Act Against Torture descended on the route to San Francisco's Independence Day celebration 4 July 2007 to encourage locals and visitors alike to celebrate July 4th by taking a stand for human rights: to shut the prison at Guantanamo, to restore habeas corpus rights, and to repeal MCA - 2006.

On top of AAT's agenda was repeal of the draconian Military Commissions Act of 2006 - a law that suspends the fundamental legal right of habeas corpus, allows the president to declare almost anyone an "unlawful enemy combatant," and grants immunity to U.S. officials for their role in abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, Bagram, and other torture-prisons (see press release of July 2nd).

Hundreds of petition cards carrying these demands were signed by Americans who hailed from California to Vermont - not to mention visitors from Germany and France - with the signers' knowledge that they would be forwarded to Senators as a people's call for restoration of democracy on the 231st anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A thousand leaflets and dozens of orange ribbons were also distributed to the crowd. Sadly, even after more than five years' existence, a shocking number of fireworks-goers had to ask "what's Guantanamo?" Our work is far from over, even in the progressive Bay Area.