In This Article
Subscribe to International Updates
Eduardo Verdugo/AP
Demonstrators hold candles at the main Zocalo square in Mexico City during a protest
against the tide of killings, kidnappings and shootouts sweeping the country, Saturday,
Aug. 30, 2008.
Demonstrators hold candles at the main Zocalo square in Mexico City during a protest
against the tide of killings, kidnappings and shootouts sweeping the country, Saturday,
Aug. 30, 2008.
Mexicans Want Calderon to Stop the Violence
September 03, 2008 11:48 AM
Tens of thousands of people participated in peace marches across the country this weekend, protesting drug violence which has escalated since President Felipe Calderon took office.
30-Second Summary
One of Calderon’s main goals upon taking office 20 months ago was to launch a war on the drug-related violence plaguing Mexico. But his efforts, including amped-up police and military presence across the country, have not prevented an increase in the killings of police officers, public officials and civilians, and Mexicans want change, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
“Security!” protesters chanted in Mexico City, where the largest demonstrations were held this weekend. “If you can’t [do it], resign!”
In response, Calderon met Sunday with 14 civic leaders who staged the protests, and said he will set up citizens’ panels to monitor government progress, recruit better police, and equip officers with more powerful weapons.
But stopping the drug-related violence will be a major job. The Washington Post recently reported that the “savage conflict between rival cartels and the federal government … has taken more than 7,000 lives in the past 2 1/2 years.”
More than 500 police officers have died since Calderon took office. The situation has prompted some officers to quit or flee to the United States.
Many say Calderon’s methods are not working now, and will not work in the long run either. Others, like Juarez resident Bernardo Washington, say the intimidating message sent by soldiers lining the streets will work, little by little. “No one’s selling drugs in the streets anymore,” he said. “They’re scared of the power of the state.”
“Security!” protesters chanted in Mexico City, where the largest demonstrations were held this weekend. “If you can’t [do it], resign!”
In response, Calderon met Sunday with 14 civic leaders who staged the protests, and said he will set up citizens’ panels to monitor government progress, recruit better police, and equip officers with more powerful weapons.
But stopping the drug-related violence will be a major job. The Washington Post recently reported that the “savage conflict between rival cartels and the federal government … has taken more than 7,000 lives in the past 2 1/2 years.”
More than 500 police officers have died since Calderon took office. The situation has prompted some officers to quit or flee to the United States.
Many say Calderon’s methods are not working now, and will not work in the long run either. Others, like Juarez resident Bernardo Washington, say the intimidating message sent by soldiers lining the streets will work, little by little. “No one’s selling drugs in the streets anymore,” he said. “They’re scared of the power of the state.”
Headline Link: Citizens protest continued violence
Although Calderon’s efforts were intended to quell drug violence, the country has seen killings increase since he took office, leaving citzens frustrated with the lack of results. “The marches are a manifestation of that frustration,” said Jorge Chabat, a security analyst in Mexico City.
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Background: Calderon’s drug war
The Los Angeles reported on the recent surge in police officers killed in Mexico. According to the story, “Many municipal and state officers also work as hired gunmen for drug traffickers and often are caught up in feuds between rival gangs.”
Source: Los Angeles Times
The Washington Post reported in July that police and public officials aren’t the only ones being killed in drug-related violence anymore, and that, “in recent weeks, an increasing number of innocent bystanders have been gunned down by suspected drug cartel hit men here in Sinaloa, a cartel stronghold on Mexico’s Pacific coast, as well as in the brutally contested drug corridors along the U.S. border.”
Source: The Washington Post (free registration may be required)
In April, Newsweek reported that “The military has made strong gains since Calderon took office in December 2006, seizing record amounts of cocaine and extraditing 73 suspected drug traffickers to the United States for trial in 2007, but there is growing reason to believe the drug cartels are outfoxing the Army or, at the very least, outlasting its efforts.”
Source: Newsweek
The New York Times wrote an account of Mexico’s “underworld war between drug gangs” in October 2006. According to the story, “Mexico’s law enforcement officials maintain that the violence is a sign that they have made progress dismantling the major organized crime families in the country.” But the wide scope and brutality of the drug war is something unprecedented, even in a country used to high levels of drug-related violence.
Source: The New York Times (free subscription may be required)
The Los Angles Times provides complete coverage of Mexico’s drug war in a special section on its Web site called “Mexico Under Siege.”
Source: Los Angeles Times
Key Player: President Felipe Calderon
The official Web site for the Presidency of the Republic includes a biography of Mexican President Felipe Calderon. His professional career includes working in the areas of civil and labor law, running a national banking institution and his appointment as Secretary of Energy under former President Vicente Fox.
Source: Presidency of the Republic
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
