Call to Action: NorCal INS Demonstration Monday 12/23 in SF

The INS has detained hundreds of individuals from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Sudan who voluntarily went to the INS office to register. Ms. Banafsheh Akhlaghi, an attorney from San Francisco, reports that the detainees have been treated inhumanely: shackled, standing for hours, no drinking water, 2-3 hours sleep, and confinement. Last Wednesday 12/18, thousands of people demonstrated in front of the U.S. Federal Building in Los Angeles. Thanks to the hard work and passion of these people who peacefully voiced their concerns, many of the detainees of the Los Angeles branch of the INS have been released, many without bail. However, detainees are still in jail, some since Dec. 5th, in other regions.

We call on you, those who are concerned with the rights and dignities of all human beings and who believe that people must express their feelings regarding the violations of the United States Constitution, to participate in demonstrations being held in San Diego and San Francisco. We, Students for Progress and Development in Iran, the Law Offices of Akhlaghi & Associates, as well as a wide range of organizations will be sponsoring a demonstration in San Francisco, California on Monday 12/23 at 11 a.m. in front of the INS building at 444 Washington Street. By coming together and uniting to pronounce our grievances, we hope to influence the INS to release the detainees as was accomplished in LA. The purpose of our demonstration is not to voice anti-U.S. sentiment but rather to demand the state to uphold the basic civil liberties we are entitled to under the U.S. Constitution.

Furthermore, we are in need of people, both students and adults, who are willing to be active participants in our projects. We plan to increase awareness of the events unfolding, lobby and petition against the new laws, document the stories of the detainees and their families, and to organize peaceful rallies demanding an end to the unjust laws and the inhumane treatment of the detainees. Again, we urge you to defend the basic civil liberties given to us in the United States Constitution by uniting and organizing. If you can help in any way, please e-mail me back with your contact information as well as your region of residence (i.e. Southern California, Northern California, DC, etc.).

contact: Payam Mohseni, President Students for Progress and Development in Iran (SPDI) http://www.spdiran.org payamm [at] uclink.berkeley.edu
Ms. Banafsheh Akhlaghi, Akhlaghi & Associates, San Francisco (415) 522-5200

Map & Directions: By Car: http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/sanfran/map.htm

Parking: Facilities are available in the area. Prices generally range from $12.00 to $27.00 per day. Street parking is scarce.

Public Transportation: By Bart: Exit at Montgomery Station. Walk North on Sansome Street. The office is six blocks from the station. By Bus: Take the #41 or #10 bus to Sansome and Washington. Call San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) at (415) 673-6864 or visit their web site at http://www.sfmuni.com for other routes. By Train: From the Peninsula, take Caltrain to the King Street Station, then take the #10 bus to Sansome at Washington. http://www.caltrain.org For additional public transportation information, visit the San Francisco Bay Area Transit Information web site at http://www.transitinfo.org.