Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
Update 5th Oct: Matt was at Christchurch Police Station last night where some supporters were able to see him. He has left for Auckland and some people were able to say good-bye and give him a hug. Matt is flying out of Auckland tonight at 6pm, being deported to L.A. The Immigration officer who is dealing with Matt is Richard Wilson. [ tel (03)353 1980 | mob 027 494 8674 | fax (03)353 1982 | email richard.wilson@dol.govt.nz ]
Matthew Aaron Siy, a Food Not Bombs activist, was arrested on Friday night in Dunedin for allegedly shoplifting a block of cheese and has been in prison since. Matt is originally from Fresno, California in the USA, and has been in Aotearoa for several months volunteering with Food Not Bombs.
The charge has now been dropped but the Immigration Department wants our comrade to be deported! His work visa recently expired and he was in the process of applying for a visitors visa before being arrested. His passport has now been confiscated.
This situation highlights the BULLSHIT that is immigration. The fact that the wealthy can buy property and come and go anywhere on this planet when ever they like and can afford food - FOOD IS A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE - while others starve! For capital, borders are fast coming down through so-called "free" trade agreements but for humans, the walls are only being thickened. Borders are only there to divide us and we must work to tear them down.
Matt was not allowed to make a phone call for the first 3 days. He still hasn't got a lawyer. We need to get an Immigration Lawyer urgently. Our only hope is for the Associate Immigration Minister Clayton Cosgrove to intervene and stop the removal order.
What you can do?
What people can do to support our friend is to phone, fax and contact Associate Immigration Clayton Cosgrove in support of Matt and request that the removal order be stop and to grant Matt a visa. Tell him that Matt is working as a volunteer for FNB helping feed the homeless and helping people in poverty.
Clayton Cosgrove's office number in Christchurch is (03) 352 2022 and fax (03) 352 0459. In Wellington (04) 470 6593 and fax (04)472 6791. Elsewhere, email ccosgrove@ministers.govt.nz, clayton.cosgrove.mp@xtra.co.nz and clayton.cosgrove@parliament.govt.nz. We need as many people as we can to contact the Associate Minister.
If you are in Dunedin please contact freemattaotearoa@gmail.com to get involved in supporting Matt in theses difficult times.
No Nations! No Boders! Freedom for all political prisoners!
Sample email:
Dear Associate Minister Clayton Cosgrove,
It has come to my attention that a volunteer for Food Not Bombs, an organisation that cooks free food for homeless and poor people, has been arrested on Friday (29th September 2006) in Dunedin and charged with shoplifting a block of cheese. Matthew Aaron Siy has been in prison since then and was not given the chance to ring anyone or talk to a lawyer. The shoplifting charge has now been dropped but the Immigration Department wants our friend deported because his work visa had recently expired. He was however in the process of applying for a visitors visa before being arrested.
We are asking you to ensure that Matt is released immediately, has his removal order lifted and is granted a visa.
Yours sincerely,
Related
Comments
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - threatened with deportation
i rang Clayton Cosgrove's office in Wellington tonight and talked to his secretary and let her know what was going on. She said they'd get back to me tomorrow.
Please forward this through your networks and show solidarity!
