Grand Rapids, MI – Fifty local people gathered for an emotional vigil to remember Vanessa Guillen, the U.S. Army soldier murdered and disappeared by another soldier at Fort Hood, Texas. The U.S. armed forces are rife with sexual harassment and rape, both on and off military bases. The unrelenting response of Guillen’s family, demanding answers, has top military leaders on the defensive, scrambling.

The U.S. Army was slow in its investigation, taking over ten weeks to find Vanessa Guillen’s body, despite her mother Gloria’s impassioned pleas. Officials were also dishonest about the events leading up to Guillen’s murder.

Vanessa Guillen reported to her mother that an officer was sexually harassing her on the base, but that she was reluctant to report him. Guillen explained to her mother that the officer’s harassment of women in the past was reported, but no actions were taken to discipline him or stop him.

At Pleasant Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, women and girls wore yellow shirts and the crowd held candles in memory of Vanessa Guillen as they surrounded an alter. Mexican community leader and artist Reyna Garcia read a poem and spoke the words of Vanessa Guillen’s mother, interspersed with chants of “Justicia!” or “Justice!”

In cities and towns across the U.S., people gathered, and neighbors stopped to demand justice for the young Chicana who was part of a military that dishonored her. She was beaten to death, dismembered, and burned like trash while officials covered up and lied about the circumstances.

#GrandRapidsMI #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Michigan #VanessaGuillén

Grand Rapids, MI – Fifty local people gathered for an emotional vigil to remember Vanessa Guillen, the U.S. Army soldier murdered and disappeared by another soldier at Fort Hood, Texas. The U.S. armed forces are rife with sexual harassment and rape, both on and off military bases. The unrelenting response of Guillen’s family, demanding answers, has top military leaders on the defensive, scrambling.

The U.S. Army was slow in its investigation, taking over ten weeks to find Vanessa Guillen’s body, despite her mother Gloria’s impassioned pleas. Officials were also dishonest about the events leading up to Guillen’s murder.

Vanessa Guillen reported to her mother that an officer was sexually harassing her on the base, but that she was reluctant to report him. Guillen explained to her mother that the officer’s harassment of women in the past was reported, but no actions were taken to discipline him or stop him.

At Pleasant Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, women and girls wore yellow shirts and the crowd held candles in memory of Vanessa Guillen as they surrounded an alter. Mexican community leader and artist Reyna Garcia read a poem and spoke the words of Vanessa Guillen’s mother, interspersed with chants of “Justicia!” or “Justice!”

In cities and towns across the U.S., people gathered, and neighbors stopped to demand justice for the young Chicana who was part of a military that dishonored her. She was beaten to death, dismembered, and burned like trash while officials covered up and lied about the circumstances.

#GrandRapidsMI #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Michigan #VanessaGuillén

Grand Rapids, MI – Fifty local people gathered for an emotional vigil to remember Vanessa Guillen, the U.S. Army soldier murdered and disappeared by another soldier at Fort Hood, Texas. The U.S. armed forces are rife with sexual harassment and rape, both on and off military bases. The unrelenting response of Guillen’s family, demanding answers, has top military leaders on the defensive, scrambling.

The U.S. Army was slow in its investigation, taking over ten weeks to find Vanessa Guillen’s body, despite her mother Gloria’s impassioned pleas. Officials were also dishonest about the events leading up to Guillen’s murder.

Vanessa Guillen reported to her mother that an officer was sexually harassing her on the base, but that she was reluctant to report him. Guillen explained to her mother that the officer’s harassment of women in the past was reported, but no actions were taken to discipline him or stop him.

At Pleasant Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, women and girls wore yellow shirts and the crowd held candles in memory of Vanessa Guillen as they surrounded an alter. Mexican community leader and artist Reyna Garcia read a poem and spoke the words of Vanessa Guillen’s mother, interspersed with chants of “Justicia!” or “Justice!”

In cities and towns across the U.S., people gathered, and neighbors stopped to demand justice for the young Chicana who was part of a military that dishonored her. She was beaten to death, dismembered, and burned like trash while officials covered up and lied about the circumstances.

