SOAW-W News for January, 2003
1) Prisoners of Conscience - Out, In, and Standing for Trial.
2) Trial Update -- Day 1.
3) Trial Update -- Day 2.
4) Trial Update -- Day 3.
School of the Americas Watch–West ~ SOAW–W
January 14, 2003San Jose Website - http://teachers.bcp.org/llauro
Los Angeles Website - www.soaw-la.org1) Fr. Louie Vitale was released from federal prison on Friday, Jan. 10. He will be back at St. Boniface Church, 133 Golden Gate, San Francisco for Sunday Mass, Jan. 19, 12:15 PMNational Website - www.soaw.org Wed. Jan. 22, 1:00 PM, Press Conference
San Francisco, St. Boniface Church Theater, 133 Golden Gate
Speakers: Fr. Louie Vitale, Laura Slattery, and Cosette Thompson on Amnesty
International's recent publication, "Unmatched Power, Unmet Principles: The Human Rights Dimensions of US Training of Foreign Military and Police Forces"2) Save the date!
"Back to the Hood" Celebration with Fr. Bill O'Donnell
Sunday, March 9, 3:00 PM
St. Joseph the Worker, 1640 Addison, Berkeley
Planners needed. Contact Bob Nixon, robertnixon@mindspring.com
See article below.
3) Over 80 SOAW activists will stand for trial, some the week of Jan. 27 and the rest during the week of Feb. 10. Nine are from the Bay Area. Andy Olive has reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney and will not be facing a trial. Would you like to set up an event with some of the Prisoners of Conscience?
Please contact Cile Beatty, cilebeatty@juno.com
The Oakland Tribune printed an article on some of those facing trial. The article is below.
Funds to help those facing trial may be made by check written to:SOAW-East Bay4) EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
C/O Cile Beatty
628 Everett St.
El Cerrito, CA 94530
What has the U.S. been doing in Latin America? By looking at the U.S. Army School of the Americas, we see that the answer is "Hidden in Plain Sight," a new documentary by John Smihula. More information is given below.5) RELATED EVENT - NO WAR ON IRAQ March
Sat. Jan. 18
10:30 AM Gather in front of Ferry Building at SOA WATCH WEST Banner
11:00 AM speeches in Justin Hermann Plaza
NOON March to Civic Center
1:00 PM speeches at Civic Center
1) Fr. Louie Vitale's release - Jan. 12 report by Jenny Wiley:
Just wanted to let you know that Fr. Louie is out! A bunch of us from St.
Boniface drove down to Vegas to be there when he got released the morning of
Jan. 10. He's looking good and says he's glad to be out, although it was
hard to say good-bye to the guys left behind.
He said he's more committed than ever to working on prison reform, and he's
really feeling the evil of our increasing militarization.
2) Fr. Bill O'Donnell - Jan. 10 report by Bob Nixon:
Dear Friends of Fr. Bill O'D,
Hold the date Sunday, March 9th 3 PM For a Back to the Hood Celebration with Bill. And bring a friend! It's a little less than two months away, quick time out here, slow time if you're doing time. Fr George Crespin, local accomplice of Bill's and pastor of St. Joseph's the Worker again invites us there for the celebration. There will be 3 or 4 talks, lots of music and refreshments and the chance to visit. We've yet to get the planning team together.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill last night about such a welcome back party and he said sure and that he's in there because of the horrendous practices of the School of the Americas, no matter whatever name they call it, and he wants that to be the focus of the event. (Surprise!)
As you may know dozens are up for trial by "Judge" Faircloth. . . Those from the Bay Area are being invited to join us too on the 9th to experience our support and solidarity with them. They are a terrific individuals.
How's Bill? His health is good. The place is hard on him, the inhumanity of the system. Your letters make a huge difference. I asked him if he wants to relax a bit when he gets out and he said no, he wants to pick up where he left off. If he was in town on Jan 18th, he said he'd be marching in the SF Peace Rally.
3) "Three face trial for protests at alleged terror school" by Peggy Stinnett
The Oakland Tribune, Dec. 30, 2002Three federal prisoners are standing before a roomful of people gathered in a San Leandro church. They look American as apple pie. This is a meeting of School of America Watchers, who want to shut down the school at Fort Benning, Ga. They allege, as do thousands of others, that SOA trains Latin American military forces to torture and murder people. About 200 protesters from the Bay Area, most of them from Oakland and Berkeley, were at Fort Benning in November. In all, the event drew 10,000 from all over the country.
