Notes and Thoughts from meeting!!!

ISWI minutes, April 30, 2010

Agenda? plans and things we want to keep in mind and in conversation about:

5 college alliance- Amherst College students/Hampshire students

--involvement of non-students

---grassroots

Sanctuary City

ICE Castles

language skill sharing- any language you know! let’s teach other! let’s learn! Not just Spanish and English but both of those are great!

safety for undocumented students/folx

connecting with Francisco

EPEC course at Hampshire- other student-taught course about immigration/immigrant rights

screenings, art

Susanna Loza- “Papers”?

safety network for undocumented folx traveling!

fighting the criminalization of undocumented folx

Amherst City Council- anarchist/social ecologist

Barbara- working in Cultural Center and in touch w/ Francisco

Alex Van Leer- voices, representation, Students for Justice in Palestine networking and connections

away this semester- in contact, media work

Lindsey- talking about summer plans, US Social Forum

Nate- timing, end of semester

Anike- ICE castles, revealing them, being vocal, access

Luis- Amherst College, structure

Nico- signing for hamp ISWI branch

Kasha- also signing for ISWI, medical support, lack of care at detainment centers

Issues that were raised about May Day/Pride:

connections to queer issues and ideals!

policing of bodies, subjugation of bodies

gay marriage- doesn’t necessarily help legal status, or other immigration worker equality issues

policy struggle

Governor Brewer- against queers, for concealed weapons without a permit

Marriage Equality-

“2nd class citizens”- what about folx who are not considered citizens at all??

On Amherst as a Sanctuary City:

Sanctuary status is much more of a symbol than a guarantee of safety- though an important symbol and message-

---wedge in the door, law enforcement has broad powers in Amherst, racial profiling is a problem here

anecdote: NYC: folks posed as sheriffs to evict undocumented family to make room for a shelter!

We would like to:

record video of experiences w/ICE, immigration services, arrests, profiling, personal/political

Gallery student voices, Melissa at Cultural Center

UNESCO-- Actively Anti-Racist Municipalities

---Amherst is already “Fair Trade” town

----using history of town

bringing in outside speakers

talk to Emma Rodick (Bill of Rights Defense Committee)

---putting ordinance together! collecting information now!

Goals:

-Ordinance- research over summer (Jayme)

-meeting with council members (present ourselves as students)

Summer Research, Political Climate Committee:

Ari

Jayme

Alex

that all??

By the end of year we want a strategy conversation

Make a Doodle has this already happened?

--MEETING FRIDAY- MOD 61 IF WEATHER IS NOT NICE, BACK ON THE LIBRARY LAWN IF IT IS! :)