Welcome to Amnesty International's Southern California Cluster of local community and student groups. We are known by the acronym GLAD (Greater Los Angeles Development Team) because our cluster is centered in Los Angeles. However, we include groups from throughout Southern California. This page will lead you to information about local groups and their activities, the GLAD cluster, and the Western Regional Office in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Regional Office (in conjunction with the San Franciso Office) services student and community groups throughout the 13 state Western Region. The office also handles media contacts and can provide speakers on a wide range of human rights issues.
Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
The Refugee Monitoring Team is a group of AIUSA volunteers who monitor conditions within INS detention facilities (particularly the Terminal Island facility) through visits, interviews with detainees, and interactions with lawyers. The Team is working to ensure that refugees' rights are respected.
Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
There are a large number of Amnesty Groups at High Schools and Colleges throughout Southern California. This section will eventually contain a listing of them. In the meantime, contact the Los Angeles Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for information on finding or starting a student group.
Amnesty International is a grass roots human rights organization, and much of its most important work is done by local groups of volunteers. They work on behalf of individual prisoners, participate in national or international campaigns focused on specific countries or human rights abuses, and work to raise awareness of and support for human rights in their local community.
To get information on groups outside of Southern California, or to get information on other ways to participate in Amnesty International's work, call 1-800-AMNESTY.
GLAD helps to coordinate activities that use volunteers from throughout Southern California. For example, GLAD coordinates tabling at concerts and public events; plans public human rights events (recent events include a Minority Rights Symposium, a Bosnia Forum, and a Human Rights Education forum). GLAD also sponsors leadership and speaker's trainings. GLAD serves as a clearinghouse so that groups can share information and participate in each other's events.
Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
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Contact: John Fitzpatrick, fitzpatr@bmsrs.usc.edu
Meeting Schedule: first Tuesday of every month at 8:00 p.m. at St. Paul's Methodist Church, the Education Building, 2600 Nelson Ave., Redondo Beach.
Group Information: The South Bay group is working on the case of Shim Keum-sop in South Korea and on the campaign to end the death penalty. Our annual activities include a petition signing at the Hermosa Beach pier, a garage sale, and a holiday party.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: last Monday of every month, 7:30 pm Sherman Oaks Methodist Church, 14401 Dickens, corner of Dickens and Beverly Glen
Group Info: The San Fernando Valley Group is working for the release of POCs in South Africa. We have a very active and knowledgeable coordinator of death penalty work and we work on an average of three country campaigns at any time. Currently, we are working on the Indonesian, Sudan and Women's Campaigns. We have a member of the group working on monitoring the INS refugee detention facility on Terminal Island, at least one member attends each GLAD meeting and one of members is an area coordinator (Lisa Mahoney).
We enthusiastically invite all who are interested to attend one of our meetings. Or you may contact Mathew Spilka to be on our mailing list and receive minutes from our meetings and Urgent Actions every month.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Every 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm a business meeting is held and every 1st Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm a letter writing meeting is held.
Group Information: The Santa Monica group is working on the release of a prisoner of conscience from Myanmar, who was imprisoned for his participation in a non-violent demonstration calling for the release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Members also take part in various country campaigns, design and sell Amnesty International T-shirts, and organize events to raise community awareness.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: The Whittier group meets at 7:30 pm the last Tuesday of every month at the Whittier Presbyterian Church, located at 6030 S. El Rancho in Whittier.
Group Information:The Whittier Group is presently working on impunity in Rwanda. Our action file is focused on a 15 year old girl who was orphaned in May, 1994, the result of the massacre at Nyamata Catholic Church, where hundreds of mainly Tutsi civilians were killed, including her family. Our group is participating with a booth at the Downey Street Faire for the 2nd year.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule:Group 467 meets on the 4th Wednesday of every month in Beverly Hills.
Group Information:Group 467 was working on behalf of several Prisoners of Conscience from the United Arab Emirates, who were arrested for performing a play that the government deemed blasphemous. They were recently released, and the group is waiting to be assigned a new case. The group is also active in the Death Penalty Campaign.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: AI Group 178 - Irvine, Post Office Box 16243, Irvine, CA 92713, or Jacques Kilchoer, jacquesrk@aol.com, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Last Tuesday of every month at 6:45 at the Deerfield Community Center, 55 Deerwood West, Irvine, CA.
