SOA 16

Julienne Oldfield sent me this picture of the SOA 16, all together as a group in a circle.
We are still together in spirit, although we are separated by miles now and will be in separate prison facilities to serve our sentences.
Some of us have been notified as to where we are to serve our sentences and when we are expected at our new "homes." My notice came first, sooner than I anticipated. I will serve my six-month sentence at the federal prison camp in Danbury, Connecticut. I have to deliver myself there on March 21, the first day of spring. I am looking to come back home somewhere around the 19th of September.
Even though I've been in prison in the past, the prospect of spending six months in federal prison is still a bit daunting and even scary. But, even so, I am fortunate. I am going to prison for something that I truly believe in. I am going to prison because I chose to carry a message that said yes to life and human rights and no to torture and assassination onto the grounds of Fort Benning, home of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly known as the School of the Americas). I chose to leave a cross on the grounds of Fort Benning, bearing the name of an old man who had been killed by people trained by my government. I left that cross in a spirit of hope, not despair, however. The hope is that no more old men, young women, babies, children, or any other people will be killed or tortured by troops trained by my government. The hope is also that my government will establish a truth and reconciliation commission so that some redress can be afforded to the victims of U.S.-sponsored violence against civilians.

The Trial of the Century

At the end of January, it was time to return to Columbus, Georgia, for me and for fourteen of my co-defendants. One of my co-defendants, Margaret, never left Columbus. On November 19th, which we found out was her birthday, she made the decision to go to jail, instead of posting bond so that she could be released from custody pending her trial.
On Monday, January 29, the fifteen of us and our supporters lined up at the Howard Johnson's to march to court. We carried crosses bearing the name of people who had been killed by graduates of the School of the Americas. Virginia Ward, mom of our co-defendant Grayman Ward, chanted the names of the dead, and we responded "presente," just as we had on November 19.
It was a cold morning but the sky was bright and clear.
At the steps of the courthouse/post office, we held a press conference. Five of us shared brief statements about what brought us to the other side of the Fort Benning fences.
Then it was time to enter the court for our trials.
The trials lasted just one day. All of us had a chance to say what we felt that we needed to say about WHINSEC/SOA. Grayman chose to sing his commentary about the judge. Judge Faircloth then commented on the singing... but, well, newspapers and magazines probably won't be calling or mailing him offers to take on the job of music critic. He also tried on the role of stand-up comedian. When he told us that we would have to pay a $10 assessment fee, he commented, "I don't know what that's for. Maybe it's for the entertainment of being here today." OK, that was a little bit funny. The debate between the the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the judge about sentences for a few of the defendants, who had expired ban and bar letters, was somewhat entertaining, too, but I think that we might have been overcharged with that $10 admission fee. I would suggest to Judge Faircloth that he isn't ready to quit his day job. I chose not to offer that recommendation in court, however... or my fee for the entertainment might have been increased to $20!!!
Popcorn, anyone???
Not all of the time in the court involved light entertainment, musical performances, and bad jokes, however. The court statements were serious and moving. Some of my co-defendants talked about personal experiences. Margaret Bryant-Ganer discussed the hardships of life in West Virginia, where mining companies have run amuck, and compared it to life in Latin America, where U.S.-trained military have run amuck. Tina Busch-Nema described an incident in Honduras, where she had been a missionary. She had come face to face with a death squad, quite accidentally. The death squads had guns and did not seem hesitant to use them. They did not use them that day. Tina talked about the fear that she experienced, both during the incident and after it. Val Fillenwarth talked about her grandson, Ben, who died in a car accident. She related the grief of a grandmother and the feelings of helplessness that her family experienced when Ben died. But, she said, that was an accident. In Latin America, U.S.-trained military kill people's children and grandchildren, and that is no accident.
My own court statement focused on the issues of freedom vs. security. I talked about losing my freedom to petition my government for a redress of grievances. Instead of speaking directly to governmental officials, in this case, the people who run the Western Hemisphere Institute of Security Cooperation, I was faced with barbed-wire-topped fences and police. When I tried to exercise my freedom of religion by placing a cross with the name of a 105-year-old Salvadoran man who had been killed on the grounds of Fort Benning, I was arrested. I concluded by reading a portion of the late Archbishop Oscar Romero's final homily in both Spanish and English.
Take a look at the SOA Watch website for information about the SOA 16, which includes biographical stuff, court statements, and sentences.
Margaret was released from jail following her trial. She related that her fellow inmates in the Muscogee County Jail told her that they enjoyed having her there with them but now it was time for her to go home. I was especially happy to see her in the courtroom for my trial.
I would like to express my thanks to my supporters, the attorneys, the SOA Watch staff, everyone who helped prepare us for the trial, for the food preparation crew, and to my co-defendants. In addition to the ones named above, I would like to mention Cathy Webster, Don Coleman, Phil Gates, Nathan Slater, Martina LeForce, Mike Vosburg-Casey, Melissa Helman, Julienne Oldfield, Whitney Ray, Josh Harris, and Sister Sheila Salmon. I am very grateful to all of my co-defendants for their witness.
The pictures and stories below are of trial preparation activities and are posted in no particular order. The red rose pictured above represents life. We all hope for a life in Colombia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere that is free of war, violence, and repression.
For more pictures and stories about my Georgia trip, please take a look at my Alice's Grand Adventures blog by clicking onto the link on the left-hand side of this page.

