Protesters gathered on January 11, 2012 outside the McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit.

DETROIT – Braving freezing temperatures and blustery winds, protesters joined a worldwide movement as part of the Wednesday, Jan. 11 ‘National Day of Action to Close Guantanamo.’

They held signs with slogans such as “No Torture, No Excuses,” and “Honk Against Torture” along with others demanding that President Barack Obama make good on his long-running, and unfulfilled, promise to close the Cuba-based U.S. military prison. 

The protest, attended by about 30 people, was organized by Amnesty International’s Detroit chapter on the 10th anniversary of the opening of the highly controversial facility that has caused international condemnations of the treatment of prisoners. 

“I remember the second day Obama was in office and he promised to close it, I was sitting in my office at school and I was so happy I ran out to tell everyone,” said Amnesty member and organizer Geraldine Grunow at the protest. 

Since then, Grunow, a teacher of various classes including English as a Second Language at Henry Ford Community College, said she has seen post-9/11 civil liberties diminish in ways she never imagined. She said most who’ve followed the Gitmo saga and haven’t seen it close as expected have the right to be angry, calling the abuses at the facility a blatant breach of international law.

On Wednesday, the group also delivered a signed letter to Sen. Carl Levin in opposition to his co-authored and recently signed National Defense Authorization Act which many analysts say allows for the indefinite detention of American citizens accused of supporting “hostilities” against the U.S. without a trial. 

“Indefinite detentions are just one of the many planks of the NDAA,” she said. “Along with torture and the refusal to close Guantanamo, there are (so many) excuses being made.” 

In Washington, D.C., perhaps the largest protest against the facility also took place on Jan. 11 as about 700 people donned the familiar, ominous orange jumpsuits and black hoods while camping out in front of the White House. Activists worry that the NDAA provisions could cause the extra-judicial prison to fill up even more in the coming months and/or years.

According to Amnesty, the vast majority of Guantanamo detainees have been released without charge. 

Since 2002, hundreds of people have been held at the facility and many have been tortured or treated with other harsh interrogation tactics. A total of 600 have been transferred out or died in custody according to ABC News, and only six detainees have been convicted of charges by a military court even though torture has been used, which is capable of making people say things they otherwise wouldn’t in normal situations, advocates often point out. 

Dan Wiest, another Amnesty member, was among those who came out on Wednesday who was extremely disappointed with Obama’s backtracking on the issue. Obama’s administration has contended that Congress is blocking the transfer of prisoners but Wiest is still dismayed.

“We’re out here not just to spread awareness, but to fight for the closure of Guantanamo,” he said. 

“We have to hold Obama’s feet to the fire on this issue, he’s the one who is always saying to go out and protest to make him accountable.” 

He’s also concerned about the NDAA and was surprised that Levin would allow for such a bill to be passed in its final form. He doesn’t buy explanations that it would not be used against American citizens.

“All you have to do is leave a crack open and it will make people vulnerable, as we’ve seen in the past.”