Tanya Golash-Boza: Join us in protest Wednesday in Merced

On Wednesday, Merced will be one of 43 cities that will protest the disappearance of 43 students in Iguala, Mexico. The protest will take place outside the Merced County Administrative Building, 2222 M Street, from 4 to 6 p.m.

This nationwide action has two demands:

▪ End the U.S. media blockade on the disappearance;

▪ Halting military aid to Mexico.

On Sept. 27, dozens of students from the Rural Teachers’ College near Ayotzinapa, Mexico, boarded three buses. Local police from Iguala stopped a bus outside of Iguala, and opened fire, killing three of the students. Police ordered the students off the bus, but some were able to get away. The remaining 43 have not been seen since that day. The search has led to the discovery of 10 mass graves.

There have been massive protests in Mexico, yet we have barely heard about them. The lack of attention is even more appalling considering the United States sends billions to Mexico in aid.

Over the past six years, the U.S. has given $2.4 billion to Mexico through the Mérida Initiative to train and equip Mexican police – the same police responsible for the disappearance. Funding Mexican security forces is in violation of the Leahy amendment, which forbids sending money to any nation guilty of gross human rights violations.

Merced joins 42 other cities today standing in support of the students from Ayotzinapa and their families. . We also stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson, who are demanding accountability for the murder of Michael Brown. From Ayotzinapa to Ferguson, we demand an end to state violence and repression.

This story was originally published December 1, 2014 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Tanya Golash-Boza: Join us in protest Wednesday in Merced."