InterReligious Task Force on Central America - irtf@irtfcleveland.org - 216-961-0003 - 3606 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
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Home » Anti-Repression » Close the SOA! » National Rally and Vigil

Nov 16-19: Close the SOA!
Ohio buses to the national rally and vigil

Close the SOA! | Nov 16-19: National Rally and Vigil | Updates about the SOA

Join the IRTF delegation from Ohio (and thousands from across the hemisphere!) at the gates of Fort Benning, Nov. 16-19, 2012.

The School of the Americas (aka SOA or WHINSEC) trains Latin American soldiers and officers in "counter-insurgency" warfare. SOA graduates have been linked to major human rights violations in Latin America for over 50 years. SOA soldiers murdered Cleveland church women Jean Donovan and Sister Dorothy Kazel in 1980 and numerous others since! There can be no healing and reconciliation without truth, an apology, and reparations to the thousands who have suffered from SOA violence and oppressive U.S. foreign policies. Each year we gather at the gates of Ft. Benning in Columbus, Georgia, and demand justice for the martyrs and for the thousands who continue to suffer the brutal consequences of the combat training at the SOA.

Don't miss this largest and longest standing annual peace and justice gathering in the U.S!

Outside the gates of Fort Benning, activities go on all weekend.

Sat., Nov 17:
day: rally with live music, dance, speakers (including family members of SOA victims)
evening: workshops, films, worship service, networking caucuses, dance party

Sun, Nov 18: solemn funeral procession and street theatre to remember the victims, pledging "no more blood in our name!"

Details:

Depart from Cleveland: Friday, Nov. 16, 6pm
Return to Cleveland: Monday, Nov. 19, early morning
(Union bus drivers on Cleveland Southeastern Trails)

Cost:

$199 ($50 non-refundable deposit to reserve your seat due by Oct. 26). Check payable to IRTF, 3606 Bridge Ave., Cleveland OH 44113.

Includes:

Close the SOA fair trade t-shirt, sample press release, round-trip bus travel, hotel stay in a 4- person room, $15 donation to the scholarship fund, and training.

Training:

Saturday, Nov. 10, 9am-4pm. Free, but registration required. Venue to be announced.
Nonviolence training, media outreach training, orientation on the SOA and the demilitarization movement. Overview of what to expect at the rally and vigil.
We encourage all (but require first-timers) to attend.

Scholarships:

Limited. Email sarah@irtfcleveland.org for application.