Roots of “Border Crisis”Children of the Monroe Doctrine Militarization and MigrationArticle on Page 5

November 21-23, 2014 November VigilThousands will gather at Ft. Benning, Georgia Page 7

Youth Organizing PowerYouth Encuentro33 leaders, from 18 coun-tries gathered in Venezuela. Report back on Page 10

Resist Empire at Home & Abroad Our Struggles Stand TogetherThousands of activists will converge on Colum-bus, Georgia this November to resist the racist system of violence and domination embodied by the School of the Americas. Why should you?Imagine the bright, full moon hours before dawn on Novem-ber 16, 1989 in San Salvador. University of Central America President Father Ignacio Ella-curía called out his last words, “This is an injustice!” as he was lined up face down on the ground and shot to death, along with five other priests, by the Atlacatl Battalion. A

housekeeper and her 16-year-old daughter hid in a guest room, but the SOA-trained sol-diers found and shot them, too. Elba and Celina Ramos died in one another’s arms.

This November marks the 25th anniversary of the UCA mas-sacre, and as we call out the names of the martyrs killed

by SOA graduates and respond, “¡Presente!” we will also recognize the connections to struggles today at the Mexico-US border, the community-op-posed Escobal mine in Gua-temala, and communities like Ferguson, Missouri all across the Americas facing militarized police forces.

The article “Children of the Monroe Doctrine” details the massive US military aid -- including SOA/WHINSEC training -- to Central America today and the resulting so-called border crisis on page 5. SOA/WHINSEC graduates led

Continued on Page 15

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Police Action vs. Art ActivismStreet Art to Close the SOAArt activism has always been a key element of social change. A poster campaign to remember the martyrs and expose the killers, was kicked off with a poster mural in Washington, DC.A group of about a dozen activ-

ists came together to paste up a giant mural

on the streets of Washington, DC. Though they were peaceful, DC police decided that political street art was unacceptable in the district. After the beauti-

ful artwork was

completed, four of the activ-ists were handcuffed, arrested and held for six hours before being charged with “defacing public or private property.” The charge carries a maxi-mum penalty of six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.

The revolution will be televised Beth Geglia, a DC filmmaker, produced a powerful 3-min. video about the poster mural and the arrests (watch it at soaw.org/video). The video quickly spread through

social media.

Art is not a crime While only four of us were targeted, it is clear that the charges against the SOA Watch activists Dominique Diaddigo-Cash, Gail Taylor, María Luisa Rosal and Nico Udu-gama, were meant to intim-idate all of us, and to dissuade others from taking action. However, our movement responded in a great way!

It didn’t take long for people to realize that the best way to stand in solidarity with the targeted activists, and to push

back against the crimi-nalization of dissent, is to keep up the resistance!

In response to the police at-tempt to silence us, supporters in Austin, Texas, Denver, Colo-rado, Guatemala City, Guate-mala, Los Angeles, California, New York City, Takoma Park, Maryland and UC Riverside, California, put up more post-

ers to denounce the human rights violations that continue through the training of Latin American military and police

at SOA/WHINSEC.

Our solidarity trumps their repressionIn a successful coordinated grassroots pressure campaign, 1,200 supporters sent a petition to US District Attorney Ron Machen, saying that our mes-sage is too powerful to be locked behind bars, and to demand that the charges be dropped. We were victorious when the gov-ernment dropped their case, giving in to our demand!

We took the negative energy of the arrests and transformed it. Let’s decorate our cities with powerful art to create a culture of justice, dignity, and peace:

Take Action!STEP 1: Download and print the posters in Spanish and English: soaw.org/posters

STEP 2: Purchase wallpaper powder from your local hard-ware store, or make your own.

STEP 3: Hit the streets with your paintbrush, posters, and your bucket of wheatpaste.

STEP 4: Take photos of your work and post them with the hashtag #ClosetheSOA on your facebook page, twitter and ins-tagram accounts! Also, shoot us an email at presente@soaw.org

#artisnotacrime

Push back against the criminalization of dissent by keeping up

the resistance!

www.SOAW.org/presente Page/Página 3

Movement Voices - Voces del Movimiento SOA Watch has created the Consejo Sur, an advisory group that is made up of anti-militarization leaders from Latin America.

SOAW ha creado el Consejo Sur, un grupo asesor compuesto de lideres de América Latina quienes luchan en contra la mili-tarizacion y a favor de los derechos humanos

“We must continue demanding the im-mediate closure of WHINSEC. The reasons? The thou-sands of innocent people who have died and continue being murdered by members of the military today.”

“Debemos continuar exigiendo el cierre inmediato de WHINSEC. Razones, puedo mencionar los miles de personas inocentes que han muerto y continúan asesinando los militares hoy en día.”

Gerardo Brenes Montoya, Costa Rica

“Before society knew the truth, Honduran military officials proudly exhibited their status as graduates of the School of the Americas in their resumes; after these same officials appeared in the lists of criminals, human rights violators, and coup leaders, there should not be space in their resumes nor in the budget of the United States for a center of death like the SOA -- under any name -- which stinks of the shedding of human blood.”- Bertha Oliva, Coordinator of the the Committee of the Family Members of the Detained and Disappeared, Honduras

“Antes que la ciudadanía supiera la verdad, los militares hondureños exhibían orgul-losos en su curriculum vite la condición de egresados de la Escuela de las Américas;

después que esos mismos uniformados aparecieron en las listas de crimina-les, violadores de derechos huma-nos y golpistas, no debe haber espacio ni en sus hojas de vida ni en el presupuesto de los Estados Unidos – bajo ningún nombre maquillado – un centro de muerte como este que hiede a sangre humana derramada.”

