Sue Udry

Sue Udry

Letter to Judge Thapar asking for leniency for the Oakridge 3

Sue Udry signed a letter dated January 9 2014 asking for leniency for the "Oakridge 3":

January 9, 2014

The Honorable Amul R. Thapar United States District Judge 800 Market Street, Suite 130 Knoxville, TN 37902

Dear Judge Thapur: The Defending Dissent Foundation is a 53 year old civil liberties organization that recognizes the value of dissent in a vibrant democracy. As such, we regard the actions of Sister Megan Rice, Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli on July 28, 2012 as nonviolent civil disobedience in the finest American tradition. Therefore, we respectfully request that you exercise your right to judicial discretion in sentencing these three individuals. The Defending Dissent Foundation takes no position on nuclear weapons facilities or the content of the protest, but it is clear that the three sought to call attention to an issue of national importance and, through symbolic action, voice their concern and opposition. Their goal never was to harm anyone, and no one was harmed. The fact that the three were able to find their way into the facility and reach the uranium storage unit reflects the abysmal security system of the facility. These activists should not be held liable for the closure of the plant for two weeks to address security lapses. It should not be a factor in their sentencing. Non-violent civil resistance and civil disobedience have long played an important role in our democracy, bringing important issues to the public sphere and advancing our society toward justice, freedom and peace. Like others who have undertaken such action, Sister Megan Rice, Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli are willing to serve time in jail, which they have done without complaint. However, to sentence the three to terms of up to twelve years would be an injustice. In your October 1, 2013 Memorandum Opinion and Order you wrote, “Of course, the defendants’ non-violence will be relevant at sentencing, since the Court must account for both the “nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and characteristics” of the defendants… Given the obvious differences between the defendants and the paradigmatic saboteur, those factors surely will be worthy of discussion”. We applaud your wisdom and insight and strongly encourage you to sentence the three with downward departures from the sentencing guidelines.

Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights Bicentennial Celebration

On November 10, 1991 Sue Udry was listed as the Director of the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights on the Tribute Program for the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights Bicentennial Celebration.

National Committee Against Repressive Legislation

As of April 2006 Sue Udry was listed on the Steering Committee of the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation.

Honoring Frank Wilkinson

Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights organized a "Celebration of the The Dynamic Life of Frank Wilkinson (1914-2006)" on Sunday October 29, 2006. Wilkinson had been a leader of the Communist Party USA, the New American Movement and Democratic Socialists of America.

Honoring Committee members included Sue Udry .

Defending Dissent

As of Oct 3 2009 Sue Udry was listed as a Staff Member of Defending Dissent.

NSA leaks rally

Circa June 13, 2013 CODEPINK, the Bradley Manning Support Network, Defending Dissent Foundation, the Washington Peace Center, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Maryland, Demand Progress, Institute for Policy Studies, and local ACLU offices hold a news conference and rally to protest "the National Security Agency's abuses of law-abiding Americans."

Participants include Sue Udry of the Defending Dissent Foundation and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition; Dany Sigwalt of the Washington Peace Center; Ginger McCall of the Electronic Privacy Information Center; Seema Sadanandan of the ACLU-National Capital Region; Naji Mujahid of the NAACP-Washington, D.C. Branch; Zainab Chaudry of CAIR-MD; Shahid Buttar and George Friday of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee; state Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Texas); Sanho Tree of the Institute for Policy Studies; Joan Stallard of CODEPINK; Chris Townsend of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; David Moon of Demand Progress; and Hendrick Voss of SOA Watch.

Location: Near Upper Senate Park, Delaware and Constitution Avenue NE, Washington, DC.

Left Forum 2010

Right-Wing Populism, Political Economy & Radical Dissent: Public Eye

• Abby Scher (Chair) - Author, "Post-Palin Feminism;" former Editor, Public Eye Magazine
• Chip Berlet - Senior Analyst, Political Research Associates; Co-author, Right-Wing Populism in America
• Sue Udry - Executive Director, Defending Dissent Foundation
• Tarso Ramos - Executive Director, Political Research Associates

SANE

In the 1980s Brian Corr was involved in SANE/Freeze with Sue Udry.

Brian Corr July 3, 2018:

This was the Chicago SANE/Freeze canvass office in 1987 up on the second floor and there was a Greek restaurant on the ground floor. — with Sue Udry in Chicago, Illinois.