Let your voice ring out in times of fear
By L.A. Chung for the SJ Mercury News

I’m reminded of Walt and Milly Woodward of Bainbridge Island in Washington
state. More than 60 years ago, the owners of the little Bainbridge Review
weekly newspaper opposed the internment of Japanese-Americans, who were a
vital part of the island community. It cost Walt good money in canceled ads
and goodwill. But he persisted. He hired four Japanese-Americans to send
reports on internment camp life, which he published in the Review. Births.
Deaths. Camp goings-on.
Bainbridge Island Japanese-Americans would return to the island, he
reasoned, and this would be a way for their neighbors to continue to see
them as members of the community.
To his fellow islanders, Walt Woodward wrote in the Review, “These
Japanese-Americans of ours haven’t bombed anybody.” But Lt. Gen. John L.
DeWitt, in command of West Coast defenses, said, “A Jap is a Jap.” So
everyone was painted with the same broad brush…
Now, as then, concerned — and sensible, practical — folk want the United
States to hold fast to one of the tenets of its greatness: due process.
It took courage then. Much recognition for the Woodwards’ stand came
posthumously. The Woodwards remind us that it’s critical, even in this time
of fear, to insist that the United States hold true to its principles.
Do so in your churches, temples and mosques. In letters to the editor. In
calls and e-mails to your elected representatives. And in standing quietly
at a protest or getting arrested for the television cameras.
“We are the ones who have to speak up,” said Dawson. “We have the luxury
of speaking up for our principles without fear of deportation or major
disruption of our families’ lives.”

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Class action lawsuit filed against the US government

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Alliance of Iranian Americans (AIA), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the National Council of Pakistani Americans (NCPA) filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against John Ashcroft; Attorney General of the United States, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
The essence of the lawsuit is that on Dec. 16-18, the INS unlawfully arrested large numbers of people, especially in Los Angeles, as they came forward to voluntarily comply with new “special registration” requirements. The groups are seeking an injunction before the next registration deadline to avoid a repetition of last week’s mass arrests. Six individuals detained as a result of the new INS policy of special registrations are co-plaintiffs, and represent a broader group of victims in this class action suit.

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