School of the Americas Watch

About me:

...... .. Lee este articulo en espanol.

SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America, to close the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) and to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy that the SOA represents. We are grateful to our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America for their inspiration and the invitation to join them in their struggle for economic and social justice.

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SOA Watch seeks to close the US Army School of the Americas, under whatever name it is called, through vigils and fasts, demonstrations and nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work.

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.

In 1990 SOA Watch began in a tiny apartment outside the main gate of Ft. Benning. While starting with a small group, SOA Watch 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 SOA Watch movement is a large, diverse, grassroots movement rooted in solidarity with the people of Latin America. The goal of SOA Watch is to close the SOA and to change U.S. foreign policy in Latin America by educating the public, lobbying Congress and participating in creative, nonviolent resistance. The Pentagon has responded to the growing movement and Congress' near closure of the SOA with a PR campaign to give the SOA a new image. In an attempt to disassociate the school with its horrific past, the SOA was renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in January of 2001.


Read more about the history of the SOA Watch movement.

Mission Statement

SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America, to close the SOA/WHINSEC and to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy that the SOA represents. We are grateful to our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America for their inspiration and the invitation to join them in their struggle for economic and social justice.

Staff Collective

The staff collective works out of the SOA Watch national office, located in Washington, DC.

SOA Watch Structure

Read more about SOA Watch structure and how you can get more involved. Go directly to the working groups page, or find a local SOA Watch group in your community.

Read more about the SOA Watch Council, the national decision-making body of SOA Watch.

Contact us:

SOA Watch
PO Box 4566
Washington, DC 20017

Phone: (202) 234 3440
Fax: (202) 636-4505
Email: info(at)soaw.org

Crowd photo by Linda Panetta, November 2003

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New documentary!

A group of Richmond High School students produced the documentary "Journey for Justice - Crossing the Line" about the School of the Americas and their trip to the November Vigil to close it down. The film includes footage from the annual protest at the gates of Fort Benning in Georgia, footage from Latin America, interviews with student activists as well as with Guadalupe Chavez and Linda Aguilar, who engaged in nonviolent direct action to close the SOA.

The School of the Americas (SOA), renamed to "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation," is a U.S. military training school for Latin American soldiers that has left a trail of blood and suffering throughout Latin America.

The SOA has trained over 64,000 Latin American soldiers in courses such as counterinsurgency, psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. Graduates of the school have been consistently linked to human rights violations and to the suppression of popular movements in the Americas.

Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. The SOA is the Pentagon's way of controlling the armies of Latin America with the goal of controlling the people and their resources. The SOA provides the military muscle to keep the racist system of domination and exploitation in place - benefiting a few at the expense of many. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared”, massacred, and forced into refuge by those trained at the School of Assassins.

For more information, visit SOA Watch on the web at www.SOAW.org

Watch the 3 minute trailer for "Journey to Awareness - Crossing the Line," the Richmond High School documentary about student activism and the SOA:

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Spread the Word - Distribute the trailer

Click here to send an email to your friends

Video URL (for emails and links)
http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1372

Flash Player Embed: Ad a video player to your site (Blogger, Friendster, etc.)
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Video Thumbnail: Add the video thumbnail to your site (MySpace, Blogger, Friendster, etc.)
<a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNvYXcub3JnL25ldy9hcnRpY2xlLnBocD9pZD0xMzcy"><img alt="Thumb_default" border="0" src="http://www.soaw.org/img/original/rhs.jpg" /></a>

Download the trailer (To share on p2p or save to your computer)
http://media.../broadcast/73323/download
(right click and choose "Save as")

Buy the DVD:

The DVD will be available in late October/early November. Pre-order now for only $10 incl. shipping and handling ($8 for sutudent activists and educators) You can send a check or money order to:

SOA Watch
P.O. Box 4566
Washington DC 20017

or order it online: [PayPal option coming soon]

Host a Screening:

Gather your members, friends, family and neighbors in your school, community center, religious institution or living room to view, discuss and take action. You can use your screening as a recruitment tool, a fundraiser, a catalyst for organizing an action, as an educational resource--or all of these at once!

Take Action:

Educate yourself and your community about the SOA (download fliers, order books and videos). Mobilize for the November 16-18, vigil and nonviolent direct action at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia. Be part of the growing grassroots movement for justice and accountability. Here's where we're at it legislatively: Earlier this year, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) introduced an amendment to the FY 2007 Foreign Operations bill that would have cut funding for the SOA/WHINSEC. The amendment was voted down by a margin of 203 - 214, with 19 members of the House not voting.

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