[Pictures of the SOA Watch Border Encuentro can be found on the PCC Facebook page @pcc4churchjustice. Specific pictures to accompany this text will be added shortly]
From November 9th to 12th in Nogales, the PCC joined the SOA Watch Border Encuentro on both sides of the border wall that snakes up and down the terrain of Nogales dividing the town into two communities, one in the state of Sonora in Mexico, the other in the State of Arizona in the U.S. This second year of gathering at the Border emphasized, in addition to the long-term cause of closing the SOA (WHINSEC), the larger demand to end the racism, militarism and economic exploitation inherent in U/S/ Foreign Policy.
Through its history beginning in 2004, the PCC presence at the SOA Watch events is financed through sponsorship contributions by Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, Call to Action-usa, CORPUS, CITI Ministries, Inc., the Federation of Christian Ministries, Roll Away the Stone and Women’s Ordination Conference. The intent has been to bring the message of the reforming church to participants—especially young people—taking part in the SOA Watch. This is a report of the participation of the representatives of each of the seven sponsoring organizations of the PCC during this year’s SOA Watch event.
Eucharist on Indigenous Land
It was Saturday afternoon. The pungent smoke of the smoldering sage smudge wafted gently over those gathering for Eucharist on lands previously called home by various tribes of the Tohono O’Odham nation. Father Francisco Eusebio Kino, an Italian-born Jesuit and talented cartographer, had first come there in the 1680’s and entered into trade with the people. The people of the settlement of “Las Lagunas” (the ponds) supplied him with water and trade as he traveled north to what would become the mission of San Cajetano de Tacumcácori, established about 25 miles north and now preserved as an historical site of a U.S. National Park Service.
The land near “Las Lagunas” was where the Eucharist planned by the Progressive Catholic Coalition was led during the SOA Watch Border Encuentro—now the parish grounds of St. Andrew Episcopal Church, a sanctuary church serving the border crossers who use trails passing along the parish boundaries.
As the Eucharist began those gathered requested permission of the ancestral spirits of the native peoples to enter into worship on the lands that were their home. After a moment of respectful silence, those gathered continued by entering into a smudging ceremony accompanied by drumming. The use of sage smudging is a customary purification rite traditionally carried out among the indigenous peoples of the area. The drum beat invites participants into harmony with the heartbeat of the universe. Drums were customarily made from animal skin and hollowed-out tree trunk—gifts of fauna and flora from creation.
The hospitality of the church of St. Andrew was facilitated by Deacon Rodger A. Babnew, Jr. The availability of the church grounds came about through a contact by Dottie Harrelson, wife of a resident priest of the church, Rev. Ernie Harrelson, on the PCC Facebook page in 2016.
The gathering accepted as leaders of worship five priests: Jennifer O’Malley, Rosa Manriquez, IHM and WOC representative; Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests; Jane Via, newly ordained bishop for the Western Region of Roman Catholic Women Priests; and Jack Wentland, representing CITI Ministries, CORPUS and FCM. Also in attendance were Barbara Mattus, RCWP, and Nick De Los Reyes, CORPUS.
In conjunction with the demands formulated by SOA Watch for the weekend, the theme of the Eucharist included seeking:
- An end to US economic, military and political intervention in Latin America
- A demilitarization and divestment of the borders
- An end to racist systems of oppression that criminalize & kill migrants, refugees & communities of color
- Respect, dignity, justice and the right to self-determination of communities
- An end to Plan Mérida and the Alliance for Prosperity
As it had done for centuries, the Arizona sunset was tinting the sky as the service ended. Before departing, those who took part spent time to share their impressions of the locale and the Eucharist. Some chose to follow Deacon Rodger Babnew, Jr., to the church meeting room where a glass case displays fragments of shards and reassembled pottery discovered in the late 1960’s during the excavation of the land for the foundation of the church. The original church was established in 1899. The settlement where the indigenous Pima lived was established near the laguna long before the arrival of the Spanish settlers in the 1700’s. More about the church is at www.standrewsaz.org
Rally at the Federal Courthouse
The day before the Eucharist, the weekend kicked off with a summary of why this Encuentro at the Border is so important. Hundreds had gathered in Tucson at the YWCA to take part in this general introduction to the weekend and for workshops.
Gaspar Sánchez from COPINH (Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras), then described some of the organizing happening in Honduras. He specified that there needed to be not only justice for Berta, but there needed to be reform in Honduras. The first step for that reform to be possible was to stop U.S.-financed intervention in Honduras, which is why Gaspar expressed his enthusiasm about being at the SOA Watch Border Encuentro. The crowd then was given a preview of the remainder of the day’s events, as well as what to do when confronted by police during any of the weekend.
