Save This Date Saturday, January 12th, 11:00 AM PRESENTE A Vigil with Father Roy Bourgeois to Close the School of the Americas ABRIENDO LA MEMORIA - HEALING THE WOUNDS LA State Historic Park in Downtown Los Angeles We are going to re-create the Protest/Vigil that happens at Fort Benning to close the School of the Americas. Join with thousands as we rally to close the SOA with Father Roy Bourgeois, right here in Los Angeles. More details to come soon. Paz, Frank Dorrel 310-838-8131 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ School of the Americas Watch HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2Pe3bWSKTsI0dYea InvlLGdYbb9%2BxXzy"www.SOAW.org | 202-234-3440
HYPERLINK "http://www.soaw.org/img/stage11.gif"25,000 Strong! Eleven Arrested for Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Sunday, November 18 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. HYPERLINK "http://www.soaw.org/img/kucprocession.gif"U.S. presidential candidates HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=KZzcpui5470zPc60 6dE6wmFXc2e3FwPk"Dennis Kucinich and HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=w8eiwEaob433KRtt lfw5aGFXc2e3FwPk"Cynthia McKinney, HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Hus8zsrPZJrKJFFa qxc7n2FXc2e3FwPk"Sister Mary Waskowiak and HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MxnJLq00fDSD6SZM yKYU8GFXc2e3FwPk"Rabbi Michael Lerner, addressed the crowd with messages of hope, and 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! HYPERLINK "http://www.soaw.org/img/ramayaposter.gif"- 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 HYPERLINK "mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]"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. - HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YGa2aaCndfQryFwQ heQVPWFXc2e3FwPk"Watch and listen to a SLIDESHOW and AUDIO from the November 16-18, 2007 Vigil to Close the SOA(Photos by Mike Haskey / Columbus Ledger-Enquirer) - HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ne2yw0fHTnvR4BsU MT21YGdYbb9%2BxXzy"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. - HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Im2CBh%2FPp%2Be% 2B7lwA5FeUsWFXc2e3FwPk"Stay informed! News Updates of the Nov. 16-18 Vigil to Close the SOA - HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bgVwELc2Ha53Yn4L Zso2yWFXc2e3FwPk"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. - HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fqNFNpWxtm9fGUAV X0gs82FXc2e3FwPk"Find out more about the Southwest Witness Against Torture vigil at Fort Huachuca - HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YKt1W13gcghl%2FI RTBzu43WdYbb9%2BxXzy"Watch a video of the events in Santiago, Chile - HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=G2456vvh9wZCFDKu Iej5PmFXc2e3FwPk"Photos of the Close the SOA events in Santiago, Chile HYPERLINK "http://www.soaw.org/img/vigil18.gif"This has been a very exciting and energizing weekend of celebration and we invite you to continue to check the HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=R9KDtOP5b6O84mnq 8PPZjWFXc2e3FwPk"SOA Watch website for updates regarding this year's vigil, We also ask that you make a HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Lw8u74yUXg61wHNQ uvtAJmFXc2e3FwPk"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. HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=s1lhn8%2FVRHOe9g yF%2BrMKNWFXc2e3FwPk"Click here to find contact information for your local media. visit our HYPERLINK "http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wB4mg%2BQNkWT1Mh %2BPV4IKUWFXc2e3FwPk"Media Outreach page to see samples of press releases, letters to the editor and more! About SOA Watch - HYPERLINK "http://www.soaw.org/"www.soaw.org SOA Watch is an independent organization that seeks to close the US Army School the Americas, under whatever name it is called, through vigils & fasts, demonstrations & nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work. On November 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and her teenage daughter were massacred in El Salvador. A U.S. Congressional Task Force reported that those responsible were trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA) at Ft. Benning, Georgia. In 1990 SOA Watch began in a tiny apartment outside the main gate of Ft. Benning. While starting with a small group, SOA Watch quickly drew upon the knowledge and experience of many in the U.S. who had worked with the people of Latin America in the 1970's and 80's. Today, the SOA Watch movement is a large, diverse, grassroots movement rooted in solidarity with the people of Latin America. The goal of SOA Watch is to close the SOA and to change U.S. foreign policy in Latin America by educating the public, lobbying Congress and participating in creative, nonviolent resistance. The Pentagon has responded to the growing movement and Congress' near closure of the SOA with a PR campaign to give the SOA a new image. In an attempt to disassociate the school with its horrific past, the SOA was renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in January of 2001. HYPERLINK "http://www.soaw.org/article.php?id=653"Read more about the history of the SOA Watch movement. Mission Statement SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America, to close the SOA/WHINSEC and to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy that the SOA represents. We are grateful to our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America for their inspiration and the invitation to join them in their struggle for economic and social justice. 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