Guantanamo Cell Tours Offered During DNC

By Jeralyn, Section Democratic National Convention 2008
Posted on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 01:25:24 PM EST
Tags: Denver National Convention, DNC protests (all tags)

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Amnesty International will be bringing its Experience Guantanamo Cell Tours to Denver for the Convention.

Visit a Replica of a Guantanamo Prison Cell in Denver, Aug 24 - 26, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention

Urge the U.S. government to do the right thing: stop torture, charge detainees and give them fair trials or release them, and close Guantánamo.

Where: City of Cuernavaca Park, 20th street and Little Raven (across from the skate park); Denver, CO

More about the cell tours here. You can also volunteer.[More...]

Categories needed:

Prisoner (wear an orange jumpsuit and welcome public to the cell)
Organizer (wear a t-shirt and distribute materials)
Activist (wear an orange jumpsuit, hold protest signs and direct traffic to the event)

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Guantanamo Cell Tours Offered During DNC | 11 comments (11 topical)

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ah, lafayette park, home to (5.00 / 0) (#11)
by cpinva on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 05:06:00 PM EST

the world's longest running series of protests. good times, good times...............

based on what i've read, regarding the warehouse set up by the denver police to hold arrested protestors, AI doesn't really need to bring anything, just show up and run tours there.

should be quite the show.

It occurs to me (none / 0) (#1)
by Steve M on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 01:30:32 PM EST

that the Denver police are really missing an opportunity by choosing to make messy arrests of protestors, when they could just be luring everyone by promising a "Free Guantanamo Cell Tour"!

"How long does the tour last?" "Oh, usually about 24 hours till you can see the magistrate."

: Was Thinking Something Similar (none / 0) (#3)
by daring grace on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 01:39:31 PM EST

Juxtaposing this with the Guantanamo on the Platte right there in town.

Amnesty International (none / 0) (#2)
by bocajeff on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 01:36:49 PM EST

Since Amnesty Int'l is sponsoring this we should ask them ithey still consider Wes Clark to be a war criminal...

What a pathetic attempt (none / 0) (#4)
by Matt in Chicago on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 01:52:41 PM EST

to gain some publicity. AI spends all of its time harping on how horrible the US is while ignoring or brushing over real human rights violations.

Oh I forgot, countries that actually violate human rights won't let you in to write your pathetic little reports... so you should just focus on the free countries. AI is becoming an embarrassment.

There's nothing pathetic... (5.00 / 2) (#5)
by kdog on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 02:22:11 PM EST

about championing human rights my friend.

I always found them to be rather evenhanded...they rip China, Cuba, Venezuela, the USA...whenever and wherever human rights are violated.

Sun god bless 'em. I sleep better knowing they're out there doing their thing.


They only pose media stunts in countries that (none / 0) (#6)
by Matt in Chicago on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 02:35:07 PM EST

are already free my friend. Setting this up at the DNC is talking to the choir... it is a stunt.

You feel safer because of them? That is only because you don't live somewhere where you actually need their help.

They focus on getting media attention, which in the US means painting the US government as evil. Writing reports from outside totalitarian countries based on rumors isn't helping anyone... it is just a pathetic way to gain attention. IMO


: Obviously... (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by kdog on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 02:56:05 PM EST

I never said our record was as bad as China's...of course, if AI ran a similar protest in China they'd be locked up or worse...gunned down.
That being said...damn right I sleep better knowing there is an AI to hold authoritarian governments feet to the fire.

: But (none / 0) (#12)
by call me Ishmael on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 11:24:57 PM EST

They do far more than write reports (and they are based on more than rumors if you read them). They organize campaigns to pressure governments, provide publicity so that they cannot hide their abuses, work to help political prisoners around the world... Why should they not do the same here?
And why would getting more publicity about what is being done in our name be simply a stunt?
AI has been actually working to improve human rights for almost half a century. I think they should get a lot of respect.

Meanwhile, in the real world (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by Steve M on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 03:19:51 PM EST

AI spends a comparatively small amount of effort highlighting human rights abuses in the US, or Israel for that matter, even though those are the popular talking points. Even the briefest visit to their website would confirm that the organization hardly spends "all of its time harping on how horrible the US is."


I don't agree with your comment that (none / 0) (#10)
by samtaylor2 on Thu Aug 14, 2008 at 04:40:20 PM EST

They ignore totalitarian countries, but regardless I find the arguement non sensical. Are you saying that it is wrong for a organization to hold US policies up for us to see (even if other countries are doing the same thing)? Is it only valid if you mention both evils in the same sentence? Personally, what happens in my own backyard means more to me then what is happening in someone elses. Furthermore, since we aren't a totalitarian state, and a democratic one, when these inhumane actions are perpetuated, they are done DIRECTLY in my name, as I vote and am an active partipant in the system. Thank god AI is telling me what is going on so I can try to correct it.
