Close the US government run School of Assassins

In a few days, from November 19-21, 2010, thousands will gather at the gates of Fort Benning to stand up for justice and call for the SOA/WHINSEC to be shut down! Below are some helpful links for your trip planning, and a sneak peak into what SOA Watch has lined up for this year! (para información en español, haga click aquí)

Still looking for a ride to Georgia? Visit our rideboard, and click here for more helpful travel tips.

Still looking for a place to stay in Georgia? Check out hotels, motels, and camping in and around Columbus, GA!

Organizing Packet (Paquete Organizativo)

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

MORNING PLENARY SPEAKERS!

Engage in Nonviolent Direct Action to Close the SOA/WHINSEC

This year there will be different ways for people to be involved in the Saturday action including crossing the line of the base of Fort Benning which risks federal arrest, or a city side action, outside the permitted area. But note that you may also participate without risking arrest. SOA Watch has permits for the activities in front of the base, and the acts of civil disobedience for those risking arrest will be clearly marked.

Legal Briefing for Those Considering Crossing the Line or Civil Disobedience on Federal Property

Legal Briefing for Those Considering Civil Disobedience in Columbus ON CITY OR STATESIDE PROPERTY

For more information click here; Para información en español haz clíc aquí

NONVIOLENCE TRAININGS AND PRINCIPLES

Stage Program:

The stage program at the gates of Fort Benning will take place on Saturday, November 20, 2010 from 11:30am – 4pm and on Sunday, November 21, 2010 from 8am – 2pm. The program will feature leaders from the resistance against the illegitimate U.S.-supported government in Honduras; Padre Jesus Alberto Franco, a renowned leader from Colombia, risking his life working with Afro-Colombian, indigenous and mixed-race farmers in resistance; Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit; Marie Dennis, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns and Co-President of Pax Christi International; United Auto Worker president Bob King; the Hip Hop group Rebel Diaz from the Bronx; the puppetistas, musicians and many other beautiful people.

Above: Rebel Diaz

Workshops and Vendors:

The vigil at the gates of Fort Benning has become one of the largest annual progressive gatherings in the country. This year, 60+ tables hosted by progressive organizations and fair trade retailers will line Fort Benning Road throughout the weekend. Pick up a cup of fair trade, organic coffee at the Café Campesino tent, check out empowering literature at the Catholic Worker Bookstore, and learn about Witness for Peace’s fall campaign at their table.

Dozens of workshops and other events will be held throughout the weekend at the Columbus Convention Center. Organizations and individuals such as Ann Wright, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Símon Sedillo, the Colombia Support Network, Pax Christi USA, and MANY others, will hold infomative sessions throughout the weekend. There will also be concerts, student meet-ups, a Catholic liturgy at which Bishop Thomas Gumbleton will preside, a hip hop show case, film screenings including The Coca Cola Case and Quién Dijo Miedo (Inside the Coup in Honduras), nonviolence trainings, and other exciting events to look forward to! For a full list of events, click here.

**Please join in on Nonviolence Trainings Friday morning and afternoon. The practice of nonviolent direct action is an essential part of the movement to close the School of the Americas and it is only successful if we are constantly practicing and improving our nonviolent pressure.**

4th Annual Vigil at the Stewart Detention Center

Friday, November 19th @ 10AM in Lumpkin, Georgia

SOA Watch calls for justice for all immigrants including those held inhumanely and without due process at the Stewart Detention Center, an isolated, for-profit facility. We contend that many immigrants to the United States, particularly those from Latin America, are victims of U.S.-sponsored military training and other atrocious policies around issues like trade and immigration. Click here to read more…

If you are interested in participating in this vigil, contact Becca Polk, Becca@soaw.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Those leaving from Columbus will meet outside the Convention Center (801 Front Ave.) at 8:15am to join the caravan led by a member of Georgia Detention Watch. Please notify Becca if you are able to drive.

YOU can make this year’s vigil even better: VOLUNTEER TODAY!