#GrandRapidsMI #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Michigan #VanessaGuillén

Grand Rapids, MI — Union bus drivers gathered 40 people at the West Michigan Labor Fest, Sept. 4, to confront Mayor Rosalyn Bliss of Grand Rapids about her role in union busting. Mayor Bliss was set to speak at the nearby kickoff of the Labor Day bridge walk. That is, until a group of ATU Local 836 bus drivers and their supporters emerged from the crowd of walkers and confronted Bliss. They chanted, “Union busting is disgusting!” Bliss quickly moved back into the waiting walkers.

With the trade unionists and a “Labor solidarity” banner at the front, the walk proceeded for a half mile on to the Michigan Street Bridge where the union protesters halted. As Mayor Bliss approached they surrounded her chanting “Scab! Scab! Scab!” and “We want a contract!”

The disruption of the walk was too much for the mayor, and a visibly shaken Bliss jogged away towards a police officer. The union protesters crossed the street to the opposite corner and rallied as the rest of the walkers passed by. Some walkers asked, “Why are you ruining our community walk?” while others gave thumbs up or shouted, “We support you!”

ATU 836 union president RiChard Jackson said, “We have been working for more than two years without a contract. There are no wage increases. We pay the full freight on the health care and come October it increases up to $800 per month.”

“Well we made Bliss go home. We are going to stick around and maybe have a couple of beers,” said Louis DeShane, as the protesters prepared to return to the Labor Fest.

DeShane was arrested at a local transit board on August 30. He was denouncing the $4500 merit bonus for the CEO of the Rapid bus system. DeShane called for, “No contract! No vote!” because CEO Peter Varga is doing away with pensions, demanding workers pay more out of pocket for health care, and trying to take away overtime.

#GrandRapidsMI #PeoplesStruggles #Michigan #transitUnions

Photo credit: Jeff Smith”)

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Upset they still do not have a union contract after two years, ATU Local 836 bus drivers forced west Michigan politicians to end a press conference early. Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalyn Bliss, a Democrat, and several suburban mayors are refusing to negotiate a union contract with the bus drivers that serve their communities.

Joined by a spokeswoman for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, the politicians were there to “celebrate the environment” with new buses that use compressed natural gas from fracking.

A group of ATU bus drivers and their supporters held signs reading, “No contract! No millage!” and “ATU bus drivers deserve a contract!” Then, joined by young people, they marched to the front of the podium and started chanting “Shut it down!” This brought the press conference to an end.

A leaflet at the protest read “Vote no on the Rapid millage on Nov. 7.”

The leaflet continued, “In 2011 voters barely approved a millage request that substantially raised their taxes by over $15 million, passing by a mere 136 votes. Most of this tax increase was used to pay for the wasteful Silver Line system, a system that mimics a route that already exists (Route 1 on Division) at a cost to tax payers of $40 million dollars.”

The union bus drivers point out that two free bus lines in Grand Rapids only serve college students and the downtown portion of the Silver Line, while working people must pay for bus service everywhere else.

The ATU bus drivers want to see public funds invested in the workers instead of giveaways to big energy companies and construction firms. The transit board is using new Michigan right-to-work laws in the attempt to break their union.

#GrandRapidsMichigan #GrandRapidsMI #PeoplesStruggles #Michigan

Grand Rapids, MI – Anti-war activists here held signs during rush hour traffic on Sept. 9 to support the Iran nuclear agreement and ending U.S. intervention in the Middle East. Both Democratic Michigan senators and Republican Congressperson Justin Amash support the deal.

The Iran government supports the agreement, and sees the deal as a setback for U.S. plans to dominate the Middle East.

#GrandRapidsMI #AntiwarMovement #Iran #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #Michigan #NuclearDeal

Grand Rapids, MI—Around 50 workers and drivers joined a Teamsters Union Local 406 rally outside the food distribution giant Sysco Corporation on April 29. A huge black and gold Teamster truck was parked just outside the Sysco warehouse, bordering the Gerald R. Ford airport in Grand Rapids.

The workers held up Teamster signs reading, “Stop the war on workers,” as they lined both sides of the street. Passing truck drivers honked loudly in support of the union. The biggest issue for workers is seeing their paychecks shrink.

Warehouse worker Dave Lenhard was out on the picket line with his pro-union friends and said, “I used to be a ‘no’ vote when the union came around in 1997, but all I have seen since then is us going backwards.”