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - threatened with deportation
from Ministerial.Office.of.Hon.Clayton.Cosgrove <Ministerial.Office.of.Hon.Clayton.Cosgrove@ministers.govt.nz>
Thank you for your e-mail message. Ministers receive a considerable volume
of correspondence, but the points you have raised will be considered and a
further response may be provided
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - threatened with deportation
hey
i went visiting matt the day after his arrest…saturday
except for the boredom he seemed ok, EXCEPT THAT HIS GLASSES WERE CONFISCATED…which kind of sucksp
the prison warden was kind of ok for a smurf….let him have two visits( well as to me number of visits and visiting time should me unlimited) both far exceeding the 10-15 minutes "allowed". the receptionists were both useless…the one who pretended to have learnt how to read i didn't trust as far as i could throw up, and his inferior who thought letters were to chew on was even worsep
anyway
the prison warden let me deliver stuff(socks and jumpers, even some lecture..although technically not allowed…"for they might chew on it to get the drugs out…") and confirmed me the day after that he had indeed delivered them(altough i have no confirmation as i haven't seen matt since, except briefly in court-without being able to talk to him then—-so that's kind of ok with me
matt told me his fellow prisoners were fine with him…no signs of physical/sexual abusep
meatbased diet…but he's a freeganp
the one thing i remember him telling me is that he hoped his detetion to be over with as soon as possible…wanting to be back in california as soon as possible(but had to wait the trial…for the theft charges-which are now dismissed, yet replaced by order of removal); so my own opinion is that the tiring process of appeal et al.(although of considerable mental and psychological support might be tiring especially for the detainee(ihc matt), and it'd be sad to see honest activism turned into clockwork-orangestyle lobbyingp even if a work permit should be granted for sociopolitical activist-volunteers…or anyone in general, and not just for ken and barbie mastercrash visatart ……but then again i might be wrong
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - threatened with deportation
i don't have time nor effort for the big membershipcardissue...so the previous one's author: <b>a</b><b>b</b>ra<b>c</b>adabra :)
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - threatened with deportation
I have worked for homeless aid organisations in the past (was the cook for one group, where I fed about 400 people each day), and never found myself stealing from a food store for the purpose. Perhaps your friend could explain why stealing a single block of cheese was going to be a pattern for assisting the homeless. I'm listening.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - threatened with deportation
"I have worked for homeless aid organisations in the past (was the cook for one group, where I fed about 400 people each day), and never found myself stealing from a food store for the purpose. Perhaps your friend could explain why stealing a single block of cheese was going to be a pattern for assisting the homeless. I'm listening."
the charge has been dismissed and the theft is an allegation not a fact anyway. but aside from this, the rich oppress the poor everyday - i see no ethical problem with stealing a little back. especially food, which is a is basic thing you need to be alive/healthy .
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - threatened with deportation
i'm sure he'd explain if he wasn't in jail and about to be deported!
picky picky aren't you?
Ever thought about who's land you 'work' on. Stolen maybe?
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
Just got this from Clayton Cosgrove's email address:
On behalf of Hon Clayton Cosgrove, Associate Minister of Immigration, thank you for your email in support of a request for ministerial intervention for Matthew Siy.
Your email will be attached to his file. Thank you for writing.
Aimee Black
Ministerial Assistant
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
You can get a special diet in prison if you're not into eating meat. Talk to PARS.
if all else fails you can chew on paper to get the drugs out. those dunedin prison guards think that acid is everywhere in there...maybe it is
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
hello..just to inform those interested: a friend of matt told me she went to visit him yesterday(thursday 5-10) in X-church prison, and that his plane was due to leave from there the same evening.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
Much love/ arohanui to demozone whanau, matt will be greatly missed,he is a beautiful person and was an intricate part of the food not bombs crew.
And to the person suggesting he stole the cheese for Food not bombs thats highly unlikely as all food not bombs food is vegan (no dairy), Matt was probably jus hungry.
And its really screwed up that anyone would think that taking food means someone can be locked up with no rights for 3 plus days. No one can own this world and people should be able to live where ever they choice.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
So i hear matt has been deported.
Does anyone know how to write to him?
x mark
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
Matt should have just run to that "Paru" fuckhead, Paru has all the answers when it comes to deportation and just how easily it is avoided. (BS)
and cheese aint food, especially dioxin poisoned shite from NZ
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
Matt is back in Fresno.He email us this morning.We will continue to work on having the 5 year Ban on Matt's return to NZ lifted and we express soildarity and support with all those held and deported from NZ and anywhere in this world.What happened to Matt is a wake up call.Because it hit so close to home for some of us it reminds us all that right now we have people in detention in NZ,held on Immigrtion laws.Immigration Laws designed to restrict the Freedom of movement of people throughout the world.Look at the treatment of Pacific Islanders and Refugees here in NZ to see how complicit the NZ Government is in this global Injustice.There are currently millions of "illegals"locked away in prisons throughout the world because they don't have a BULLSHIT piece of paper saying they can be where ever.Any Border has restrictions that humilate and dehumanise people.You only have to look at the situation in Palestine to see the worst excesses of this.It is always the working class who are restricted from movement as the wealthy travel anywhere as they please.NO BORDERS!!!
