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WRL’s Newest Local Socorro, NM, is a town of about 9,000 people with a small university, New Mexico Tech, that is closely connected to military research. Socorro is also the nearest town to the White Sands Missile Testing Range, and the university’s research division includes one of the major U.S. sesting sites for explosives. In November of 2001, several people in Socorro began a weekly peace vigil at the town plaza in front of the post office. Late last August, we got together to plan activities to commemorate September 11. About 15 of us signed the War Resisters League pledge, and we talked then about forming a local. For the 9/11 commemoration we held an extended peace vigil and participated in activities at New Mexico Tech. Afterwards we gathered and decided to plan further activities and to try to affiliate with WRL. In October we organized a teach-in at New Mexico Tech, outdoors on a sunny day, attracting in all about 120 people. It was the first teach-in ever in Socorro, with 14 academic and activist speakers from throughout New Mexico covering a wide range of subjects and views, from a brief history of post-WWII U.S. interventions in Asia and the limits of the world’s oil supply to patriotic responsibilities in a representative democracy. By the end of the teach-in we had 45 people who had signed the WRL pledge. At that time we were welcomed as a local by the WRL. We now call ourselves WRL-Socorro, and we continue to hold a weekly vigil every Friday at 4:30 on the plaza, attended by between six and 12 folks from the community. We’ve organized one film night and have plans for more. We provided speakers for a teach-in at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, we’re organizing a movement to get the City Council to re-affirm the Bill of Rights as was done in other cities, and we continue to write letters to the editors of our local newspapers. We send out a weekly update on our activities along with information about other local peace and justice activities. And since poverty is one of the great causes of war, we have affiliated as a sponsor of Puerto Seguro, the local drop-in shelter for the needy, starting with a drive to collect warm clothing and to provide volunteers to keep the shelter open. With about 15 people attending twice-monthly meetings and another 20 or so continuing to participate in activities we hope to keep the spirit and message alive and to help people in this community understand the significance of current events. We are very heartened that so many people in this conservative town encourage us as they pass us at our vigil, and we are hardly ever disparaged. Our experience is that people are concerned and in opposition to war—the wars that this country now sponsors and ones that may shortly ensue. They are less aware of the government’s attempts to stifle dissent with the Patriot Act and other new measures. We are glad to affiliate with the WRL, especially as it provides a home for so many views and concerns with its emphasis on countering the causes of war. We look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration. The local contacts here are Dick Epstein and Carolyn Kernberger, arf@zianet.com. —WRL-Socorro |
WRL Homepage • WRL Programs • WRL Literature • WRL Actions • WRL Employment • About WRL