taking a break

Julienne, Betsy, and I went for a short walk along the Chattahoochee River between the many marathon sessions that we enjoyed as we prepared for the Trial of the Century (not quite the Scopes Monkey Trial, but that was the last century!).

partygoers

Here are Juliana Illari and Julienne Oldfield enjoying the fun and frolic of the Festival of Hope. Their names sound alike, sort of, and their color coordination is quite incredible. This is the Festival Fashion Statement, without a doubt!

Judge Faircloth???

Here is... ummm... "Judge Faircloth," not to be mistaken with "Judge Judy" or Night Court's Judge Harry Stone. Come to think of it, where is Night Court when we need it?? So anyway, we held "court," with Judge Faircloth, who was mad and was offering three months here and six months there... here a month, there a month, everywhere a month, a month...
We also had the winner of the one millionth... billionth, trillionth... oh who can remember when the numbers get to be that big... inmate to enter into BOP-land... with prizes galore... mostly booby prizes, however!
It was all great fun for everyone concerned... and those of us who are headed on a government-sponsored vacation in BOP-land are looking forward to collecting a few of those prizes.
(BOP= federal bureau of prisons)

Introducing the acts

Eric LeCompte, operations coordinator for SOA Watch, had a great deal of fun introducing the wide variety of "talent or non-talent" at the gala festival of hope on Sunday, January 28. We had a great time reciting or reading poetry, singing, telling stories, and juggling, among other activities.

Father Roy Bourgeois and Gail Phares

Father Roy Bourgeois chats with Gail Phares of Witness for Peace shortly after his return from a whirlwind trip to Colombia, Panama, and Nicaragua.
At the Sunday evening Festival of Hope, he talked his journey.
"I experienced fear of the empire in Colombia. I talked about our movement in solidarity with them (the Colombians). They are hearing about people confronting nonviolently el empirio (the empire). They send love and el abrazos (hugs) to the SOA 16 and to all. They know that we're here, walking in solidarity with them.
"We don't need guns and commandos. We need health care, schools, and hospitals," Father Roy said. He also talked about creating symbols of hope... Project Mariposa... to put butterflies on buildings and in parks...

Joao, our media guy

Joao da Silva is SOA Watch's media coordinator. He is originally from Chile. After the 1973 U.S.-sponsored coup d'etat, his mother was illegally held in detention for several weeks.
He said, about WHINSEC/SOA, "You can change the name, but it doesn't change the history. The school should be closed and investigated... There is no logical justification for the school, other than pushing U.S. foreign policy in Latin America."

Peaceful moments

On Sunday afternoon, we shared prayers, reflections, and music from a variety of spiritual traditions. Martina LeForce's gentle flute playing helped to establish a peaceful mood. It was a time to be free from the busy-ness of trial preparations. It gave us a chance to center ourselves and set aside, at least briefly, fears of what might lie ahead for us.

My fearless attorney

This is Dan Gregor, who served as my attorney for my trial. He lives in Salt Lake City, the home of that great anti-war mayor, Rocky Anderson!

Peace rally at the gates of Fort Benning

On Saturday, January 27th, everyone who had come to Columbus for the trial, including defendants, supporters, the legal team, and the SOA Watch staff, wanted to participate in a small demonstration to coincide with the larger one in Washington, D.C.
Our fun activity for Friday night had been sign making. We were given posterboard and markers. Our messages were as varied as we were, as can be seen by the above picture.
The military police were not thrilled with us, but they could do very little since we were not on Fort Benning property, and they did not have jurisdiction over us. They did, however, send for the Columbus police, who sent two officers. They spoke with members of our legal team and left, which made the military police even less happy. A number of people who drove into Fort Benning showed their support of our calls for the troops to be removed from Iraq with horn honks and waves.
In addition to the signs calling for the Iraq war to end, we also carried a large banner reading, "Close the SOA," to remind people of why we had come to Columbus, Georgia, two months after the November vigil.