- Bertha Oliva, Coordinadora del Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos, Honduras

Stop Police MilitarizationNo More Stolen LivesMichael Brown, an unarmed black teen-ager, was repeatedly shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, MO.

An aggressive and militarized police force responded to the ensuing com-munity protests with tear gas, stun grenades, armored vehicles, and au-tomatic weapons, acting more like an occupying military than safety officers.

Criminalization of communities and militarization against protest has been the gold standard for the School of the Americas. This combat training school for Latin American soldiers is located at Fort Benning, Georgia and has trained over 70,000 Latin Ameri-can soldiers and police to repress their own communities, even using torture, extortion and execution. Increasingly, the militarized “solutions” taught at the SOA are being applied to commu-nities within the US. We need to close the SOA and end the racist system of state violence and militarization at home and abroad. HondurasMassacres ContinueAccording to crime statistics compiled by the National Autonomous Univer-sity of Honduras (UNAH), the first five months of 2014 saw 33 massacres committed, with a total of 117 victims. UNAH researchers claim that the figure is nearly on par with the number of mass killings that took place all last year, El Heraldo reports.

Page/Página 4 Fall / Otoño 2014

Colombia: La nueva “Escuela de las Américas”En el mes de mayo Colombia inauguró el Centro Regional de Estudios Estratégicos en Seguridad (CREES) que de acuerdo a su Ministerio de Defensa es “una oferta académica dirigida a los organismos de seguridad y defensa interesados en conocer la experiencia de Colombia en su lucha contra el terrorismo, el narcotráfico y el crimen organizado.”La iniciativa ha sido cataloga como una nueva “Escuela de las Américas” donde agentes de las fuerzas armadas y policías latinoamericanos recibirán entrenamiento en un país que es cuestionado por su respeto a los derechos humanos.

Un Informe sobre Colombia, 2013, de la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos indica que “algunos oficiales de alto rango y soldados de las fuerzas milita-res siguen vinculados a juicios por violaciones de los derechos humanos cometidas en el pasa-do, en particular las ejecuciones extrajudiciales conocidas como “falsos positivos.”

Sin embargo, los crímenes continúan. Según el mismo informe, “el 15 de mayo de 2013, en La Fonda, Patía (departamento del Cauca), un campesino de 19 años murió

como resultado de los disparos efectuados por miembros de la Brigada Móvil Nº 29, presun-tamente porque no se había de-tenido en un puesto de control.

Continuado en Pagina 12

A 25 años de la masacre en la UCA Todavía clamamos: ¡Justicia para los pueblos de América!“La verdadera enseñanza es una cierta clase de comunión, un acompañar vital que enseña al que recibe la enseñanza. Un educador, un maestro, lo es verdaderamente cuando muestra con hechos lo que predica”. - Ignacio Martín Baró*

Del 21 al 23 de noviembre, únete a miles de activistas de todo el continente americano, en la ciudad de Columbus, Georgia, para una de las más grandes y pacíficas conver-gencias anti-militaristas que se realiza en EEUU.

Líderes comunitarios, defen-sores de los derechos hu-manos, músicos, migrantes, monjas y religiosos, sindi-calistas, sobrevivientes de tortura, veteranos, artistas, jóvenes y familias se reunirán para la Vigilia anual frente a las puertas de Fort Benning para exigir el cierre de la Es-cuela de las Américas (SOA/WHINSEC) y para exigir el fin de las políticas racistas, violentas y opresivas que siguen afectando a comuni-dades aquí en EEUU como en el extranjero.

Este año no solamente se cumplen el 25 aniver-sario de la masacre en la Universidad de Centro Amer-ica (UCA), sino también

el 25 aniversario de lucha de nuestro movimiento el que sigue demandando el cierre de la Escuela de las Américas.

Las palabras de nuestro recor-dado mártir, Ignacio Martín Baró, - las que están arriba - son sencillas pero con un sen-tido muy profundo. Ellas nos caracterizan como movimiento.

¿Por qué?, sencillamente, porque hace 25 años que es-tamos desnudando y denunci-ando los horrores de la Escuela de las América, una institución nefasta.

Este trabajo titánico ha requeri-do de paciencia, de conse-cuencia y de mucho coraje, de todas y todos, en el sentido de educarnos y de enseñarnos, a nosotros mismos, cómo recor-rer este camino justo. Largo, muy largo, pero justo.

También llevamos 25 años caminando en solidaridad con nuestras hermanas y nuestros hermanos en toda América La-tina para clamar por la justicia, para recordar y dignificar a nuestros muertos y a nuestros desaparecidos, y para decir ¡nunca más!

En este caminar, hemos llegado a hermanarnos y a levantar

nuestras voces en un solo grito para decir ¡ya basta!

También reconocemos que las luchas tienen que conectarse y unirse. Las luchas que se viven cada día en la frontera entre EEUU y México, la lucha contra la deshumanización y maltrato a las y los migrantes, y la lucha histórica contra la militarización y criminal-ización de las comunidades en toda América por agentes estat-ales, como por la policía, como hemos visto aquí mismo, en la ciudad de Ferguson, Missouri.

Nuestra lucha es digna, y seguiremos mostrándole al mundo que una cultura de paz, con justicia y dignidad, es posible. No solamente con

nuestras palabras, sino también a través de nuestras acciones y por esto estaremos, una vez más, frente a la base militar de Fort Benning.

* Ignacio Martín Baró: sac-erdote jesuita asesinado en la masacre de la Universidad de Centro América (UCA) hecho sucedido en El Salvador el 16 de noviembre de 1989. Sus asesinos fueron egresados de la Escuela de las Américas.

Para más información, visite soaw.org/november

bers that arrived during prior migration waves.

