Mexico Caravan in ColumbusOn Friday, August 31, the Mexico Caravan for Peace and Justice with Dignity will stop at the gates of FortBenning at 11:00am to highlight the connection between SOA/WHINSEC and the thousands murdered during the past 6 years in the so-called “War on Drugs” in Mexico.
The Caravan left Mexico on August 12 to travel over 6,000 miles through more than 25 cities and communities in ten states—including Los Angeles, Santa Fe, El Paso, Houston, Montgomery, New Orleans, Chicago and New York. At each stop, the Caravan will be welcomed by local communities, who have planned rallies, marches, candlelight vigils, forums, performance art and more. The Caravan will officially conclude in Washington, D.C., on September10-12 by calling for an International Day of Action for Peace in Mexico. http://www.caravanforpeace.org.
Led by Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, families of victims from Mexico will tell their stories of the human toll of the war on drugs, gun trafficking and US security/foreign aid issues. [After Sicilia’s son was killed, Sicilia initiated the Movement for Peace and Justice with Dignity, which has mobilized hundreds of thousands across Mexico. Sicilia was profiled in Time Magazine’s Person of the Year issue in 2011.]
The goal of the Caravan for Peace is to engage in citizen diplomacy to put an end to the war on drugs and start a healing process from the national emergency that has devastated Mexico. Activists from Atlanta, Columbus and Lagrange will join the caravan at the Fort Benning gates on August 31 to express their solidarity.
Contact: Roy Bourgeois (SOA Watch), (706) 682-5369
