24 November 2003

Columbus, GA - Over ten thousand people gathered this weekend outside the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia in the most diverse demonstration yet of opposition to the School of the Americas, renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHISC), a combat-training school for Latin American soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, "disappeared", massacred, and forced into refuge by SOA graduates.

51 people got arrested this weekend during the vigil and nonviolent direct action to close the SOA for the charge of trespassing on federal property. 3 people have asked that no one post bond for them and are still being held in Muscogee County jail.

"Prison will not deter us," said Kathy Kelly, who was among those arrested today. "We intend to close this school and to change the foreign policy that this school represents."