Photo by John F. Scalesi

On the weekend of the annual SOA protest at Fort Benning, Georgia, protestors gathered on Long Island for a local action on November 18 in front of the office of Rep. Peter King in Massapequa.

King’s office was chosen because he is the only federal representative on Long Island who adamantly supports funding for SOA/WHINSEC.

As in the past several years, the group was made up of members of SOA Watch Long Island, the South Country Peace Group, and the PeaceSmiths, and this year they were joined by members from Veterans for Peace, including some who traveled from Brooklyn and Queens. They handed out leaflets to passersby and signed a petition asking King to change his position on SOA/WHINSEC.

They also called SOA Watch Long Island’s Mara Bard, who gave them updates from Fort Benning, where she joined the record 22,000 protestors calling for the SOA’s closure.

Dennis Urlaub, the co-chair of South Country Peace Group, said in his report on the Massapequa protest, “Let us all hope and pray that 2007 will be the last year of existence of the School of the Americas!”

For great coverage of this great annual event, check out SOA Watch, which has press coverage, photos, videos, and tips on how to keep up the campaign by “taking the vigil home.”

According to SOA Watch, the Sunday vigil drew a record attendance–the largest demonstration in front of a U.S. military base since the Vietnam War! Thanks to all from New York and around the world who made the weekend a success and who work so hard to close the SOA for real and for good.