June 14th, 2006 

Dear Friends,

Over the last two weeks, many of you signed on to a letter in solidarity with the public schoolteachers in Oaxaca, who have been on strike since May 22nd.

This morning, June 14th, at dawn, several thousand police entered the center of downtown Oaxaca and attacked the teachers, who have been camped in the streets since their strike began. Also, the teachers’ union headquarters were attacked, and the teachers’ radio station, Radio Planton, was destroyed; the radio staff beaten and arrested.

The Oaxacan Human Rights Network is reporting five people dead. The unconfirmed report is that, among those five, two of the dead are children, and two of the dead are women teachers. However, there have been problems confirming the number of dead. The hospital authorities have been reluctant to release concrete information, even about the injured, leading to suspicions that the government has instructed them to conceal information.

Many more teachers have been injured and/or arrested. There are unconfirmed reports that at least five of the women teachers were raped by police.

The reports are that, despite the brutal police attack, the teachers have “re-taken” the center of downtown Oaxaca, and that hundreds of parents, kids, and students are making their way to the center of town to support the teachers.

Thus far, the repression has been carried out by state police, without any involvement by the federal police. But there are rumors that federal police are already on their way. So both the governor of Oaxaca, as well as President Vicente Fox, need to hear from us.

The last time I wrote to you, I was asking you to sign your name on a letter. This time, I am asking you to take your solidarity to the streets. Obviously, the governor of Oaxaca doesn’t read his mail. I am asking you to mobilize in whatever way you see fit…If you can, gather outside of the Mexican consulate wherever you live. Get other teachers, parents, students, to join you. If you can’t get out there, then call your local embassy or consulate and tell them what you think. Demand that the local Mexican consul deliver your message to the Governor of the state of Oaxaca.

Tell them that people in the United States are paying attention. That the situation should be resolved through dialogue not repression, and that the State of Oaxaca should respect and meet the teacher’s just demands. Tell them that all threats to send in the federal police will only result in more deaths. 

If you are able to carry out actions, please 1) document them with photos and/or video, and 2) please email us to let us know.

Thanks so much

Jill Freidberg
info@corrugate.org

202 728-1600 (Mexican Embassy in Washington DC)
212 217 6476. Press Office, Mexican Consulate in NYC.

Directory of Mexican consulates in the US 

Mexican President Vicente Fox Quesada
Fax 011 52 55 5277 2376

LIC. ULISES RUIZ ORTÍZ
Governor of the State of Oaxaca
Fax: 011 52 951 5020530
gobernador@oaxaca.gob.mx

 
June 6th, 2006

Some of you have worked directly with the public schoolteachers in Oaxaca. Others of you don’t know the teachers personally, but have learned about their struggle through the documentary film, Granito de Arena (Grain of Sand).

Over 70,000 public schoolteachers, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, have been on strike for 12 days, and are maintaining a massive encampment in the streets of Oaxaca City. They have achieved a scale of mobilization and popular support that they have not seen in over a decade. On Friday, June 2nd, thousands of students, parents, and members of civil society joined them in a march that made front-page news around the country.

Below is some background on the strike. After reading it, you can write directly to the governor of Oaxaca. Write in English or Spanish. Just write. The Federal police are already on stand-by outside the Oaxacan city limits and could take action as soon as Monday, June 5th. His email is unreliable, but you can fill out a comment form on his
Background:

Oaxaca governor, Ulises Ruiz, has offered the teachers what they consider an insufficient amount (approx. six million USD). Hoping to pressure the governor into negotiations, the teachers have taken to the streets each day of the strike, increasing the impact of their actions with each day that the governor refuses to negotiate. Last Thursday, they blockaded the Oaxaca airport for most of the day. In another action they removed and destroyed political campaign posters. One afternoon they delivered the “remains” of the city’s new parking meters to the doorstep of the state capitol building.

Finally, the governor has threatened that teachers who do not return to work on Monday will be fined and/or fired. And the state senate voted on Thursday to approve the use of Federal police forces to break the strike and to remove the teachers from their encampment. There are currently 1500 federal police waiting on the outskirts of Oaxaca City.