Jennifer Rogers

I just received a letter from one of my Oaxacan collegues. Her story is not unique. Over 300 people have been detained since June, 149 of them after the march and street battle last Saturday. About 141 detainees have been taken out of state, to Nayarit. Amnesty International believes that the prisoners are being subjected to abuse or ill-treatment.

Well, I must admit I have never been a letter writer in the past, but the current events in Oaxaca have moved me to action as they have touched my life personally. One of my co-worker’s life-long friends was missing for 2 days, and when her family finally located her, they found that she had been detained during the march and sent to the Nayarit prison in northern Mexico. She had been involved in the movement assisting a lawyer who was advocating for people who had been detained previously, but she was in no way committing crimes on the day of the march. She is a woman in her 50s.

My co-worker when searching for her friend naturally communicated with others who also have been struggling to locate loved ones. She was told a story of a detainee who had been tortured by sticking needles underneath his fingernails and by breaking all his fingers.

The environment in Oaxaca currently is one of repression and fear. I am reminded of the several movies I have seen about Argentina and Chile and the disappearances that happened there. It is very difficult to know who is who and who is right and who is wrong.

If you have a little time please consider sending a letter to the people detailed below in this Amnesty International Urgent Action. It could make a difference.

Her sample letter is below:

Dear Sir or Madam,

On November 25, 2006 152 people were detained in Oaxaca city during the violence that ensued that Saturday. On November 27th, 2006, 141 or those people were transferred to a prison in Nayarit, and have reportedly been denied access to family and independent legal counsel. It has also been reported that many of the detainees were bystanders in the march on Saturday, and may not have committed any crime. In addition, it has been reported that several people detained during the Oaxaca conflict have been tortured.

I am writing with grave concern for the detainees. If Mexico is to follow basic human rights guidelines, those detainees should be ensured immediate access to adequate medical attention, legal counsel of their choice, and communication with their families. As well, they should be charged with a recognizable criminal offense or released immediately. I also ask that the federal government immediately carry out investigations into the allegations of torture and allow human rights organizations to observe the current procedures taking place in prisons. I am calling on you to ensure the physical and mental integrity of those currently in custody.

I am sorry to hear about these reports of human rights abuses in Mexico. I had planned a trip to Mexico this winter, but I have cancelled it as it seems that Mexico isn’t a very pleasant place to visit right now. I believe that many other U.S. citizens will feel the same upon hearing about the current human rights abuses taking place in the previously sought-out tourist destination of Oaxaca. I would appreciate a reply from you detailing the actions you will take to ensure the proper treatment of the Oaxaca detainees. My concern for the basic rights of individuals in your country is not of a political nature, it is simply a concern for the dignity and well being of all humans.

Sincerely,

And here a couple addresses that you can send a letter to:

Minister of the Interior:
Lic. Carlos Abascal Carranza
Secretario de Gobernacion, Secretaria de Gobernacion
Bucareli 99, 1er. piso
Col. Juarez, Delegacion Cuauhtemoc
Mexico D.F., C.P.06600, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5093 3414
Salutation: Dear Minister/ Estimado Secretario de Gobernacion

President of the National Human Rights Commission:
Dr. Jose Luis Soberanes Fernandez
Presidente de la Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH)
Periferico Sur 3469, 5º piso
Col. San Jeronimo Lidice
Mexico D.F. 10200, MEXICO
Fax: 011 52 55 5681 7199
Salutation: Dear President / Estimado Presidente

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As I walked around Santo Domingo and the Zócalo this morning, I had hoped to survey some of the damage from yesterday’s battle. To my surprise, the damaged streets were being swept, sprayed and painted by a crew of workers. I have never seen anything like it around here. All of the vendor stands and APPO tables were removed. There are no signs that the APPO supporters had occupied Santo Domingo for nearly a month.

And suddenly, a crowd of reporters and people came rushing towards me. I heard shouts of “Ulises, el pueblo esta con tigo” (“Ulises, the people are with you”). Confused, I pushed my way in and was confronted with Ulises Ruiz Ortiz, the governor of Oaxaca. He is the reason the streets were crowded with fighting and protesting. His violent repression of the teachers´ strike in June prompted the formation of APPO. And yet, here he stood, at the steps of Santo Domingo, and the APPO was no where to be seen. He spoke about the violence of APPO and how he has controlled the situation. A woman walked passed the crowd and shouted to Ulises to get out of Oaxaca. She was pushed by a small group of women and she fell to the ground. As she managed to squeeze past the crowd of about 100 Ulises supporters, some followed her and shouted.

Ulises promises to clean out the barricade at Cinco Senores (the large one by the University) and he has the Municipal police patrolling the city. But I doubt that this is the end of the struggle for APPO. Despite what Ulises wants us to believe, this battle is far from over.

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The Policia Federal Preventiva (PFP) “cleaned-up” the Zòcalo by removing the tents, tables, posters, and graffiti of the APPO. And in return have added thousands of tents and tables to house 4,000 PFP officers. They are also using the scarce water resources of Oaxaca by taking advantage of their allotted 20 minute showers in the nearby hotels.

The PFP were sent in to “restore order” in the Zòcalo and in return have increased the tension and anticipation of violence. Accused of sexual abuse, the PFP may be taking their power to control a bit too far.

