December 2002 Call to Action News

11,000 rally to protest SOA, U.S. war plans

A record crowd of 11,000 people, including hundreds of CTA members, joined in the 13th annual protest at Fort Benning, Ga., to demand closure of the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA), which has trained many Latin American soldiers who later terrorized and killed their own people. Organizers from SOA Watch (www.soaw.org) said the giant crowd also reflected opposition to U.S. plans for war against Iraq. "People want peace and that is what this is all about," said SOA founder, Maryknoll Fr. Roy Bourgeois.

Ninety-six protesters "crossed the line" in civil disobedience and were arrested. Perhaps reflecting government aversion to dissent during the war on terrorism and the Iraq war buildup, a federal judge for the first time required them to post bond before being released. SOA Watch had to raise almost $45,000 in bond money. Those arrested face a court date on Jan. 27.

As in past years, some CTA members were arrested, including Sr. Kathleen Desautels of Chicago, who recently served a six-month prison sentence for a similar action at SOA last fall. CTA staffer Bob Heineman, daughter Molly and other volunteers sold CTA "Stop War" buttons and met hundreds of supporters at the CTA table. A majority at the weekend were college students, especially students from Jesuit universities.