SAN FRANCISCO – On Friday, January 22, 2010 – the original deadline Obama set for closing Guantanamo – members of the Bay Area Religious Campaign Against Torture (BARCAT) visited Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s district office and delivered a petition demanding the immediate closure of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Many constituents mailed personalized letters to Senators Feinstein and Boxer and other local representatives. The Los Angeles Region Religious Campaign Against Torture (LARRCAT), a partner organization, also delivered hundreds of signed letters making the same call to action to Feinstein’s southern California office today. 
In conjunction with these on-the-ground efforts, hundreds of California residents have sent emails using NRCAT’s online form to their Members of Congress urging them to vote to ensure that the President has both the authority and the funds necessary to close the detention center. "Our values and laws are not decorations we wear when times are good; they are there to guide us through the difficult times,” said Louise Specht, Convener for BARCAT. “We depart from them at our peril, as the legal tangle at Guantanamo makes clear." BARCAT has played an active role in the movement to end U.S.-sponsored torture since 2007. Last summer, BARCAT fielded visits to every Congressional office in the greater Bay Area in order to give constituents an opportunity to discuss U.S. torture policy with their member of Congress and urge them to support an investigation of U.S. torture through a House select committee.
“People of many religious faiths hold dear the tradition that human beings were created in the image of God. That tradition carries with it deep responsibility – the responsibility to ensure dignity and justice for every human being, even for our enemies. Legitimate systems of law based on internationally recognized human rights are the best tool we have for ensuring justice and peace in our world. The creation of secretive, shadowy pseudo-justice systems like that at Guantanamo invite abuse and undermine the ability of us all to build a just, peaceful world in which the dignity of each human being is protected. Guantanamo must close now.”
Rabbi Katie Mizrahi Congregation Or Shalom, San Francisco
"Guantanamo has been a shameful episode in our history. We can do better. We are seeking justice for all the detainees."
Rev. Patricia E. de Jong, Senior Minister First Congregational Church of Berkeley