School of the Americas Watch

School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch) is a grass-roots organization dedicated to closing a U.S. military training facility called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC) (formerly School of the Americas, SOA). Controversy surrounding the school grew when evidence surfaced that various graduates had committed human rights violations, and that official training manuals taught and encouraged torture. In November of 1989, six Jesuit priests and two women were killed at the University of Central America (UCA) by Salvadoran soldiers trained at the SOA. Months later, SOA Watch was founded by a Catholic priest named Roy Bourgeois in a small apartment outside the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia, where the school is located. His goal was to use nonviolent action to bring attention to the school. Since then, SOA Watch has grown into an international organization with full-time staff members, interns, and volunteers throughout the United States and Canada.

The primary action initiated by SOA Watch is an annual vigil on the anniversary of the UCA murders at the gates of Fort Benning. In the early years these vigils were small, but in 1995, 13 people committed civil disobedience by “crossing the line” onto the property of Fort Benning. Their arrest and jail time brought attention to the fledgling movement, and by 1999 12,000 people attended the demonstration and more than 4,000 crossed the line. The format consists of an afternoon of nonviolent training followed by a day of demonstration and rallying. The next day is a funeral procession and names of the dead are called out and, to honor them, those participating return “presente” or present. Other actions taken by SOA Watch members include die-ins, fasts, media attention, and legislative efforts. In 1996, Carol Richardson opened the SOA Watch legislative office in Washington, D.C. Since then, protestors have gathered in Washington, D.C., every spring for legislative rallies and lobbying.

In addition to its council and regional representatives, SOA Watch relies on working groups, which organize national demonstrations, legislative campaigns, and media efforts. Numerous local groups educate communities, coordinate local legislation, organize transportation to demonstrations, and support those who choose civil disobedience. SOA Watch has also benefited from collaboration with other organizations and the attention of high profile individuals such as Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon, and Sister Helen Prejean, who often attend the November vigil.

There have been several anti-SOA bills introduced to Congress and the school officially closed in 2000, though it was reopened less than a month later under its new name. In spite of the name change, SOA Watch has continued its pressure and continues to grow.