Following the presentations, a community potluck lunch gave everyone a needed break as well as energy to head to the rally a few blocks away. After the lunch, the gathering proceeded to the front of the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tucson located at the intersection of Congress Street and Granada Avenue. Arriving at the courthouse, hundreds of us paraded for about an hour, with placards reading “Tear Down the Walls - Build Up the People,” “No Border Wall,” along with others including one in Arabic, English and Spanish “No Human Being is Illegal.” We marched around the intersection in front of the building to the accompaniment of drumming, songs and chants and the occasional honk of approval from cars.
Then the gathering came to a halt in a circle in the plaza of the Federal Courthouse for a rally. We listened as speakers told their important truths and experiences. The point of the rally was to protest Operation Streamline: the criminal proceeding that illegally charges migrants en masse and happens daily at the Federal Courthouse.
This proceeding holds hearings which often result in border crossers being placed in detention until their immigration hearing which can be months later. During that time, detainees are held in prison-like conditions, even though some may be eligible for parole or asylum.
A black banner emblazoned with white crosses proclaimed the reality of the border so far in 2017: “147 dead - 122 unknown - 25 identified.”
Of the four speakers, the first, who went through Operation Streamline, shared his experiences of being processed along with more than 70 others in a courtroom where “your only option of defense is to admit guilt”, which is in fact “no defense at all”. His powerful words were followed by a member of the Tohono O’Odham nation, who spoke of the militarization of O’Odham. Another speaker implored the crowd to show up, not just when laws are challenged, and not just for dreamers, but also for their parents, and family. She spoke of a compañero that had been detained at a Motel 6 in town because the staff had called la migra, and how he should have been standing in the crowd with us. The final speaker of the afternoon, a local organizer, broke down for the crowd just why programs like Operation Streamline exist: simply to funnel money into the deportation machine.
The rally concluded with a reading of the names of the 147 people who have died in the desert in just this year alone, following each name with the proclamation of “Presente”—acknowledging that each is not forgotten and is present in the struggle for justice.
Caravan to the Rally at the Eloy Immigration Detention Center
Following this rally, a caravan wormed its way 54 miles north on I-10 to a remote location outside the town of Eloy, where the detention center administered for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is located.
(from the SOAWatch website)
Hundreds of people gathered for a vigil outside of Eloy Detention Center, an immigration prison that currently detains close to 1,600 migrant and asylum-seeking brothers and sisters. It was an evening to commemorate the souls who have died while crossing the Sonoran Desert, and show our solidarity for the souls who are continuously criminalized and imprisoned for mobilizing—a mobilization that is forced upon them by the detrimental effects of U.S. imperialism and U.S.-inflicted violence in their home countries.
We asked ourselves: What if this immigration prison behind us were to close and re-open as a free university for folks? For that moment, we were vocal about our hope that we will be last generations to see that repulsive building. As the sun set, these words traveled with the wind: let’s be Eloy’s sunset. Let’s be the people who will witness the shutting down of these prisons. Their disappearance. “Las paredes de Eloy vamos a tumbar, para que las familias se puedan abrazar,” (we’re gonna tear down the walls of Eloy, so families can once again hugs enjoy). The Peace-Poets free-styled as the sky went dark. By then, all we could see were the candles lighting our path closer toward Eloy’s gates. “¡No están solos!” (You are not alone!) we screamed. Our brothers and sisters could hear us through the cement and glass that’s caged them for weeks, months, years. In the distance, we saw their messages. They covered and uncovered the light in their cells, signaling they could hear us. They could see us. No están solos.
The rally earlier in the day riveted in our memories the toll taken in lives in the process of crossing the Sonoran Desert: 147 lives in 2017. The majority comes from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, where violence and repressive regimes hold sway, and the only Central American countries, interestingly, which send officers for training at the U.S. Army School at Ft. Benning.
As the afternoon sun shone on the Sonoran Desert, where surrounding mountains abruptly jutted up from the flat sandy soil here and there like broken giants’ teeth, in the distance we could see the prison-like facility, over a hundred yards away. We listened to presentations by former detainees and about present detainees and the conditions under which detainees are held in this facility, referencing that there are thousands being held in many others facilities like Eloy across the U.S.
The peaceful demonstration ended with our heading to our vehicles, many heading to the evening concert at Solar Culture in Tucson.
The Tear Down the Walls, Build Up the People concert at Solar Culture, co-sponsored by SOA Watch and Coalicion de Derechos Humanos featured performances by Teré Fowler-Chapman, Top Nax, Shining Soul, Santa Pachita, Lando Chill, Carlos Arzate, Rattle Ry, Ciphurphace & DJ Grapla, DJ Humble Lianess, and b-boy dancers.
While some headed to enjoy the concert, others returned to their hotels, some in Tucson, others, like us, heading 117 miles south to Nogales.
March to Border Wall
The next morning in front of the Hotel Americana in Nogales, a crowd gathered to hear a short orientation about “Know Your Rights before starting the mile-long march at 9:30, joining the Bi-National Veteran-led March to the U.S.-Mexico border. On the Mexico side, a similar group formed to march and proceed to the stage on the Mexico side to the border. The march stretched out the full mile, some marching to a stage on the U.S. side, others to the stage on the Mexico side.
