Dear Kevin,
In just 10 days we will join together for the 2017 Border Encuentro! November 10-12, grassroots activists from across the Americas will converge in Ambos Nogales – Tucson – Eloy for workshops, forums, protests, concerts and vigils to demand:
- An end to Plan Mérida and the Alliance for Prosperity
- Demilitarization and divestment of the borders
- An end to US economic, military and political intervention in Latin America and the closure of the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC)
- An end to the racist system of oppression that criminalize and kill migrants, refugees and communities of color
- Respect, dignity, justice and the right to self-determination of communities
Isabel García invites you to join SOA Watch’s Border Encuentro:
Important tips to remember as you prepare to join us next week:
- Register! If you haven’t registered for the 2017 Border Encuentro yet, please do so. We want to make sure everyone gets a printed program! For more information about the Encuentro, visit www.SOAW.org/border
- Bring your own water bottle! Bring an extra to share! Remember that water is life! You are traveling to the desert and water is a precious resource. We will have water stations for you to refill your water bottles throughout the weekend. Hundreds of people have died from dehydration while crossing the Arizona-Sonora desert. Let us honor them by being mindful of the ways we consume water.
- Know your rights! Arizona is known for it’s racist anti-immigrant policies – be prepared by knowing your rights. Find more information HERE. US citizens, bring your passport; US Permanent Residents, bring your unexpired green card and a valid state/federal ID; TPS, bring your EAD and a state/federal ID; DACA, bring your EAD and a state/federal ID; Native people, bring your Native American Tribal photo ID; undocumented folks, bring any ID with your name on it, not any document from a foreign country. All those with TPS and DACA, to go to Mexico you need to obtain an I-131 Advance Parole Doc. If you have any legal concerns contact Anna Lellelid at annalise.lellelid@gmail.com or Abby Okrent at southernarizona@nlg.org.
- Legal Hotline! The SOAW Legal Collective will staff a 24-hour legal hotline throughout the weekend:
- (520) 340-5421 – English
- (520) 340-5427 – Spanish
- Elders, children in strollers or anyone wheelchair-bound! You are able to bypass the long line at the Port of Entry crossing back in to the US from Mexico. Just walk to the front of the line – no questions asked.
- Child care will be available Saturday, November 11, from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm at Hotel Americana at Nogales, Arizona in the Toltec Room. Bring your little seeds – children are welcome!
- Bring a blank white or grey t-shirt and get a fresh print for the Encuentro designed by JustSeeds!
SOAW Border Encuentro Needs! We are still in need of:
- Volunteers! Many hands and hearts are needed to make the Encuentro happen. If you are interested, please register HERE!
- Interpretation Equipment! The Bilingual Space Collective is making a call to groups or organizations that are in a position to let us borrow their interpretation equipment to provide language access (English-Spanish/Spanish-English) throughout the weekend. Please contact Adrian Bernal at 404-734-8220 to coordinate.
Follow us on social media throughout the Encuentro!
Twitter: @SOAWatch
Facebook: @SchooloftheAmericasWatch
Instagram: @SOAWatch
Snapchat: SOAWatch
Hashtags: #BorderEncuentro #SOAWatch #CloseSOA #NoMásSOA
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