By staying in the Zòcalo, they have made this historic cultural center an easy target to become the focus of a march, rally, or even violence. The presence of the PFP does not show that the government is in control in Oaxaca, rather, it exemplifies their lack of control.

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At the last Congresso Constitutivo of APPO (Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca) on Nov 12, the people agreed on a certain list of actions. Marked for November 20th was the occupation of the Palacio del Gobierno, a government building located on one side of the Zòcalo. The unexplained plan was to bring enough people in to the area with a march and surround the Zòcalo. However, the day before the scheduled event, the APPO realized what they had done. They had agreed by consensus on the overall list of actions but did not discuss each one, point-by-point. They realized that this particular action was not practical and could potentially lead to violence. They tried to disseminate information to their supporters notifying them that there would only be a march which would walk past the Zòcalo to Santo Domingo. However, the main form of communication is through radio and cell phones, and this could not reach everyone. And others were ready for a fight. This is a growing problem for APPO. While their main ideology is in line with non-violence and they have tried their best to maintain this in the face of violent repression, many of the young people (teens and young adults) are pushing for a violent reaction. Many APPO members are afraid that if the government pushes hard enough, their will be a violent reaction, which could lead to fighting in the streets for an undetermined amount of time.

A glimpse of this was seen yesterday. While march walked past the Zòcalo, a group of young people climbed a vehicle (or a bus, I am uncertain) and provoked the PFP (Policia Federal Protectiva) with words and possibly rocks. The PFP fired back with a rock, which reportedly hit one of the young people. This started a fight between the two groups. The PFP threw out tear gas to disperse the crowd. The PFP on Garcia Vigil street are stationed at the entrance to the Zòcalo. They threw up tear gas two blocks up toward Santo Domingo. Activists, shoppers, vendors, and children, ran from the gas that was filling the air. It was difficult to find a place free from the stinging gas. A young boy was carried to a vendor’s table as he was overcome by the gas. At this location, two blocks up from the PFP (it is a slightly elevated hill), APPO set up an impromptu barricade with supplies from a nearby construction site and from the abandoned vendor tables. A bus was brought in behind the barricade carrying bottles, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks. When one of the APPO members anticipated something was about to happen, they would whistle. Directly afterwards, many of the women would ask the men to calm down and not do anything. A bus was also set on fire a couple blocks from Santo Domingo in order to prevent a tank and PFP from advancing up the street. At this point, Marcelino Coache, a speaker for APPO, and a few reporters approached the PFP and negotiated for the release of some of the detained activists in exchange for a truce. Seven people were released as both groups retreated back.

Some people were looking for a fight, and it is likely that some of the police want to give it to them…but for now it is a waiting game. The young men who were part of starting this may be APPO or they may be Porros (a young gang that does the bidding of Ulises to provoke violence in the community). Young APPO members were prepared for a fight because of the announcement that they would be occupying Palacio del Gobierno. After four hours of fighting with thrown objects, 58 people were injured, mostly from the tear gas, a few from being hit by gas canisters.

The majority of the people in this movement want to see a peaceful change in the governing of their people. They want recognition of their traditional ways of governance that is representative of all people, especially the indigenous, and uses consensus. However, every meeting, event, march, and barricade is a negotiation between communities, families, businesses, organizations, ideologies and goals. If the incoming government of Calderon pushes harder, the debate over violence or nonviolence will be decided.

Please look in my photos section for more pictures from this event.

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Yesterday I was sitting in the Zócalo (a major cultural center of Oaxaca–and the location of thousands of Federal Police) in The Italian Coffee Company. It is a quaint little coffee place with snobby workers and an eerie feeling of Starbucks. From my vantage point I can see a good portion of the Zócalo. Around the corner is an arcade. The officers kill time by playing gun games and jumping around on Dance Revolution. I really wish I had a photo to show you…but I did not dare try to sneak that one. The men in uniform really aren’t as coordinated as one would think.

I sat in a plush plastic yellow chair and read an article about genetically modified corn. A young boy, who looked a little like my five year old nephew, sat crouched in the window beside me. The window is completely open and low to the ground. He sneaks over to the table in front of me where two girls are talking. He sits there for a while until one of them gives him a peso. Moments later a young girl, about 10 years-old, and her 3 year-old brother asks me if I would like to buy any of her candy. I say “no”.

I can not get used to seeing children on the street, begging and selling items. Many wander all day and night, walking into cafes and bars. With the strike, more children were on the street than normal. Wealthier families enrolled their children into private schools.

Across the walkway, a young boy is shinning the shoes of an officer as he reads a newspaper. In a hotel balcony to the right a man is hanging his uniform out to dry. Many of the officers have tents or cots to sleep in at night. But some of the hotels have opened their doors to the Federal Police so that they may shower and rent rooms if the choose.

At a large table on the patio, five women are giggling and gossiping. A few tourists are walking around with cameras taking photos of the tanks and the large crowd of officers. Tourism has drastically declined here, for obvious reasons. Several countries have advised their citizens that it is unsafe to travel to Oaxaca. And the Mexican government has advised to avoid the area. This has negatively affected the economy here and many of the APPO activists have told me that they wish more tourists were here to see the oppression of the government. However, the tourism industry continues. It is currently ridiculously easy to find a hotel room, an inexpensive tour guide, and nice place to dine where you are all alone.

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