Events and actions to be held in San Diego on March 23 & 24

By Miguel Cid

On Tuesday March 10^th at San Diego City College a press conference was held announcing the upcoming arrival of three caravans planned to begin travelling across the country, including one which will arrive in San Diego on March 23. All caravans will include students from Ayotzinapa and family members of some of the 43 normalistas that went missing from Guerrero, Mexico, this past September, with remains of all students except one yet to be found.

The arrival of one of the three caravans in San Diego on the 23^rd will be the beginning of more than 45 cities in the U.S. that will be visited. The U.S. is also the first country outside of Mexico to call for action.

“One is the caravan Pacific that is going from San Diego to the Seattle. Then there is a caravan in the center of the country that is going from Texas up to Chicago. Then you have a caravan in the Atlantic coast that will travel up—and the three caravans will travel to Washington D.C. and end in New York,” said panel member and San Diego City College Professor Enrique Davalos.

To help make the trip easier for those traveling there are different organizations around San Diego fundraising to help aid with expenses, including various student clubs from San Diego City College such as TAINH and Students in Power, who as engaged students feel obligated to take part in helping the cause.

“We share a fundament responsibility of welcoming the parents and welcoming the struggle in exposing the repression and the crimes of the Mexican government. Politically speaking let it be said that they are very much supported by the U.S. government through Plan Merida and the many other economic plans that have been part of the relationship of the U.S. and Mexican government,” panel member Adriana Jasso said.

The demands of the Caravan, taken from a print out passed out during the event, are the following:

1. That the United States government stop the aid in the form of arms, ammunition and military hardware. Due to the fact that most of this aid is in large part responsible for the thousands of deaths and massive human rights violations in its neighboring country.
2. The United States apply international pressure to the Mexican government that they return the 42 kidnapped students alive.

“Brothers and sisters, the time has come. The disappearance of the 43 brothers has opened the doors of the oppressive border that have subjugated our families, communities, and our country for countless years,” San Diego City College student Luis Lopez Resendiz said beginning his brief.

Resendiz continued the information listing upcoming events including a press conference on March 23^rd to be held at City College in MS-462 at 2:30 pm, followed by a vigil later that evening at the San Ysidro Library at 6 pm. The following day, the 24^th, there will be a student and community forum at City College in the same room as the press conference at 11 am. The same day there will be a lunch fundraiser at 1:30 pm, leading to a rally and march from City College to the Federal building at 3:00 pm, concluding with a community forum at 6:00 pm that evening.

Miguel Cid is a creative writer and student activist at San Diego City College.