Monday, March 23, 2009

Dispatch from Tuscon

The New York Times goes where George Will just came back from, detailing the rising crime levels in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson is an anomaly in that crime is on the rise, whereas violence in most of the big cities near the border is dropping, despite the increased activity of Mexican gangs. At one point, the author writes:
Although much of the violence is against people involved in the drug trade, law enforcement authorities said such crime should not be viewed as a “self-cleaning oven,” as one investigator put it, because of the danger it poses to the innocent. It has also put a strain on local departments.
Will's first column ended with a comment implying that the victims of Mexican gangs deserved their victimhood, which seemed like a misguided afterthought that didn't deserve a whole lot of attention at the time. Having read this, I've rethought the matter, and come to the following conclusion: Anyone who thinks that the self-cleaning oven scenario is an acceptable approach to Mexico has been imbibing what the gangs are selling. That is insane. Criminal gangs don't simply traffic drugs and shoot at their enemies, especially with Calderón cracking down. They extort. They rob banks. They kidnap. The victims of those crimes are not the disposable crumbs at the bottom of the oven, but the businesses, shoppers, and ordinary citizens upon whose safety a thriving civilized society depends. They are you and me, speaking Spanish.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Human Rights Advocates Dismayed At U.S. Military Funding to Mexico

CONTACT: Salvador Pantoja 646 267 0624 chava@riseup.net

NEW YORK, NY - Human rights organizers in New York City are
disappointed by the U.S. House of Representatives February 25, 2009
vote to approve $300 million in military aid to Mexico under the
Merida Initiative, also known as Plan Mexico.

"Plan Mexico is a disaster for human rights in Mexico, Central America
and the Caribbean," says Robert Jereski, a member of Friends of Brad
Will. "It means further aid to armies and police forces that have been
widely implicated in grave human rights violations. But it further
energizes our networks for our upcoming Day of Action on March 11 in
Washington, D.C."

Friends of Brad Will is an organization formed in 2006 following the
murder of NYC-based video-journalist Brad Will in the state of Oaxaca,
Mexico while he was documenting a teachers' strike and popular
movement for democratic change there. Will was one of 27 people killed
by Mexican government paramilitaries during state-wide protests
against corruption, impunity, and immense poverty. While those who
shot Will have been clearly identified as police and local government
officials, the Mexican Attorney General recently arrested and charged
anti-government protester Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno for the murder
of Will. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and
Physicians for Human Rights, as well as the Mexican government's own
National Human Rights Commission, have vigorously disputed the
Attorney General's claims.

Friends of Brad Will is participating in an International Day of
Action on March 11. The Day of Action is demanding freedom for Juan
Manual Martinez Moreno as well as demanding an end to Plan Mexico.
Activists from around the country are organizing caravans to
Washington, D.C. to meet with elected officials about Martinez's case,
to seek justice for Will, and to urge them to oppose Plan Mexico.

"We are heartened that dozens of lawmakers now oppose Plan Mexico as a
result of the Mexican government's corruption and impunity," says
Friends of Brad Will member Salvador Pantoja. "We have already seen
this aid being directed not against drug traffickers but instead
against democratic and non-violent social movements in Mexico. If more
aid is sent by U.S. taxpayers, the criminalizing of dissenters and
other pro-democracy forces will only increase, while no actions are
being taken to address the roots causes of corruption and drug
trafficking."
Defensores de derechos humanos en EE.UU. continúan consternados por la
financiación militar a México
NUEVA YORK, NY - Organización de derechos humanos de la ciudad de
Nueva York están decepcionados por la votación de la Cámara de
Representantes de los EE.UU. del 25 de febrero de 2009 para aprobar
300 millones de dólares en ayuda militar a México en virtud de la
Iniciativa Mérida, conocido también como Plan México.

"El Plan México es un desastre para los derechos humanos en México,
América Central y

el Caribe ", dice Robert Jereski, miembro de Amigos de Brad Will." Eso

implica una mayor ayuda a los ejércitos y las fuerzas policiales que
han sido ampliamente

implicados en graves violaciones de los derechos humanos. Pero
energiza aún más nuestras redes y trabajo para nuestro Día de Acción
el próximo 11 de marzo en Washington, DC "

Amigos de Brad Will (friends of Brad Will) es una organización formada
en el 2006 tras el asesinato del video-periodista Brad Will de la
ciudad de Nueva York en el estado de Oaxaca, México, mientras fue a
documentar una huelga de maestros y el movimiento popular por el
cambio democrático allí. Will fue una de las 27 personas asesinadas
por paramilitares del gobierno mexicano durante todo el estado de
protestas contra la corrupción, la impunidad, y inmensa pobreza.
Mientras que los que dispararon han sido claramente identificados como
policías y funcionarios del gobierno local, el Fiscal General Mexicano
recientemente arrestó y acusó al manifestante contra el gobierno Juan
Manuel Martínez Moreno por el asesinato de Will. Los grupos de
derechos humanos como Amnistía Internacional y Forenses por los
Derechos Humanos (Physicians for Human Rights) , así como la del
propio gobierno mexicano su Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, han
disputado enérgicamente reclamando al Fiscal General.

Amigos de Brad Will está participando en un Día de Acción Internacional el

11 de marzo. El Día de Acción exige la libertad de Juan Manuel Martínez

Moreno, así como el fin al Plan México. Activistas de todo el país
están organizando caravanas a Washington DC, para reunirse con los
representantes electos sobre el caso de Martínez, para buscar la
justicia para Will, e instar a oponerse al Plan México.

"Nos alienta que docenas de legisladores ahora se oponen al Plan México como

resultado de la corrupción y la impunidad del gobierno mexicano", dice
Salvador Pantoja un miembro del Grupo de Amigos de Brad Will. "Ya
hemos visto que esta ayuda es

dirigida no contra los traficantes de drogas, sino contra los
movimientos sociales democráticos y no violentos de México. Si se
envía más ayuda de los contribuyentes de EE.UU. , la criminalización
de la protesta y otras fuerzas pro-democráticas

sólo aumentará, mientras que no se están tomando medidas para hacer
frente a las raíces

y causas de la corrupción y el tráfico de drogas ".