June 28, 2014 marked the fifth anniversary of the military coup, led by SOA graduates, that ousted democratically-elected Honduran president Manuel Zelaya. Opposition to the coup and the resulting governments was widespread and continues to this day.

The United States worked dili-gently, against the overwhelm-ing opinion of the rest of Latin America, to guarantee that the coup regime remained in power. In 2009, Porfirio Lobo was elected in a process widely recognized as fraudulent and which was boycotted by coup opponents. In 2013, Juan Or-lando Hernández was elected in another tainted election. The US quickly recognized both results. Post-coup Honduran security forces have been the recipients of increased US military aid and training de-spite their well-known record of human rights violations and infiltration by the drug cartels they ostensibly combat.

This illogical, yet familiar pattern can only

be explained by the geopolitical importance of the “USS Hon-duras” to the Department of Defense. Since the coup, the

Pentagon has not only built up their Honduran Soto Cano Air Force Base, already the largest US military base in the region, but it has also built three new US military installations in Honduras.

www.SOAW.org/presente Page/Página 5

Children of the Monroe Doctrine: The Militarized Roots of the US Border CalamityThe border crisis can’t be solved without the US coming to terms with its role in helping to create the awful conditions that refugees are fleeing“[I]n the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States . . . to the exercise of an international police power.” -Theodore Roosevelt, 1904

Without acknowledging the historic relationship between the United States and Central America, it is impossible to un-derstand the root causes of the current wave of Central Ameri-cans arriving in the US. It is also impossible to decipher the appropriate US response to the unfolding crisis.

Unfortunately the debate in Congress and in the main-stream media has largely focused on whether or not the US has obligations under international humanitarian and refugee law or a moral duty to treat non-citizen children with compassion. The US needs to respond to this newest eruption in a long-running crisis by first coming to terms with its his-tory in Central America—and

accepting its share of respon-sibility in creating the current political, social, and economic conditions refugees are fleeing.

The “USS Honduras”The United States has long exercised control of Central America through military interventions or the financing, arming, and training of pro-US local elites and their armed forces. As far back as 1823, President Monroe declared the US the sole commercial and political power throughout the Western Hemisphere. By the 1880s, many Central American and Caribbean republics were reduced to “protectorates or in effect client states” of the US, according to historian John Coatsworth. During the

Banana Wars, the United States military inter-vened in Honduras seven times between 1903 and 1925. The 1954 CIA-orchestrated Guatemalan coup effectively sparked their civil war. It would cruelly last until 1996. In the 1980s, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala were inundated with US military aid and advisers. The “Banana Republic” of Honduras became a staging ground for US-trained armed forces fighting leftists in the three countries it borders

and so earned a new nickname - the “USS. Honduras.”

The School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) is the per-fect symbol of traditional US policy towards Central Amer-ica—applying military solu-tions to social and economic problems. Established in 1946, the SOA remains the only US military institute dedicated to training the security forces of one specific region of the world. During the Cold War, its curriculum was designed to “thwart armed communist insurgencies.” It continues to equate democracy with free markets. Graduates of the SOA include the most notorious Central Ameri-can human rights violators: members of the Battalion 316 in Honduras; the murderers of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the four US churchwomen, and over 900 civilians at El Mozote in El Salvador; and the former and current Presidents of Guatema-la (Efraín Ríos Montt and Otto Pérez Molina) connected to genocidal military campaigns in that country. Despite the Pentagon’s claims of change and transparency, they have

refused to release the names of SOA graduates for the last 10 years. The SOA continues to be part of the apparatus that enables US allies to commit human rights violations in the name of democracy.

The role of the US in the Cen-tral American civil conflicts of the 20th Century was not as much an aberration but an escalation of long-established relations. Local oligarchies and the US collaborate militarily to assure that the unequal politi-cal and economic status quos prevail. What was unprec-edented in the 1980s was the scale of the civilian carnage left behind by US-trained and financed armed forces, and the resulting large-scale arrival of Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and, to a lesser degree, Honduran refugees to the United States. From 1980 to 1990 the number of Central American-born peo-ple in the US roughly tripled from 353,900 to 1,134,000. By 2000, the number surpassed two million.

Although systemic violence and its accompanying destruc-tion of economic activity is at the root of the current wave of Central American migration, the choice to flee to the United States instead of another coun-try is also linked to the desire to reunite with family mem- Continued on Page 14

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Please support the movement to close the SOA and the upcoming November Vigil at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia with a generous donation today.

To make a donation online, visitwww.SOAW.org/donate

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To make a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more, please make your check out to the “SOA Watch Educational Fund.”

Please clip and return this form toSOA Watch - 5525 Illinois Ave NW - Washington, DC 20011

“We must apply our humble efforts to the construction of a more just and humane world. And I want to declare emphatically: Such a world is possible.

To create this new society, we must present outstretched and friendly hands, without hatred

and rancor, even as we show great determination and never waver in the defense of truth and justice.

Because we know that we cannot sow seeds with clenched fists. To sow we must open our hands.”

-Adolfo Perez Esquivel

Planned Giving Charitable BequestsAs a vital supporter in the movement, if you would like to make a lasting contribution to SOA Watch and assure that we continue our life-saving work in Latin America, please consider putting us in your Will.

A bequest is a gift made to SOA Watch through your Will. This is an excellent and easy way to make a lasting statement on how you value human rights. Your gift may be in the form of cash, stocks or bonds.

Questions/Concerns?Please contact our Development Coordinator Katherine Henao at kat@soaw.org or call our office at 202-234-3440.

More detailed information about Planned Giving / Charitable Bequests can be found online at soaw.org/plannedgiving

VolunteersHundreds of volunteers are needed to help make the vigil weekend possible. To sign up, contact María Luisa at 202-234-3440 or marialuisa@soaw.org.

