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Michigan town residents oppose Guantanamo detainees in local prison

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Residents of Standish, Michigan, held a town meeting Thursday to protest the possible transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the state prison in the town. The town meeting was organized by local citizens and centered around a panel featuring speakers, including the sister of a pilot who was killed on 9/11. While a few citizens expressed fear of detainees escaping, most are frightened of the reputation their town would gain as the home of such prisoners and the possibility that Standish would become a target for terrorist attacks. The town hall meeting took place a week after governmental officials visited the Standish state prison, which is scheduled to be closed, to determine whether it would be suitable for holding the several hundred Guantanamo detainees who are unable to be freed after the closing of the prison in 2010. Earlier this week, the Obama administration announced its intent to transfer six detainees overseas. The administration is also exploring other options in addition to the Michigan prison for detainees who cannot be sent overseas, including a detention facility in Kansas. Last week, federal officials said that terrorism trials for some inmates could be held at a new high-security courthouse in Newport News, VA if the Obama administration sends cases to federal courts.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on August 21, 2009 (boomark / email).