global212

The Guelaguetza Popular, the Oaxacan music and dance festival, put on yesterday by the teachers and the APPO, as an alternative to next week´s government one, was a success, even if marred by police violence...Originally it was to be held at the Fortin, where the comercially, governmentally run Guelaguetza will be held next week, but by orders of Governor Ulises Ruiz, the police occupied the space over the weekend, and it was moved to the Plaza de las Danzas in the city center. A few from the APPO and the teachers union went up to the Fortin in the morning, where the police brutally attacked those wanting to get to the public space. Over 40 people, ranging in ages from 15 to 67 years old, have been held in custody.

In the afternoon, the festivities continued and the police circled the streets in ther armored cars and threw tear gas at the top of the hill as intimidation tactics. In the evening they did the same, as the documentary ´Compromiso Cumplido´ which documents last years´ protests, was filmed in the zocalo. While they were far enough away in their roving vans to not see the whites of their eyes, their machine guns were in plain sight. It was very freaky. You would think we were in a police state and not a supposed democracy. Is there any doubt why the people want the governor out of office?
Today the streets are calm. There has not been any more disturbance, nor police presence. The government has done more harm in scaring the people away from Oaxaca than the APPO...

July 2007

July 2006

July 2007


July 2006

On the outside, Oaxaca looks like it is back to "normal", but the the fallout and residue from last year's struggle has not settled. While the zocalo no longer has protest paraphenalia nor encroaching emcampments of people, the streets are a buzz with political banter and look like a painted patchwork quilt from the washed over grafitti.




The school year has been extended three weeks, to this Friday, but it certainly will not make up for the three months last fall, when classes were suspended. There is a threat from the APPO that more protests will take place on July 16, the first day of vacation, but no one knows. The city is divided as ever, with those supporting the movement and others wanting it to end. The state representative elections will be held on August 5, so July will be filled with interesting politics.

Speaking of politics, what happened in the U.S. last week with the Supreme Court ruling on race and school admissions as well as the immigrant reform legislation in Congress? Que pasa?