School of the Americas Vigil 2010

by Rev. Don Coleman

On the weekend of November 19-21, 2010 over 5,000 gathered at the gate of Fort Benning demonstrating against the School of Americas (SOA) or, as it is renamed, the Western Hemispheric Institute of  National Security Cooperation (WHINSEC).  Hundreds of thousands of people from Central and South America have been brutally tortured and killed by their own governments trained by U.S. military at Fort Benning.

Speeches and singing and the drama of large puppets made the event festive in the midst of the serious business of working to close the School which, because of its mission, is still called “the School of the Assassins.”  For twenty years folks have come from all over the country, and now from Central and South America, mobilizing to stop these barbarous activities.  Actually, a former military officer was refused a visa because he intended to speak at the rally.

Participants are disappointed that President Obama has not taken a more active role in investigating the activities of the School.  And now with the new Congress closing down the SOA will not happen soon.  But our calling is to be faithful and to continue to lift up the names of those slaughtered through U.S. military training.

Thirty people were arrested.  Four of them were arrested for climbing over the fence, topped with barb wire that had been erected at the entrance of the base.  They are charged with trespassing.  Those engaged in this self-conscious act of civil disobedience include:  Louis Vitale, OFM. (crossed the line for the fourth time) and David Omondi (of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker) who pleaded ‘no contest’ and were immediately convicted in the federal court.  They were sentenced to six months in prison by U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Hyles.  Nancy Smith and Chris Spicer, the other two who climbed the fence, pleaded ‘not guilty’ and will go to trial January 5, 2011.

Seven others were willing to risk arrest by demonstrating and closing the main street near the base leading to the city of Columbus.  Nineteen others were arrested by being caught up in the city police’s sweep that included a local barber who stepped from his shop to watch what was going on.  All these folks had to pay exaggerated bail and large fines and spent at least on night in jail.

Whether intending arrest or accidentally being caught up in the police action, demonstrators still stood by the call for justice and for the closing of the School.

So why does the U.S. military train military personnel of other countries to torture and kill teachers, priests and nuns, and labor organizers?  Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of

School of the Americas Watch, puts it this way:

For the past several decades, the US has allied with dictators in Latin America who helped the regimes small, elite group of wealthy landowners….We get involved militarily with these countries because they (are) rich in natural resources, with coffee in Colombia, bananas in Central America, copper in Chile, petroleum in Venezuela and tin in Bolivia.  With their militaries, the US joined with them to exploit those natural resources and to pay workers $1 a day….We are like the new conquistadors.

School of the Americas Watch Report 2009

by Rev. Don Coleman

Thousands demonstrated again this year (Nov. 20-22, 2009) at the entrance into Fort Benning.  It was an inspirational event with singing and dancing and speeches.  People from Latin American countries told stories of family members being killed and villages razed to he ground by the military whose officers were trained at the U.S. military base located at Columbus, Georgia.

Healing was facilitated as people shared their tragic stories, found comfort and support and when all united in cries to close the Western Hemispheric Institute for National Security Cooperation. (WHINSEC) – formerly known as the School of the Americas (SOA).  Hundreds of thousand Latin Americans have been killed or disappeared by action of military personnel trained in the United States.

 

Four people courageously crossed the line entering into Fort Benning.  They were immediately arrested: Nancy Gwin of Syracuse, NY; Ken Hayes of Austin, TX; Fr. Louis Vitale of Oakland, CA; and Michael Walli of Washington, DC.  Michael is refusing to put up bail and will remain in custody at least until the trial in January 2010.  Nancy, Ken and Louis posted bail and were released.  They will all return to Columbus to be tried in  Federal Court..  If history is repeated and they are found guilty they can expect a fine and imprisonment.

All of us can continue our support of these four committed folks by supporting the passage of HR 2567.  This bill, authored by Rep. McGovern of Massachusetts, calls for suspending operations of WHINSEC until an investigation takes place.  Illinois sponsors of HR 2567 include Jan Schakowski, Bobby Rush, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Melissa Bean and Luis Guitierrez.

