Let our People pay!

38 Studios rally, May 29, 2014.

Come & learn to protect your privacy (5/10/2014)

Knight Memorial Library, 275 Elmwood Ave, in the first-floor conference room at 2:30 pm:

The RI Coalition to Defend Human & Civil Rights will be a presentation on using encryption to protect your privacy.

Also this might be of interest: Reset the Net

Notes from meeting — April 19, 2014

RI Coalition to Defend Human and Civil Rights Notes from meeting – April 19, 2014, Rochambeau Library

• Present: Randall Rose, Gregory Morse, Lia Medeiros, Peter Nightingale, Terry Cummings, Robert Malin, Kathy Milby, Paul Hubbard, Nick Schmader, and Cathy Orloff
• UPCOMING RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS – Langevin’s website now features “leadership.” Suggestion to research his quotes re: domestic spying, etc. and publicize his actual positions, which are “extremist pro-military.” We attended several of his town meetings last summer and Nick and others visited him in his office, where he said he would consider other viewpoints, but did not get specific. He has a weak opponent, will almost surely win again. Suggestion that we contact him one last time before the campaign starts, he will know we are watching. (Also noted that government people say the problem is corporate spying, copyrights, etc. and corp. people say the problem is government spying!)
• Several said they would try to attend whatever town meetings L. holds this year. Also Reed is up for re-election, has also been mentioned for Secty. of Defense! Also RI Atty. General’s race – Kilmartin will prob. run again. Opponent Dawson Hodgson not bad (altho does not like Occupy) Suggestion to draw up a list of questions on civil rights and send to candidates (senators, congresspeople, governor, attorney general) Then publish a “report card” based on their answers.
• Might get good publicity for our group? Several showed interest in working on this: Lia, Nick, Robert, Randall, Cathy, and Kathy (later.) The full list should also be invited to participate.
• Also the suggestion of holding a public forum for the AG candidates, since they take positions on civil liberties? Maybe partner with another group – the Phoenix? To get better attendance, etc. Question of whether Kilmartin would attend? Some said no, and has there ever been a debate just for AG candidates? Consensus to first draw up the list of questions and recipients; then we may have a better idea re: next step, forum, etc.
• BRIEF DISCUSSION re: corruption re: former LGBT director at URI. Bullied. Complaints went nowhere. Example of widespread RI corruption.  Terry may ask him to come speak at a future mtg. of our group.
• REPORT ON MARCH 29 RIGHTS CONFERENCE IN CT. – Not bad turnout, about 100 total, 15 from RI, good percentage. We added 4-5 names to our email list. Great keynote from Chris Hedges! Good to see many young people there. It’s on Youtube. There will be a follow-up meeting this Sunday, April 27 in CT. Focus on Surveillance. Randall may attend, altho it’s prob. mostly for CT people. They have a lot of groups, but not all linked in one email list.
• OUR WEBSITE AND MEDIA TOPICS – Peter maintains the website. We have links to EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), Demand Progress, The Intercept. Peter’s email is nigh.at.pobox.com. Send him stuff ! Terry also asked people to post to our Facebook site.
• STATE LEGISLATION PENDING – Some of us testified at House Judiciary Committee. New Chair: Cale Keable. Seems to take us seriously. Randall tries to position us as expert on computer surveillance issues. Not much happening in Senate, except Voter ID. Randall and Pia testified re: repealing it. Discussion of racial politics involved: African-American vs. Hispanic. Civil Rights Roundtable is divided over Voter ID. They will have a panel on it. Randall may try to get a panelist for them.
• FEDERAL BILLS – Brief comparison of USA Freedom Act (going nowhere. We’re neutral) with Obama’s proposals, which are weaker. One by Mike Rogers, no court order needed to get access to personal info. Feinstein bill, bad. Maybe incorporate some of this (with more detail!) into our questionnaire?) Suggestion that our position should only be NO surveillance!? Add this concept to our questionnaire?
• OTHER GROUPS – EFF – Randall is on their email list. ( He said something else about it, sorry I missed that.) WebWeWant – an attempt to organize email users, to vote on how to use it.
• Encryption – Jake will speak on this at our May meeting.
• UPCOMING EVENTS – This Thursday April 24 Bruce Schneier is speaking twice at Brown -noon at Computer Science Bldg, 4th Flr. on how to avoid surveillance; 3PM on the political aspects of surveillance at the Watson Institute on Thayer St. BUT same day at 4PM Chomsky will debate a US diplomat on Should the US support Israel? at Salmon. Problem to attend all…
• May 1 May Day rally – start at DARE 4PM or so, go to State House around 5:30.
• Another program: What’s Left for RI? Also good.
• May 9 – Demonstration at ICE office in Warwick 10:30 AM. Contact Peter for details.
• Lia offered to speak to us re: the work she does on human and civil rights. Maybe at June mtg.?
• We plan to meet through the summer.
• VERY BRIEF DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION FOR RI One person asked can a convention get rid of Brown U.’s tax-free status? May discuss pros and cons of a convention more later.
• We have extra funds for our coalition, just $5 (which Randall is currently holding for us).
• Our next meeting Saturday May 10 1PM Rochambeau. Brief business meeting and presentation by Jake on surveillance.

