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Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 11-24-03
PRSS Channel: A67.7
8:00-8:01 Billboard:
Producer Ana Nogueira Among 250 Arrested in Miami FTAA Protests
10,000 Protest in Fort Benning, Georgia Against School of
Americas, What Many Critics Call the “School of Assassins”
8:01-8:06 Headlines
8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break
8:07-8:20 DN! Producer Ana Nogueira Among 250 Arrested
in Miami FTAA Protests
INTRO: 250 people were arrested and dozens injured as Miami
police used concussion grenades, taser guns, rubber bullets
and tear gas on people demonstrating against the free trade
talks. We speak with Jeremy Scahill and Ana Nogueira who was
arrested for allegedly failing to disperse as well as former
California senator Tom Hayden who brought his Harvard students
to the protests.
Some 250 arrests were made at demonstrations in Miami against
the Free Trade Area of the Americas ministerial meeting last
week. The talks ended Thursday, a day early, after ministers
from 34 countries accepted a watered-down proposal in order
to save the free trade talks from total collapse.
In an extraordinary display of police force and brutality,
some 2,500 police officers deployed in the streets of Miami
fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators. Scores
of people were injured as police used both concussion grenades
and stun guns on protesters. Miami Police Chief John Timoney,
defended the officers' approach, saying, "We are very
proud of the police officers and their restraint. Lots of
objects were thrown at the police officers."
On Friday, as a group of demonstrators gathered outside a
jail to protest the arrest of their colleagues, they in turn
were arrested shortly afterwards for allegedly defying police
orders to disperse. One of those arrested was Democracy Now!
producer Ana Nogueira who was covering the protests with Jeremy
Scahill.
- Ana Nogueira, Democracy Now! producer. She was arrested
over the weekend by Miami police.
- Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now! producer/correspondent.
- Tom Hayden, former State Senator in California and a
longtime movement activist. He is a fellow at the Institute
of Politics at Harvard University. He brought his students
to the protests in Miami.
8:20-8:21 One Minute Music Break
8:21-8:58 10,000 Protest in Fort Benning, Georgia
Against School of Americas, What Many Critics Call the “School
of Assassins”
Some ten thousand people descended on the School of the Americas
(now renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security
Cooperation) headquarters in Fort Benning, Georgia this weekend
to protest the U.S. military program that trains Latin American
soldiers in combat, counterinsurgency and counter-narcotics.
Frequently dubbed the “School of the Assassins”
critics say the school’s graduates are responsible for
some of the worst human rights abuses in Latin America.
Between 35 and 45 people were arrested for trespassing after
crossing onto fort property. The Army blared patriotic songs
such as "The Army Song" and "God Bless the
U.S.A." from loudspeakers 50 yards away from where protesters
were speaking to the large crowd. Organizers at School of
the Americas Watch are planning to sue, accusing the Army
of a “psychological operation.”
We hear speeches from Adriana Bartow who lost 6 members of
her family in 1981 when Guatemalan security forces raided
her house. Jennifer Harbury, whose husband Guatemalan rebel
leader, Efrain Bamaca Velazquez was murdered by troops trained
at the School of the Americas. Carlos Mauricio who successfully
sued two former Salvadoran generals for human rights abuses
in a Florida court. And Roy Bourgeois a Catholic priest, who
started SOA Watch and the campaign against the School of the
Americas.
8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu
(RAY MA MU), Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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