Group Information: The Irvine Group is working to investigate the disappearance of a Syrian medical doctor, and is involved in campaign work for Central and Eastern Africa, and in AI's Women's Campaign. The Irvine group is currently selling handmade bead necklaces.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: The Orange Group meets at 6:30 PM on the 3rd Tuesday of every month in the 2nd Floor (west) lounge in Pralle-Sodaro Hall on the campus of Chapman University in Orange. Pralle-Sodaro Hall is at 323 Walnut Ave.
Group Information: The Orange group is actively involved in the South Asia Regional Action Network and the Women's Campaign. The group's Prisoner of Conscience, a Tibetan monk imprisoned for "counter-revolutionary" activities, was recently released. The group is awaiting the assignment of a new prisoner case. The group also focuses on legislative issues, refugees and the death penalty. Some members participate in the Refugee Monitoring Team, which monitors conditions in INS refugee detention facilities. The group takes advantage of opportunities to participate in local community events to further awareness of Amnesty's work on behalf of human rights.
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Contact: Seymour Hanan, 10871 Poyntell Circle, San Diego, CA 92131
Meeting Schedule: Second Thursday of the month, 7:30-9 p.m.
Group Information: AI Group 461 is working for the release of a Prisoner of Conscience from Peru, 6 former communists interned in Malaysia, for the Turkey Campaign, and on the Women's Rights Campaign.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: We have a monthly business meeting the 2nd Monday and a work meeting the 4th Monday each month (except on holidays). We start at 7:00 PM, and rotate the meetings every quarter between member's homes throughout the North County of San Diego.
Group Information: The North County chapter is very active within the county, doing numerous presentations on human rights in the community at schools, churches, etc., and tabling at various street fairs, concerts and events. The Group also sponsors an annual Walk For Human Rights each December 10th at the Oceanside Pier, that draws between 200 to 300 participants each year. We generally do a summer event each year, either a play, concert or movie event for the public that involves human rights.
The Group is currently working on the apparent political killing in Zimbabwe of Captain Edwin Nleya, who was murdered after reporting evidence of poaching by the military. We are asking the government to prosecute those responsible. The group is also currently active in death penalty work, particularly here in the U.S., and participates in the Children's Campaign, Legislative campaigns, ratification actions and other monthly actions. The Group also publishes a quarterly newsletter with a mailing list of 350.
The group sells merchandise to raise funds for its activities, including Amnesty T-shirts, Amnesty baseball caps, and Amnesty coffee mugs.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: Under construction.
Group Information: Under construction.
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Contact: Michael Falk, mikefalk@physics.ucsb.edu, or the Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: The group meets at 7:00 PM on the first Thursday of each month at the Goleta Public Library.
Group Information: The Santa Barbara Group is working on the investigation case of a Burmese student who was arrested on 10 Dec 91 during a peaceful demonstration. We also hold a monthly film series at the Earthling bookstore, and 'table' and host events to raise consciousness of human rights concerns in Santa Barbara. The group sells Amnesty T-shirts (a Picasso image, and "Love is a Basic Human Right") to support its activities.
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Contact: Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, for more information.
Meeting Schedule: The San Luis Obispo group meets the second Monday of every month at 7:30.
Group Information: We are working on the Women's Campaign and the Yugoslavia Campaign. We also promote human rights awareness at the Farmers' Market, Earth Day, and university events.
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The San Francisco Western Regional Office (in conjunction with the Los Angeles Regional Office) services student and community groups throughout the 13 state Western Region. The office also handles media contacts and can provide speakers on a wide range of human rights issues. The Region's Director, Cosette Thompson, is based in the San Francisco office.
Contact: San Francisco Western Regional Office, 415-291-9233, aiusasf@igc.apc.org, for more information.
The cluster of groups in the San Francisco Bay area is known as BAD (Bay Area Development).
Contact: The Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, or the San Francisco Regional Office, 415-291-9233, aiusasf@igc.apc.org, for more information.
The cluster of groups in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
Contact: The Los Angeles Western Regional Office, 310-815-0450, aiusala@igc.apc.org, or the San Francisco Regional Office, 415-291-9233, aiusasf@igc.apc.org, for more information.
For information or to send comments about this page, please contact Joe Baker, jbaker@igc.apc.org.
HTML by Joe Baker, Los Angeles Western Regional OfficeCreated on March 15, 1995 / Last edited on June 30, 1995