Donations To organize the November Vigil we need to raise $50,000 by October to pay for high-quality sound and stage equipment, rent the Columbus Conven-tion Center, print materials for outreach, and more. The Vigil depends on people like you to make it happen. Please make a generous contribution to SOA Watch to cover the upcoming expenses. Donations can be made online at SOAW.org/donate, or mailed to: SOA Watch5525 Illinois Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20011

For more information, visit SOAW.org/november

SOAW.org/presente Page/Página 7

Getting to ColumbusThinking about joining us for this year’s Vigil? Be sure to make travel plans soon! Travel by car, by bus, ride share or by air. For more infor-mation visit SOAW.org/november

Staying in Columbus Visit our website for a list of hotels and campgrounds. For more information on rates and availability, contact Ashley at the Columbus Visitor’s Bureau at 1-800-999-1613.

Join a Working Group!The annual November Vigil would not be possible without the support, creativ-ity and organization of people within the movement! Each year, hundreds of people volunteer their time and put in countless hours of work to make all the magic happen. Would you be inter-ested in different ways of participat-ing in the November Vigil? Consider joining one of the November Vigil Working Groups and let us know how you can help! For more information, please contact María Luisa at marialuisa@soaw.org or call 202-234-3440.

Here are some of the Working Groups that might be of interest to you:

Bilingual Space Collective – contact Marcos, bilingualspace@soaw.orgConference Working Group – contact karolina@soaw.org Families to Close the SOA – contact Nancy, families@soaw.orgLegal Collective – contact Alison, alison@soaw.orgCommunications Collective – contact media@soaw.org Puppetistas – puppetistas@soaw.orgPeacemakers - peacemakers@soaw.orgLegislative - arturo@soaw.org

November Vigil Schedule of EventsMonday – Friday, November 17 – 21• Puppet building in ColumbusFriday, November 21• Workshops, trainings, teach-ins, film screenings and discussions Saturday, November 22• Massive rally & Vigil at Stewart Detention Center • Workshops, trainings, teach-ins, film screenings and discussions • Rally, march, puppetista pageant and concert in Columbus, GeorgiaSunday, November 23• Veterans-led march to the gates of Fort Benning• Ceremony, vigil and solemn funeral procession honoring the martyrs and commemorating the victims and survivors of SOA violence For more information, visit SOAW.org/november

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Thirty-three Young Leaders from 18 Countries Gather at SOA Watch Youth Encuentroby Brigitte Gynther, SOA Watch Latin America Liaison

Pain. Joy. Sorrow. Happiness. New friendships. Dynamism. Energy.All of these feelings and so many morepermeated the SOA Watch Youth Encuentro in Venezuela this July, where I had the privilege of joining 33 amazing young leaders from 18 countries across the Americas. All of these amazing young people are on the front lines of struggles for justice and self-determi-nation in their communities, standing up against militarization and empire. Day-to-day they are defending their communities from being poisoned by multinational mining companies, calling for justice for their disappeared family members, prosecuting military officials responsible for human rights violations, demanding respect for Indig-enous autonomy, organizing against deporta-tions and deaths on the border, and construct-ing alternatives to corporate looting and the militarization of our hemisphere.

We gathered to share struggles, strategies, and dreams for building a world where all people have the right to justice and self-determination. We cried together with one participant as he shared about the military state of siege declared in his municipality and the recent murder of a close friend, all for stand-ing up against a Canadian silver mine. We resisted looking away as another participant shared photo after photo of Indigenous people murdered, bloodied, and attacked for defend-ing their communities from destruction by a corporate dam. We shared stories of pain and resistance, of families displaced by armed con-flicts and bodies found in the desert, and also stories of hope and autonomy, of building food sovereignty and of people and countries determining their own paths. This discussion of alternatives was complemented by a much-awaited trip at the end of the Encuentro to the home community of one of the Venezuelan participants, where we witnessed just how possible it is to build another world, community by community, country by country.

Encuentro de Jóvenes Líderes“Enraizados en resistencia, sembrando

soberanía”PronunciamentoDurante las últimas décadas, en nuestra América se viene reconfigurado las fuer-zas políticas que componen el continente con la aparición de varios gobiernos de carácter progresista, espacios de inte-gración regional - UNASUR, ALBA, MERCOSUR, CELAC - y la rearticu-lación de los movimientos populares que se presentan como una alternativa frente a la hegemonía del imperialismo norteamericano.

Las respuestas a esta disputa por el con-trol del territorio presenta varios niveles de injerencia que van desde la interven-ción militar hasta acciones planificadas con el fin de resguardar los privilegios de las clases dominantes que se sostienen en el poder imponiendo el sistema capitalista, en su fase neoliberal.

Es así que en América operan aproxi-madamente 76 bases militares estadoun-idenses. La militarización se viene expresando a través de ejercicios con-juntos y cursos de adiestramiento para las fuerzas armadas y fundamentalmente policiales de nuestros países, además de reuniones continentales de altos mandos que entre otros se traducen en políticas represivas y de criminalización a diri-gentes y luchador@s populares, personas indocumentadas, pueblos indígenas y negros, comunidades campesinas y el campo popular en su conjunto.

Asimismo, los marcos jurídicos es-tán siendo modificados en función de una mirada que va en detrimento de la soberanía y la autodeterminación de los pueblos entendiendo que se pierde cada vez mas la capacidad para decidir nuestro futuro. En este contexto los estados viene implementando políticas publicas que favorecen la llegada de inversión extran-jera, principalmente de las actividades extractivas y megaproyectos de infrae-structura, cuyo objetivo es la acumu-lación a partir de los recursos naturales Continued on Page 13

www.SOAW.org/presente Page/Página 11renovables y no renovables, especial-mente en el caso de la minería en la que se utilizan grandes cantidades de agua y energía, imponiéndose así la lógica del saqueo a nuestros pueblos.

