Protest movement crosses the border

From Rio Grande Digital - and - Frontera NorteSur - An unprecedented wave of protest against the international financial elite and prevailing economic policies swept the globe on Oct. 15. And New Mexico, Mexico and the greater US borderlands were no exceptions. Protests were chalked up in San Diego, Tijuana, Las Cruces, Ciudad Juárez and Mexico City, among many other places. In El Paso, an encampment was announced beginning Monday, Oct. 17, in the city’s downtown San Jacinto Plaza. In neighboring Ciudad Juárez, protesters from several groups began their action in the downtown plaza but culminated at the US Consulate, where they blasted US economic domination. The world economy, said activist Julian Contreras, was “leaving many people abandoned while privileging the banks and big businessman and not generating employment or letting the young people study …” Demonstrators also criticized proposals to legally allow soldiers the ability to search homes without a warrant issued by a judge. The Ciudad Juarez event was held at a time when the city is in the middle of a gala, two-week event organized by the government and private sector to improve the city’s image and attract more investment. In Mexico City, different protests involving hundreds of young people likewise linked issues of violence related the so-called drug war to economic inequities. Read more

Protest movement crosses the border