Seattle Human Rights 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.

Yesterday HRN organized a video presentation and discussion on the human rights abuses occurring at detention centers across the country. The presentation and discussion was lead by AJ McClure of OneAmerica (www.weareoneamerica.org) and immigration and international human rights attorney Karol Brown (www.globallawpartners.com).  

The event was held as part of Seattle University’s Social Justice Mondays and was based on OneAmerica’s Night of 1000 Conversations (http://nightof1000conversations.org/) designed to raise awareness of the Department of Homeland Security’s policies and practices that routinely violate basic human rights of people in this country, particularly immigrants. 

We began by watching a short video containing interviews with detainees and then broke off into a lively discussion of the problems with our immigration system and the reasons why allowing our government to strip immigrants of their basic rights is opening the door for similar treatment of citizens. Many people in the room were shocked by the standard wait time for obtaining an immigration visa. Attendees were similarly horrified that the people portrayed in the video could be robbed of their rights, treated terribly, and then sent back to nations they didn’t know for seemingly no reason.

At the end, we discussed ideas of what we could do to ensure that the government restores these basic human rights, including writing to our representatives (sample letters were provided), encouraging immigrants to naturalize, and organizing further group discussions on the topic. 

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.

The following is an e-mail I received from regarding a screening tomorrow night of the film Call + Response.

I just found out about a “rockumentary” that is showing this week regarding human trafficking.  I thought I would pass the message on to you.  Perhaps your org members might be interested. 

Call + Response is a “rockumentary” by  Justin Dillon about the reality of human slavery today. It features a variety of leaders including luminaries on the issue such as Cornel West (theologian, philosopher, rap artist) and Gary Haugen (Former State Department Lawyer and head of International Justice Mission) among many others. The bands musicians include Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. 

Monday thru Thurs (nothing over this weekend).  For tickets and more info visit: http://www.callandresponse.com/tickets%5Fseattle.html.

Monday, October 13th, Brian Howe, a schoolmate and 3L, will be helping lead a group discussion after the 7 pm showing at the Metro Cinemas (U. District).  After the film we’ll go to Bilbao’s Spanish Tapas (literally next door) to a downstairs room for food, drinks and reflection.

You can contact Brian Howe for more info:

Brian Howe
3L, Seattle University
howeb (at) seattleu.edu

Soul of Justice will transport viewers through the inspiring life and work of Thelton Henderson, the first African American attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department and one of the first African American
federal judges in the United States.

Wednesday, OCTOBER 15

Film Screening

4:30 p.m., Courtroom

Film Discussion and Welcome Reception
for the National Bar Association’s Wiley A. Branton Symposium

5:30 p.m., 2nd Floor Gallery

with Filmmaker Abby Ginzberg, Professor Hank McGee,
the National Bar Association’s Board of Governors
and Daniel Gandara, King County Bar Association President

A Social Justice Week event sponsored by Black Law Student Association, Latino/a Law Student Association, Office of Alumni Relations and Access to Justice Institute

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.

Juan Melendez, the 99th death row inmate to be released and exonerated, spoke last night at the Seattle University School of Law to a spellbound audience.

Mr. Melendez was convicted based on a police informant’s testimony, in spite of no physical evidence against him. Nearly two decades later, he was exonerated after a taped confession was found in his trial defense lawyer’s office, with corroborating documents, and proof that that prosecutor had access to evidence about the real killer before Mr. Melendez’s trial.

He recounted 18 years in Florida State Prison, where he watched many of his friends, fellow death row inmates, commit suicide, be executed, or die due to lack of medical attention.  He shared a message of the humanity, recounting how many of his fellow inmates helped him turn his life around by teaching him to read, write, and speak English.  He also spoke of the importance of faith and family in surviving his ordeal.

Mr. Melendez closed his speech by calling for the crowd to become active in the movement to abolish the death penalty.  Without the attention and action of all of us, he said, this change will never occur.

Also speaking at the event was Jeff Ellis, president of the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. who stated that Mr. Melendez’s case was one of many that illustrate that our country’s “experiment” with the death penalty has grave consequences.

One of my personal favorite speakers is coming to Seattle Dr. Cornell West. Dr. West is an amazing philosopher, critic and scholar.  He is coming to town for a fund raiser for the Social Justice Fund a local foundation that provides funding to Northwest organizations to strengthen grassroots efforts in the broad-based movement for progressive, systemic social change.

This is a fund raising event so the tickets are expensive at $125 a person but tax deductible and for a good cause. I will let you know if he is doing any more financially accessible events.