Through our Clinic, we have had many opportunities to skype and connect with people currently at the border. This has allowed our class a way to form a very real and human connection to the violence that is going on in Juarez. One of our Skype sessions was with Angel Estrada, Director of the film "La Tierra Prometida," which gives insight into the world of the maquiladora industry and its effects on one particular family. Since our discussion via skype, a great injustice took place in Juarez against students our same age- this event not only affected Estrada greatly, but it made the severity of the violence in this area resonate more with our class.
On Friday, October 29th 2010, Mexican Federal Police turned on a group of demonstrating students and severely injured sociology student José Darío Alvarez Orrantia, during the 11th Walk Against Death in Ciudad Juarez. Witnesses at the event said that the Mexican police fired at least 5 shots into the crowd of demonstrators. This walk was a part of the International Forum Against Militarization and Violence.
The bullet entered Dario through the abdomen leading investigators to believe that he was shot from behind while running from the scene. Pictures of the event show that the walk was a peaceful demonstration by the community. Participants in the walk stated that the police targeted a group of students who were doing graffiti on the walls of buildings during the demonstration. It was reported that they chased these students into the walls of the University of Ciudad Juarez where they opened fire. It is illegal for Mexican police to enter the walls of an autonomous university campus. The Mexican police stated that they were pursuing homicide suspects; when they happened upon the demonstration, they noticed people with their faces covered and fired warning s
hots into the air.
There does not appear to be much depth to the reasoning put forth by the Mexican police and as expected, university students cried out against the violent and unnecessary actions of a public force that is in place to protect them. It was this event that Angel Estrada was able to capture on film- seven minutes of a rally in which friends and colleagues of Dario speak out against the violence of the police and military in Juarez.
We have watched this video and have helped to translate it into English so that it can be seen elsewhere in the United States. It is important that students at universities around the United States are shown the violence that is happening just next door to Texas, to students who are strikingly similar to ourselves. Regardless of where one is in the United States or around the world, one thing that you can do as a student is offer solidarity to students in Juarez. Being informed about the situation in Ciudad Juarez and the severity of the violence going on there is extremely important in offering support and raising awareness for this cause.
Written by Bridget Heaton and Estella Hefti