NEWS

That was the focus of the agency's annual Midwest Regional Conference this weekend at the University of Cincinnati's College of Law. About 300 people attended, including many young organizers from out of state.

Amnesty International three weeks ago announced a yearlong campaign to examine human rights in the United States, and numerous event speeches centered on cultural diversity, police conduct, prison conditions, the death penalty, and issues affecting minorities, both racial and sexual.

Human rights, many said during Sunday's program, are not -- and never have been -- just theoretical problems in far-off lands.

Amnesty causes "have always been identified as off in Nigeria or Afghanistan," said Suzanne Platt, a senior at Ursuline Academy in Blue Ash. "Now it's in the face of everybody in every town."

Ms. Platt was one of 73 people who attended Sunday's closing speechh by Gay MacDougall of the International Human Rights Law Group. Ms.. MacDougall criticized the U.S. government's refugee policies and saidd police "often use excessive force with impugnity, often againstt minorities."

"There's also a great deal of concern with respect to minorities and unpopular classes within our society," said Mr. Lockwood, an Amnesty board of directors member, "and certainly, Cincinnati has to be concerned with respect to its gay and lesbian population and the fact that we've had Issue 3."

Among some non-locals, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold Cincinnati's charter amendment banning gay rights was perplexing.

For others, such as Xavier University junior Stephanie Przybysz, a key locally relevant issue is the increasing practice of using electronic stun-belts to control inmates and defendants.

"It's the most achievable goal," the Wheeling, W.Va., native said. Many stun-belts shipped overseas, she and others pointed out, are made in Cleveland.