Las modificaciones a los marcos jurídi-cos también se expresan en reformas en sectores estructurales como el educa-tivo, financiero, ambiental, energético, telecomunicaciones, salud y seguridad social, solo por nombrar a los que son comunes a las realidades de nuestros países. Entre las más lesivas, por su impacto directo e inmediato en la vida de millones de familias, se encuentra la precarización y flexibilización de las condiciones de trabajo. Un ejemplo de esto es la situación de opresión y explo-tación de millones de migrantes en los Estados Unidos.

Estas realidades mantienen un contexto de violación de derechos humanos -tor-turas, desapariciones forzadas, exilio, persecución violación, entre otros – que aumentan la larga tradición de impuni-dad que gozan los responsables de los crímenes cometidos durante las dicta-duras cívico militares, gobiernos autori-tarios y prácticas coloniales, muchas de las cuales aun permanecen. La respues-ta a esto debe ser la recuperación de la memoria histórica, el enjuiciamiento, la reparación a las víctimas y la decisión política de poner fin a tan condenables prácticas.

Nosotras y nosotros, reafirmamos nues-tra convicción por la construcción de un continente libre y soberano, en armonía con la madre tierra, donde los pueblos orientemos el rumbo de nuestros pasos liberados del imperialismo, el capitalis-mo, la violencia, la injusticia, la explo-tación, la opresión, la discriminación, el racismo y el patriarcado.

Conocedores de nuestra responsabilidad histórica, llamamos a l@s jóvenes a organizarse y continuar con la lucha por una vida digna, con justicia social para todas y todos.

¡Por la unidad de Nuestra América! Venezuela, julio del 2014

Programación lunes – viernes, 17 al 21 de noviembre• Construcción de títeres en Columbus viernes 21 de noviembre• Talleres, capacitaciones, ciclos de cine y discusiones sabado 22 de noviembre• Manifestación masiva & vigilia frente al Centro de Detención de Stewart• Talleres, capacitaciones, ciclos de cine y discusiones • Manifestación, marcha, desfile de los puppetistas y concierto en Columbus domingo 23 de noviembre• Marcha a Fort Benning, liderada por veteranos• Ceremonia, vigilia y procesión solemne funebre honrando a las y los mártires y conmemorando a las vícti-mas y sobrevivientes de la violencia de la Escuela de las Américas

Constructor@s de PazSe necesita cient@s de voluntari@s para que el fin de semana de la Vigilia sea posible. Para sumarse, póngase en contacto con María Luisa, marialuisa@soaw.org o llame al 202-234-3440. Si quiere unirse a l@s Constructor@s de Paz, póngase en contacto con Kathleen, peacemakers@soaw.org

Únese a un grupo de trabajo!La Vigilia anual no sería posible sin el apoyo, la creatividad y la organización de personas dentro del movimiento! Cada año, cientos de personas ofrecen su tiempo y dedican incontables horas de trabajo para hacer posible toda la magia. ¿Estaría interesad@ en las dis-tintas formas de participar en la Vigilia de noviembre? ¡Considere unirse a uno de los grupos de trabajo para la Vigilia de noviembre y déjenos saber cómo

puede apoyar! Para más información, póngase en contacto con María Luisa a marialuisa@soaw.org o al 202-234-3440. Aquí están algunos grupos de trabajo que podrían interesarle:

Colectivo para un Espacio Bilingüe Marcos, bilingualspace@soaw.org

Grupo de Trabajo para Conferencias Karolina, karolina@soaw.org

Familias por el cierre de la SOA Nancy, families@soaw.org

Colectivo LegalAlison, alison@soaw.org

Colectivo de ComunicacionesHendrik, hvoss@soaw.org

PuppetistasJake, puppetistas@soaw.org

Grupo de Trabajo Legislativo Arturo, arturo@soaw.org

Viajando a Columbus¿Ha pensado en unirse a nosotr@s para la Vigilia este año? ¡Asegúrese de comen-zar a hacer planes para viajar pronto! Puede viajar a Columbus en auto, en autobus, viajes compartidos y, por vía aérea. Visite soaw.org/november para más información.

Su estancia en Columbus Visite nuestra página web para una lista de hoteles y lugares para acampar. Para in-formación sobre tari-fas y disponibilidad, póngase en contacto con Ashley de la Ofi-cina para Visitantes de Columbus al 1-800-999-1613.

21-23 de Noviembre 2014Exigir el Cierre de la Escuela de la Escuela de las AmericasResistiendo el Militarismo y Promoviendo una Cultura de PazCongreguémonos en solidaridad contra la represión.

Lucha para poner fin a las políticas opresivas que causan violencia en todo el hemisferio.

Page/Página 12 Fall / Otoño 2014

Solidaridad con HaitíEl 12 de junio fue el inicio de la Copa del Mundo en Brasil, y mundial fue el olvido en los campos de los grandes medios de comunicación sobre los 10 años de la ocupación militar en Haití coman-dada por el mismo país anfitrión de este mundial.

En Caldono (departamento del Cauca), el 30 de marzo, los miembros de la Brigada Móvil Nº 29 mataron a tiros a un indígena nasa de 57 años de la reserva kiwea sat tama.”

