RT correspondent Kaelyn Forde and cameraman Jon Conway were arrested over the weekend filming a demonstration against the SOA in Fort Benning, GA. Police are still considering another charge against them, for allegedly failing to obey officers’ instructions. Kaelyn Forde, who’s at the center of the story, described the police’s actions as ‘brutal’.
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC or WHINSEC), formerly the United States Army School of the Americas (USARSA or SOA; Spanish: Escuela de las Américas) is a United States Department of Defense educational and training facility in Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia. Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation is established by the US government to teach law enforcement and military techniques to US allies in the rest of the Americas. Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation has been criticized for training Latin American dictators and their militaries in various techniques to quell dissidence in their countries.
According to the official website of SOA Watch http://www.soaw.org, SOA Watch is an independent organization that seeks to close the US Army School of the Americas, under whatever name it is called, through vigils and fasts, demonstrations and nonviolent protest, as well as media and legislative work.