Library staffer to serve 90 days in prison after protest

by David Archer

Staff Writer

In November, library assistant Chris Gaunt was arrested for trespassing the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC) in Georgia, and on Wednesday she was sentenced to 90 days in federal prison and fined 750 dollars for her actions.

Unlike many of the 80 other protestors on trial also arrested in November, Gaunt pleaded not guilty to the trespassing charges. She also refused to sign stipulations admitting she had crossed the line, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

“I want the SOA/WHISC closed forever,” said Gaunt in a prepared statement before the trial. “I want reparations for the people of Latin America.”

The sentence did not surprise the family, but they will miss her help around the family farm.

“It was her decision,” said her son, Jason Gaunt, 16. “I have kind of mixed feelings about it.”

Her husband expressed similar sentiments. “I guess I’m supporting her,” said Jay Gaunt. “She is trying to make her point. I’m not feeling sorry for her, she’s been as calm as can be on the phone.”

Gaunt’s son and her husband will share her duties on the farm until she returns. “She left us very well organized, she left us a page and a half of phone numbers,” said Mr. Gaunt.

When she returned to campus after her arrest in November Gaunt said she expected to be sentenced to three to six months in Federal prison. “This must stop,” said Gaunt, referring to the WHISC/SOA.

The trial judge, G. Mallon Faircloth, has a history of strict sentencing in cases involving WHISC/SOA protestors, according to Washington-based School of Americas Watch.

The WHISC, a military training program focused on Latin America, was previously called the School of Americas. The institute offers military training to militants, police officers and other officials from Latin America. Human rights activists have long accused the institute of propagating human rights violations.

In 1996 the Pentagon released training manuals used at the school that advocated the use of torture, extortion and execution, according to Indymedia.org.

“After sentencing, Gaunt slumped to the floor in protest and had to be carried from the courtroom as fellow protesters among courtroom spectators applauded and shouted exhortations,” according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Gaunt went directly to jail where she will serve her term now so she can return home in time for her daughter’s high school graduation this spring. Now she will serve her sentence in Georgia, but she might have the opportunity to move to a prison closer to Iowa before her sentence is over.