Hay más casos. Pero preo-cupa a la Alta Comisionada “que estos casos se consid-eraron “errores militares” o “errores invencibles”. En la práctica los comandantes militares no han asumido plenamente las correspon-dientes responsabilidades

En el año del bicentenario del secuestro y muerte del líder de la revolución haitiana, Toussaint-Louverture, el 1 de junio de 2004, tras el golpe y secuestro del presidente legíti-mamente electo Jean-Bertrand Aristides, fue impuesta la Misión de Estabilización de las Naciones Unidas en Haití (MINUSTAH), infringiendo esto el derecho de la autodeter-minación del pueblo haitiano.

A la fecha, van 10 años de esta intervención y las dis-tintas resoluciones de la ONU no consideran al 89% de la población que dicen no a la ocupación, que nada tiene de humanitaria, y reivindican su retirada.

Graves delitos en contra a los derechos humanos, tales como acosos y violaciones sexuales, represión a los movimientos populares, tortura, invasión de residencias privadas, asesina-tos de civiles y el contagio del cólera no es lo que se esperaba de una misión que se autoproc-lama “de Paz” y no pueden ser considerados sencillamente como “daños colaterales”. Estas son parte de las denun-cias más frecuentes contra esta fuerza de ocupación de la ONU que cuesta 600 millones de dólares anuales, recursos que podrían ser destinados a cual-quiera de las abisales carencias sociales en que vive el país, tras tantos siglos de empobrec-imiento por asaltos de distintos imperios.

Es en repudio a la “estabili-zación” del orden imperante, donde prevalece el dominio de las grandes empresas, de la mano de obra barata, de las zonas francas, de la violación a la soberanía y derecho de los pueblos de autodefinir sus caminos que decimos No a la Misión de Estabilización, que a 10 años muestra su carácter de ocupación militar, política y económica de Haití.

Misiones auténticamente humanitarias han realizado los gobiernos de Cuba y

Venezuela que han entregado a Haití ayuda energética, alimen-ticia y humana con ofreci-miento de servicios de atención médica y terapéutica. Ellos representan la mejor manera de hacer honor a este valiente pueblo heredero de Louver-ture que fue el primero que se liberó en Nuestra América del yugo de la dependencia colonial y de la esclavitud y se solidarizó con las demás luchas de pueblos hermanos. Retirar las tropas de MINUSTAH es lo mínimo en lo que se puede llamar: retribuir.

Finalmente, diversas orga-nizaciones regionales, entre ellas SOAW, han comenzado una nueva campaña para decir BASTA a la ocupación militar del pueblo de Haití.

Recomendamos: www.haitinominustah.info

Photo de Coronel Bochi

Colombia: La nueva “Escuela de las Américas” Continuado de la Página 4

institucionales en lo que re-specta a la verdad, la justicia, la disciplina, la reparación y la no repetición,” indica el informe.

SOAW sostiene que el en-trenamiento que ha dado la Escuela de las Américas del Ejército de EEUU a Colom-bia ha sido negativo para el respeto de los derechos humanos y Colombia es el país que más soldados reciben entrenamiento de EEUU. En el 2012 se entrenaron 1051 soldados colombianos y en el

2013 fueron 798.

No es extraño por lo mismo encontrar a militares colom-bianos que hayan recibido entrenamiento en EEUU o que hayan sido instructores y que estén implicados en crímenes contra los derechos humanos. Como por ejemplo, el actual Comandante en Jefe del Ejército Nacional de Co-lombia, Jaime Lasprilla Vil-lamizar, quien en el período 2006-2007, dirigió la Novena Brigada en el departamento de Huila de Colombia, y que

fue responsable de al menos 75 homicidios de civiles bajo su mando.

Lasprilla fue instructor de la Escuela de las Américas, hoy conocida como WHINSEC, en 2002-2003, y estudió durante un año en la Universidad de Defensa Nacional en Wash-ington en 2005-2006.

Una investigación de John Lindsay-Poland indica que “en el 2002, sobre oficiales del ejército de Colombia que pasaron un año como instruc-

tores o tomaron el curso de comando en WHINSEC entre 2001 y 2003, encontró que 12 de los 25 oficiales a quienes se les pudo rastrear cargos posteriores, habían sido acusados de serios crímenes o habían dirigido unidades en donde soldados habían cometido múltiples asesinatos extrajudiciales. Sin embargo, WHINSEC, sigue evaluando sus éxitos según el número de gradua-dos que ascienden a posicio-nes importantes.”

Padre Melo to return to the gates of Fort Benning for the November VigilWe are honored to announce that Father Ishmael Moreno, a Jesuit priest from Honduras, who is known as Padre Melo, is returning to the gates of Fort Benning for the 2014 November Vigil, to commemorate the martyrs, and to speak about the current situation in Honduras.

Padre Melo is the director of Radio Progresso, a radio station based in northern Honduras which has highlighted human rights abuses since the SOA graduate-led military coup of June 2009. Padre Melo and other Radio Progresso employees have received multiple death threats. Religious workers, labor leaders, human rights defenders and journalists have been especially victimized in the wave of threats, abductions and murders following the 2009 coup in Honduras.

He is from the Central American Province of Jesuits and worked in El Salvador after his colleagues and friends (16-year old Celina Ramos, her mother Elba Ramos and the six Jesuit priests Ignacio Ellacuría, SJ, Ignacio Martín-Baró, SJ, Segundo Montes, SJ, Juan Ramón Moreno, SJ, Joaquín López y López, SJ, Amando López, SJ) were murdered on

the campus of the Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeón Cañas”, in San Salvador, El Salvador. The murders were committed by SOA-trained soldiers on November 16, 1989.