Notes by Cathy Orloff

Meeting: Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 1pm

Next meeting is Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 1pm at the conference room of Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope St., Providence.

Some suggested topics:

• RI bills on civil liberties
• Federal surveillance update
• Larger campaigns: EFF, WebWeWant
• Encryption
• Any other suggested topics
• Connecticut conference from last month

Protest at the Federal Building

At 1pm Tuesday Feb 11, the RI Coalition to Defend Human &
Civil Rights is organizing an important anti-surveillance protest
at the Federal Building in downtown Providence.    There will be
simultaneous actions that day on websites and in other cities
nationwide. This will be on February 11, the second Tuesday of
the month — if there’s heavy snow, we’ll reschedule to Thurs
Feb. 13 at 1pm.

Please share the Facebook event and join it:
https://www.facebook.com/events/551193611665539/

WHY: Because the backlash against government and corporate
surveillance has already begun, and more activism is the
only way to keep Big Brother from tracking our thoughts and
plans more.

WHERE: Federal Building, 1 Exchange St in Kennedy Plaza, Providence
WHEN: 1pm Tues Feb 11 (or if heavy snow then, 1pm Thu Feb 13)

https://www.facebook.com/events/551193611665539/

The national website for this Feb 11 protest:
http://www.thedaywefightback.org

Providence action sponsored by the RI Coalition to Defend
Human & Civil Rights:
http://facebook.com/cdhcr
https://rirights.wordpress.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Next meeting of RI Coalition to Defend Human & Civil Rights:
12noon Sat Feb 8, Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope St. Providence.
Join us!  Stay afterwards for the movie showing.

Showing of “Dirty Wars”: The Oscar-nominated documentary
“Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield” on America’s current
wars in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia is showing at 2pm Sat Feb 8
in Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope St., Providence, sponsored by
RI Progressive Democrats of America.

February 11 National Day of Protest

Help us with our petition: STOP SPYING ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

STOP SPYING ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE – Want to help build the movement to stop government and corporate surveillance? Download the petition in PDF format, print, and circulate/gather signatures.

If you download the petition to gather signatures, please comment on this post so we can get in touch to collect it when the petition drive is finished.

To join our mailing list, where we plan direct actions like this, email us or join us at the next Coalition meeting on Saturday, September 14, 1pm-3:30pm at the Mount Pleasant Library, Providence.

RI Coalition to Defend Human and Civil Rights Planning Meeting

Facebook event page

Join us for a planning and brainstorming meeting:

NOTE CHANGE OF LOCATION: Saturday August 17th at 1pm at Knight Memorial Library, 275 Elmwood in Providence.