Human rights activists staged a street theater action and passed out fliers in front of the Capitol South metro station in Washington, DC to remind hundreds of congressional staffers who passed by, that the decisions that they are making on Capitol Hill are causing death and suffering in Latin America.
Educate your community
This street theater action can be easily replicated. Military uniforms are being sold for as little as $10 per outfit at military surplus stores and at thrift stores near military bases across the country. What else do you need? Cardboard-cut-out-guns, white T-Shirts, red paint, possibly a banner and a bunch of fliers to hand out to passerby's.
Here is a general tri-fold flyer about the SOA and the campaign to shut it down that you could use to make copies: Frontpage and Backpage
Stage the street theater in a high traffic area in your community or in front of the congressional office of your Member of Congress if she/he has not gone on record against the School of the Americas. In addition, you could also invite the local media to cover the protest, take pictures and post them on blogs and social networking pages, borrow a bullhorn from your union local and have a speaker on the scene who can give background information while the street theater is taking place. However, don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good - a basic action that is drawing attention is better than an action that is not happening because the preparations would be too involved. Contact SOA Watch at 202-234-3440 and let us know about your local events!
Click here for more ideas on local organizing and possible activities for your local SOA Watch group.
Spring Event Report
by Cassandra Morgan, SOA Watch
SOA Watch held its annual Spring Event in Washington, DC from April 17-19, 2010. The weekend was full of great events including an anti-oppression workshop, discussions about torture, immigration, as well as a panel discussion about the recent U.S.-Colombia bases agreement. We started Saturday night with a social gathering where SOA Watch activists were able to meet and talk about the events for the weekend.
Sunday morning started with a great workshop discussing anti-oppression in US foreign policy and within our own movement to close the SOA. Cathy Woodson of the Virginia Organizing Project lead participants in a variety of activities exploring ways to stop the cycle of oppression and how to address it while continuing to move forward with our movement. We continued the day with a self evaluation of the movement's work, addressing strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions for change. We will be sure to follow up with you all about the these suggestions. Later, we were joined by Reverend Richard Killmer and Orlando Tizon who discussed torture and why it is so important to hold our government accountable to make sure that torture is stopped.
The afternoon continued with a discussion of the connections between immigration and the SOA with Sarahi Uribe of the US Social Forum, where we also discussed recently proposed legislation by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, SB 1070, which would encourage police to engage in racial profiling and criminalize undocumented migrants for entering into Arizona. The day ended with a great panel discussion on the Colombia bases with Adam Isacson of the Center for International Policy, Livia Suarez of the Venezuelan Embassy, and John Lindsay Poland of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), and what this new agreement between the US and Colombia means for future relations.
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Our lobby day on Monday, April 19 started off with some great street theater at the top of the steps exiting the Capital South metro station. Others lined the street leading to the representatives’ offices handing out flyers about the SOA to staffers on their way to work. People were able to use the skills from Saturday's lobby training, led by SOA Watch Legislative Coordinator Pam Bowman, and stopped in to various offices and talk about our bill H.R.2567, the bill that would suspend operations at WHINSEC while conducting an investigation into the torture manuals and the human rights abuses, and assessing the military training in Latin America. We asked our representatives to support their constituents by cosponsoring H.R. 2567.
The weekend reaffirmed our beliefs in the fight to close the SOA/WHINSEC and why we are fighting so hard to do so. We hope that you feel our passion and drive and that you continue with us on this journey.
Stand with Honduras!
We urge you to send a message to your Member of Congress to share your concerns for the deteriorating human rights situation in Honduras
and to insist that the United States stop their efforts to push for international recognition of the Lobo government.
In addition, please ask your Member of Congress to call for an end to the training of the Honduran military at the School of the Americas, now referred to as WHINSEC. Indeed, it is distressing that even in the months that the Obama administration was condemning the coup, the training of the Honduran military at the SOA/ WHINSEC continued.
Click here for the final part of the graphic history of the Honduran coup. The comic is piecing together the evidence of repression, violence and threats against resistance members that went mostly undocumented in the wake of the November 29, 2010 Honduran elections. It also looks at the United States' involvement.
Read the comic here.
SOA Watch Activists Sentenced to Federal Prison
On January 25, 2010 in Columbus, Georgia, human rights advocates Nancy Gwin, Ken Hayes, and Fr. Louis Vitale were all given maximum federal prison sentences of six months each for civil disobedience opposing the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC). Along with Michael Walli, these three individuals crossed onto Fort Benning property on November 22, 2009. Michael consciously chose to not return for his trial, and the Judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
To read the press release, click here.
To read Nancy Gwin's court statement, click here.
To read Ken Hayes' court statement, click here.
Click here to sign the petition to Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega.
Click here to download petition forms
Click here to sign the petition online
About the School of the Americas / Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
The US Army School of Americas (SOA), based in Fort Benning, Georgia, trains Latin American security personnel in combat, counter-insurgency, and counter-narcotics. SOA graduates are responsible for some of the worst human rights abuses in Latin America. In 1996 the Pentagon was forced to release training manuals used at the school that advocated torture, extortion and execution. Among the SOA's nearly 60,000 graduates are notorious dictators Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Velasco Alvarado of Peru, Guillermo Rodriguez of Ecuador, and Hugo Banzer Suarez of Bolivia. Lower-level SOA graduates have participated in human rights abuses that include the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the El Mozote Massacre of 900 civilians. (See Grads in the News).
In an attempt to deflect public criticism and disassociate the school from its dubious reputation, the SOA was renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in 2001.
The name change was a result of a Department of Defense proposal included in the Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal 2001, at a time when SOA opponents were poised to win a congressional vote on legislation that would have dismantled the school. The name-change measure passed when the House of Representatives defeated a bi-partisan amendment to close the SOA and conduct a congressional investigation
by a narrow ten-vote margin. (See Talking Points, Critique of New School, Vote Roll Call.)
In a media interview, Georgia Senator and SOA supporter the late Paul Coverdell characterized the DOD proposal as a "cosmetic" change that would ensure that the SOA could continue its mission and operation. Critics of the SOA concur.
SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works through creative protest and resistance, legislative and media work to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America, to close the SOA/WHINSEC and to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy that institutions like the SOA represent. We are grateful to our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America and the the Caribbean for their inspiration and the invitation to join them in their struggle for economic and social justice.
School of the Americas Watch
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