The crowd erupted with joy when informed that Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the School of the Americas Watch have been nominated by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for the Nobel Peace Prize.  The nomination is made “for our (SOAW) sustained faithful nonviolent witness against the disappearance, torture, and murder of hundreds of thousands of civilians by foreign military personnel trained by the U.S. military at taxpayers expense at the School of the Americas.”

La lucha sigue!   The struggle continues!

Honduran Protest

by Rev. Don Coleman

SOAW/Honduras

Approximately 75 people gathered in front of the Honduran Consulate in Chicago on Sunday, November 26. The group was protesting the rigged Honduran elections taking place that very day.

On June 28 a military coup d’etat took place in Honduras with the military arresting President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales. Leaders of the coup were trained at Fort Benning (Columbus, Georgia) by the School of the Americas (SOA).

U.S. human rights delegations to Honduras have verified systematic abuse of human rights since the coup.  They saw evidence of raids, detention, physical abuse, and intimidation on the part of the Honduran state security agents.

The demonstration in Chicago was an act of solidarity with the people of Honduras.  Rev. Dan Dale, pastor of Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, led the gathering in prayer and read aloud the names of the 25 martyrs killed since the coup.  In typical SOAW style, as names were called out, people responded: PRESENTE.  Martyrs sacrificed continue to be a living presence.  

The photo to the right is of Hondurans in civil resistance surrounding the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa to greet President Zelaya, ousted by the coup.  That morning, coup regime troops attacked them violently, sending 24 to the hospital.   

Legislation to Close the School of the Americas

From the School of the Americas Watch Website:

HR 2567 Campaign

Representative Jim McGovern and 42 other members of the House of Representatives have reintroduced the Latin America Military Training Review Act. This legislation would suspend operations at the SOA/ WHINSEC, investigate torture manuals and human rights abuses associated with the school, and conduct an assessment of military training in Latin America.

Has your House Rep cosponsored HR 2567? Check out the list of cosponsors at the bottom of this page. If not, take action and be a part of the legislative campaign to close the SOA/ WHINSEC!

First step: Click here to email and fax an automatic letter to your House Representative and ask them to cosponsor HR 2567!

Here are some resources to help you with your work:

Check out the list of HR 1707 cosponsors from 2007-2008 to see who still needs to sign up Use this sample letter as a guide to write to your Member of Congress Tale a look at other sample resources in the sample materials section Check out our sample phone script and make a quick phone call to Congress! You can contact the DC office of your Representative by calling the Capitol Hill Switchboard toll free at 1-800-473-6711, (or 202-224-3121). Ask to speak with the foreign affairs legislative assistant and here is a suggested message for you to convey: "As a constituent living in _________, I am calling Congressman/woman ________ to urge him/her to contact Rep. McGovern and ask to be a cosponsor of the Latin America Military Training Review Act, also known as HR 2567. This legislation would suspend operations at the School of the Americas, renamed WHINSEC, and investigate the history of human rights abuses and failed policies of the institution. New information indicates that WHINSEC has allowed known human rights abusers to instruct and receive training at the school. Argentina and Uruguay are two more countries that have made public announcements they will no longer send students to the school, citing the negative image and history of this institution. Despite demands by Congress to have oversight over the curriculum and promote human rights, the Pentagon is now denying all requests to provide information to human rights organizations and the public about students and graduates of the school. I urge you to contact Cindy Buhl in Representative McGovern's office and ask that your boss be added as a cosponsor of this legislation. I hope you will represent my views and support this bill." Other important Links: Legislative 101 Flyer Roll Call results for the May 2008 Defense Authorization Amendment "Names" Amendment Information Roll Call results for the June 2007 Foreign Ops Amendment Learning about your Representative An important part of a successful meeting with your Member of Congress on the SOA/ WHINSEC issue in the 111th Congress is doing your homework. Here are some key places to get the information you need to know the history and background of your legislator and their support (or oppositon) to the issue: Check out the list of cosponsors for HR 2567. These Members of Congress support a suspension of operations at the SOA/ WHINSEC, an investigation of the school, and an assessment of U.S. foreign military training List of the new members in the House of Representatives for the 111th Congress Vote results for the June 2007 Foreign Ops Amendment to cut funding for the SOA/WHINSEC House of Representatives homepage Senate homepage Congress.org, a comprehensive source of information about Congress For more information on the detailed history of SOA Watch's meetings with your Representative and their voting history since their election to Congress, contact the DC office. Tips and Resources on Setting up a Meeting SOA Watch has pulled together tips on setting up a meeting with your Member of Congress that will help you with all of the ins and outs of a successful meeting with your legislators. Cosponsors of HR 2567 (as of 5/25/09 - date of last cosponsor) 42 + McGovern Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] Rep Braley, Bruce L. [IA-1] Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] Rep Carson, Andre [IN-7] Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] Rep Driehaus, Steve [OH] Rep Ellsworth, Brad [IN] Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] Rep Higgins, Brian [NY-27] Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] Rep Hodes, Paul [NH] Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] Rep Kind, Ron [WI-3] Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] Rep Tonko, Paul [NY] Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] Rep Welch, Peter [VT] Rep Wu, David [OR-1] Rep Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3]