Militarism and the art of molding consciencea reflection by Padre Melo

www.SOAW.org/presente Page/Página 13

The theme of the Encuentro was “Rooted in Resistance, Sowing Sovereignty.” While in the US, we often do not think in terms of sovereignty, in Latin America, “soberanía” (the Spanish word for sover-eignty) describes the growing movement to affirm self-de-termination and independence from empire, the weaving of unique and diverse initiatives that reflect equally unique and diverse cultures and histories.

Before leaving, the young lead-ers made commitments, includ-ing to deepen and strengthen the network of young activists throughout the Americas, to hold actions on November 21 while we are gathered at Ft. Benning, and to remember 16-year old Topacio Reynoso, a dear friend of one of the participants who was murdered in Guatemala this April for her leadership in the struggle against a multinational min-ing company that threatens to poison her community’s water, land, and lives. Join them in taking action by signing a petition calling for justice in Topacio’s murder today: soaw.org/topacio.

As the Encuentro came to a close and we all said emotional good-byes, the young leaders issued an insightful declaration

Youth Encuentro continued from Page 10

analyzing the current realities of our hemisphere – includ-ing military training and joint meetings of military officials, criminalization of social move-ment leaders, and structural reforms that favor corporate profits, especially in extractive industries such as mining, over the welfare of communities. The declaration -- which you can read at soaw.org/ declara-tion --also analyzes the hopeful trends, including the reconfigu-ration of power and increas-ing regional integration and articulation of alternatives to US imperialism coming from Latin America, closing with these words:

“We reaffirm our conviction to building a free and sover-eign continent, in harmony with Mother Earth, whereas the people we determine the direction of our steps, free of imperialism, capitalism, vio-lence, injustice, exploitation, oppression, discrimination,

racism, and patriarchy.

Grounded in the under-standing of our historical

responsibility, we call on the young people of the Ameri-

cas to organize and continue the struggle for a dignified life, with social justice for

everyone.

For the unity of our America!”

They say that in today’s Bolivia, the military dedicates part of its time to kneeding dough to make bread. For their part, the government and the military of Honduras are dedicated to kneeding the conscience of children so as to develop militaristic mentality, attitudes, and practices.

Honduras needs programs to prevent violence, support health and education, address youth unemployment, and pro-mote dialogue, peace and jus-tice with children. Instead, the government, in open collusion with the military and the gov-ernment of the United States, implements a militaristic youth program called “Guardians of the Country.”

This forms the conscience of children and adolescents with militaristic values and a false patriotism and which views

those who demand justice and respect for human rights as a threat and danger. Instead of promoting dialogue, the military shapes the child’s conscience to view those struggling for social change as enemies to be eliminated. The military has lost no time; the “Guardians of the Coun-try” initiative is not new and has been in place for many years, but it has been recently intensified. And its implemen-tation counts with the advice and financial assistance of the government of the United States, whose response to the Honduran crisis has been a proposal of “authoritarian and exclusionary democracy.” Instead of kneading dough to make bread, the military is training our children for the hotbed of a militarized society; at the same time, the children

and youth are the principal victims of this model based on extracting the concentra-tion of goods and capital and social and political exclusion. The most dramatic example are the boys and girls migrat-ing, captured and deported as delinquents; together with the militarization of childhood, this is the most extreme ex-pression of discrimination and social exclusion.

While one sector of youth and children seek the road north or the path of the gangs or fall into the clutches of organized crime, the young people from marginalized neighborhoods fall into the clutches of the military who molds their hearts and minds so that they are violent and respond with arms when faced by their Honduran brothers and sisters.

Page/Página 14 Fall / Otoño 2014

Presente is the newspaper of the movement to close the SOA. It is published two times a year and sent to subscribers. Several thousand additional copies are distributed by local activists and organizers. Visit soaw.org/presente to read and comment on articles.

SOA Watch CouncilGiuliani Alvarenga, Rachel Reist, Jerry King, Jeanine Pitas, Liz Deligio, Ken Hayes, Kate Speltz, Theresa Cam-eranesi, Pedro-Jesus Romero-Menéndez, Ray Del Papa

SOA Watch StaffKarolina Babic, Father Roy Bourgeois, Pablo Ruiz Espinosa, Katherine Henao, Brigitte Gynther, Jenne Ristau, María Luisa Rosal, Arturo J. Viscarra, Hendrik Voss

Contact SOA Watch5525 Illinois Ave NWWashington, DC 20011Phone: 202-234-3440Email: info@soaw.orgWeb: www.SOAW.org

Subscriptionssoaw.org/subscribe

Distributor NetworkSpread the word in your com-munity. Distribute Presente soaw.org/distribute

Connecting the DotsSo far this year, 29% of the unaccom-panied minors who have surrendered to Border Patrol are from Honduras. It should be no surprise that for the first time Honduras has become the number one source of Central American migra-tion. US-backed Honduran regimes have exacerbated lawlessness, violence, and economic alienation over the last five years. The current wave of children and adults fleeing Central America is partly due to the continuation of the supremacy of Pentagon whim over the basic needs of the poor majority of Cen-tral America.

It is imperative we consider why Nicaraguans are not migrating en masse despite facing similar historical, economic, and imperialist obsta-cles as other Central American countries

In 1985, the International Court of Justice ruled that the United States owed Nicaragua reparations for sup-porting the Contras and mining Nica-ragua’s harbor. The US’ ruthless efforts to topple the rebel Sandinistas would temporarily prevail when war-weary Nicaraguans voted them out in 1990 elections. But after 16 years of relative peace (and neo-liberal policies), Nicara-guans voted the Sandinistas back to power in 2006 and again in 2012.

