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April Days of Action Report Back |
SOA Watch rocked the house at Haydee's Restaurant on Sunday night! After a few initial days of creating cardboard cut-outs, banners, and signs, we let loose with the amazing local musical talent of Tierra Morena  and Seven Jackson. We came together as a community to rock out against the oppression, share a laugh, a dance-step and build up our collective energy to chip away at the crumbling Empire! Thank you to the talented musicians, Haydee's staff and all the great SOA Watch activists - who came from Oregon, Washington, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota, Virginia and many more places - for the memorable night!
On Monday, we started out the morning with a training from the Legislative Working Group, about upcoming legislation in Congress, and how to meet with a member of Congress. Grassroots lobbying may not have the money that Pentagon lobbyists have, but they sure do have the heart! The training gave activists the tools to convey a powerful message of truth to those in power, and many took off directly to meet with their legislators. Following lunch, we prepared for the rally, and discussed possible direct action scenarios.
Later in the evening,  SOA Watch activists channeled the energy of the day and that of our compañer@s from across the Americas through the streets and over to the Capitol South metro station, where a die-in representing the thousands of victims of SOA graduates and destructive US economic policies was re-enacted. Despite heavy police presence, surveillance and harassment, the die-in attracted the attention of hundreds of Capitol Hill staffers, who were encouraged to take the message to their bosses.
On Tuesday, April 9, SOA Watch activists kept up the pressure, staging another die-in and holding up signs in front of the US Capitol. Activists also unfurled a 50-foot banner along the Connecticut Avenue bridge during the evening rush hour. The banner, which hung over the Park Police training center, read "Close the SOA" and was seen by hundreds of drivers before it was cut down by police 45 minutes later. 
Then on Wednesday (the 94th anniversary of the assassination of Mexican Revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata!), after more intense lobbying, thousands of people braved the 90-degree heat to demand comprehensive immigration reform. SOA Watch activists and allies joined the rally with a march through Capitol Hill that refused to stay on the sidewalks, and wove through police lines. The message was loud and clear: " Immigration's not a crime! Stop the Pentagon, now's the time!"
We are grateful to our brothers and sisters struggling for a dignified life for all immigrants, and we will continue to speak out and act out in our just struggle.
VENCEREMOS!
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In August and September of 2012, the Republican Party and Democratic Party will converge on Tampa, Florida, and on Charlotte, North Carolina, for their respective party conventions, where they will select their presidential candidates and drum up the support of their bases. Both parties are responsible for the interventionist U.S. policies that have militarized the Americas, and for the continued operation of the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC). They claim to represent the people of the United States, and we won't let them pull off their dog and pony shows without us. We will be there to engage them, and to communicate a clear message for justice, peace and self-determination to the people of the Americas. Join the protests, and get together with people in your community to plan and organize creative actions to to educate the candidates and the public about the reality of the militarized U.S. foreign policy.
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Por la Defensa de la Democracia Dignidad en Resistencia!
June 28, 2012 marks 3 years since the military Coup in Honduras where four of the 6 military chiefs were trained at the notorious School of the Americas. Over 460 politically-motivated killings occurred,
including 19 journalists and LGBT groups and campesino land-rights
movements were particularly targeted. The Obama administration, while at first condemning the coup, reversed
its decision, and supported elections in November 2009, paving the way
for continued impunity for the top generals and business elite involved
in the coup.
SOA Watch encourages you to join us Thursday, June 28 in Washington, DC on the 3rd Anniversary of the US- supported military coup in Honduras. The vigil will be at the Capitoal South Metro Station to call for an end to US training and aid to the repressive Honduran forces from 7:45am- 9am. And make sure to celebrate the resistence with music, photos and food later at 6:00pm (1525 Newton Street NW, DC)!
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Thursday, June 28, 6:30 pm - 9 p.m.
St. Stephen's Church
1525 Newton St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20010
On June 28, 2009, the democratically elected president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was forcibly removed from office by the military after organizing a national opinion poll on creating a popular constituent assembly. Since then, the people of Honduras have been organizing in resistance against the coup and the institutionalized violence of its illegitimate successor government, headed by Porfirio Lobo. Credible estimates by rights groups have put the number of Honduran civilians killed by state security forces in the hundreds; in addition, over 70 LGBT members, 45 peasant activists and 20 journalists have been murdered since the coup. Despite this, the United States has provided tens of millions of dollars in military and police aid and training to the Lobo regime.
Join us to learn about the ongoing human rights catastrophe in Honduras, parallels between the 2009 overthrow and last week's coup d'etat in Paraguay, and how to act to curtail this dangerous trend in Latin America. We will be joined by special guest speaker Miriam Miranda, general coordinator of the National Fraternal Black Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH). As an afro-indigenous leader opposing the Lobo regime, she has survived both imprisonment and torture at the hands of the government. Other speakers will include Latin America specialist and macroeconomist Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and author and Honduras expert Adrienne Pine, professor of anthropology at American University. There will also be live music and food.
This event is co-sponsored by School Of the Americas Watch and Rights Action. |
Join TASSC International in June to Commemorate Survivor Week
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION: JOIN US FOR A WEEK OF ACTIVITIES IN JUNE
This June will mark the 15th anniversary of TASSC International’s June Survivor Week. We invite you to participate in our activities during the week, and to organize a local commemoration on June 26 in recognition of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. During the week, survivors will participate in a three day human rights training, visit Congress, speak on different panels, and vigil in front of the White House.
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