Lenhard explains, “We used to get $7500 in bonuses for safety, safe driving and attendance, but they cancelled that. They let us work the entire year towards the bonus and then suddenly cancelled it. They also took away our Christmas bonus with just a few days to go.”

Workers at Sysco called Teamsters 406 in November asking for help organizing. Sysco quickly hired a union busting firm to combat the workers having their own voice.

Workers and drivers also say they need a union to combat the “WIP and DIP” program imposed on them by management. Warehouse Incentive Program (WIP) and Drivers Incentive Program (DIP) are ways to target and fire workers for minor infractions. It is being used to target workers organizing for their union.

A young truck driver, George Brewster, found out what it is to be a target of the bosses. Surrounded by his fellow drivers, Brewster said, “You know the funny thing is they never told me why I was fired. We all know why: for organizing!”

Brewster continued, “The main problem for us is bad management. Less and less money, more and more work, while Sysco is making more and more money.”

Over 160 drivers and warehouse workers are demanding Sysco recognize their union affiliation with Teamsters 406. They load and deliver food to hospitals, colleges like Michigan State University, restaurants, hotels and other large institutions. The so-called ‘Right To Work’ laws in Michigan are making union organizing harder, but determined workers are banding together to win.

#GrandRapidsMI #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #Michigan

Later this year, the United Auto Workers (UAW) will feel the effects of the law as the contracts with big car-producing companies expire.

‘Right to work’ says workers are not required to belong to the union at a unionized work place, despite the votes and decisions of the majority. It creates a division amongst the workers and weakens their ability to act in concert for good contracts and to enforce safety work rules, fairness and equality.

In 2013, there were 3.9 million employed workers in Michigan, of whom 633,000 were union members. Now in 2014, there are 4 million employed workers of whom 585,000 are union members. The number of employed workers in Michigan increased by 139,000 overall, while the number of union members decreased by 48,000, hurting the unionization rate even more.

The statistics show that a higher percentage of workers covered by union contracts stopped paying their dues. These ‘free riders’ benefit from the union contract that their co-workers negotiate and pay for.

Michigan Republicans also stripped teachers of the ability to pay their union dues via direct deposit with their employer. Government workers know it as dues check-off and, despite its popularity, Republicans passed a law denying this basic right to teachers.

Across Lake Michigan, in the state of Wisconsin, Republicans are threatening a similar law and union members are beginning to mobilize to fight it. Jacob Flom is the creator of a Facebook page “Defeat Right To Work in Wisconsin” (https://www.facebook.com/defeatrighttowork?ref=br_tf )that says “We are rank-and -file union members and Wisconsin residents who want to keep our state union strong. Fight Governor Walker's union busting agenda with mass protest!”

Unions are based on workers joining together to act as one in relationship to their bosses and owners. Union contracts provide millions of workers around the world with higher wages, better health care, sick time off, vacations and a chance to defend themselves from arbitrary discipline and firing. Union members like nurses and health care workers can enforce health and safety rules for themselves and the public they serve.

Republicans plan to finish off unions, attacking and outlawing them state by state. The Democratic Party stands idle, feigning surprise. Judges rulings in U.S. courts are threatening to do away with public sector unions over the next five years as well.

Union members in the U.S. tend to live better lives than non-union workers and command more respect from their bosses. Bureau of Labor Statistics show median income for a union worker in 2014 was $970 per week, while non-union was $763.

#GrandRapidsMI #rightToWork #Michigan #laborRights #laborUnions

The march through downtown Grand Rapids was sometimes somber, but sometimes joyful as spectators smiled, waved and encouraged the student protesters. The march stretched a block long with city notables and educators in the lead. It united African Americans with whites, Chicanos, Latinos and other nationalities. Students from Grand Rapids Christian High School and Northview High School enthusiastically participated, linking arms as they marched in the cold winter weather, sharing their message of opposing racist discrimination and police brutality.

Nearby, hundreds of college students marched silently across the GVSU campus, passing yard signs highlighting the life and struggles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There was quiet anticipation as the GVSU field house filled up to standing room only. After an inspiring rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing and introductory remarks, the crowd rose to their feet in thundering applause at the introduction of Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother.

Fulton opened with a moment of silence for Martin Luther King Jr. and others, like her son Trayvon Martin, killed by gun violence in the U.S. She was steadfast, “This could not happen to a more average family,” adding, “We should not be comfortable with burying our children.” She clarified her purpose, “So what happened to Trayvon, we don’t want to happen to any more of our children.”

