SOA diary

Pictures

2007-11-20T22:42:00.001-06:00

Here, finally, are my pictures from the 2007 protest and vigil:

To go to the page of pictures, click here.

Free Speech and nonviolence

2007-11-19T13:41:00.001-06:00

Although the SOAW and protest participants are permitted to protest the SOA, the Columbus Police and Army don't let them do so without a bit of a response.

As mentioned before, it has become harder to cross the line. Fences have become larger and tighter around the site even as the protest has gotten larger. There are cameras at the entrance and they also have a large crane-type devise that looks like it has a camera in it. There are a few soldiers who watch the activities from inside the gates, and cops line the non-base sides of the roads. There is little interaction between the peaceful crowd and their observers.

There were two situations, however, in which the police did get involved.

The first situation took place when two men hooded themselves at the TASSC booth to protest torture. They were told that he could not protest with a covered face. Therefore, the SOAW brought them to the stage where they announced that this was a violation of free speech and supported his protest. The only thing the police action did was call more attention to the petition to repeal the Military Commissions Act.

The other issue was that they did not allow protesters to bring in objects that could be deemed "weapons." They screened all the crosses to make sure they weren't too large. Many individuals could be seen breaking their crosses at the curb. Others set them out in front of the police trailer at the entrance with signs declaring them "deadly weapons." On Saturday a woman with a cloth sign that read "Grandmothers for peace" was required to dismantle it because it was stretched over plastic tubing that was too large. She had the sign on Sunday, though. I don't know how she sneaked it in.

The "weapons" business seemed to be an intimidation, or perhaps frustration (it wasn't too intimidating), tactic. The movement is committed to nonviolence, and they still allowed puppetistas to carry large heavy signs and puppets that could be "weapons."

After the man flung himself over the barbed wire fences, the crowd, mostly the people with drums, started cheering wildly and shook the fence where the crosses were put. I thought this was a little "violent." It looked like this might have been the same crowd responsible for starting the anti-war protests that included swearing ("we don't want your bleeping war!") last year, to the disappointment of some of the Loyola students.

I do have to say that besides the "God bless Fort Benning movement," I have not personally witnessed either police or local people confronting protesters with anger. One woman selling parking told my friends and me as we passed to have a good time and that we were supporting a good cause. Local people also barbecue for protesters at the site. Certainly, these individuals and businesses benefit from 25,000 people coming into town!

As the crowd grows, the movement will have to continue to fight the pressures to control the crowd, of course, but they will also have to make sure that everyone within the movement understands and upholds the commitment to non-violence and to treating Columbus with respect.

Rufina Amaya, Presente!

2007-11-19T13:22:00.000-06:00

Although we had been gathered under the banner for Rufina Amaya all weekend, I did not know her story until Adriana Portillo Bartow told it on Sunday.

She is the only survivor of the El Mozote, El Salvador massacre of more than 900 (according to the SOAW, but according to this story, she was the only one that spoke out about her memories of the massacre). She escape and hid, witnessing the deaths of her family and friends, including four children, but Bartow said that she knew she had to escape so that she could tell the story.

She died earlier this year, but Bartow told how Amaya came to the SOA vigil some years ago and had been marching by Bartow. When the singers started singing the names of the dead from El Mozote, Bartow says, Amaya started saying, "That was my daughter, that was my neighbor, that was my aunt."

As I sang "presente" this year, I really listened to the names and imagine the real individuals. Last year I was too busy taking pictures during the vigil, but imagining them as a mother, brother, child, or friend this year made the procession even more powerful.

Getting arrested and speeches at the vigil

2007-11-19T12:18:00.000-06:00

As the protesters gathered at the gates (SOAW says there were 25,000, up from 22,000 last year), blessings and speeches continued. By 8:30 a.m., it was very difficult to get to the front toward the stage and people continued to arrive until the funeral procession began, so that the crowd stretched far past the speakers. Many people spoke about being here 10 years ago, when there were hundreds rather than thousands of people and there was no fence blocking the gates. Instead there was simply a line (hence the phrase, crossing the line).

Each year they make it more difficult to get arrested. I noticed that the fenced-in area by the gates was smaller on one side this year. Ten people crossed before the funeral procession even began, it was announced during speeches (this picture is from the SOAW website, which lists all the line crossers). Going early, they apparently got closer to SOA/WHINSEC than anybody ever has. At the end of the funeral procession, as drums beat before the puppetista show, a man literally flung himself over the barbed wire fence right at the gates, making him the 11th person to get arrested.

