Leftist group rallies to shut down SOA
Activists plan events to raise awareness against combat school

By Bethany McCormack
Staff Reporter

Crista Williams, a senior psychology major, will be living on water and fruit juice for the next six days, as part of an awareness campaign led by the School of the Americas Action Group.

The SOA Action Group, part of the Leftist Student Union, is dedicated to shutting down the School of the Americas. Williams said the group hopes the campaign, which started Wednesday and continues through Tuesday, will raise awareness about the school.

Photo by Tim Cox - Skiff Staff Margaret Birdlebough, a member of the Syracuse Peace Council, reads her poems about the closing of the School of Americas as part of a Nonviolent Action Training Session Thursday afternoon in the Student Center Lounge.

School of the Americas was a combat training school for Latin Americans located in Fort Benning, Ga. The school closed on Dec. 15, 2000. However, Jan. 17, 2001 the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation opened at the same base.

The WHINSEC Web site states that the school is new and is not associated with the School of the Americas. However, those who oppose SOA regard WHINSEC as the same as School of the Americas.

The SOA Action Group wants to increase awareness of the school and the controversy surrounding it because many people have never heard of the SOA, Williams said.

“Once they find out about it, most people would never want their tax dollars to support it,” she said.

Tara Pope, a TCU staff member who organized the campaign, said SOA graduates have been responsible for countless human rights violations upon returning to their countries including the deaths of nuns, priests and student activists.

“It’s unthinkable that the (United States) sponsors this school,” she said.

The TCU awareness campaign is being held in conjunction with the Days of Resistance march in Washington D.C., led by SOA Watch.

Mandy Mahan, a junior religion major, said she hopes students will become involved in this issue after they learn about it.

“I’m tired of people turning their heads to human suffering,” she said. “I just want to see people open their eyes. If we can just educate a few people about this — enough to impassion them to do something about it.”

The awareness campaign activities include various speakers and an informational video about the SOA. Margaret Birdlebough from the Syracuse Peace Council will speak at noon Monday in the Student Center lounge. Birdlebough, a nonviolent action trainer, will also hold nonviolent action training on Saturday at 1p.m. in the Student Center lounge.

Williams said fasting is a way she can empathize with people who are suffering in Latin America and be more aware of what they are going through.

Williams said she thinks it is hypocritical of the U.S. government to sponsor the school.

“As Americans we advocate democracy for our own government, yet the SOA trains Latin Americans to undermine democracy in those countries,” Williams said.

Bethany McCormack
b.s.mccormack@student.tcu.edu