photo: redstarphoto.net

Statue honoring Berkeley’s history of protest and rebellion, on the pedestrian overpass on I-80 at University Avenue, Berkeley

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

“Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week, Oct. 10-16, 2010

This October in Berkeley, California, BERKELEY SAYS NO TO TORTURE Week will draw together the voices and actions of many communities – many different political, legal and campus groups; notable voices from the worlds of culture and art, the health professions, and from religious faiths across the board. People of all ages and from many walks of life will take part in a memorable week of conscience and community in action against the crime of torture. (Full Story >>)

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW!
The whole “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week is a community effort created by volunteers from the sponsoring organizations and the wider community.
To offer assistance, please email:
contactus@WeSayNoToTorture.net
[SEE MORE HERE]

Resolution Passed by the Berkeley City Council declaring Oct. 10-16, 2010 as “Berkeley Says NO To Torture Week”

This resolution was brought to the City Council by the Peace and Justice Commission in June. The City Council passed it on Sept. 21, 2010.
The original initiators of “Berkeley Says NO To Torture Week” are: World Can’t Wait, Fire John Yoo.org, Progressive Democrats of America, Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute, Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Social Justice Committee, Rev. Kurt Kuhwald, Berkeley. The SF Bay Area chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is also an endorser. (Full Story >>)

It’s official! Berkeley City Council Declares Oct. 10-16 ”Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week

On September 21 the Berkeley City Council adopted this Resolution, endorsing a whole week of events. Speakers from the community who addressed City Council urging this decision included an activist Catholic nun, a clinical psychologist (she read from Fernando Botero’s statement of support for the Week) and a Code Pink activist. The Council’s consenting vote was unanimous. This commitment from the official civic leadership of this "small city with a big reputation" will tell the country that ANY community can take a meaningful stand against the torture and demand its end. (Watch here for posting of the actual resolution text and video of the hearing when City Council’s website is updated.) Watch for banners hung over the City Hall buildings, and other signs of this urgent demand: Berkeley Says No to Torture!

