November 03, 2007


November Vigil: 16-18,2007
Take a Stand for Human Rights!
No, I have never BEEN to Georgia for this event. However, I have helped locals organize for this annual event since 1968! This is simply a MUST DO commitment for anyone truly concerned with ending bloody neocolonialism And HATS OFF! to Evo Morales.


On the weekend of November 16-18, thousands will gather at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia for the Vigil and the Nonviolent Direct Action to Close the School of the Americas and to end the racist system of violence and domination that the SOA represents. Take a Stand for Justice!

The weekend will include a massive rally, nonviolent direct action training, workshops, benefit concerts, puppet shows, teach-ins and more! Please check back soon for schedule changes and updates.

EVENTS: See a detailed schedule of this weekend's many gatherings, teach-ins, films, and concerts in Columbus, Georgia. Click here for information about reserving a table.

Please download the November flier and spread the word about the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) and upcoming vigil and nonviolent direct action.

HOTELS: See a list of hotel and other accomodations in and around Columbus, Georgia. If you are looking for housing, contact Ashley at the Columbus Visitors Bureau to see which hotels have vacancies. Reach the Visitors Bureau at 1-800-999-1613.

MEDIA OUTREACH: Taking a little time to carry out a handful of media-related tasks before you head to Georgia can profoundly impact the number of people in your area who know about the SOA/WHINSEC issue and the number of people who get involved in the work to close it down. Read about how you can work with your local media or contact us in the SOA Watch office at 202-234-3440 or media@soaw.org">media(at)soaw.org for more information and resources.

TRAVEL: See information on traveling to Columbus, whether by plane, car, bus, train or something more creative.

ATTENTION! - If you are not a U.S. citizen or resident or will be traveling with someone who is neither, please make sure to inform yourself and your friend or loved one on some of the possible risks.

SOA Watch supports the struggle for immigrant rights and we therefore provide the following information:

- SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS for persons without U.S. citizenship considering participating in the November Vigil

- IMMIGRATION CHECKLIST for November Vigil participants


RIDE BOARD: Need a ride? Have a ride? Want to share a bike/car/van/bus/scooter with other fellow human rights advocates? See our Ride Board where you can post or find a ride to this year's Vigil.

ACCESSIBILITY & INTERPRETATION: ASL and English<>Spanish interpretation services will be available during the vigil weekend. Find out more about interpretation services, large print and Braille programs and wheelchair accessibility.

PEACEMAKERS NEEDED:SOA Watch is looking for Peacemaker Volunteers to work at the vigil this year. Read more about how you can participate, and how to contact Peacemaker coordinators.

LOCAL GROUPS: Do you know others in your area that are working to close down the School of the Americas? Connect with others now before heading to Georgia. Click here for a listing of SOA Watch local groups. If your group is not listed, please add your contact information.

Don't see a group for your area? Consider starting one! For more information, contact us at info@soaw.org or at 202-234-3440 or contact your regional representative for more information about those in your region working to close the SOA/ WHINSEC.

NOVEMBER ORGANIZING PACKET: The November Organizing Packet is a great resource for you and your community as you spread the word about the SOA/ WHINSEC and as you make plans to attend the November 16-18 Vigil to Close the SOA at Fort Benning, Georgia. In it, you'll find information about what to expect at Ft. Benning, logistical information to assist your trip planning, media, legislative, fundraising and outreach tips and resources, and flyers you can reproduce and use in your community.

Download the 2007 November Organizing Packet

Order a hardcopy of the November Organizing Packet for $3 from SOA Watch, PO Box 4566, Washington, DC, 20017.

Read about past Vigils to Close the School of the Americas.

Photos by Cally Golding, Andi Gelsthorpe and Ted Stein



Evo Morales Announces: "No More Bolivian Soldiers to the SOA/WHINSEC!"


We are very excited to share that on October 10th, 2007, President Evo Morales announced that Bolivia will gradually withdraw its military from the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), renamed in 2001 the School of the Americas (SOA). Bolivia is now the fifth country - after Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela - to formally announce a withdrawal from this brutal military training school.

"We will gradually withdraw until there are no Bolivian officers attending the School of the Americas” said Morales. Questioning the U.S. government foreign policy he noted that “they are teaching high ranking officers to confront their own people, to identify social movements as their enemies.”

This is a great victory for torture survivors, social movement leaders and human rights activists of Bolivia and the Americas. The SOA/WHINSEC has played a significant role in Bolivia’s recent political history, Hugo Banzer Suarez, who ruled Bolivia from 1971-1978 under a brutal military dictatorship attended the school in 1956 and was later inducted into the school’s “hall of fame” in 1988. The SOA has trained tens of thousands of Bolivian military officers in the past fifty years. In October of 2006, two former graduates of the SOA/WHINSEC, Generals Juan Veliz Herrera and Gonzalo Rocabado Mercado were arrested on charges of torture, murder, and violation of the constitution for their responsibility in the death of 67 civilians in El Alto Bolivia during the “Gas Wars” of September-October 2003.

In March 2006 a School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) delegation led by Lisa Sullivan-Rodriguez, Salvadoran torture survivor Carlos Mauricio, and SOA Watch founder Father Roy Bourgeois met with President Evo Morales to request that Bolivia cease to send troops for training at the SOA/WHINSEC.

Read more about the SOA Watch Latin America Project

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