Children of the Monroe Doctrine Continued from Page 5

Despite similar levels of poverty, it is undeniable that Nicaragua’s far lower levels of violence and forced migration differentiate it greatly from its neigh-bors. It is also undeniable that its mili-tary and security policies have devel-oped differently due to repeated breaks from the Pentagon’s orbit, including withdrawal from the SOA/WHINSEC in 2012. Even the US has conceded that the Sandinista “community polic-ing” model has been successful and is now promoting a version of it in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala

as part of the solution to the child migrant crisis.

Since 2008, the United States has spent over $800 million in security aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador

through the Central American Regional Security Initiative as well as millions more in bilateral military and police aid to each country. But when that money goes to the likes of Honduras’s cartel-infiltrated politicians and brutal security forces, is it surprising that the rule of law further deteriorates?

Central Americans are suffering ex-treme levels of violence, while there has been zero impact on rates of drug use in the United States.

In 2013, after nearly 200 years, Sec-retary of State John Kerry declared the era of the Monroe Doctrine over. Despite the statement, it appears that business as usual continues for the Pentagon and its corrupt allies in Honduras and Guatemala.

As record numbers of Central American refugees and immigrants are detained at the border, the media and policymakers need to take a hard look and admit that these children are the progeny of past and current armed conflicts funded by US taxpayers. If the United States is actually going to treat the root causes of Central American migration, the simplistic, politically-motivated, and conspiratorial right-wing blaming of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) must be dismissed, and the Pentagon’s standard alarmist and racist proclivity towards further militariza-tion must be ignored. Honest, bold, and research-based reevaluations of the Drug War and overall foreign policy towards the region must first be con-ducted and new policies implemented for conditions in Central America to improve anytime soon.

For more information, visit soaw.org/rootsofmigration

As record numbers of Central American refugees and

immigrants are detained at the border, the media and

policymakers need to take a hard look and admit that these

children are the progeny of past and current armed conflicts

funded by US taxpayers.

www.SOAW.org/presente Page/Página 15

Father Roy’s Speaking Tour Hear SOA Watch founder Father Roy speak about US foreign policy and the struggle to close the SOA.

Sept. 17-22: Illinois, Chicago, Champaign-Urbana, Naperville, Contact: 847-682-1056

October 1: Indiana, Notre Dame University, Contact:574-233-7057

October 7 - 8: Michigan, Ann Arbor, Contact:734-276-9000

October 12: Pennsylvania - Lan-cester, Contact: 717-203-6425

October 25-27: Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Contact:225-907-6861, New Orleans, Contact: 504-710-3074

November 7: Tennessee - NashvilleContact: 931-964-2119

To set up an event with Father Roy, contact the SOA Watch office in Columbus at 706-682-5369

the 2009 coup against democratically-elected President Zelaya and continue to lead a repressive campaign to silence Honduran dissent.

This year, we also lift up the names of Yvette Smith, Ezell Ford, Mike Brown and others, as we recognize those Black men, women and children killed by the hands of someone employed or pro-tected by the US government. Every 28 hours, a Black person is extrajudicially killed by US police, security guards or vigilantes, according to a Malcolm X Grassroots Movement report. The racist violence we export to Latin America has been practiced here at home for centuries and continues to this day.

But by connecting and creating fun and imaginative acts of resistance, we continue the struggle. All the opposition

Resist Empire in the AmericasOur Struggles Stand TogetherContinued from Page 1

we face from state forces, whether it’s the Columbus police attempting to keep us from the main gates of Fort Benning, militarized police attacking Ferguson protesters, or the murder of 16-year-old anti-mining activist Topacio Reynoso in Guatemala -- all of this opposition will make us stronger.

So join us today! Street artist César Maxit and SOA Watch developed a series of posters at soaw.org/poster for you to spread the word about the impact of the SOA throughout this fall. This November, converge on Columbus to honor the memory of Padre Nacho and all those murdered by SOA-trained forces. Show that no matter the obstacles, we will continue lifting up a united voice for justice and self-determination across our America!

History is made by movements of peo-ple who organize themselves to struggle collectively for a better world.

SOA Watch is grateful to over 200

You ARE the Movement!Presente distributors, who are educating their communities about the reality of US foreign policy; and to local orga-nizers, who are organizing teach-ins in the lead up to the November Vigil,

filling buses for the trip to Georgia, and putting up posters on walls across the Americas.

The photo collage on the cover of this issue features stilt walkers at the 2014 Day of Memory celebra-tion in Guatemala City The Youth Encuentro Thousands at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia Cindy Zavala, aka La SalvadoReina, the MC at the SOA Watch Days of Action concert, during a rally to stop deportations

SOA Watch Youth Encuentro partici-pants in Venezuela Mobilization ¡Fuera Bases Gringas! in front of the US military base Palm-erola in Honduras Pasting up the Tomás García poster from the “greatly MISSED” poster series (soaw.org/posters) screenshots from the “Nos Hacen Mucha Falta: They Are Missed” video (soaw.org/video) mural on the wall of an autonomous Zapatista school in Chiapas, Mexico banner at an SOA Watch protest in front of the White House in DC

Musicians, puppetistas, and other artists are a tremendously important part of the movement to close the SOA. The poster in the center of this issue depicts attacks against communities in Latin America, refugees fleeing the violence over the Río Grande, the militarized border and the protest at the gates of the SOA. The poster was created by

MasPaz, a DC-based artist who was adopted from an orphanage in Bogotá, Colombia, when he was one year old. His family then moved to the Washing-ton, DC area where he grew up.

About every two years, MasPaz travels back to Colombia to reconnect with family friends and visit the orphanage. It is his mission to help those in need. He works to spread the message of Mas Paz (more peace), by sharing positive imagery and promoting a culture of peace and justice.

Support movement artists! For more information about MasPaz and other artists who have contributed their work to this and previous issues of Presente, visit soaw.org/artists

Download at soaw.org/posters