He said in a phone interview Wednesday night that he requested to serve his time at Duluth's Federal Prison Camp, although that request may be denied by the government. He was one of 24 people sentenced for being on School of the Americas property after being barred from it. I'm being used in this process,'' he said to the crowd of more than 100 people filling his courtroom. If I find you not guilty, that makes Fort Benning and the government look like a laughingstock, but if I find you guilty and sentence you to the maximum, I make martyrs of you.
Protesters believe the school trains murderers and torturers for Latin American governments.
Kilgour is a member of the Loaves and Fishes Catholic Worker Community in Duluth, which offers temporary housing for individuals and families who are homeless. Reba Mathern-Jacobson, a fellow Loaves and Fishes member who wasn't on trial, said the sentencing began at noon and didn't end until after 7 p.m. It was a packed courtroom. There was a lot of enthusiasm, support and empathy,'' she said. The School of the Americas was started in 1946 as part of the Organization of American States.