Last weekend, at least 12,000 people gathered at Ft. Benning, GA for the 19th annual protest to demand the closure of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas. Since 1946, the taxpayer-funded US Army school has trained more than 60,000 Latin American soldiers in combat techniques and psychological warfare, leading directly to murders, rapes, disappearances, and massacres that have affected hundreds of thousands of people throughout Latin America.
On Sunday, a massive funeral procession made its way to the gates of the army stronghold, carrying crosses to commemorate the countless lives lost. Police estimated attendance at 8,700, but organizers put the number at close to 20,000. Six individuals attempted to enter the base, and were stopped by military personnel and arrested. They will face federal trial on January 26, 2009.
The annual November vigil, coordinated by the School of the Americas Watch, draws participation from social movements for justice across the Americas. In 2007, following years of grassroots organizing, Congress came within 6 votes of cutting funding to the institution. SOA Watch was founded by Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois, who is currently being threatened with excommunication due to his support of the ordination of women.
On Sunday, a massive funeral procession made its way to the gates of the army stronghold, carrying crosses to commemorate the countless lives lost. Police estimated attendance at 8,700, but organizers put the number at close to 20,000. Six individuals attempted to enter the base, and were stopped by military personnel and arrested. They will face federal trial on January 26, 2009.
The annual November vigil, coordinated by the School of the Americas Watch, draws participation from social movements for justice across the Americas. In 2007, following years of grassroots organizing, Congress came within 6 votes of cutting funding to the institution. SOA Watch was founded by Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois, who is currently being threatened with excommunication due to his support of the ordination of women.
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