Michael Lerner spoke on the need to not only show them that we are against war and torture, but also to show what we want. He, along with Sister Joan Chittister and Cornel West, has established the Network of Spiritual Progressives in order provide positive alternatives.

I was wrong that only one presidential candidate was present. A former Georgia congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney, spoke Sunday morning, telling the audience how she broke from both war-making parties and is running as a Green Party candidate.

Dennis Kucinich also spoke, receiving roaring applause as the crowd waved his campaign signs in the air. He has been an advocate for the movement to shut down the SOA since 1997 and told the crowd: "I commit to you that if I get elected president, one of my first actions will be to close this school." But he also reminded the crowd that it is not just about "a piece of real estate," it's about the mentality in Washington that favors war.

The connections between the SOA and war were strong as Father Roy said that "we are here in solidarity with the people of Latin American and of Iraq." The nonviolent crowd seemed quite happy with that connection, chanting the one word that Bourgeois said describes today's political situation: Shame. It seems the movement has grown to encompass all foreign policy, thanks to the war in Iraq.

Vigil and pictures

2007-11-18T06:56:00.000-06:00

My friends and I are getting in a car right after the vigil to drive back north, so pictures and vigil news will be posted as soon as possible, but possibly not until Monday morning.

In the mean time, here are more pictures from last year's Loyola trip. I've seen many Loyola students this weekend, and they say they are stars around the Teach-in and protest because of the story!

Progress in Latin America

2007-11-17T23:39:00.000-06:00

Besides hosting the vigil and lobbying the U.S. government, an SOA Watch delegation also travels to Latin American countries asking them to stop sending students to the WHINSEC. So far they have gotten five countries to agree: Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Bolivia.

I was struck by a comment that Lisa Sullivan Rodriguez, who presented the update on the movement against the SOA from within Latin America, made. She said that at her first SOA protest, her daughter noticed while looking at the crowd that so many people there probably had never been to Latin America and yet she could feel the love for "my people."

A reader, himself a minority, asked me to notice the skin color of the people who attend the protest this year. Yes, the vast majority of people there are white. But as Rodriguez's daughter noted, they can still be in solidarity with people from Latin America.

The reader suggested that the SOA Watch should reach out to more minority communities. But I did find today that the presenters, musicians, and leaders of the movement were quite diverse. Yes, it would be great if the protest reflected the diversity of our country. Until that happens, though, I think it is fair to celebrate all those that are here, as well as all those who are working in other countries and don't have the privilege of coming here and soaking up the energy from other activists--no matter the color of their skin.

What others are doing part 2: the gates

2007-11-17T22:27:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, a major theme this weekend seems to be: The U.S. should do better than this. As the Iraq War continues, the connection between the War on Terror and the SOA has only grown. Torture was at the forefront of the connection: The U.S. military has taught torture at the SOA and it has committed torture as well--and provided legislative support of torture. Torture Abolition Survivor Support Coalition (TASSC) had speakers at the gate who addressed not only the question of their own torture in other countries, but the fact that they had sought refugee in a country that tortures. Just ask us whether waterboarding is torture or not, said a man from Ethiopia.

Father Roy Bourgeois, who spent four years in the military, said that he knows that the military does not teach democracy, as SOA/WHINSEC claims it does. "This is not a setting where you can teach democracy," he said, referring to the barb wire, fences, and no trespassing signs. He and other speakers called for the United States to regain its status as a leader for human rights and democracy.

I couldn't list all of the organizations at the gates, but two stuck out to me as particularly interesting. David Solnit is an anti-war activist and puppeteer who created a small puppet show to promote the Army of None movement, which counters military recruitment. He's been on this path since he first refused to sign up for the draft in 1979. This caught my eye in light of the stories of the threatened expulsions of students in a Chicago suburb for protesting the Iraq War (and military recruiters in their school). Another group, Fellowship for Reconciliation, is working on a similar project in Colombia. FOR is organizing delegations of young people from Colombia and the U.S. to work together to fight military recruiting.

It's debatable of whether the line between protesting the military and protesting just the SOA is getting too blurry, but it's hard not to see parallels today.

It is always important to distinguish good soldiers from not-so-good institutions though. The blame does seem to fall mostly on the political figures, especially Bush.
But even though the elections are next year, not many people are courting the protester's votes. There was only one presidential campaign at the protest: Dennis Kucinich.

