This workshop will look at military spending as a part of the Federal Budget, and shifts toward reducing violence.  Miriam Pemberton is an expert on Department of Defense funding and conversion to a peace economy.  She will contextualize U.S. military spending globally and in relation to non-defense spending.  Then she will lay out a comprehensive strategy for linking action at the federal, state and local levels to build an economic foundation that is not dependent on producing weapon systems we don’t need.

The School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) continues to reduce the impact of U.S. on violence in Central and South America. Arturo Viscarra will address the work to close the Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), through legislation, vigils, and work with Southern leaders to withdraw their military from the school.

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