N.J. man among 37 protesters appearing in court

WALL TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSERY - A New Jersey man is among 37 people scheduled to appear in federal court this week after a protest took them onto the grounds of Fort Benning in Georgia earlier this year. <br> <br> Tom Mahedy, 39, of Wall Township, and the others were protesting the Defense Institute for Hemispheric Security Cooperation, which is located on the grounds of the military installation. <br> <br> The institute, formerly known as the School of the Americas, is one of two that specializes in training Latin American soldiers in combat, counterterrorism and anti-narcotics activities. <br> <br> About 10,000 people attended this year&#39;s protest organized by a group called the School of the Americas Watch. <br> <br> Most protesters only walked up to Fort Benning&#39;s gates during the mock funeral procession for victims of the school&#39;s graduates. But Mahedy and nearly 100 others entered government property. <br> <br> They were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing. <br> <br> Mahedy planned to plead innocent when he appears Monday before a federal judge in Columbus, Ga., the Asbury Park Press reported. <br> <br> Mahedy and his wife, Julie Fees-Mahedy, have told their 7- and 5-year-old children that he may have to go to prison and explained the importance of standing up for their beliefs.