The Observer

Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesty SK Piper This poster was placed on the fence outside of Fort Benning by the nine Case students who traveled to Georgia to protest what was formerly known as the School of the Americas. "It was a really proud moment for me," said junior SK Piper. "We actually made it, were representing CWRU, and were a part of something so much greater than ourselves."

On Friday, Nov. 21, nine students drove to Fort Benning, Ga. where more than 25,000 people were gathering for the annual protest outside of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), formerly known as the School of the Americas (SOA).

Nicknamed the School of Assassins by human rights activists, the WHISC is a Department of Defense facility that has been surrounded by controversy since it was opened. It trains Latin American soldiers and policemen, many of whom have been accused of human rights violations. Critics claim that the institution teaches these bad practices, although WHISC leaders vehemently deny the allegations. WHISC advocates insist that the school teaches students about democracy and human rights.

"This is an issue that not many people know about," said SK Piper, third-year biomedical engineering major. "Not only is it on our soil, but our tax dollars are paying for it."

Piper led the group of students to Georgia with the help of La Alianza, the Hispanic culture group on campus. Piper also has the support of the Hallinan Project for Peace and Social Justice, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and Share the Vision. One of the vehicles used to get to Georgia was a CCEL van.

"The university as a whole has been very receptive to the idea," said Piper. "I was surprised when I'd go up to faculty to ask them for help and they'd already know who I was and what I was doing."

The students who went on the trip were excited to be involved in such a large-scale protest.

"Students are the vanguard of change and justice," said Victor Rodriguez, a second-year ethnic studies major. "The SOA is a horrible institution that has until recently succeeded because of its relative obscurity…There are many lessons to be learned from issues like these and I believe it's also a journey of self-discovery. We are citizens of the world and it's important to exercise the rights others may never have."

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