Berkeley Says

"No" to Torture

The Week of

Oct. 10-16, 2010

HOME

ABOUT
SPONSORS

FACEBOOK
DISCUSSION

MEDIA
LINKS

EVENT
VIDEOS

November 1, 2010 Update from the organizers "The Week was a great and valuable success. What made “Berkeley Says No To Torture” Week possible, and then turned it into a reality, was the conscious activism and volunteer energy that all of us – organizers and organizations, speakers and participants – contributed because we saw a great need for the people in this country to confront the simple fact that torture is never acceptable or legal, it is always illegal, immoral, and wrong, and it is a war crime. And that we are responsible for stopping the war crimes of our government. "Watch here for more reports and reflections -- and send us your own! -- although we'll leave the original info as is for now, so more people can check our what the Week was all about. Our sincere appreciation to all who participated, who gave your energy and resources, and who helped make it all happen.We hope our success will encourage more such activism, in more such communities."
EVENTS CALENDAR (To post an event - click here)
Welcome to this Calendar and to every event here! Events list growing every day -- check back often for more panels, film and author events, and protests! All locations are in Berkeley unless noted. All events wheelchair accessible except where noted. All events are open to the public except where noted. *DONATIONS, TICKETS, GUEST PASSES (click here)* The “Berkeley Says No To Torture” Week Organizing Committee thanks you for your contribution, which will go 100% towards the expenses of producing this Week by our volunteer committee.
Sunday Oct 10, 2010 7 pm	Author Readings and Discussion Andy Worthington – The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prisons Justine Sharrock – Tortured: When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things Location: Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way
Monday Oct 11, 2010 1-3 pm	Shanti Sena Building a Nonviolent Alternative to the Armed Forces. Sponsored by the Metta Center for Nonviolence Location: Metta Center, 1730 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (btwn Francisco/Delaware)
Monday Oct 11, 2010 7 pm	Film Screening Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo Followed by Q and A with author and co-producer Andy Worthington. Sponsored by Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Social Justice Committee Location: BFUU Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar Street (at Bonita Avenue), Berkeley
Tuesday Oct 12, 2010 11 am	Protest Action at UC Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall) Gather here where Torture Professor John Yoo teaches constitutional law every Tuesday. All are welcome who see harboring a war criminal as complicity with his crimes. March with the hooded “detainees” to call on those with responsibility for UC’s complicity with torture. Sponsored by World Can’t Wait and others. Location: Boalt Hall, 2778 Bancroft Way (at College Ave.)
Tuesday Oct 12, 2010 7-8:30 pm	The Giant John Yoo Debate Join World Can’t Wait, National Lawyers Guild members, Boalt graduates and current students, Cindy Sheehan, Larry Everest , Shahid Buttar -- and other surprise guests -- for a real debate over Yoo's theories and legal work defending torture. Location: Bancroft Ave. at College Ave
Wednesday Oct 13, 2010 10-11:30 am	Group Meditation at the Metta Center A discussion of how meditation supports our activism will be followed by a one-hour meditation. PLUS, our doors will be open ALL DAY until 6 pm to anyone interested in learning more about meditation or who would like to meditate, if they cannot attend our morning session. Sponsored by the Metta Center for Nonviolence Location: 1730 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (btwn Francisco/Delaware)
Wednesday Oct 13, 2010 12 noon	Protest Action – Say No to Torture Banner, posters provided. Sponsored by CodePink Location: Marine Recruitment Station, 64 Shattuck Square, 1/2 block south of University Avenue
Wednesday Oct 13, 2010 4:30 pm	Defying Torture – The Art of Dissent A conversation with historian/critic/activist Peter Selz and artists Clinton Fein and Richard Kamler. Location: UC Berkeley Art Museum Theater, 2621 Durant Avenue, Berkeley
Wednesday Oct 13, 2010 7 pm	Roundtable – Writers on Torture Andy Worthington (*The Guantanamo Files:* The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prisons) Justine Sharrock (*Tortured:* When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things) Barry Eisler (best-selling mystery thriller novel *Inside Out) Rita Maran* (Torture: The Role of Ideology in the French-Algerian War) Moderator: Shahid Buttar (Bill of Rights Defense Committee) Location: University Lutheran Church, 2425 College Ave. (at Haste).
Thursday Oct 14, 2010 7 pm	Forum on Torture and the Law, Torture and Human Rights Marjorie Cohn (past president National Lawyers Guild, renowned author) Andy Worthington (see Sun 10/10) Shahid Buttar (Bill of Rights Defense Committee) Debra Sweet (National Director, World Can't Wait) Moderated by Ray McGovern. Location: Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley Law, Rm 105, 2778 Bancroft Way [Flyer for download here]
Friday Oct 15, 2010 7:30-11 am	Group Meditation and "Hope Tank" Meditation (7:30-8:30), followed by "Hope Tank" (9-11) community discussion on activism against torture. Join us for discussion and pot-luck vegetarian breakfast. Sponsored by the Metta Center for Nonviolence Location: Metta Center, 1730 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (btwn Francisco/Delaware)
Friday Oct 15, 2010 1:30-3 pm	Torture, Human Experimentation, and the Department of Defense Jason Leopold (Truthout) interviews psychologist, blogger, and activist Jeffrey Kaye. Location: Booth Auditorium, UC Berkeley Law, 2778 Bancroft Way (at Piedmont)
Friday Oct 15, 2010 3-4:30 pm	Panel – Psychologists and Torture Adrianne Aron, Ruth Fallenbaum, Pierre LaBossiere, and Patricia Isasa. Co-sponsored by School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) East Bay/SF. Location: Booth Auditorium, UC Berkeley Law, 2778 Bancroft Way (at Piedmont) [Flyer for download here]
Friday Oct 15, 2010 Daytime	High School Teach-in “War and Torture” featuring Ray McGovern and Larry Everest. This high school event is not open to the public. Teachers and high school students, call for more information about bringing a No Torture Teach-In to your school: 415-864-5153 “We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour” (a project sponsored by World Can't Wait)
Friday Oct 15, 2010 7 pm	Reckoning with Torture – An Evening of Conscience With Andy Worthington, Marjorie Cohn, Ray McGovern, Ann Wright, Mimi Kennedy, devorah major, Jeffrey Kaye, Fr. Louis Vitale, Renee Saucedo, Jason Leopold (Truthout), Abdi Soltani, Shahid Buttar, Gretchen Gordon, Pamela Merchant, and Peter Selz. [NOTE: This powerful script originated by the ACLU and American PEN Center has been produced in New York and Washington, D.C., but never before on the West Coast.] Students: Free. General public: $10 donation requested. $25 includes reception with readers. To reserve tickets, call 510-333-6097. Sponsored by the Boalt Alliance to Abolish Torture (BAAT) and the National Lawyers Guild, Boalt Chapter (NLG-Boalt) Location: Booth Auditorium, UC Berkeley Law, 2778 Bancroft Way (at Piedmont) [Flyer for download here]
Saturday Oct 16, 2010 2:30 pm	Author Reading Jeffrey Haas (The Assassination of Fred Hampton:* How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther)* will discuss the book, and his experience as a people's lawyer. Jeff will talk about the film "The End of a Nightstick", in which he's featured, about fighting and uncovering police brutality and torture in Chicago. Sponsored by Revolution Books. Location: Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way (just below Telegraph Ave.)
Saturday Oct 16, 2010 7 pm	“Pedro and the Captain” Dramatic reading from the play by Mario Benedetti, with Mark McGoldrick and Youseef Elias, directed by Angelina Llongueras. Performed in honor of "Berkeley Says No To Torture" Week. Location: Fireside Room, Live Oak Community Center, 1301 Shattuck Avenue
DONATIONS, TICKETS, GUEST PASSES For all public events on this website Calendar · Students free · General public: $10 requested donation. No one turned away for lack of funds. Checks for donations in any amount, or to reserve your all-week $100 Guest Pass for all public events, can be mailed to Week Against Torture, 2140 Shattuck Ave. Suite 207, Berkeley, CA 94704. Write check out to NLGSF [which stands for National Lawyers Guild SF Chapter] with “No Torture” in the memo line.
*Posting An Event:* If you organize an event – a teach-in, a film showing, poetry night, a protest during the week – and want it listed here, please email the event information (with a telephone number and contact person) to: contactus@WeSayNoToTorture.net.

