Bourgeois talks at Saint Mary's
Observer Staff Report
Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of the School of The Americas Watch, continued to urge students to protest the U.S. government's sponsorship of the School of the Americas [SOA] Wednesday at Saint Mary's.
Bourgeois preached a similar message at Notre Dame Tuesday in a lecture sponsored by the University's chapter of Pax Christi. He has been on campus for two days to garner support for closure of the school, a training ground for Latin American military officers.
The SOA is training these soldiers to kill, he said, with more than $1 million per day in funding from the U.S. government.
The school has developed a reputation in its 53 years of operation of training officers in torture and dictatorial measures. More than 900 people have been killed in political violence in El Salvador, many by graduates of this program, Bourgeois contended, giving the school its reputation as "The School of Assassins."
Bourgeois is one of the early leaders in the movement to close the SOA and has been jailed repeatedly for trespassing at Fort Benning, Ga., where SOA is located, to protest the programs there.
He also has fasted to draw attention to the actions of SOA graduates, in hopes the school would be shut down.
"Our bodies grew weak, but our hope was really strong," he said.
Bourgeois called on students to join in a protest planned for October at Fort Benning.
He said he hopes 5,000 people will join him to enter the base in protest.
Two years ago, more than 2,000 crossed the line and entered the base.
All News Stories for Thursday, September 9, 1999
