Human Rights — School of the Americas
“Crossing the Line”
On November 22, 1998, over 7,000 people gathered outside the gates of Fort
Benning, Georgia, where the U.S. Army School of the Americas is located,
for the largest protest since the Vietnam War days. Led by Father Roy
Bourgeois and actor Martin Sheen, 2,318 people risked arrest and
imprisonment by “Crossing the Line” onto the military base. This video
documents this nonviolent protest with interviews of the participants and
dramatic scenes of the march. (16 minutes)
“Father Roy Bourgeois Speaks at Saint Mary’s Convent”
In March 1997, Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of the School of the Americas
Watch in Columbus, Georgia, spoke to the Holy Cross sisters at Saint
Mary’s Convent. He gave a history of the School of the Americas and his
personal quest to close this school. He also explained how this ministry
is intimately linked to his faith journey as a Maryknoll priest. (60
minutes)
“SOA: Guns and Greed”
Since its founding in 1946, the U.S. Army School of the Americas has
trained more than 60,000 Latin American soldiers in commando tactics,
psychological warfare and military intelligence. This documentary shows
how combat-ready SOA graduates use their guns to protect the greed of
large corporations and world financial institutions. Acting on their own
or on orders from their governments, the soldiers target human rights
advocates, labor organizers, educators, religious leaders and others who
speak out against sweatshops and other enterprises of greed that exploit
the country’s people. (20 minutes - Maryknoll World Productions)
“School of Assassins: An Updated Version of 1997”
This is an updated version of the earlier tape produced by Maryknoll,
documenting current legislative and resistance efforts regarding the U.S.
Army School of the Americas. It features Father Roy Bourgeois and the
members of the School of the Americas Watch, and outlines their work of
research and resistance in Columbus, Georgia. (45 minutes)
“School of Assassins”
(from Maryknoll World Productions)
Since it was established in 1946, the United States Army School of the
Americas has trained thousands of Latin American and Caribbean soldiers.
Among them, we learn from this video, are former dictators of Argentina,
Honduras and Panama. Using rarely-seen footage, the program shows how
officers who studied at the school are responsible for the deaths of tens
of thousands of people, including Archbishop Romero of El Salvador. The
camera reveals the hidden world of the School of the Americas, and the
work of church people, activists and members of Congress to close it down.
(18 minutes)
"The New
Patriots"
After the September 11, 2001 tragedy, the U.S. government called
for eradication of terrorist training camps. Not mentioned by officials is
the U.S. Army School of the Americas, which, after a decade of protest,
changed its name to Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
(WHISC). As the SOA did in earlier years, the WHISC today trains hundreds
of Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques aimed at
terrorizing civilian populations. In this video, a veteran reminds us that
the lives of tens of thousands of people killed by SOA and WHISC-trained
terrorists in Latin America are no less precious than the thousands who
lost their lives in the U.S. on 9/11/02. (18 minutes)
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