Veterans Deported
One of the issues hardly making the main stream media is the deportation of U.S. Veterans. More on the issue can be seen at www.veteranswithoutborders.com. A series of videos on the issue can be seen at www.valenzuelabrothers.com
Berta Caceres - HR 1299
Among the presentations from the stages at the border on Saturday, one of the most important relates to the first-ever legislation to suspend U.S. military aid to Honduras—The Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act, HR 1299. This is an important bill, and thanks to the work of numerous organizations and activists around the country, 60 Representatives have co-sponsored the bill. You can see a listing of those who have co-sponsored the bill by going to the SOAW website www.soaw.org/border/advocacy
If your representative is not yet a co-sponsor, e-mail him or her. You can also set up a meeting with your Representative, write a letter to the editor of your local paper, or organize a public event to educate others about HR 1299.
You’ll find further background about the case of the Honduran activist is at www.soaw.org/advocacy
Workshops and Forums
The stage presentation ended at 12:30. Those at the wall made their way back to the Americana or to the Museo de Arte in Nogales, Mexico to take part in workshops and forums. The content of these is too extensive to include here. The complete summary of the workshops offered is at www.soaw.org/border/workshops-2/
For some, a social hour ended the day. For others, the Eucharist planned by the Progressive Catholic Coalition described above drew them to prayer.
Sunday PRESENTE and Puppetistas
Most impressive on Sunday was the recognition of the division of the indigenous people created by the border wall. In a ritual common to the Tohono O’Odham peoples of the area, an exchange was carried out between members of the tribe on each side through the wall. Salt was handed to the U.S. side as a pledge of unity in ceremonies held in common, a medicine pouch with eagle feathers was given to the Mexico side as a sign of healing by a people overcoming the divisive wall that separates the nation.
By noon, the Sunday program at the wall ended and participants dwindled away, fired up to return to their own areas to continue the struggle to end the racism, militarism and economic exploitation inherent in U.S. Foreign Policy.
Remembering the Justice Witness of the Life of Jerry Zawada, OFM
The life and work of Franciscan Father Jerry Zawada (April 28, 1937 - July 25, 2017) were celebrated on Monday, November 13th at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, Tucson, by a gathering of over a hundred of his friends and co-activists. With music provided by Charlie King and Ted Warmbrand on guitar and banjo, the service included testimony from fellow-activists about their remembrances of Jerry’s spirit in his work.
Jerry was special to the Progressive Catholic Coalition because of his stand to serve as co-leader of the Eucharist planned at the 2011 SOA Watch Convergence at Ft. Benning. The PCC was so happy to have him, both as a “prisoner of conscience” at The SOA Watch who served not only a 6-month term in prison for “crossing the line” but also a total of 25 months in prison for his anti-nuclear protests at silo sites in the Southwest. To the PCC he was also a champion for recognition of the call of the Spirit to women to serve as priests in the Church, a conviction that led him to the valiant stand to serve as co-leader of the PCC Eucharist in 2010 and 2011 at the SOA Watch Convergence in Georgia with Association of RomanCathoic Women Priests Janice Sevre-Duszynska.
This conviction of Jerry led him to be removed from public ministry by the Vatican.
At the Celebration of Life in Tucson, Jerry’s friends and fellow activists in Tucson remembered him as a humble servant of humanity with a droll sense of humor, a gentle man with a heart large enough for all and incapable of offense. Janice Sevre-Duszynska read a remembrance of Jerry and his conviction about justice extending to the Church, calling for the recognition of woman priests. Janice’s full statement is at:
Jerry was a priest who most identified with the down-trodden and dejected. Whether Central American refugees at the U.S. border, those caught amid war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the poor and gang members of Chicago, the imprisoned and others decades-deep in the peace movement, Zawada was a friend to all.
His memorial was a fitting conclusion for this weekend with the PCC present and calling for an end to the racism, militarism and economic exploitation inherent in U.S. Foreign Policy.
A link to a video of the complete Celebration of Life of Jerry is provided at the Facebook page: @rememberingJerry
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PROFILE INFO
In addition to his marriage ministry, Jack, as he’s known to his friends, was ordained on May 25, 1963 for the diocese of Rockford, Illinois, and continues as a justice and peace advocate who first protested militarism in El Salvador in Chicago in 1982. He has promoted the SOA Watch agenda since 2000 when he received a “ban and bar” letter for crossing the line at Ft. Benning. He has represented CORPUS, FCM and CITI Ministries, Inc. at SOA Watch since 2004, serving as coordinator of the multi-organizational reform group, The Progressive Catholic Coalition. Since 2007, he has resided in Glastonbury, Connecticut with his loving Mary.
Email: jackwentland@gmail.com
The complete version of this article is available on the blog site Jack’s Spats for easier access of the links cited. http://jacksspat.blogspot.com/
