Javier Sicilia to Head Peace Caravan Through United States

 Mexico City, June 15, 2012 – As the number of innocent people that continue dying in Mexico, due to the failed war against drugs, rises to 71,000, the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD) announces that it will lead a month-long “Caravan for Peace” through the United States to call attention to the misguided policies of the war against drugs that have provoked a crisis of violence and impunity. The MPJD and dozens of organizations of both countries are joining together to coordinate the Caravan with more than a 6, 000-mile trajectory, which will depart from San Diego, California on August 12 to arrive in Washington, D.C. on September 10. [1]

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 The above quote from an invitation by the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (MPJD) to a June 18 press conference in Mexico City was shocking in that it used the number of 71,000 people dying from the Drug War. Previously announced estimates of the number of dead have been: “more than 50,000” by the Mexican government, or by the MPJD “60,000 dead.”

The MPJD announced a Caravan for Peace through the United States to create awareness and dialogue about the US role in Mexico’s current violence. Present with Javier Sicilia, the MPJD’s founder and well-known poet and journalist, were representatives of the various civil society organizations on both sides of the border working with him. Some of the representatives included: Sergio Aguayo from Alianza Cívica in Mexico; Ted Lewis from Global Exchange; Enrique Morones of Border Angels; Maureen Meyer of WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America); and Daniel Robelo of the Drug Policy Alliance. [2]

The Caravan for Peace is scheduled to begin in San Diego, California on August 12 and end in Washington D.C. a month later. Among the issues the Caravan for Peace is expected to address are: 1) US funding of the “Drug War” in Mexico through the Mérida Initiative; 2) an alternative to prohibition of drugs by criminalizing drug use; 3) the illegal sale of weapons manufactured in the US to organized crime groups in Mexico; and 4) the safety and protection of migrants. Local grass roots participation in the Caravan is encouraged. The proposed route is as follows:

Proposed Route: August 12 – September 13

San Diego, CA – Aug 12 SUN

 Los Angeles, CA – Aug 13- Aug 14 MON/TUES

Phoenix, AZ – Aug 15 WED

Tucson, AZ – Aug 16 THURS

Las Cruces, NM – Aug 17 FRI

Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM – Aug 18 SAT

Santa Fe, NM – Aug 19 SUN

(Rest Day, Santa Fe, NM   Aug 20 MON)

El Paso, TX – Aug 21 TUES

Laredo, TX- Aug 22, WED

Harlingen/Brownsville, TX – Aug 23 THURS

McAllen/San Antonio, TX – Aug 24 FRI

Austin, TX – Aug 25 SAT

Houston, TX – Aug 26 SUN

New Orleans, LA – Aug 27 MON

(Rest Day – Aug 28 TUES)

Montgomery, AL – Aug 29 WED

Atlanta, GA – Aug 30 – 31 THURS/FRI

Charlotte, NC – Sept 1 SAT

(Travel Night to Chicago, IL & Rest Day – Sept 2 SUN)

Chicago, IL – Sep 3-4 MON/TUES

Cleveland, OH -Sept 5 WED

New York, NY – Sept 6-7 THURS/FRI

Baltimore, MD – Sept 8-9 SAT/ SUN

Washington, D.C. – Sept 10-12 MON-WED – FINAL CITY

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1. http://movimientoporlapaz.mx/es/2012/06/15/invitacion-a-conferencia-de-prensa-presentacion-de-la-caravana-por-la-paz-mexico-usa/

2. Daniel Robelo is a confirmed speaker at the July 12 Community Forum on Mexico. For more information about the Community Forum, check out the flyer below at: https://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/community-forum-on-mexico-2/