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Oaxacans Debate their Governor's Future
The death of journalist Brad Will in Oaxaca has brought the world’s attention to a 5-month old strike there that began as a teachers’ strike and led Mexican President Vicente Fox to call in federal troops. Local authorities arrested five men, including civic officials and off-duty police officers identified as the shooters. Photographer Oswaldo Ramirez of the newspaper Milenio Diario was wounded on Oct. 27. Two other men were killed.
Oaxaca’s chief legal officier, Lizbeth Cana, claimed the armed attack was the work of “neighbors tired of the situation” created by strikers. Nevertheless, the truth seems to be something else entirely. “After the shooting, the so-called neighbors smiled, enjoying the impunity of being presumed police,” wrote Diego Osorno in Milenio, a Mexico City daily.
The attackers carried AR-15 rifles, which are used by the police force. U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said the killers appear to have been police. This should come as no surprise; Governor Ulises Ruiz follows in the tradition of the strong-arm leaders of the PRI political party, which has governed Oaxaca since 1929.
In May, Oaxacan teachers asked for salary and cost-of-living increases. Gov. Ruiz turned them down, saying it was the responsibility of the federal government under President Fox of the National Action Party (PAN). Teachers organized protests and sit-ins in downtown Oaxaca City, once a tourist mecca. On June 14, when the state government attempted to disperse the strikers by force, violence broke out and civilians were killed. Up to12 people have been killed as of today, all of them unarmed. Strikes became more determined and widespread, including a demand for the resignation of Gov. Ruiz. The movement gave rise to the Popular Association of the Peoples of Oaxaca, or APPO for its initials in Spanish, a group of teachers, grassroots organizations and activists.
“We are asking the governor for real solutions, from infrastructure improvements to student breakfasts,” said Oaxacan teacher Fernando Mendoza, who in early October visited the Central California city of Fresno, whic h is home to thousands of Oaxacan immigrants. According to Mendoza, Gov. Ruiz wants to privatize education and stop training new teachers. While tourists may enjoy the beauty of Oaxaca, designated a “patrimony of humanity” by the United Nations, thousands of Oaxacans are fleeing to other parts of the world. The state of Oaxaca is home to 16 indigenous ethnic groups and some of the poorest towns in Mexico—a distinction it shares with the indigenous regions of Guerrero and Chiapas.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0ffdd97834ee34154b19819dc382c0d2
The attackers carried AR-15 rifles, which are used by the police force. U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said the killers appear to have been police. This should come as no surprise; Governor Ulises Ruiz follows in the tradition of the strong-arm leaders of the PRI political party, which has governed Oaxaca since 1929.
In May, Oaxacan teachers asked for salary and cost-of-living increases. Gov. Ruiz turned them down, saying it was the responsibility of the federal government under President Fox of the National Action Party (PAN). Teachers organized protests and sit-ins in downtown Oaxaca City, once a tourist mecca. On June 14, when the state government attempted to disperse the strikers by force, violence broke out and civilians were killed. Up to12 people have been killed as of today, all of them unarmed. Strikes became more determined and widespread, including a demand for the resignation of Gov. Ruiz. The movement gave rise to the Popular Association of the Peoples of Oaxaca, or APPO for its initials in Spanish, a group of teachers, grassroots organizations and activists.
“We are asking the governor for real solutions, from infrastructure improvements to student breakfasts,” said Oaxacan teacher Fernando Mendoza, who in early October visited the Central California city of Fresno, whic h is home to thousands of Oaxacan immigrants. According to Mendoza, Gov. Ruiz wants to privatize education and stop training new teachers. While tourists may enjoy the beauty of Oaxaca, designated a “patrimony of humanity” by the United Nations, thousands of Oaxacans are fleeing to other parts of the world. The state of Oaxaca is home to 16 indigenous ethnic groups and some of the poorest towns in Mexico—a distinction it shares with the indigenous regions of Guerrero and Chiapas.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=0ffdd97834ee34154b19819dc382c0d2
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