Thousands Attend Annual Military School
Protest
by
Elliott Minor, Associated Press
November
17, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ga. -- More than 90 people, including at least 6 nuns,
were arrested for marching onto Fort Benning grounds Sunday during
an annual protest of a U.S. military program that trains Latin
American soldiers.
"I feel anger at the deliberate teaching of violence," said Caryl
Hartjes, a nun from Fondulac, Wisc., as she entered the compound.
"I don't feel anger at the military who will put handcuffs on me."
Five Roman Catholic nuns march and carry crosses on Sunday, Nov.
17, 2002, during a demonstration in Columbus, Ga., against a school
at nearby Fort Benning that trains Latin American soldiers. From
right are, Dorothy Pagosa of St. Mary in the Woods, Ind., 48; Rita
Clare Gerardot, 76, of Chicago; Joann Quinker, of Oaklawn, Ill.;
Kathleen Long of Chicago; and Cathleen Jessick, of Chicago. All
five risked jail by by stepping Fort Benning property to protest.
(AP Photo/Elliott Minor)
About 6,500 protesters gathered for the 13th annual demonstration
by the School of the Americas Watch, which continues to protest the
Nov. 19, 1989 killings of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador.
Protesters said they demonstrate because some of the people
responsible for the killings were trained at the military school.
Demonstrators passed through gates, including one where they cut
the padlock and slipped through fenceposts to gain access onto the
property.
Inside, a line of military police guided protesters up a hill where
they were arrested, a federal offense that carries up to six months
in prison.
"This decision to go in is a spontaneous thing. There was no
planning," said Bill Quigley, a lawyer representing the protesters.
"We're here to support the voices that are trying to make our
country's international actions more just."
Demonstrators carried American flags and crosses honoring the
alleged victims of the abuses in Latin America. Three protesters
carried a mock-coffin draped in black. Others wore shirts that said
"No War in Iraq."
"I don't want to give up my freedom and I would enjoy peace and
justice more, but as a person of faith, I can't stand back and
watch the atrocities," said Dorothy Pagosa, a 48-year-old nun, as
she was being arrested. "The atrocities that have happened have
brought shame on this country."
About 7,000 protesters took part last year, including 31 who
entered the post illegally.
The Army's School of the Americas was replaced last year by a new
institution operated by the Department of Defense and supervised by
an independent 13-member board that includes lawmakers, scholars,
diplomats and religious leaders.
Officials say the new school, known as the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation, still trains Latin American
soldiers, but also focuses on civilian and diplomatic affairs.
Human rights courses are mandatory.
Protest leaders say the change was only cosmetic, and they have
promised to continue the demonstrations.
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