• URGENT! We need two people with A/V expertise (production) to help out from Friday morning to Saturday evening, at the Convention Center.  Please email Nico at nico@soaw.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you can help!
• Become a Peacemaker
• Get creative! Join the Puppetistas!
• Educate people at the legislative table near the stage, contact Theresa at tmcameranesi@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Help with translation and interpretation. We still need bi-lingual English-Spanish interpreters. Contact Sara at sara.koopman@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Marcos at somospoetas@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , to volunteer!
• Volunteer with the medics team, contact Larry at egbertL4pj@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Other volunteer tasks include: sitting at the event registration table, delivering programs to hotels, unloading tables and chairs for Saturday and Sunday’s events at the gates, and more! Contact Nico at nico@soaw.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , to help with vigil logistics in Georgia.

Donate to the SOA Watch Silent Auction

The third annual auction will be held in conjunction with the annual SOA Watch vigil from November 19-21 in the Columbus Convention Center. Some ideas for auction items you might donate: crafts, jewelry, artwork, local foods, fair trade coffee or chocolate, wine, a few days in your country/lake cabin or condo! Please contact Lisa at LSullivan@soaw.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and let her know what item you can donate to the auction and she will be in touch with you about details of how to get it to the auction.

Make History: Endorse the November Vigil

With less than a month to go, many organizations have expressed their support for the closing of the SOA/WHINSEC and for our 2010 vigil. We are heartened by the solidarity and support felt across the Americas!

Current endorsers include: the United Auto Workers; the Student-Farmworker Alliance; Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A); Fellowship of Reconciliation; United for Peace and Justice; Catholics United; Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW); Womens’ International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section; A.N.S.W.E.R.; Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); and dozens of other faith, community, worker and peace groups from around the country.

Would your organization like to endorse the vigil and campaign to close the SOA/WHINSEC today? Click here to see a list of current endorsers and to add your organization in one, easy step!

Next month, we will be gathering at the gates of Fort Benning in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to SOA/WHINSEC violence, and in resistance to the continued militarization of Latin America. As many of you prepare to attend the vigil, know that the SOA Watch staff is also hard at work to ensure that this year’s vigil, our twentieth, will be our most inclusive, bringing activists from across the country and around the world to Fort Benning. In order to make this year’s vigil happen, we need to raise $44,000.

SOA Watch has been monitoring the failed coup attempt in Ecuador. We continue to call for the end of the training of military and police personnel at the U.S. School of the Americas, International Law Enforcement Agencies (ILEA) or other institutions that promote anti-democratic behavior. We congratulate the social movements of Ecuador for impeding any possible coup.

On Thursday morning, a large number of media reported that the Ecuadoran military had seized the main airport in Quito and that the police fired tear gas, burned tires “after taking over bases in Quito, Guayaquil and other cities.” They also claim that an Associated Press photographer “witnessed soldiers participating in the action that shut down the main terminal at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre airport.” On the other hand, TeleSur reported that the police had indeed launched a possible coup attempt but that the response by the military was unknown.

News from Ecuador kept pouring in as the events unfolded throughout the day. After President Correa was held hostage in a hospital by the police for 10 hours, Ecuadoran military forces moved in and freed the President and returned him to the Presidential palace.

Click here to read a Report from Ecuador: Democracy Under Threat”

Bolivia’s Morales accuses Washington of encouraging “failed coup in Ecuador”

Chavez Says U.S. Is Behind Failed Coup Attempt Against Ecuador’s Correa

For coverage in Spanish, visit http://golpeestadoecuador.blogspot.com

Take Action by contacting the Department of Justice HERE

SOA Watch stands in solidarity with the anti-war and international activists whose homes were raided by the FBI. On Friday, September 24, 2010 the FBI raided seven houses and an office in Chicago and Minneapolis in an attempt to collect evidence of ‘material support’ of terrorism.  The FBI also handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to eleven activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. These raids were aimed at those who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupation and war.