For what it is worth.
Perhaps, The start of a movement that could lead to a reduction in the murders and kidnappings in Baja
Baja California News
November 7, 2006
Baja's Cry for Social Peace
A 16-day march against public insecurity and for the rights
of crime victims culminated last weekend in the Baja
California state capital of Mexicali. Organized by the
Public Safety Citizen Council of Baja California, a
non-governmental group, the march kicked off on October 21
in San Quintin, passed through Playas de Rosarito, stopped
in Tijuana and Tecate and terminated in Mexicali at a
November 5 rally attended by 1,200-1,500 people, including
crime victims, businessmen, motorcycle club members,
government bureaucrats, and civic and church groups. Along
the march route, crosses commemorating victims of violence
were erected.
"We want to leave in peace! We want to live in peace!"
chanted marchers dressed in white as they gathered November
5 in Mexicali's Civic Center. "Corruption is the mother of
impunity" and "Out with functionaries who don't function"
were the messages leaping from protest signs. "Let's not be
satisfied with the rhetoric of the authorities," thundered
Alberto Capella Ibarra, the president of the statewide
Citizen Council. "We're not going to take it anymore!"
Catalyzing the march was a rapidly deteriorating public
safety climate. Almost 400 people have been murdered in Baja
California Norte so far this year, with more than 300 of the
killings registered in Tijuana alone. Official and
non-official sources also report a rise in the number of
kidnappings and "levantones," or forced disappearances
carried out by organized crime groups.
According to Baja California State Attorney General Jose
Carlos Vizcarra, 29 people were kidnapped in Baja California
from January to September 2006, a sharp jump from last year
when 9 individuals were kidnapped during the course of the
entire year. Levantones, which typically don't involve
demands for ransom and end in executions, reached 75 during
the first 9 months of the year, compared to 93 for 2005.
Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon recently acknowledged that at
least 10 of his acquaintances have suffered kidnappings.
Many sources contend that the official crime statistics
understate the extent of the violence overwhelming Baja
California. Jose Carlos Vizcarra Lomeli, the president of
Mexicali's Public Safety Citizen Council, estimates that 80
percent of the crimes committed in his state are not
denounced because of "fear of the police" and the widespread
belief that authorities are not going to resolve anything.
David Fuentes, a researcher at the Institute of Social
Research of the University of Baja California, attributed
the crime upsurge to the diversification of organized crime
as well as the corruption of authorities.
"Despite the accomplishments of state police, the situation
has not improved but worsened," Fuentes said. "This has to
do with the profound level of decomposition of the different
police agencies, and although almost 90 people have been
detained and sent to maximum security prisons, the criminal
bands continue growing."
In recent months, at least 12 officers of the State
Preventive Police (PEP) an agency envisioned as a "clean"
force above the corruptions of other departments, have been
murdered. New officers are reportedly in fear of their
lives, and some only accepted assignment in Tijuana under
protest. PEP recruits have complained that they are lodged
in flea-bag hotels and "left to die alone."
Fed up with the growing violence and mayhem, the Citizen
Council and crime victims decided to organize a statewide
march to put all levels of government on notice that
decisive actions need to be taken.
An October 29 stop in Tijuana drew the largest participation
in the march, when 5-9,000 people turned out to hear
speakers that included Sara Ruiz, the mother of slain
Tijuana teenager, Sara BeN-zir, whose 2005 murder allegedly
at the hands of the son of a government official symbolized
the violence and impunity that have plagued Baja California
in recent years. Receiving applause, Ruiz blamed authorities
for the high rates of crime.
Although much of the marchers' rhetoric was directed against
government officials, Baja California Governor Eugenio
Elorduy of the PAN party, State Attorney General Martinez
and Mexicali Mayor Samuel Ramos joined the protest
procession on its final legs.
Besides strongly criticizing the Mexican authorities, some
march organizers took aim at the United States government as
well. Genaro de la Torre, for instance, contended that US
authorities allow known drug traffickers to reside in their
territory unmolested, and permit arms to flow south to
criminal enterprises. "They should collaborate with the
government of Mexico to detain (criminals) and undertake a
more active struggle against drug trafficking," de la Torre
demanded.
The gravity of Baja California's growing problem with
violence was tragically evident during the long public
safety march. Six suspected murder victims were discovered
in Tijuana on November 4 and 5. A few days earlier, three
women inside the city's New Image hair-styling salon were
shot and wounded in broad daylight by a two-man fire team
who showed up at the business establishment dressed in black
and blasting AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles. The victims
included the owner, Mariza Migueles, an employee and a
customer. A small child, who was in the bathroom with his
mother at the time of the shooting, escaped injury.
Sources: Frontera, October 21 and 29, 2006; November 5 and
6, 2006. Articles by Luis A. San, Manuel Villegas, Angel
Ruiz, Carlos Acevedo,and the Notimex news agency. La
Jornada, November 6, 2006. Article by Antonio Heras. La Voz
de Nuevo Mexico/Reforma News Agency, November 3, 2006. El
Universal, October 4 and 21, 2006; November 5, 2006.
Articles by Julieta Martinez and Rosa Maria Mendez Fierros.
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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