Fulton, a labor union member, described discrimination on the basis of race, class, religion and gender, exhorting, “All of these things are a form of profiling, are a form of discrimination, and they need to be got rid of in the U.S.”

She finished by expressing, “It hurts my heart to see what continues to happen in our country. Are you going to sit back and just do nothing, or are you going to participate in what is happening in your country? We cannot continue to remain silent.”

In response to an audience question, Fulton gave an energetic response, “The community has played a big role, but more importantly the colleges and universities have played a big role because they were active in their protests, they were active in their marches...I give it to the college students who were on the social media and constantly keeping this story alive. Even before CNN and ABC and CBS and all of those networks that got involved, it was the college students that got involved first and they were fed up with what was going on.”

Fulton emphasized, “It is the young folks that keep this movement going, that say, ‘I’m just not going to take this anymore.’”

#GrandRapids #GrandRapidsMI #AfricanAmerican #MLK #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #Michigan #MartinLutherKingJrMLKDay

Rasmea’s supporters packed the courtroom in anticipation of her taking the stand, but the day began first with the continued testimony and cross examination of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Agent Douglas Scott Pierce. Under cross by defense attorney Jim Fennerty, Pierce revealed that in a previous case, he had testified that the questions on the naturalization forms can be “confusing,” especially for those who do not have fluency in the English language, and also acknowledged that older forms previously asked specifically about crimes, arrests, imprisonment, etc., “inside or outside the United States.”

This helped set the stage for Rasmea’s argument that she had always believed that the questions she is accused of answering falsely were asking about her time in the U.S., not Palestine. After additional testimony from Jennifer Williams, the immigration officer who actually interviewed Rasmea back in 2004, and from a fingerprint expert, the prosecution rested its case.

Lead defense attorney Michael Deutsch then called University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) professor Nadine Naber as his first witness. Naber, who is a leading scholar on Arab women and women of color in general, first met Rasmea back in 2006, and testified to their work together, describing how Rasmea’s organizing has changed the lives of hundreds of Arab immigrant women by creating a space for them to face the collective challenges they experience. Her testimony spoke to the character of Rasmea as a truthful person and mentor for her community.

Before Rasmea was called as the next witness, Judge Drain excused the jury to advise her and Deutsch on his previous rulings, reinforcing his restrictions on her testimony. He told them that she would not be able to speak about Israeli torture, stating that he did not want to “retry the case” of 1969. Rasmea responded firmly, “It’s my life, I have a right to talk about the things that happened to me!” Judge Drain refused to accede, restating that testimony referring to torture or her forced confession was inadmissible, and that if she violated his orders there would be consequences.

Nonetheless, Rasmea delivered heartfelt testimony that left the entire courtroom, as well as the overflow courtroom where dozens more were seated, in tears. She recounted her life story, one filled with tragedy and resilience, beginning with the Nakba, the “Catastrophe,” what Palestinians call the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, when 750,000 Palestinians were

driven out of their homes. Rasmea and her family also lost their land and home in 1948, and were forced to live as refugees in a tent before making their way to Ramallah, where they lived at the time of the 1967 Israeli war and occupation of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza.

Then Rasmea told the jury about the Israeli raid on her home in 1969, when she was arrested along with her father and sisters. More than 500 Palestinians were swept up in mass arrests by Israel at the same time, and she broke down in tears when she recalled how the events of that night traumatized her sister to the point of an early death.

Although Rasmea was barred from testifying about the torture, she did tell the court that she spent 45 days in an interrogation center. Prosecutor Jonathan Tukel objected, and Judge Drain sustained the objection, reprimanding her. Deutsch then asked her if she was convicted, and Rasmea answered, “They convicted me falsely.” Again, the government objected and again the judge sustained the objection.

Later, Deutsch asked, “Did you try to escape?” in reference to one of Israel’s charges that the government has highlighted in this case. Rasmea answered boldly, “Of course, any political prisoner [would] try to escape!” While supporters in the overflow courtroom applauded this answer, the main courtroom heard another objection from Tukel. The judge sided with the government once more, and struck the political prisoner reference from the record.

