Welcome! Today marks the 17th anniversary of the vigil and solemn procession at the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia to peacefully call for the closing of the US Army's School of the Americas.
A record crowd of over 25,000 peaceful demonstrators gathered today to call for an end to US training of Central and South American soldiers at the notorious SOA/WHINSEC.
The vigil is primarily composed of a solemn procession during which the names of thousands of the victims who have died by the hands of those trained at the SOA are sung aloud... followed by a resounding "Presente" from the crowd. We remember those who have perished at the hands of injustice by raising white crosses as the names are sung... each cross bears the name of a woman, man, or child who died by this violence. We will not forget!
Watch video of the event: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7045110805722591527&hl=en
11 prisoners of conscience crossed the line today. In other words, eleven wonderful people made the conscious decision to cross onto the grounds of Ft. Benning, an act deemed to be a federal crime by our government. These 11 stand in solidarity with Latin Americans who have suffered the crimes committed by those trained at the SOA, and have risked much to demonstrate their disapproval of the continued operation of the school.
Caravan rider Tiel Rainelli of Los Angeles was among those who crossed the line onto Ft. Benning. She climbed up and over a barb-wire chain-link fence before being arrested by military police. WAY TO GO TIEL!!!
Video of of Tiel's crossing will be coming soon.
SOA Watch founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois leads the procession along with presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich
Remembering those who have died at the hands of students trained at the SOA
In a first for the Sunday vigil, Columbus police placed length and girth restrictions on the size of crosses that could be carried into the vigil. Citing larger crosses as potential deadly weapons, police required that thousands of crosses bearing the names of Central and South American citizens killed by graduates of the SOA be broken down in order to conform to these new regulations
Many crosses were simply too thick to break, and had to be abandoned. Officers turned away from the camera as I took the picture above.
Demonstrators were able to arrange some of these crosses along the road. Too strong to be intimidated by such tactics, participants in today's events continued stronger.
Thousands of people! This view looking toward the stage, with the gates of the Fort behind it
This view facing toward the entrance to the demonstration
Three fences have been erected to "protect" the fort from those devilish protesters....
Countless thousands of crosses, each bearing the name of a victim of a student trained at the SOA, transform the fence from a symbol of separation and oppression into one of remembrance, love, and solidarity.
A special thanks to all those who participated in and have supported the movement to close the School of the Americas. The sheer size of the demonstration today is a sign that public awareness is growing... for more information, please visit: soaw.org
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