School of the Americas Vigil

Human Rights Protesters Sentenced to Federal Prison for Nonviolent Civil Disobedience Opposing Controversial U.S. Army Training School

Federal Magistrate Sentences 78-year-old Blind Man

Columbus, Ga - Eleven human rights activists, ranging in age from 25 to 78, appeared before U.S. Magistrate G. Mallon Faircloth in a Columbus, GA federal courthouse today. The eleven were charged with trespass after peacefully walking onto the Fort Benning military base on November 18 in protest of a controversial U.S. Army training school for Latin Americans with a legacy of human rights abuses.

Ed Lewinson, a 78-year old Professor Emeritus of History at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, was sentenced to 90 days in prison and a $500 fine. Ed trespassed onto the base in three previous years but the state refused to prosecute due to his blindness.

Lewinson, together with the ten other defendants, were among the tens of thousands who gathered November 16-18 outside the gates of Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia to demand the closure of the controversial U.S. Army’s School of the Americas, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHINSEC). The group peacefully crossed onto Ft. Benning, site of the school, at the culmination of a symbolic funeral procession in memory of those killed by graduates of the institution in Latin America.

"I crossed onto the base because of what graduates of the SOA/WHINSEC have done to the people of their own countries and I wanted to contribute something towards stopping this,” said Lewinson in regards to his act of nonviolent civil disobedience. “Only by pointing out the results of violence can we stop violence,” he added.

The defendants and sentences are:

Joan Anderson, 65, Casper, WY - 30 days and a $500 fine
Ozone Bhaguan, 33, Duluth, MN - 90 days and no fine
Le Anne Clausen, 29, Chicago, IL - 30 days and no fine
Art Landis, 74, Perkasie, PA - 30 days and no fine
Ed Lewinson, 78, Newark NJ - 90 days and a $500 fine
Chris Lieberman, 54, Albuquerque, NM - 60 days and no fine
Diane Lopez Hughes, 58, Springfield, IL - 45 days and a $500 fine
Tiel Rainelli, 25, Canton, OH. – 90 days and a $500 fine
Gus Roddy, 45, Chicago, IL – 30 days and a $500 fine
Stephen Schweitzer, 45, Binghamtom, NY – 60 days and a $500 fine
Michelle Yipé, 45, of Argonia, KS - 30 days and a $500 fine

The SOA/WHINSEC, a military training facility for Latin American security personnel located at Fort Benning, Georgia, made headlines in 1996 when the Pentagon released training manuals used at the school that advocated torture, extortion and execution. In spite of an aggressive international PR campaign and lobbying efforts on behalf of WHINSEC, support for the institute continues to erode. In 2007, Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Oscar Arias of Costa Rica announced that they would cease to send military and police to the school, becoming the 4th and 5th countries after Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela to commit to a withdrawal from the U.S. Army training facility.

Since protests against the SOA/WHINSEC began 18 years ago, 226 people have served prisons sentences of up to two years for nonviolent civil disobedience