These "prisoners of conscience" as they're called, trespassed onto the base into the arms of waiting army police. They now face trial on Jan. 27 in Columbus, Ga., home of Fort Benning, for "crossing the line." These are three of 10 Bay Area protesters who were arrested:
Rachel Montgomery, 26, angel-faced, a little shy and soft-spoken, walks dogs for a living. She lives in Oakland, and has been in the Fort Benning peace marches for the last four years.
Don Haselfeld, 76, whose weathered face speaks of his days in the sun as a maintenance worker in Golden Gate Park, is retired, quiet and determined. He lives in San Francisco. This was his second year at Fort Benning.
Laura Slattery, 36, straight-backed, tall. slim, articulate, is a graduate of West Point, who works for Pace e Bene, a Catholic peace movement and lives in San Francisco.
The judge who will decide their fate is Magistrate G. Mallon Faircloth, who last year sent two priests from the Bay Area to prison -- Father Bill O'Donnell of Berkeley, for six months; and Father Louis Vitale of San Francisco, for three months.
Three [Two] years ago the school shut down, then reopened as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. SOA Watch says the curriculum that teaches violent means to suppress dissent in South America hasn't changed but the SOA/WHSIC says it has reformed and now teaches human rights. The school is run by the U.S. Army, and funded by the Congress. Since 1946 it has trained an estimated 60,000 Latin American soldiers.
A United Nations Truth Commission in 1993 identified SOA graduates as perpetrators of some of the worst atrocities committed in the El Salvador civil war. More recently the Human Rights Watch, a peace organization, alleges that graduates of the school are kidnappers and murderers in Colombia.
The protesters are charged with misdemeanor trespassing. During a funeral parade, protesters carrying white crosses passed by the locked gates, as names of the victims were called out. A gap in the chain-link fence that surrounds the army base let some people slip through onto the park-like grounds, where they were arrested. They were held two nights in jail, the first time in the 13 years of the annual demonstration that detainees weren't released after booking. The detained prisoners were required to post up to $5,000 in bail although no one in the past has failed to show up for trial, the purpose of bail.
Montgomery joined the annual protest in 1999. "At that time, we could walk onto the base at Fort Benning but after Sept. 11, they put up the chain-link fence topped by barbed wire. It's interesting that they left a gap about 10 inches wide, just big enough for people to get through," she said. "I'm not a military veteran, not in a religious order, or a human rights activist. I'm none of these. I'm a dog walker," said Montgomery.
She was very moved by the funeral procession. "When I witnessed the funeral parade memorializing the people who have died and reading of all their names. I was deeply moved. I crossed over because I wanted to be part of what had happened, I had anxiety but once I was through the gap in the fence it was like a rite of passage. I knew I had done the right thing."
Laura's story was high drama because she had brought her worn G.I. Army jacket with her and placed it on the fence. "When the Fort Benning soldiers were cleaning up, they dumped the crosses with victims' names on them like trash in a heap but fondled the jacket and treated it with more respect than the crosses. I thought it was arrogant," said Slattery.
Don said, "A country like ours -- forged from a just insurgency -- should not be exporting unjust counter-insurgencies. A land of free expression should not export repression."
Katherine Davies Samway at 531-3328 is fund-raising (More information in #3 above.) for the Bay Area protesters who may have an extended stay in Columbus, Ga., during their trials.
4) "Hidden in Plain Sight"
This new 71 minute documentary presents different points of view which illuminate the turbulent reality of Latin America, demystify the policy-making process and shed light on some of the most complex and urgent problems facing us today.
Enter noted scholars Noam Chomsky, Eduardo Galeano, Christopher Hitchens, and Michael Parenti, who broaden the debate about the SOA/WHISC to include such subjects as militarism, corporate globalization, national security, and international terrorism. Personal accounts from victims of the violence and repression in Latin America raise questions and concerns about the nature and
consequences of U.S. policy in Latin America.You can support this effort by:
1) Ordering a copy of the documentary.
2) Linking our website with yours or other related websites.
3) Inviting us to your community to screen the film.
4) Making a donation or providing funding so we can travel, promote, and send out copies of the program.Order a video by using a credit card through the website, www.hiddeninplainsight.org
Or send a check to:
Raven's Call Productions
P.O. Box 410772
San Francisco, CA 94141-0772Prices:
VHS videotape $20 per unit (California residents add $1.70 tax)
DVD $25 per unit (California residents add $2.13 tax)
Cost for universities, libraries, groups $250/unit-including Study Guide
Please add $5 shipping/handling per video or DVD unit.
