School of the Americas Watch Border Encuentro

Global Community Communications Alliance (GCCA) participated in an important protest against U.S. economic, military, and political intervention in Latin America. In solidarity with many organizations that support humane border policies, GCCA was honored to participate and assist this important event.

GCCA assisted with set-up logistics of this massive protest on the border, and also coordinated the vigil for Jose Antonio, which was held at the border wall on Friday November 10, 2017 and involved several hundred people interacting on both sides of the border. GCCA also assisted with clarifying communications between School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) and the City of Nogales, which helped prevent potential problems during the Veteran’s March for Peace in Nogales during the weekend protest on Saturday November 11, 2017.

The vigil for Jose Antonio was particularly special this year because there was a strong communication between the people on both sides of the wall. It was truly a unified, international vigil, which neither the wall nor our language differences could separate. We were unified by taking turns sharing songs, poems, and statements, which were well amplified for all to hear and immediately translated for all to understand.

We were among the 500+ people who marched for peace on Veterans’ Day. We also witnessed a special moment when a member of the Tohono Oo’dham Nation stood on a table that was near the wall (violating the Border Patrol’s rule that everyone should stay 3 feet away from the wall during the protest) and made himself into a human bridge by reaching through the metal posts in the wall and joining hands with people on both sides of the wall. A bag of ceremonial salt was passed through the wall, which was taken by a runner who brought it into Sonora for a blessing and then returned it to the wall.

We were very happy to see the Veteran’s For Peace in Mexico, who are proposing a series of Peace Parks be built along the border.

TEAR DOWN THE WALLS, BUILD UP THE PEOPLE!