anxiety. Dan’s solution is to utilize options in privacy laws to better evaluate threats and share information. This sounds like a “big brother” answer to a social problem. I am curious to read the article and see the details of the solutions his experince is higher education should bring an interesting perspective.

The Q&A afterwards had only one question:

Q: Are any of these articles online where we can read them or where a welfare reciepant or street artist can read?

A: We hope to have all student work (at least the work student want to share) printed up online by the end of the year. (no, but we want that to change)
Note: This would a good step towards open access.

Here is a little more about the SJSJ:

The mission of the Seattle Journal for Social Justice is to promote critical
interdisciplinary discussions on urgent problems of social justice, including exploring the
often-conflicting meanings of justice that arise in a diverse society.

Reposting for our Mailing List to make sure everyone hears about these amazing opertunities:

I just wanted to drop a quick line to let you know that HRN is sponsoring two exciting brownbag discussions for 8 - 10 students each during Social Justice Week (Oct 13 - 18). You can sign up for these discussions on the Social Justice Coalition TWEN page.

On Wednesday, October 15th, Professor Avila will lead a discussion on doing voting rights cases in a private attorney capacity. The discussion will be held in the Dean’s Conference Room.

On Friday, October 17th, Professor Antkowiak will lead a discussion on using international mechanisms to protect human rights. The discussion will be held in the Clinic Conference Room.

One of the goals for social justice week is to create space for students to share experiences and to connect with the social justice movements and ideas in various areas of the law. To this end, these brownbags will be a space for students to share their thoughts and experiences about a particular area of law with the guidance of a professor’s knowledge and expertise.

Space is limited, so sign up today!

~Naomi

Seattle University School of Law

SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK IS COMING OCT 13-18

The 2008 Social Justice Week is brought to the law school through a coalition of individual students and student organizations working to initiate a new dialogue among all social justice visionaries who are fighting for a just and humane world. The week brings together students, faculty, staff and community members for a common goal: to explore and expand on social justice as an integral part of every legal education and career.

To participate:

1) Save the date for the events listed below. Unless otherwise noted, no RSVP is necessary.

2) Sign up for Professor Brownbags* on Social Justice Coalition’s TWEN page.

3) Sign up for the SU Day of Service at the table on C-Level.

This week is organized by the Social Justice Coalition and supported by the following organizations: SIRJ, APILSA, PILF, NLG, SJSJ, LSRJ, HRN, Outlaws, LLSA, BLSA, WLC, DR Board, ACS, and ABLS.

Questions? Email Riddhi at mukhopad <at> seattleu.edu or Dana at diederic <at> seattleu.edu.

MONDAY

12:00 to 1:00

SJW Kickoff

2nd Floor Gallery

6:00 to  7:30

Attorney General Candidates Debate

Piggott Auditorium

5:30 to 7:00

Alliance for Equal Justice Legal Aid Day

ACT Theater

——

TUESDAY

8:30 to 10:00

Breakfast with Dean Kellye Testy: “Social Justice at SU: Past, Present and Future”

2nd Floor Gallery

12:00 to 1:00

Professor Brownbags*

5:30 to 7:30

Introduction to Statewide Access to Justice Network

2nd Floor Gallery

—-

WEDNESDAY

12:00 to 1:00

Professor Brownbags*

12:00 to 1:00

DREAM Act Workshop

2nd Floor Gallery

4:00 pm (New time and location)

Abby Ginzberg: The Soul of Justice movie screening and panel discussion

Courtroom

Reception follows at 5:00 in the 2nd Floor Gallery

—-

THURSDAY

8:00 to 10:30

Restorative Justice In the Juvenile Justice System

Courtroom - RSVP only

12:00 to 1:00

Seattle Journal for Social Justice Author Reading

2nd Floor Gallery

12:00 to 1:00

Professor Brownbags *

4:00 to 6:00

Know Your Voting Rights: Poll Observer Training

Room 328

—–

FRIDAY

10:30 to 11:30

Public Interest Law Foundation Grant Recipient Panel

Room C-1

12:00 to 1:00

Professor Brownbags*

1:00 to 4:30

Public Policy Forum: Congress vs. the President

Room C-5

——

SATURDAY

SU DAY OF SERVICE

Sign up at table on C-Level

*Professor Brownbags

These discussions provide an opportunity to engage in meaningful, small group conversations with professors about social justice movements in all areas of the law. Participating professors include Professors Antiowak, Avila, Bowen, Brodoff, Chon, Delgado, Holland, Mahmud, O’Kelly, Pardo, Shapiro, Siegel, Slye, Spade, Stefancic, and more! Sign up for brownbags on the Social Justice Coalition TWEN page.