School of the Americas Watch–West ~ SOAW–W
January 27, 2003: Trial Update – Day 1San Jose Website - http://teachers.bcp.org/llauro
Los Angeles Website - www.soaw-la.org
National Website - www.soaw.org1) Early Evening Report from Federal Trial in Georgia, Day 1
2) Send-Off Party for Rachel Montgomery, leaving for Trial on Feb. 101) The first of two federal trials for the 80 people who were arrested at Fort Benning this November commenced today, Monday, January 27.
All of the people who plead "guilty" have been processed and sentenced. There are 17 total, listed below, numbers 1-17. The first six defendants who are pleading "not-guilty" were processed late this afternoon. The six stipulated to the facts put forward by the prosecution. They are listed at the bottom of the page, numbers 18-23.
1. Linda Aguilar (San Francisco, CA) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
2. Margaret Rossi (San Francisco, CA) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
3. Dave Depp (Doswell, VA) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
4. Loring Harkness IV (Northfield, MN) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
5. Guadalupe Chavez (San Francisco, CA) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
6. Sondra Angulo (San Francisco, CA) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
7. William Combs (Tallahassee, FL) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report)
8. Eric Zibbel (Oberlin, OH) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
9. Seth Cohen (Fair Oaks, CA) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
10. Timothy Grivois (Chicago, IL) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
11. Daniel Marx (Northfield, MN) - 12 months probation, 250 hours community service, $500 fine
12. Philip D'Onofrio (Salem, OR) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report)
13. Katherine Bjorkman (Burlington, WI) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report)
14. Sr. Mary Hamilton (Rosemont, PA) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report)
15. Derrlyn Tom (San Francisco, CA) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report)
16. Thomas Cleary (Richmond, VA) - 6 months in home confinement
17. Marvin Warren (Poughkeepsie, NY) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report)
Not Guilty Pleas
18. Katherine Brown (Providence, RI) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report), $500 fine
19. Edith (Toni) Balot (Jefferson, LA) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report)
20. Jesse Carr (Oberlin, OH) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report), $500 fine
21. Scott Schaeffer-Duffy (Worcester, MA) - 3 months in federal prison (reported immediately)
22. Eloy Garcia - 3 months in federal prison (reported immediately)
23. Marie Salupo (Maryknoll, NY) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report), $500 fine
2.) SEND-OFF PARTY FOR RACHEL MONTGOMERY
From Bob & Jeanne to SOAWW
We'd like to invite you to a send off party at our home for our mutual friend Rachel Montgomery for whom we feel a real fondness and respect. As you probably know she is heading to trial in Georgia, on Feb 10th for her conscientious stand against the atrocities promulgated throughout the School of the Americas - currently called by a more complicated name. We want to gather to wish her well, share our love and assure her of our solidarity with her.
We'll meet at 7pm, at 5155 Fairfax Avenue in Oakland (see directions below) feel free to bring food to share.
Directions:
Take 580, get off at High Street and head toward the Bay.
Two blocks past the signal (about 6 blocks from the off ramp) is Allendale, turn left.
Go about 3 blocks 'til it dead ends at Montecello, turn right.
Go three blocks to Fairfax, turn left. This is one long block and we're over the little hill on the right side. (Phone is 533-3120)
We look forward to seeing everyone, showing our support for Rachel and having a good time.
School of the Americas Watch–West ~ SOAW–W
January 28, 2003: Trial Update – Day 2San Jose Website - http://teachers.bcp.org/llauro
Los Angeles Website - www.soaw-la.org
National Website - www.soaw.orgThe second day of trials ended with an additional 17 defendants being adjudicated. All of today's (Tuesday, Jan. 28) defendants pleaded not-guilty (while stipulating to the facts put forward by the prosecution). The last two defendants from this week's group, Lisa Hughes and Christine Gaunt, will begin trial tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan. 29).Similar to yesterday, defendants were sentenced in groups of 6. Defendants were not allowed in the courtroom unless they were part of that group.
At the beginning of the trials defense lawyer Bill Quiggly proffered The Amnesty Internatinal report and an affadavit by Rep. McGovern. Quiggly also requested options for international tavel during probation, specifically for defendants with family outside of the US. Judge Faircloth denied the request.
