On Tuesday, September 13th the Denver Justice and Peace Committee  and The Casa Mayan welcomed Arturo J. Viscarra from The School of the America Watch (SOAW).

After holding an annual vigil at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia, the human rights group SOA Watch is moving its convergence to become bi-national at the U.S./Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona/ Sonora Mexico. Arturo discussed the process that lead to this move, the urgency of the humanitarian crises in Mexico and Central America, the changing definitions and demographics of solidarity, and how you can plug in and join the Encuentro in Arizona and/or Mexico. After 25 years focusing on the Vigil outside of the gates of the School of the Americas, this initiative is both bold and necessary given the current political climate.

We had the opportunity to learn more about what will happen on October 7th-10th in Nogales Sonora/Arizona and the ways in which it relates to various forms of state violence, including but not limited to police brutality, mass incarceration, and the criminal ‘justice’ system.

Thank you to all the  organizers from the Denver Justice and Peace Committee (DJPC), Casa Mayan for Auraria Student Action (CASA), Auraria Casa Mayan Heritage (ACMH), the University of Denver, and the Latin America Center at Korbel – Denver University and Regis University.

Watch the video of the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uaDqK8_kw4