January 8, 2013

Source: Gary Cozette

Please ask for your U.S. Rep to sign on to the Hank Johnson letter on Afro-indigenous rights in Honduras, which you will find below with an action alert.  It began circulation in the House of Representatives yesterday.

We need to get at least 30 signers.  But our hope is to get 40 signers in the next 10 days.  Will you help?

 Please share this alert with your networks.  However, we ask that media folks refrain from publishing or writing about the letter until it is officially delivered by Rep. Johnson to Secy Clinton and Atty Genl Holder with all signatures.  

Contact: Gary L. Cozette, Program Director

Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)

Latin America Working Group Subgroup on Honduras & Honduras Solidarity Network – Congressional Action Team

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!  

Contact the Foreign Policy Staffer in Washington DC Office of Your U.S. Representative!

On Monday, January 07, 2013, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) circulated a House sign-on “Dear Colleague” letter (found below) addressing ongoing human rights violations against Afro-indigenous communities in Honduras.  It highlights the need for full accountability in the 11 May 2012 murders of four Afro-indigenous civilians in a violent U.S. drug raid gone wrong in Ahuas, Honduras.  The letter also calls for “a review on the implementation of counternarcotics operations carried out by our government in Honduras”.  The four initial signers – Rep Johnson (D-GA), Conyers (D-MI), Meeks (D-NY), and Bass (D-CA) – are in the Congressional Black Caucus.

We need your help in securing the signature of your U.S. Rep on this letter - and other U.S. Reps from your state.  If your rep was among the 94 members of the House who signed-on to the Schakowsky letter on Honduras in March 2012 (the full list is attached), remind your Rep of this.  It should be easy for them to sign on to this letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Holder raising these ongoing human rights concerns, and calling for a full and credible investigation of the Ahuas massacre.  Please call the foreign policy aide in your Rep’s DC office.  Here is how:

The Congressional Switchboard number is (202) 224- 3121

(To identify your rep, type in your zip code this website - look to upper right corner):  http://www.house.gov/representatives

Ask to speak with the aide who handles foreign policy.  Use the script below in speaking with the aide.  If the aide does not recall seeing the letter, ask for the aide’s email address so that you can forward a copy of the letter.

If the foreign policy aide is not is not available, ask to leave a message on his or her answering machine.  Be sure to ask for the name foreign policy staffer so you can follow up.

Script:  “My name is _____.  I am a constituent in (town / city neighborhood). I am calling to ask Rep. _____ to join in signing the Hank Johnson letter in support of Afro-indigenous human rights in Honduras.  Has Rep. _­___ seen this letter?  Can I count on him/her to sign on?   Please call me this week at (your phone number) to let me know if you have seen the letter, and if Rep_____ will sign it.”      

In your phone conversation or email request, you might highlight why this letter is important to you, especially if you have travelled to Honduras or heard a Honduran speak in your community.  

To sign on to the letter, the legislative staffer who handles foreign policy must call or email Sascha Thompson in Rep. Johnson's office to inform her. 

Please contact the aide every few days to make sure that the staffer has asked the Rep to sign on.  

Gary Cozette will obtain an updated list of signers every few days to share with HSN.  If your rep agrees to sign on, please notify Gary Cozette at [email protected] AND [email protected] so we can confirm the signature against the lists we receive from Rep. Johnson.  Rep Johnson’s office asks that you please not call it, but rather Gary Cozette if you have questions or want to know if your Rep has signed on.

We ask that any media folks refrain from publishing or writing about the letter until it is officially delivered by Rep. Johnson to Secretary Clinton and Attorney General Holder with all signatures.

For more informaction contact: 

Gary L. Cozette, Program Director

Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)

Latin America Working Group Subgroup on Honduras & Honduras Solidarity Network – Congressional Action Team

Cell:  773.350.3518