Demonstrators holding hand-painted banners decrying international violence marched and chanted April 26 at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel, protesting former Mexican president Vicente Fox’s receipt of the Award for Democracy and Peace.
The award, presented that evening by UCSD’s Institute of the Americas, was given in honor of Fox’s role in democratizing Mexico’s government but was met with opposition by 40 protesters who spoke out against the domestic policies implemented in the country during Fox’s term.
Supporters of VAPPOR-Oaxaca – a Spanish acronym meaning “the popular assembly of the towns Oaxaca will conquer” – met Downtown at Pantoja Park to bring attention to the Mexican government’s political repression of citizens in Oaxaca, Mexico, Olga Torres, a member of VAPPOR-Oaxaca said.
VAPPOR-Oaxaca members and a few curious onlookers gathered at the center of the park in front of the historical statue of Benito Juarez with banners high and proud and then made their way toward G Street before being redirected by San Diego police officers toward Broadway.
“Had there been 300 marchers, we would have let them walk in the streets,” San Diego Police Lt. Karen Tenney said.
Protesters marched to the beat of a five-gallon bucket, which had been cut in half and strung around the shoulder of a woman who wore a red handkerchief around her face.
Red hankerchiefs and black sweatshirts appeared to be the preferred uniform of many young demonstrators, who refused to speak with mainstream media within the larger group of marchers.
Member Kyle Weinberg protested in support of the VAPPOR-Oaxaca populist movement. However, he said the march also represented a demonstration against the San Diego Police Department for allegedly “attacking and arresting” several people during a previous demonstration that took place on April 13 in Downtown, he said.
On Friday, April 13, officers arrested three individuals at a protest by an organization named “Take Back the Streets,” according to Mònica Muãoz, of the San Diego Police Department Media Relations Office.
Police arrested two males and one female. One allegedly assaulted a police officer while the other two refused to comply with lawful orders, Muãoz said.
As the march proceeded, officers stood in the street while demonstrators shouted chants against Fox and slogans against police officers and alleged police brutality.
While the potential tempest of social unrest brewed outside the U.S. Grant hotel, inside Fox received honors for his key role in decentralizing the Mexican federal government, said Isabelle Escalle, director of the Culture, Economics, Politics, Arts and Science program at UCSD.
The institute presents the award primarily to Latin-American statesmen and recognized Fox for policies he implemented during his presidency, including changes to Mexico’s healthcare system, she said.
The institute’s mission to serve as a catalyst and public platform facilitating collaboration between private organizations and the Mexican government in working toward making improvements for the lives of Mexican citizens, Escalle said.
It was this very cooperation between Fox, the Mexican government and private institutions that marchers rallied against, said David Schmidt, organizer with the organization Si Se Puede.
According to Schmidt, Fox paid for the peace of the small minority of ruling elites with the blood of the indigenous.The privatization of crucial institutions like healthcare and education have led to the political unrest among the people in Oaxaca, Torres said, as well as the protests against Fox.
Because of the privatization of institutions in Mexico, many immigrants are forced to illegally flee to America looking for work because they cannot afford to feed their families, Torres said.
With police on standby, the crowd continued to cry out against the violation of human rights, not only of those in Mexico but also for those in the United States being punished despite the right to protest peacefully.
Assistant Chief of Police David Ramirez assures that the police presence is not meant to threaten or punish.
“The goal is to make sure they have a right to protest.” Ramirez said. “We’re not trying to intimidate them, we’re trying to facilitate.”