We are also reminded that ALL Prisoners are Political Prisoners and that they deserve our support.NO MORE PRISONS!!!
Matt was in jail for 6 days for WHAT?He was cooperative with authorties and had surrender his passport.HE was not a "flight risk",as if that justifies being detained anyway.He was held for 3 days without the right of a phone call on a shoplifting charge that was dropped.Then forcible "removed" from NZ when he would have left voluntarily at some point anyway.
To all those who moralise about Shoplifting,ask yourself WHO is stealing from WHOM in this world!!!
Thanks Matt for all your Love and positive energy with the CHCH FOOD NOT BOMBS CREW,you were a central part of our being able to serve FREE Hot nurishing Vegan Soup and Breads every Friday this Winter to those in need of a meal.We had many wonderful times and your warmth and humour in these times of struggle are inspirational.We will miss your cooking skills as well,your soups ROCK!!
CHCH FOOD NOT BOMBS will continue to serve FREE food BECAUSE FOOD BECAUSE FOOD IS A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE!!!
Love and Solidarity,
Al & E {CHCH FNB}.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
ae ae aera
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
If he was in the process of applying for a visa, immigration would have already been in possession of his passport. I'm not sure if the rules are different for a US citizen, but from my past experience it is impossible to apply for a visitor visa after your working visa expires without leaving and returning back to NZ. I'm guessing the "process" you referred to was actually "thinking of". It is common knowledge to apply for a visa before your current one expires, otherwise you'll get deported. The rules apply for anyone rich or poor. As for the rich being able to travel freely? The same immigration rules apply to everyone coming to NZ. Some people are more organised than others. Matt's not one of them.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
>>The same immigration rules apply to everyone coming to NZ.<<
what a load of rubbish! if you got 2 million dollars to spare, they will give you residency. all these poor people who got 2 million on the bank account ready to invest in NZ's economcy...
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/invest/investors/caniapply...
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
Dear "Load of rubbish",
You are referring to migration. This situation is about travelling and working visas. Since this was the only point you highlighted of mine, I guess you agree with my statement in general. Matt messed up and deserved to be sent back to US.
Secondly, for those defending Matt with arguments like "charges were dismissed" are missing a serious fact. It would make sense to drop charges if he was guilty. The cost of going through the legal system and keeping him detained (because he was in this country without permission) while the matter was resolved would be false economics for our justice system. It was just a block of cheese. I'm sure the police agreed, considering his visa status, that the punishment was his sending home.
Re: Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
That sounds reasonable. However, it is also highly ideologically suspect and so I will reply by repeatedly beating my chest with my fists of righteousness and chanting "FUCK GOVERNMENT and FUCK BORDERS!" Then I will sink into delerium until outrage strikes me again. Thank you.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
cant money buy almost anything the government has on sale?? including human rights? hmmm... i think this 'democracy' system needs an overhaul.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
FUCK GOVERNMENT and FUCK BORDERS!No one should need "permission"to be anywhere they want to be.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
Persmission is essential. The requirements needed for entering NZ are not intended to prevent or deter people from visiting here. The purpose of them is to protect the citizens and property of NZ. Matt obviously met these requirements upon entering NZ to work, but ignored them while he was here.
Re: Activist imprisoned in Dunedin - about to be deported!
essential for whose interests? to protect the interests of the rich no doubt. we live in a world where people are controlled and cannot travel without visas and passports. 100 years ago there were none of these. why is it that people are so severley monitored and controlled and kept behind fences? because it benefits the few. they make good workers if they will move cities for work but not too far or for too long. a temp visa is not freedom of movement. why is it that goods and money has freedom of movement across the globe? because it benefits the few. why are people not allowed to be free? because it would spell an end to the few.