What others are doing

2007-11-17T11:01:00.001-06:00

Along with the U.S. Catholic booth at the Teach-In, other organizations have informational booths. Students from John Carroll University have a booth with information about fair trade. They are not only encouraging people to buy fair trade coffee, chocolate, tea, and other goods; they are working to get fair trade in their college dining halls and cafes. Here's a link for more information.

There is also a new documentary about the SOA protest: On The Line. It will be premiering tonight before the Teach-In Mass.

Jesuit Volunteer Corp, Catholics for the End of the War in Iraq, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Father John Dear, S.J., and others also set up booths. There are more organizations, including vendors for fair trade t-shirts and gifts at the protest ground, which will be a lot like a fair, this afternoon.

Legislative push to close the SOA

2007-11-17T10:05:00.000-06:00

A special guest today at the Ignatian Family Teach-In was Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, who has introduced the amendment to suspend funding for the SOA. He also spoke at the gates this afternoon. [Note: post updated because I could hear his story better at the gates.]

As a staff person of a Congressperson, McGovern was part of the team that investigated the killing of the Jesuit Martyrs and connected the 19 killers to the SOA. He said that one of the key parts of that investigation was that they could review the attendance records of the SOA and compare it to the list of the guilty. For the past three years, it has become more difficult for the SOA Watch to obtain these records, despite filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) petitions for the records. This prevents them from knowing what the graduates have been doing.

The amendment to cut funding lost by just six votes last summer, but McGovern introduced language into the defense appropriations bill that would require the government to release attendance records on request. Unfortunately, he announced that the Bush administration just had that language changed in negotiations between the House and Senate this past week. Its language keeps the records classified.

"We're a better country that is on display at this school," said McGovern, appealing to the patriot in his audience throughout his speech.

A reader called me after reading the U.S. Catholic story frustrated because he thought going to the protest wasn't enough. He was also upset because he said the NETWORK, the Catholic Social Justice Lobby, doesn't make the SOA a priority. (They did have a booth at the gates, and the representative said that was true as far as she knew. I hope to e-mail them and hear their official stance soon.) Students and other Catholics, he said, have to follow through after the weekend.

If the theme last year was this is the last year (many were hopeful due to the 2006 elections), this year's theme was the United States is a better country than this and we need to fix our international reputation.

Still, the action can't stop at the gates of Fort Benning. An essential part of this weekend--and especially the Teach-In--is inspiring people to take action beyond just the weekend.

Meeting activists: young and old

2007-11-17T09:52:00.000-06:00

While the Teach-In is mainly students, there are people of all ages at the Teach-In and of course at the gates. This morning I met a woman who just joined the 1,000 Grandmother movement yesterday with the birth of her first grandchild. Congrats to her! This movement aims to gather 1,000 grandmothers (and their combined 10,000 years of wisdom) at the gates.

Last year, the Loyola students said they loved seeing other generations at the protest, both the grandmothers and families with small children. They admire the dedication of people who have come for years without seeing much change and they admire parents who are teaching their young children the values of social justice. A few said that they participate in protests such as this one because their parents took them along on protests as children.

I am impressed with the high school kids that are at the Teach-In. Their experience is a little different from the college students. While the Loyola students reported that they knew about a lot of the topics talked about at the Teach-Ins from classes, a lot of the high school kids don't know much about social justice issues yet. (Some college kids are just learning, too, of course. I personally didn't know anything about the SOA until after college so everybody here impresses me!) A lot of the talks are directed to people who are starting to learn about immigration, the environment, the SOA, and other issues.

Also, there are a few large high school groups, but some of the high school students I talked to came in groups of five students or less. Two girls from Milwaukee came with another school group because they did not have enough for a group from their own school.

Students from Loyola Chicago talked of struggling with feeling accepted at their school, but I imagine the social pressure in high school is especially difficult to handle. It must be even more difficult when there are only a few others interested in social justice at your school. Three boys from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. learned of the Teach-In and vigil from a teacher, but reported that the rest of their school wasn't terribly progressive.

Of all the high school students I've talked, teachers seem to be key in inspiring kids to come down here, where they learn more, gain experience in activism, and meet thousands of others concerned with what they are concerned with. Thank you teachers!

I heart Jesuits

2007-11-17T07:15:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite T-shirts, which Boston College students made last year, are the simple, I heart Jesuits T-shirts (as seen in the picture).