During the trials a number of defendants presented evidence, including a bullet from Palestine (Dan Fortsen), a rock from El Salvador (Joyce Ellwanger), and a shrouded baby doll (Ann Huntwork), among others. Rev. Cliff Fraiser submitted a letter from the United Church of Christ Justice and Peace Office written on behalf of Cliff and all the defendants.
The defendants adjudicated today are listed below.
1. Sr. Dorothy Pagosa (repeat line-crosser)(Chicago, IL) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report) -"Our policies continue to kill and harm the most impoverished of Latin America."
2. Sr. Kathy Long (repeat line-crosser)(Chicago, IL) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report) -"The US Government has been hiding the reality of this school for years."
3. Sr. Rita Gerardot (repeat line-crosser)(St.-Mary-of-the-Woods, IN) - 12 months probation, 500 hours community service
4. Sr. Caryl Hartjes (repeat line-crosser)(Fond du Lac, WI) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report)
5. Sr. Joann Quinkert (repeat line-crosser)(Oak Lawn, IL) - 12 months probation, 500 hours community service -"So I stand in solidarity with the families of thousands of victims."
6. Sr. Adele Beacham (Bloomington, IN) - 12 months in home confinement, 250 hours community service
7. Dan Fortson (Redway, CA) - 3 months in federal prison (self-report), $500 fine -"Tresspass may be an act of desperation, a desperate act for a desperate time."
8. Judy Bierbaum (repeat line-crosser)(Albuquerque, NM) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report), $2,000 fine -"Patriotism is not about slapping a flag in the window if thats where it ends - it's about calling my country to task."
9. Donald Haselfeld (repeat line-crosser)(San Francisco, CA) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report) -"A new school has not been born; the old school did not die."
10. Joyce Ellwanger (repeat line-crosser)(Milwaukee, WI) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report) -"Standing with the poor of our hemisphere, my question about the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation . . .is whose security are we talking about?"
11. Rev. Clifford Frasier (repeat line-crosser)(New York, NY) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report), $500 fine
12. Ann Huntwork (repeat line-crosser)(Portland, OR) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report) -"No one has to tell the people of Latin America what the SOA is - they know."
13. Jim Hynes (repeat line-crosser)(San Antonio, TX) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report) -"There is one [terrorist camp] we can close down right now . . .that is the School of the Americas."
14. Sr. Moira Kenny (repeat line-crosser)(McAllen, TX) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report)
15. Pam McBride (repeat line-crosser)(Sorita, TX) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report), $500 fines -"If our country's goal is really peace, prosperity, freedom and democracy for everyone then we are failing."
16. Marilyn White (repeat line-crosser)(League City, TX) - 6 months in federal prison (self-report), $500 fines
17. Christine LaVallee (repeat line-crosser)(Worcestor, MA) - 12 months probation, $500 fines
School of the Americas Watch–West ~ SOAW–W
January 30, 2003: Trial Update – Day 3San Jose Website - http://teachers.bcp.org/llauro
Los Angeles Website - www.soaw-la.org
National Website - www.soaw.org1) Last day of trials for the first group of defendants from November '02 protests.
2) Local Fund Raisers for SOA Prisoners of Conscience
3) Article from Columbus Ledger-Enquirer1) Trial Update: Day 3Trials for the first group of defendants ended Wednesday, January 29, 2003. The two final defendants, Lisa Hughes and Christine Gaunt pled not-guilty and forced the prosecution to prove their case.
The two cases were joined with separate sentencing. The prosecution called four witnesses; Staff SGT. Larry Weirgert, Investigator Anthony Brinson, James Webb Ft. Benning Enginer chief, and Bernard Pfeiffer. The prosecution presented 30 minutes of film footage of people crossing onto the base during the November vigil, but could not give positive identification of the two defendants. They also failed to present the processing sheets for the arrests. The defense twice motioned for acquittal on the basis that the prosecution failed to prove that the defendants committed any crime. Judge Faircloth denied both motions and sentenced both defendants to prison time and fines.
1. Lisa Hughes (repeat line-crosser)(Portland, OR) - 6 months in federal prison, $1,500 fine (self-report)
2. Christine Gaunt (first time line-crosser)(Grinnell, IA)(46) - 3 months federal prison, $750 fine (reported immediatly)
To read the news release that the media office sent out, visit: www.soaw.org/new/pressrelease.php
2) Local Fund Raisers for SOA Prisoners of Conscience
USF Fund Raiser & Concert
Friday, February 7, 2003
7:00-10:00 pm
Crossroads Cafe, University Center, 1st Floor, USF
$3 admission
Contact: Sara Suman, University Ministry, 415-422-4463
Directions to USF: www.usfca.edu/online/*/directions.html
Oakland Fund Raiser for Rachel Montgomery
Saturday, February 1, 2003
7:00 pm.At the home of Bob and Jeanne (5155 Fairfax Avenue, Oakland)
Directions: Take 580, get off at High Street and head toward the Bay. Two blocks past the signal (about 6 blocks from the off ramp) is Allendale, turn left. Go about 3 blocks 'til it dead ends at Montecello, turn right. Go three blocks to Fairfax, turn left. This is one long block and we're over the little hill on the right side.
