School of the Americas Watch

On November 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and her teenage daughter were massacred in El Salvador. A U.S. Congressional Task Force reported that those responsible were trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA) at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The School of the Americas (SOA), in 2001 renamed the "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation," is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Initially established in Panama in 1946, it was kicked out of that country in 1984 under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the "biggest base for destabilization in Latin America." The SOA, frequently dubbed the "School of Assassins," has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned. Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, "disappeared," massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins.

In 1990 SOAWatch began in a tiny apartment outside the main gate of Ft. Benning GA. While starting with a small group, SOAWatch quickly drew upon the knowledge and experience of many in the U.S. who had worked with the people of Latin America in the 1970's and 80's. Today, the SOAWatch movement is a large, diverse, grassroots movement rooted in solidarity with the people of Latin America. In 2008 there were over 20,000 people gathered at the gates of Fort Benning. This year's event is expected to be larger still.

The SOAW movement is unique in its complete integration of the arts with its social justice agenda. There is a Musicians Collective which organizes several concerts over the course of the weekend, weaves music between every spoken presentation on the main stage, and provides musicians to lead music at organizational gatherings (many groups such as Veterans for Peace, Catholic Worker, and youth groups have their national meeting to coincide with the SOAW weekend). The weekend also includes presentations by the Puppetistas, who gather participants from the rally attendees, work in community, and close the weekend with a huge puppet pageant. Preceding the weekend in Columbus, there is also be a concert at the Eyedrum Gallery in Atlanta, featuring ROOTS artists M.U.G.A.B.E.E., RISE, and national artists that arrive from all over the country.

For more information about the School of the Americas Watch, go to http://www.SOAW.org.