The testimony continued with Rasmea describing her immigration to the United States, where she moved to care for her ailing father. When asked about the 1994 application for permanent residency filed in Jordan, she explained that all the answers on that form came from her brother. From the U.S., he had sent her a sample form, and she was to copy what he had written on the sample. “I couldn’t read [English], and I trust my brother. I didn’t read anything, I just copied [what] my brother said.”

When Deutsch asked about her responses on the 2004 application for naturalization, and why she had responded “NO” to questions about whether she had been arrested, convicted or imprisoned, she explained that these questions followed directly three previous ones that asked explicitly about the U.S. “When I continued, my understanding was [that these questions

were also] about the U.S., so I continued to say no.”

Deutsch later asked what she would have done if she had understood that the questions were intended to address imprisonment outside the U.S. as well. She answered, “If I knew it was about Israel, I would have said... It’s not a secret that I’ve been in jail. Even the embassy knows.” The U.S. embassy in Israel had become involved in the initial arrests because her father was a U.S. citizen at the time.

Rasmea will continue her testimony tomorrow, and after cross-examination by the government, both sides will make their closing arguments. The jury is not expected to begin deliberation until Monday, which is the earliest a verdict is expected.

Some 70 supporters were in the courtrooms today. Inspired by Rasmea’s incredible testimony, many are rearranging their plans to stay for Friday, and into Monday. Organizers in Detroit are scrambling to ensure housing and transportation for those who are extending their stay, and to prepare for the additional people arriving each day to join the fight for justice for Rasmea.

#DetroitMI #Palestine #Israel #Trial #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #Michigan #case #Defense #Justice4Rasmea

Detroit, MI – Rasmea Odeh’s supporters were in high anticipation as they waited on line for Judge Drain’s court room to open this morning, Nov. 6. Everyone expected the high point of the trial to be when Rasmea Odeh took the stand to testify in her own defense.

Michael Deutsch, her lead attorney, began by asking her about herself. She told the story of the loss of her family home in Lifta, Palestine, when the Israeli army carried out the massacres known as al Nakba (The Catastrophe). These massacres of tens of thousands caused 700,000 Palestinians to flee their homes. Odeh has spent her life since 1948 as a refugee.

In 1967, her family had survived and she had grown into a young woman, starting college. Then Israel invaded the West Bank, and her family’s life in Ramallah was again turned upside down. Tanks rumbled through the streets of her town. Her sister was paralyzed and eventually died of the shock of the invasion.

In 1969, the Israeli occupation army arrested 500 people in one night after a bomb explosion in Jerusalem. Odeh was one of the victims of that indiscriminate round-up, but the military singled her out for horrible treatment: brutal torture and rape in order to force her to sign a false confession. Judge Drain censored her remarks any time she came close to talking about the treatment she suffered. When she said, “They convicted me falsely,” prosecutor Jonathan Tukel objected and wanted the sentence struck. The judge displayed a phony impartiality when he told Tukel he would let the sentence remain in the record, except for the word “falsely.”

In the overflow room, her supporters were brought to cheers when Deutsch asked her if she tried to escape. Odeh responded, “Yes, any political prisoner tries to escape.” The federal security in the room threatened to have all her supporters removed from the building if that happened again.

Prosecution case suffers blow

Deutsch brought the story up to date, questioning Odeh about her emigration to the U.S. The prosecution has focused on answers she gave in her immigration documents to questions about having been charged, tried and imprisoned. On Wednesday and again today, Nov. 6, the government had presented witnesses from the State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They claimed she lied on her initial application for a visa.

Odeh delivered a blow to that allegation when she revealed that her brother in the U.S. had written the answers out for her to copy for that form, and had filled out some of the form himself. She said, “My English was terrible. I couldn’t read any of it. I copied from the form filled out by my brother.” Soon afterwards, Judge Drain called a recess, and said the questioning would continue in the morning.

When her supporters gathered across the street from the courthouse, their spirits were high. They departed, preparing for Friday, Nov. 7 when Odeh will complete her testimony and then face the cross examination by the prosecution. The tension will be even higher Nov. 7, when this political trial, masquerading as a criminal trial, continues.

#DetroitMI #Palestine #Israel #Trial #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #Michigan #case

Detroit, MI – Judge Gershwin Drain oversaw jury selection today in the case of Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is on trial in Detroit for failing to disclose in her application for citizenship that she was tortured by the Israeli military in 1969 until she confessed to a crime she didn’t commit. Over 90 people filled the overflow room set up for her supporters to watch on close circuit television.