Although not noted in the U.S. Catholic story, two Jesuit Scholastics studying at Loyola went with the Loyola group and most of the students loved to talk with them. They were both young and friendly and encouraged them to take action back on Loyola's campus. Last year, all the Jesuits present went on stage during the Teach-in and read all the names of Jesuits who had been killed while serving as God. One girl noted after that that we need more Jesuits around. Although I have never attended a Catholic, let alone Jesuit, school, I must admit by the end of the weekend I was understanding the appeal of the "faith that does justice" education.

On Friday night a man said to my friends and me: "I touched Father Roy Bourgeois!" It was funny, but I wondered at the fact that he has attained a sort of celebrity status, at least among Catholic activists. But when I met him later, I was struck at how friendly he was--more down-to-earth than celebrity. Standing ovations, it seems, don't go to the heads of such figures as him, Father John Dear, Sister Helen Prejean (who spoke last year), and others.

And yet, a reader commented to me that it is always the priests or nuns that we talk about dying, rather than the ordinary, indigenous people. Is that a bad thing? One of the great parts of the vigil is that each victim is named or recognized (if no name is known) and is there for "presente." But it is true that the more famous names come first. I don't think that discounts the equal human dignity of an unnamed child versus Oscar Romero (certainly Romero wouldn't say so). But we do need the priests and nuns--the martyrs that we always talk about--to lead the way, to be the inspiration.

From my limited contact with leaders of this movement, they don't seem to lift themselves above anyone. Perhaps members of the movement should be careful about how much we hold them up. Love them we may, but they are our equals. This might also make us realize that we need to put in an equal share of the effort--the leaders cannot do it themselves. (The Jesuits also ended their Mass by encouraging young people to talk to the priests and nuns present if they were discerning a call to religious life!)

Ignatian Family Teach-In begins on anniversary of Jesuit martyrs deaths

2007-11-16T23:05:00.000-06:00

The Ignatian Family Teach-In began tonight with song, school shout-outs, and speeches. It is a place where high school and college students can come together and learn about the SOA and other social justice issues.

The Teach-In is run by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, which is dedicated to helping connect social justice education and initiatives in Catholic schools, parishes, and other groups (mostly Jesuit, but also groups run by various orders of sisters).

ISN has held many Teach-Ins at the SOA, but this year for the first time, it held a spring teach-in. Students spoke tonight about their experience at that teach-in, held in New Orleans last spring. The benefit of teach-ins is that students both learn about and gain experience with the issue. The student speakers shared their experience cleaning out homes as well as learning about the existing forms of discrimination that made Hurricane Katrina such a disaster. In 2008, the topic is immigration and the spring Teach-In will be held at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, March 7-9.

From the Loyola group, Mary McEvoy also spoke tonight. She spoke about her experience working with survivors of torture, as she also did in the U.S. Catholic article. Since last year, she has also traveled to El Salvador. Through both of these formative experiences, she said tonight, she's learned that love can make life seem worth while, even when she was most frustrated.

After SOAW founder Father Roy Bourgeois gave a speech, the night ended with a ritual to remember the Jesuit martyrs and their two companions, who were killed in El Salvador on this night, Nov. 16, in 1989.

Preparing for the SOA vigil and protest

2007-11-13T08:49:00.000-06:00

As I make my final preparations to drive from Chicago to Columbus, Georgia for the Ignatian Family Teach-In and and the School of Americas (WHINSEC) vigil and protest, I will be posting links and information about how to get involved in the cause. Over the next week, I hope to also discuss with readers the story in U.S. Catholic as well as issues that I was not able to cover in the magazine.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts though conversations on the blog, and if you are attending the protest, you can meet me at the Ignatian Family Teach-In. I will have a table set up with copies of U.S. Catholic in the back of the conference center.

Here are some basic ways to get involved if you are interested in doing so:

The 2007 protest starts on this Friday, November 16, the exact day the Jesuit Martyrs and their two companions were killed in El Salvador. The SOA Watch website has plenty of information about planning your trip to Columbus, Georgia, including ride boards from around the country, hotel information, and event schedules.

There is also a list of local groups, who often host vigils held at the same time as the vigil in Columbus. Vigils are held throughout Latin America as well. (More on Latin American countries' involvement in the movement to close the SOA/WHINSEC will follow.)

If you are looking to do something more while you are in Georgia, volunteers for the protest/vigil are always needed. Donations, of course, are always welcomed, I'm sure!