Nov 18-21: Close the SOA!
Ohio buses to the national rally and vigil
Join the IRTF delegation and thousands of others from across the hemisphere outside the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia.
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 more than 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 outside the gates of Ft. Benning 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 19: day-long rally with music, dance, and speakers (including family members of SOA victims) and evening workshops, films, and dance party
Sun, Nov 20: solemn funeral procession to remember the victims and pledge "no more blood in our name!"
Details:
Depart 6pm on Friday, November 18 from Magnificat High School in Rocky River; another pick-up at College of Wooster. Arrive back in Rocky River (Cleveland) early morning Monday, November 21.
Cost:
$199 - $50 non-refundable deposit to reserve your seat. Check payable to IRTF, 3606 Bridge Ave., Cleveland OH 44113.
Includes:
Nonviolence training and background on the SOA, sample press release, round-trip bus travel, hotel stay in a 4-person room, and a $15 donation to the scholarship fund.
Training:
Saturday, Nov. 12, 9 am - 4 pm, John Carroll University, University Heights
Nonviolence training and SOA orientation is provided for all participants as a way to continue your education about the SOA and the nonviolence movement, receive media outreach training, and learn what’ll be going on in Georgia this year. We hope all will attend. More info about the training is available here.
Scholarships:
Limited scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance. Please contact us for an application.
- More Information about the SOA
- Flyer and Registration Form for the National Vigil and Rally to Close the SOA (PDF)
To sign up travel with IRTF to Fort Benning, GA, please fill out the following form, and we'll get in touch with you. Alternately, you can contact us at our office, at 216-961-0003.
Please provide the following contact information
IRTF does not share information. All emails are sent blind carbon copy.
- Banner photograph by crazbabe21 on Flickr of 2006 School of the Americas protest
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crazbabe21/2303237471/ - Site acknowledgements