The Families of 43 Missing Mexican Students Rally in New York
Prove peaceful protest still possible.
Coverage of the events in Baltimore over the past few days may have prevented the message of the family members of 43 students who disappeared in Ayotzinapa, Mexico, from being widespread.
I had not heard anything about this, and decided to investigate by looking at several articles on the Internet.
On Sunday, about 300 people marched from Washington Square Park in New York City to the United Nations building in efforts to “put pressure on the Mexican government to reopen investigations into exactly what happened to their loved ones,” according to Reed Dunlea, photographer for Vice News.
The march served as the final event in a week’s worth of actions in the city, but this was by far the first time attention has been brought to the cause.
I found that demonstrations in Mexico have been a bit more intense, including a truck being set on fire outside of the capitol building in the Mexican capital.
Thousands of demonstrators marched in Mexico City over the missing students in November of last year, but since then, little has been done on behalf of the Mexican government to alleviate the minds of the demonstrators.
The students, who went missing over seven months ago, are alleged to have been attacked by Mexican authorities (at the order of the mayor of Iguala, Guerrero) while on their way to participate in a protest. They were then said to have been captured and handed over to a local criminal organization who the mayor and his wife had ties to, who killed them and burned their remains.
The Mexican government has repeatedly denied these accusations, though the family members of the students are demanding answers, asking for the United States government to get involved.
It sickens me that nothing has been done to help the families and that no answers have been given to them. I wonder if it will take another seven months for justice to be brought to light.
The group heading the march has taken to using #Caravana43 on Twitter, allowing people all over the world to voice their opinions on the matter:
"If there isn't justice for the people, there won't be peace for the government"#Caravana43 pic.twitter.com/3lrU0aG6H5 #Ayotzinapa7Meses RT
— Norma ❏ ♕ (@normarsolis2) April 26, 2015
"Police brutality has no borders!"-sign here at #Caravana43 march in #NYC! #Ayotzinapa pic.twitter.com/OgNQSQHXDU
— Ash J (@AshAgony) April 26, 2015
#caravana43 desde NY Square pic.twitter.com/4JT5ikruLU
— MANUEL REVUELTAS (@REVUELTASManuel) April 26, 2015