QUICK CONTACTS

General Info –info@wesaynototorture.net
Press –press@wesaynototorture.net
Volunteer –contactus@wesaynototorture.net

DONATIONS NEEDED NOW!

Checks for donations in any amount, or to reserve your all-week $100 Guest Pass for all public events, can be mailed to Week Against Torture, 2140 Shattuck Ave. Suite 207, Berkeley, CA 94704.
Write check out to NLGSF [which stands for National Lawyers Guild SF Chapter] with “No Torture” in the memo line.

NEWS & ACTIONS

ATTORNEYS’ Class for CLE Credit
“The Illegality of Torture and the Complicity of Lawyers”
Taught by Marjorie Cohn
RSVP: sharon.adams131@gmail.com
[SEE MORE HERE]

DAILY EVENTS MEDIA
View highlights of events: YouTubes, Blogs, Photos, more.
Andy Worthington, Justine Sharrock, Cindy Sheehan, Larry Everest, Shahid Buttar, Peter Selz, Clinton Fein
(Just a few of the presenters for this "No to Torture" Week)
[SEE THEM ALL HERE]

From People’s Blog for the Constitution (Bill of Rights Defense Committee)

“John Yoo, a professor at the University of California Berkeley School of Law and one of the authors of the 'torture memos,' has been widely criticized for his work under the Bush administration. With the controversy surrounding his employment at the law school, the recent passage of a resolution by the Berkeley City Council approving a 'Say No to Torture Week' comes as a bold statement against torture and a demand for its end."
Reference: A statement against torture
http://www.constitutioncampaign.org/blog/?p=1091

Fernando Botero Sends Personal Message Supporting “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week

In Support of “Berkeley Says NO To Torture” Week October 10-16, 2010
A Personal Statement from FERNANDO BOTERO

Torture is often “justified” (“a means to gather information that can be used to save lives or protect society”) and “excused” (“the inevitable excesses that soldiers commit when confronted with the atrocities of war”) by some people. However, both are false. On no grounds can torture be justified or ever excused. Torture represents an insult to the body and soul of the human being, and goes against any definition of civilized conduct. (Full Story >>)