25,000 Say: Close the SOA!

jimstaro's picture
Posted Mon, 11/19/2007 - 16:30 by jimstaro
This is a followup to my post yesterday, on a few boards and my site. on the happenings at our Very Own Terrorist Training School, the once known as 'The School Of The America's'! Yesterdays was an updated E - Newsletter from The SOA Watch on what took place on Saturday 11-17-07. This one covers the happenings on Sunday 11-18-07. 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.
Some known names were in attendance.
U.S. presidential candidates Dennis Kucinich and Cynthia McKinney, Sister Mary Waskowiak and 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.
*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) Or watch it right here: Sights and sounds at SOA Watch * 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. {There are a number of Video's you can find at this link.} * 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 * Watch a video of the events in Santiago, Chile * 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.