By the time the Day of Action had dawned, the ACLU of Massachusetts conference room was full of props, and I was getting worried.
Would we really have enough people to wear the two dozen orange jump suits and gags at lunchtime when the temperature was supposed to reach the mid 90s? Would they really show up?
Would the media show up? If they did, would they find us in disarray? Would we have enough time to get everyone suited up and coordinate the carrying of coffins for Habeas Corpus and the Rule of Law, and "Torture Air," the rendition airplane?
What about all the other paraphernalia – the cell bars over mirrors that accompanied signs bearing the words of Martin Niemoller's poem about no one being left to speak for me? Were we too ambitious for a procession in the middle of the working day?
By noon, as the orange jump suits, gags and black hoods found their wearers, I began to grasp just how outraged people were by torture, Guantanamo and our government's abuse of power. Some had taken off work to be there. Others had traveled large distances. The heat was the last thing on their minds. They wanted to take these issues to the streets of Boston, home of the "Freedom Trail."
And so we set out, more than 60 strong, walking slowly to the beat of a drum. We were led by two men in black robes and a Bush mask who carried an orange jumpsuit stretched on a frame that bore the sign: "We have them in your size too."
Our intention was to pause at certain "stations of the Constitution," to remember the freedoms that were fought for at those sites. Pedestrians would be able to read the Niemoller poem and see their own faces in the mirrors beyond the bars.
The first "station" was the spot where Massachusetts delegates had signed the US Constitution in February 1788. It is commemorated by a plaque on the side of a giant Bank of America building. No sooner did we approach on the sidewalk when a Wackenhut guard barked out that we were on private property and should leave immediately. Through the megaphone I told him that we, and the members of the media who were with us, were interested to hear that the public was no longer able to pay its respects to the cradle of the Constitution in Massachusetts. He huddled with his fellow guards to decide what to do next.
We soon moved on, through the lunch hour foot traffic. Many people clapped. Some cheered. No one jeered. It seemed bystanders were happy to see us. Several came up and told us so.
Our next "station" was across the street from the Old South Meeting House, where the Sons of Liberty used to meet and the Boston Tea Party was organized. These streets had seen their share of symbolic protests over the years.
We moved on, to the front of the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was first read to citizens of the Commonwealth, and then up the street to the seat of federal power.
Outside the JFK Federal Building we had speeches and spirited chants. One group went upstairs to Senator Kerry's office, while the rest of us chanted our way back to the ACLU office.
We had just finished changing clothes and rehydrating, when we were joined by those who had met with Kerry's staff. They said they were told he had just signed onto the Restoring the Constitution Act and the act to shut down Guantanamo.
If this is true – his support is not yet reflected on a Congressional website - it means that Representatives Delahunt and Lynch are the only Massachusetts Members of Congress who have not become co-sponsors of the Restoring the Constitution Act. This critically important legislation restores habeas corpus and fixes the worst aspects of the unconstitutional Military Commissions Act.
Where do we go from here? We have no illusions that one procession to mark the June 26 Day of Action will by itself turn things around. But on June 26 in Washington and around the country people are showing their dedication to the fundamental freedoms that were largely nurtured on the streets of Boston. We have right on our side, a pile of jumpsuits and props at the ready for future actions, and we will prevail.
Nancy Murray
Director of Education
1 comments:
Clarification -- it turns out that Senator Kerry did NOT sign onto the Restoring the Constitution Act, that would restore habeas and fix most of the other problems with the Military Commissions Act. He has co-sponsored legislation that would restore Habeas Corpus (S. 185) - which is good as far as it goes, but does not go nearly far enough.
It would be nice to think that if Congress does not roll back the Military Commissions Act, the Supreme Court will. On June 29, the Court announced that it had reversed its earlier position and would be hearing the appeals of Guantanamo detainees next term. Will the Supreme Court rule that the Military Commissions Act is unconstitutional in stripping detainees of their right to appeal to federal courts? Will it declare that since Guantanamo is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States, detainees who have been held without charges or trial for more than five years are entitled to constitutional due process of law and the protection of the Geneva Conventions?
These momentous questions will be decided by the Roberts' Court sometime in the coming year.
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