In a series of decisions in recent weeks, Judge Drain created a situation where Odeh is unable to get a fair trial. He refused to allow evidence of her torture to be presented to the jury, but at the same time, agreed that the jury would be told that she is ‘guilty’ of that crime.

During the questioning of potential jurors, Drain repeatedly declared to them, “The evidence will show she was convicted of a bombing 45 years ago.” And further, “Would it affect you if you knew that two people died and there were multiple people injured?” After each time he repeated this, prospective jurors would declare that their minds were made up by this information. Drain had convinced them that Rasmea was a criminal. For almost an hour, more had to be brought from the pool, only to be released again when they fell for his description.

Finally, a kitchen worker in the jury pool confronted the judge after hearing multiple times about the supposed crime committed 45 years ago. He said, “I’m confused about why you keep mentioning the conviction from back then?” The judge reiterated his point, and the man replied, “What exactly is she being charged with? Why do you keep bringing this up?”

Drain also clumsily asked those in the jury box, “Do you have any biases against Palestinians or Muslims?” “Everyone has the capacity to lie? Do you find Palestinians or Muslims to be more likely to lie?”

George Khoury, a veteran activist from the Detroit area, commented, “Not once did he ask if they had a bias against Israelis. It was their military court that convicted her. It was them who tortured her.”

When a Muslim woman in the jury seats raised her hand and asked, “What if I have a bias in favor of Muslims?,” the crowd in the overflow room burst into laughter and then applause in response.

Jess Sundin of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression said, “Rasmea is being railroaded in this trial. You have to call if a railroad when a judge agrees with prosecutors to uphold the decision of an Israeli military court, which violates international law; a judge who accepts a conviction based on a confession extracted through torture; and also refuses to allow any evidence of the torture she endured.”

The Rasmea Defense Committee led a march of supporters through downtown Detroit after court recessed. In a cold rain, there were determined faces all around. Frank Chapman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression urged people on. “We can’t trust in politicians or judges. Organized mass struggle is the only way justice is won.”

#DetroitMI #Palestine #Israel #Trial #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #Michigan #ArabActionNetwork #case

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Oct. 2 statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee

As Rasmea Odeh sat surrounded by her lawyers in a Detroit federal court, listening to an Arabic language interpreter, her supporters filled the courtroom for a short status hearing on the politically-motivated case alleging that she answered questions untruthfully on her citizenship application 10 years ago. The courtroom filled to capacity, while some 30 supporters were left waiting outside to learn the outcome of today’s hearing.

Judge Gershwin Drain inexplicably allowed only 10 minutes for Michael Deutsch, Rasmea’s lead attorney, to argue each of two motions. Deutsch first argued that her arrest was based on illegal evidence obtained in the 4-year old investigation of the Anti-War 23, which he said was a violation of constitutional and First Amendment rights. No arrests or indictments in the case of the 23 have been made, but the witch hunt continues, and Deutsch told the judge that Rasmea should not have gotten caught up in it. In the motion to dismiss, Deutsch asked for discovery to see communications between U.S. Attorneys in Chicago and Detroit, to establish that the investigation of the 23 anti-war and Palestine activists was the origin of Rasmea’s prosecution today. Drain denied the motion to dismiss without explanation.

The second argument from the defense stated that a torture expert and clinical psychologist, Mary Fabri, from the world-renowned Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture in Chicago, should be allowed to testify about the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) suffered by Rasmea, who had faced vicious physical and sexual torture at the hands of Israeli prison authorities. The government argues that she neglected to disclose her 1969 arrest and conviction by an Israeli military court, but Rasmea has always publicly stated that the conviction was based on a false confession forced by the torture. Deutsch contended that “she [Rasmea] blocked out the past trauma,” and that is why she answered as she did on the immigration application.

“This is at the heart of our defense,” Deutsch continued. Responding to Judge Drain’s questions about what evidence the expert would provide, Deutsch explained the jury needs to consider how Rasmea’s response to questions on her immigration application forms could be affected by her PTSD. “The expert should be allowed to testify, and the jury should decide what it means.” Drain didn’t make a ruling in open court, instead saying he will provide a written opinion within a week.

