Once again I am behind in blog entries. I will recap the last few days even though they all seem to run together.
Last week we went out to a town 45 minutes from Oaxaca City. The town had taken over city municipal building a few months ago and kicked out their town mayor. The people we met with were men in the 50’s. They have been taking care of the town ever I asked where the police were and the men all laughed and said that the police had left with the mayor. They collect taxes every weekend at the town market to pay for trash collection and other necessities of the town. The also operate a radio station to keep the town informed with all that is going on. We also were able to speak with some of the women who were able to tell us what their involvement in the movement has been. We have all this on video and are working on getting translations done so that we can post it. We are also hoping to go back to the town during the day to view more of what the people there are doing and how it all works.
On Thursday we visited Cinco Senores the last barricade that is still held by the demonstrators. It is enormous! Cinco Senores is about 6 blocks from the University, which houses a medical center and APPO Radio. There are burned out buses and cars blocking every intersection and men and women defend the barricade 24 hours a day. Cinco Senores is a very dangerous place, many have disappeared from the barricade, and it is often attacked by gunshots at night. We were able to conduct several interviews with people who have been at the barricade for months. The people at Cinco Senores seem prepared for anything that the PFP may attempt to do and are prepared to defend their barricade to the end.
Friday like most of the week was calm with most people preparing for Saturday, November 25, the day of the mega march (their term not mine!). We mainly got our gear ready for whatever would happen on Saturday. The plan was supposed to have a HUGE many mile march that would start outside of the city and end by circling the Zocalo which the PFP were in and not letting anyone in or out for 48 hours!
When Saturday came we got on a bus near Santo Domingo that would take us to the beginning of the march. Hundreds were waiting to get on the buses some wearing helmets, some with large sticks, young, and old it seemed everyone was going to be at this march. On the bus ride that took about 30 minutes we saw hundreds more people sitting along the roadside waiting for the march to pass by them. When we got to the march it was amazing we could not see the beginning of the march or the end! It was huge; I have never seen anything like this before. While we marched people along the sides were clapping, holding signs and joining the march. When the march got to the Zocalo it easily circled the PFP. The PFP has put up sandbags and lots of razor wire to prevent people from entering the Zocalo. There was about an hour of calm before all hell broke loose. I don’t know how it all started but once it started it was on. There was tons of tear gas and demonstrators were ready with shopping carts full of rocks for their slings and slingshots. There were carts full of Molotov’s and many people with homemade bazookas. We saw 2 buses set on fire and pushed down the hill into PFP lines. Molotov’s were thrown and bazookas shot. The PFP responded with more tear gas, concussion grenades, and water canons shooting pepper spray. The battle lasted some 5 hours into the night. Some friends were right near a man that was shot in the leg by live ammunition. We saw people being carried on stretchers by medical students to the clinic near Santo Domingo. When all was said and done 3 people from the movement were dead and at least 200 detained.
Saturday night and Sunday the APPO radio called out names of people who were unaccounted for telling them to call home. Many people were hurt and were getting treatment from the medical center. We went over to the University where hundreds had gone for safety after the fighting the night before. We conducted interviews with street children who are now part of the movement and farmers. It seems that I always eat best when I am at the University where there is always plenty of supplies. When supplies get low a call for what is needed goes out over the radio and tons of supplies comes in. PFP helicopters were flying low over the University so people masked up for fear of being tear gassed and people fired the bazookas and came very close to hitting the helicopters. As the sun was setting we got word that the AFI was in town. The AFI is basically a 1920’s J Edgar Hoover FBI. People coming by car to the University were being pulled over and had guns put to their heads. It was time to leave and people from the movement had us run 6 blocks out to a main road where we piled into a cab. As we rode in the cab we saw pickup trucks full of PFP rolling through the area. We got out just in time but fortunately there would be no raid on the University Sunday just more and more state repression.
Monday, November 27 was mostly calm (whatever calm is around here). Santo Domingo is all cleared out and the PFP have it all blocked off. We went into Santo Domingo without a problem but other people we know had their bags searched before going in. The PFP is profiling people that might be part of the movement. All the anti URO (Governor Ulisis) graffiti was painted over and business that were not previously open were beginning to come alive. There was a march that was supposed to begin at the University but it was cancelled, there are also more rumors of a raid on the University. Things in the city seem much different and we have heard reports of houses being raided, It should also be said that Radio Ciudadana, the local radio that supports Governor Ulisis Ruiz, has been calling for citizens to attack houses where leaders of the APPO live as well as hostals or houses where foreigners may be staying, promoting a sense of terror in the Oaxaca City. They have been using scare tactics in their programming for several weeks. December 1 will be a big day and no matter how bad the repression in Mexico gets it will not solve the problems or kill the ideas that created this popular movement.
More 11/25 photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffrae/sets/72157594392041212/
Siempre en la lucha!
2 comments:
please keep up the good work - this blog is invaluable documentation.
I found your post because Dawn has a link on her blog from Venezuela, and I've been following your reports. I was checking for posts after Saturday's events to see that you were ok. I seem to remember a situation where you were a sole detainee, and was relieved to see you avoided detention when so many had worse luck! I'm not your mother, but I am a mother - keep up the good work.
Mary
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