Close the SOA 2010

 

 

SOA Updates

National Catholic Reporter SOA blog
http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=blog/11

School of the Americas Watch
http://www.soaw.org
http://www.soaw.org/presente

SOA Petition to President Barack Obama
http://www.soaw.org/petition

HR 2567 will close the SOA/WHINSEC;
For up to date information, see posts under
IFCLA headlines
such as We won the vote but it's not over and http://thomas.loc.gov

What is the SOA/WHINSEC?

What is the SOA

Click here for an explanation (PDF).

SOA 2010

2009 SOA flyer
Flyer - click for full page printable PDF

2009 SOA release
Release Form - click for printable PDF

2009 SOA App Form
Application Form - click for printable PDF

Video from Fr. Roy Bourgeois, founder of SOA Watch

soa_video
http://www.pbs.org/itvs/globalvoices/fatherroy.html

House of Representatives Votes to Force the Pentagon to Release Information to SOA Watch and HR 2567
Click HERE for the campaign (Word doc)

New Legislative Resource
http://www.soaw.org/article.php?id=1593


 Report from 2009

Protest at the School of the Americas teaches lessons in human rights    Nov 17, 2008 article in St Louis Beacon

 

 Report from 2008

November Vigil to Close the SOA

The spirit at the annual November Vigil to Close the SOA was tremendously high. The movement is fired up to finally make the School of the Americas history. The November 4 election saw at least 35 supporters of the notorious institution lose their seats in the House of Representatives. Times are changing and we will put an end to oppressive U.S. foreign policy!

We know that the United States government won't shut down the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) on its own. It will take people power and grassroots organizing to create a climate and culture that will make the existence of institutions like the SOA/WHINSEC impossible.

We have the power to hold the Obama administration to its promises of a new direction in U.S.-Latin America relations and we are calling for the closing of the SOA/WHINSEC as a first step in the right direction.

Photos from Saturday: http://www.flickr.com/photos/opticalrealities/show

Photos from Sunday:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soaw/show

 

 Report from 2007

Close the SOA 2007

School of the Americas Watch
www.SOAW.org
| 202-234-3440 | Click to subscribe
Sunday, November 18, 2007

25,000 Strong!
Eleven Arrested for Nonviolent Civil Disobedience

The 18th annual Vigil to Close the SOA was one of the largest and most vibrant yet. As early as 7 am, Veterans for Peace and supporters began marching along Victory Drive to the gates of Fort Benning where Gennaro Jacinto Calel from the International Mayan League offered a Mayan Blessing.
U.S. presidential candidates Dennis Kucinich and Cynthia McKinney, Sister Mary Waskowiak and Rabbi Michael Lerner, addressed the crowd with messages of hope. Adriana Portillo Bartow gave a tribute to Rufina Amaya, the sole survivor of the El Mozote massacre of over 900 men, women and children in El Salvador.

In 1999, Rufina traveled from El Salvador to the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia, where 19 of the 26 people found responsible for the massacre had been trained at the School of the Americas. She told the story of the massacre and worked for justice until her death of a heart illness earlier this year. Rufina Amaya Presente!

- Linda Panetta of SOA Watch NE has created this beautiful 18x26 poster (image on left) in memory of Rufina which is available for $10 plus s/h through Optical Realities, to order please contact Linda at Linda(at)opticalrealities(dot)org

While thousands commemorated the martyrs in a solemn funeral procession at the main gate, 10 SOA Watch activists entered the Fort Benning military base through a side entrance in an attempt to carry the protest to the site of the SOA/WHINSEC: Le Ann Clausen, Diane Lopez Hughes, Stephen Schweitzer, Gus Roddy, Ozone Bhaguan, Arthur Landis, Chris Lieberman, Michelle Yipe, Ed Lewinson, and Joan Anderson were arrested by military police.

Teil Rainelli, climbed the barbed wire fence at the main gate of Fort Benning during the funeral procession, raising the number of arrested to 11. Three more SOA Watch activists face charges from the city for refusing to relinquish crosses at the vigil site whose size exceeded Columbus police regulations.

  • VIDEOS: We are keeping this page updated with videos
    of the SOA Watch vigil, speeches and interviews with
    SOA Watch activists, and SOA-related documentaries.
  • Stay informed! News Updates of the Nov. 16-18 Vigil to
    Close the SOA
  • Blog: U.S. Catholic Assistant Editor Megan Sweas
    reports live from the Vigil to Close the SOA

Simultaneous actions took place throughout the weekend in Santiago, Chile; Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Monterey, California; San Francisco, California; and Toronto, Canada. More than three hundred people rallied against torture outside the gates of Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and school for interrogation. Three people were arrested during the rally as they tried to bring their witness against torture onto the base. Betsy Lamb, Mary Burton Riseley, and Franciscan Fr. Jerry Zawada were taken into custody and charged with criminal trespass on a military installation and failure to comply with a police officer.

  • Find out more about the Southwest Witness Against
    Torture vigil at Fort Huachuca
  • Photos of the Close the SOA events in Santiago, Chile

This has been a very exciting and energizing weekend of celebration and we invite you to continue to check the SOA Watch website for updates regarding this year's vigil, We also ask that you make a contribution to SOA Watch so that we can continue the organizing work to close down the SOA/WHINSEC, to end the racist system of violence and domination that the school represents and to create a culture of justice and peace.

MEDIA OUTREACH: Once you return home and take some time to decompress, we ask that you use some of the same energy that you brought to the vigil to take a few minutes of your time to reach out to your local media and tell them about what you saw, what you heard, what you shared and learned. Tell them about this School of Shame that will soon be closed down and those who have suffered under the violence of its graduates.

Click here to find contact information for your local media. visit our Media Outreach page to see samples of press releases, letters to the editor and more!

Updated 19 April 2010. Contact the webmaster.