Aug 8 - Film Screening: 'Hidden in Plain Sight'

Join the Bergen Peace & Justice Coalition and the Fort Lee Peace Vigil on Friday, August 8 at 7:00 pm at the Englewood Library for a screening of the Documentary "Hidden in Plain Sight". Englewood Public Library is located at 31 Engle Street in Englewood, NJ.

"Hidden in Plain Sight" is a feature-length documentary that looks at the nature of U.S. policy in Latin America through the prism of the School of the Americas (renamed in January 2001, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation), the controversial military school that trains L.A. soldiers in the U.S.

Every November, thousands of people from across North America gather outside Fort Benning, Georgia to form one of the largest anti-war demonstrations in the U.S. since the Vietnam War. The issue is the controversial U.S. Army School of the Americas, where over 60,000 Latin soldiers have been trained, among them dictators like Manuel Noriega of Panama and death squad leaders like Roberto D’Aubuisson of El Salvador.

Demonstrators denounce the SOA as a “School of Assassins,” but Army officials argue that the school has played a crucial role in bringing democracy and stability to Latin America. On this issue, the U.S. Congress is sharply divided. Enter noted scholars Noam Chomsky, Eduardo Galeano, Christopher Hitchens, and Michael Parenti, who broaden the debate to include such subjects as militarism, globalization, national security, and international terrorism. Personal accounts from victims of the violence and repression in Latin America raise questions and concerns about the true aims of U.S. foreign policy.

Informative and provocative, this documentary presents different points of view which illuminate the turbulent reality of Latin America, demystify the policy-making process, and shed light on some of the most complex and urgent problems facing U.S. citizens today.

A short history, a spirited debate, a personal story, and a call for accountability, “Hidden in Plain Sight” is a bold, unflinching look at the nature and consequences of U.S. policy in Latin America.

This event is free to the public. For more information, contact Arya Jenkins at 201-694-7055.