Nonviolence Guidelines

Many of us have worked for years to close the School of the Americas/WHINSEC located at Ft. Benning, GA. Even as we grow closer to our goal, we are aware that our country’s standards regarding the use of torture as a tool of military interrogations have been a casualty of the “war on terror.”

Therefore, we gather at Ft. Huachuca to raise up our concerns in this place where the techniques of military interrogation are taught. We act in solidarity with sisters and brothers around the world whose lives are at risk in a world where fear preoccupies the powerful.

We commit ourselves to embrace the historical expressions of nonviolence that have inspired us, and to stand clearly on the side to self-determination of oppressed peoples and communities. Together we envision a day in which a culture of peace with justice and respect for Earth will prevail, where all people will live together free from oppression.

This weekend, in our tradition of nonviolence:

• We will gather in a manner that reflects the world we choose to create.
• We act with love, respect, mutuality, compassion, and acceptance for the interdependence of all life.
• We will struggle for a world free from violence and we will use actions, words and symbols consistent with this struggle.
• We will not use or instigate violence against any person.
• We will act with respect for the people and property of the local community.
• We will promote the safety of ourselves and others through our actions and interactions.
• We commit to recognize and to work to dismantle all forms of oppression in our personal relationships, local neighborhoods, globally and with Earth itself.
• We will return to our communities with renewed energy to close the SOA/ WHINSEC, to bring an end to torture, and to stand firmly against the fear that drives the so-called “war on terror.”