Contact: Bob & Jeanne, 510-533-3120
3) Article from Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Jan . 29, 2003
Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer
www.ledger-enquirer.com27 in SOA Watch sentenced to prison
Faircloth dismisses 'patriotic dissent' defense tactic
By Jim HoustonProtester after protester told U.S. Magistrate G. Mallon Faircloth on Tuesday that when they trespassed onto Fort Benning as part of the SOA Watch demonstration last November, they were engaging in patriotic dissent against an institution they believe contributes to terror inflicted on Latin Americans by soldiers trained here.
"That line protects an unjust institution," said Donald J. Haselfeld, 76, of San Francisco. "A land of free expression should not be supporting oppression... . The school of death must be closed."
But Faircloth told the 40 protesters who have stood before him the first two days of this U.S. District Court trial that their court-protected right to demonstrate, protest and express their grievances against their government stops at the Fort Benning boundary line. Crossing that line when entry is forbidden is criminal trespass, and the courts are bound to enforce that law, especially after Sept. 11, 2001, the judge said.
"Times have changed," he said. "The entry onto a military base is no longer what it used to be." Faircloth suggested terrorist groups could take advantage of opportunities such as the annual SOA Watch protests to gain access to critical areas of Fort Benning and inflict serious damage to vital equipment, soldiers or employees. That's why no one has been allowed to enter the post without stopping for a search since 9/11, he said.
After two days of trials, Faircloth has sentenced 27 of the protesters to prison sentences ranging from 90 days to six months. Thirteen protesters were sentenced to probation and fines, with most also required to perform community service in their home areas.
Some defendants thanked the judge for their prison sentence, because it helps publicize their cause. Haselfeld, who was sentenced to six months in prison, was offered probation, but rejected it. He told Faircloth he'd rather go to prison.
Some, like the Rev. Clifford W. Frasier of New York City, suggested Faircloth should be handing down "token sentences for the token nature of the violations." Frasier, 35, said he chose to cross the boundary on Nov. 17 in an attempt to walk to the steps of the
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, where Latin American students continue to "learn the arts of war" as they did when the building housed the School of the Americas. The name has changed, but the institution is "doomed to foster the same types of cycles of violence" as its predecessor, the United Church of Christ minister told Faircloth.The Rev. James Michael Hynes, 57, of San Antonio, said he trespassed on Nov. 17 out of "compassion for the defenseless victims of cowardly thugs." He urged President George W. Bush to include the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation on his list of terror institutions to be closed.
Sister Kathleen E. Long, 55, of Chicago, admitted she crossed onto the military reservation after being previously banned, but it was part of her theology of resistance and not with criminal intent. "I do not see myself as a criminal and I did not engage in criminal activity," said Long, one of seven Catholic nuns Faircloth convicted of trespass.
Conviction of the Class B misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The judge has sentenced 10 defendants to the maximum prison sentence, but he also has accommodated some with ill health or family problems. Sister Rita Gerardot, 76, of St. Mary of the Woods, Ind., was sentenced to 12 months probation and required to perform 500 hours of community service work, at least half of which must be to assist the Maternal Health Clinic of Terre Haute, Faircloth ordered.
Christine Lavallee, 27, of Worcester, Mass., who told the judge she could sense "the presence of evil in this courtroom," was sentenced by Faircloth to 12 months on probation, fined $500 and banned from returning to Georgia for one year. The judge said the family of Lavallee, whose sister died last month of anorexia, had enough difficulties with which to cope without adding a prison sentence.
Faircloth also has repeatedly pointed out to the protesters that the School of the Americas was abolished in 2000. The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, which replaced it in January 2001, was created with civilian oversight provisions, operates under the aegis of the Department of Defense instead of the U.S. Army, requires State Department approval of student applicants, employs a revised curriculum that includes at least eight hours of human rights instruction, and includes among its students Latin American administrators and police officers, as well as military officers.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
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