More pictures below info!
Event Info:
Dear Friends,We are excited to welcome you to our 3rd Encuentro, with the theme this year, “Dismantle Border Imperialism! Fight, Create, Power to the People.”
We have an exciting weekend planned with workshops, actions, and a concert in Mexico. One of the critical events of our time together will include a vigil at Eloy Detention Center – one of the deadliest detention facilities in the United States. Check out the weekend’s events here and check out our social media for livestreams of workshops and other updates.
During this year’s Encuentro, we will also uplift and remember the Salvadoran martyrs that gave their lives speaking truth to power 29 years ago today – six Jesuits priests, Elba and Celina Ramos were murdered at the University of Central America by the Salvadoran army, trained at the School of the Americas. It is with their spirit that we send the message that when our communities are under attack, we stand up and fight back.
Beyond the activities planned, this weekend will also be a time for our community to connect, resist, and build the power of our movement. Moreover, this weekend will be a chance for us to stand united in our resolve to fight back – and most importantly to win – because we know that nothing is stronger than the power of the people.
As the asylum seekers’ caravan from Honduras and other countries across Central America approaches the U.S. border, our collective message of ending border imperialism could not be more important. We urge you to join us however you can – in person or online to uplift our message of solidarity and collective liberation. With escalating attacks from the Trump administration towards Black and Brown communities our united voices will signal that the fight is far from over.
We hope to see you throughout the weekend and we stand in solidarity with our communities far and near who are standing against U.S. imperialism.
¡Ya basta!
SOA Watch
ENCUENTRO TRAVEL TIPS
– Don’t forget to register for the Encuentro. If your organization would like to endorse the Encuentro, please do so here.
– Bring a form of identification (US Passport, Driver’s License, LPR Card, Work Permit, etc)
– Wear comfortable walking shoes and WARM clothing. Temperatures are dropping, so check the weather forecast to pack accordingly!
– Wear sun protection and bring a water bottle. Remember you are coming to the Sonora Desert. Stay hydrated. Water is life.
– For any and all legal questions, please contact the Legal Collective at southernarizona@nlg.org. There will be a 24-hour legal hotline throughout the weekend: 520-462-3440
– For any other questions, please contact SOA Watch at 202-234-3440
ENCUENTRO WEEKEND INFORMATION
– Weekend Schedule of Events here
– Download the full Encuentro Program here
– Full schedule of workshops & Panels* here
*While crossing from the US into Mexico does not require much time, crossing from Mexico into the US does (on weekends, the lines can take up to 2 hours or more). Please keep this in mind as you view the weekend schedule of events and make your decisions accordingly.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
– We will be informing and updating on the Encuentro throughout the weekend! Plug in by following us on social media:
Twitter @SOAWatch ; Facebook @SchoolOfTheAmericasWatch ; Instagram @SOAWatch
– Use our hashtags:
#BorderEncuentro2018 #LucharCrearPoderPopular #StruggleCreatePowerToThePeople #NoBanNoWalls
#SOAWatch #CloseSOA #NoMasSOA
SOA Watch
The movement to close the SOA is a community, and all ideas are welcome.
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SOA Watch, 225 E 26th St, Suite 7, Tucson, AZ 85713
11/17/2018 8:40 AM
Hi all,
Just a quick check in to let you know we are safe and **BUSY**!!! I have a few minutes this morning that I thought I would share what has been going on so far here in Nogales.
Yesterday was a packed day. We mingled with and met people from all around the country yesterday morning the Hotel Americana in Nogales. At 1:00 we caravanned to Tucson to protest Milkor USA (milkorusa.com – it’s a disgusting website) at the subcontractor in Tucson, called Abrams Airborne Manufacturing. Milkor partnered with them to created the major components of the a 40mm multi-shot grenade launcher). The protest went well – there were about 200 people and George Martin was there! The Tucson Police actually came and helped out due to the crowd size and they even decided to shut down the part of the street we were on to do an impromptu march.
After that we caravanned to Eloy, AZ to hold a rally and vigil a the ICE Detention Center. There was music, art, poetry, speakers, signing, dancing. Two of the speakers had actually spent time in the Eloy detention center and are now speaking out in their activism. At the end all 300-400 people lined the sidewalk in front of the detention center, sang and made noise. we could see people inside jumping up and down and sending us signals of acknowledgement in various ways. They knew we were there and felt the love and support. This rally/vigil portion of the day lasted 3 hours. We then travelled back to Nogales and crashed!
Today we are starting off the day with a walk to the border led by Veterans for Peace (they have a strong presence here) at 7:30am. Today is tabling and workshop day that will go to about 6pm. Our GPUS/GPAX table is on the Mexico side. Then at 7:30pm is a concert at the Border wall with a lineup of great artists and featuring Rebel Diaz, a hip hop artist who has been affected personally by the issues.
Tomorrow all the activities take place at the border wall. Father Roy Bourgeois will be speaking along with many others. I will report out on that when I can. We will be leaving Nogales tomorrow after the Border Encuentro closing to head back to Salt Lake, stopping for the night in Flagstaff and then finishing our journey on Monday.
The entire schedule of activities is at this link (it is a pdf): http://www.soaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018_SOAW_ENCUENTO_PROGRAM__LINEAR_PDF_WITH_PAGINATION.pdf
I took the liberty of having 10 lawn signs made that split up what is on our banner (attached). I have the banner, but I wasn’t sure how two of us would be able to use it in the various activities, so I had this done to at least have something with GPAX on it to hold/display. I also had a table runner done by my sign guy and it is absolutely gorgeous. He even threw in a green table cloth to put under it. I will be sure to take a pic today and share. One of the attached photos is of me holding one of the signs, standing beside Georg, at the afternoon protest.
Whew!
Peace,
Dee
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