The Line Between Peace and Hate : Two Ohio students will do time for a peaceful protest
By Amy Starnes and Joshua Greene
AFTER SLIPPING THROUGH A FENCE surrounding the U.S. Army base in Fort Benning, Georgia, Brian DeRouen did nothing more dangerous than kneel and pray. For that, he will spend the next four months in federal prison.
The 27-year-old University of Dayton theology grad student reported to prison last week with 11 others, including fellow Dayton student Meagan Doty. All were arrested in November for trespassing in order to protest the schooling of assassins and terrorists on U.S. soil. Fort Benning is home to the former School of the Americas, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
Critics have other names for the school. “School of Assassins” and “School of Dictators” have become popular since the publication of the wrongdoings of several of the school's graduates, including former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega and Roberto D'Abuison, leader of the El Salvador Death Squad. Since 1946, the U.S. has trained more than 60,000 Latin American military personnel at the school in warfare, counter-insurgency and interrogation techniques.
Over the years more than 180 activists have been sentenced to a total of 81 years prison for protesting the school. So DeRouen knew that by making a stand, he risked putting his own future on hold...
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