Deutsch spoke to supporters outside the courthouse, saying, “It is extremely important that you continue to come out to all of these appearances.” In addition, Sarah Martin, one of the Anti-War 23 who had travelled from Minnesota, spoke of the solidarity rallies organized for Rasmea in numerous cities across the country. “People in San Jose, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee are out in the streets voicing their support like we are doing here.” These protests, along with thousands of calls to prosecutors, are part of a growing national movement dedicated to winning justice for Rasmea.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)-National joined this chorus of voices today with a strong public statement and a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, demanding that the charges against Rasmea be dropped.

Muhammad Sankari, a member of the national Rasmea Defense Committee, said, “We obviously believe that justice was not served today. Too many of our leaders, like Rasmea, are being targeted by the Justice Department for their activism in support of Palestinian liberation. This case is clearly going to be an indictment of Israel and its brutal policies. We will continue to make that argument as we work to get the charges dropped.”

Rasmea supporters are mobilizing for the next status hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday, October 21st, at 11 AM, again in Detroit.

#DetroitMI #Palestine #Israel #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #RasmeaOdeh #Michigan #AntiWarCommittee

In an unexpected turn of events, Borman admitted his financial ties to Israel, “could be perceived as establishing a reasonably objective inference of a lack of impartiality in the context of the issues presented in this case.” Defense claims of pro-Israel bias are vindicated, and Borman has removed himself. The case has been randomly re-assigned to U.S. District Judge Gershwin A. Drain.

When Borman refused the motion for him to step down on July 31, he dismissed defense arguments about his decades of trips to and fundraising for Israel, claiming his “religious convictions” did not bring his impartiality into question.

According to supporters, Borman was falsely covering Zionist ideology with Judaism. “We opposed Judge Borman not because of his Jewish faith, but because of his decades of support for the state of Israel,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for Odeh’s defense committee. “Rasmea overcame vicious torture by Israeli authorities while imprisoned in Palestine in the 70s. She has committed no crime and the government has no case. We need a judge willing to listen to a defense that puts Israel on trial for its crimes against Rasmea, and against all Palestinians.”

Supporters of Odeh hail this as a victory for the defense, but are redoubling efforts to win justice for Rasmea.

Abudayyeh continued, “This case is a political attack on the Palestine liberation movement and that means we need a political defense as much as a legal defense. Thousands of people from across the country are fighting for Rasmea, demanding that the government drop the charges against her. If they don’t, we are still going all out for Detroit, to fill the courtroom every day of the trial.”

A status hearing in front of Judge Drain is still planned for Tuesday, Sept. 2, in Detroit, and the Rasmea Defense Committee is calling for supporters to pack the courthouse and to call the prosecutors to demand that they drop the charges on that day. The date of the actual trial will be rescheduled.

#DetroitMI #Gaza #Palestine #Israel #RasmeaOdeh #Michigan #Judge #ArabActionNetwork #PoliticalRepression

Grand Rapids, MI – Close to 100 people celebrated Nelson Mandela Day here over the weekend. Some gathered on July 18 to view posters from the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the work of local artists portraying Nelson Mandela and Maya Angelou. Local artist Paul Collins shared a large canvas of hands reaching across the world portraying King, Gandhi and Mandela. On July 19, the Institute for Global Education hosted a jazz band, church choir, African dance and the poetry of Maya Angelou.

During a panel discussion on the legacy of Mandela, the speakers and audience compared the struggle opposing white minority rule in South Africa, known as apartheid, and the struggle for Palestinian freedom today. Outside the event, local anti-war activists tabled for Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian American leader and activist. The U.S. government is putting Odeh on trial in Detroit on Sept. 8 in a highly-charged political repression case.

Tom Burke with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression was gathering signatures and quoted Nelson Mandela, “We know too well our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians.”

Burke continued, “Rasmea Odeh won the ‘Nelson Mandela Award: Opposing Israeli apartheid is not a crime!’ last year in Chicago. We know the worldwide solidarity movement helped defeat minority rule in South Africa. The same is true with ending Israeli apartheid. We need to get out and rally to show our solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle. We need to encourage resistance to oppression. The U.S. needs to stop funding Israeli oppression and war.”

A protest in solidarity with Palestine is planned for July 21 at 4:00 p.m. at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building in downtown Grand Rapids.

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