The Mexican Federal government has chosen the path of violence and
   repression instead of negotiation to resolve this conflict in
   Oaxaca, Mexico. This conflict began on June 14th when Oaxaca's
   governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz sent in state police to break a peaceful
   teachers' strike that was camped out in the center of Oaxaca City.
   Gov. Ruiz had already alarmed international human rights
   organizations, including Amnesty International, for atrocities
   committed before the June 14. The actions on June 14th further
   ignited people’s anger throughout the State who responded, by
   forming the People's Popular Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO) who
   reinforced the teachers' encampment in Oaxaca City. The single
   demand of the APPO has been the resignation of Gov. Ruiz.

   Since June 14th, the violence against the teachers and the APPO by
   paramilitary forces and police aligned with Gov. Ruiz has escalated
   and on October 27th, independent journalist, Brad Will, as brutally
   murdered at the hands of plainclothes police officers and local
   government officials in Santa Lucia del Camino, Oaxaca.

   Two days later, on October 29th, the Mexican Federal government
   dispatched several thousand Federal Preventative Police (PFP) troops
   to remove civilian protesters supporting the APPO from their
   encampments throughout the city. There were the recorded deaths of
   at least three civilians as a direct result of the excessive force
   that the PFP used to dislodge the protesters, despite official
   comments from the State and Federal governments to the contrary.

   On November 2nd, the PFP tried to enter the Benito Juarez Autonomous
   University in an attempt to shut down the university radio station
   critical of Governor Ruiz. Mexican law prohibits the incursion of
   law enforcement onto autonomous universities, unless requested by
   the university rector. The rector of the Benito Juarez categorically
   rejected the presence of the PFP in Oaxaca.

   Oaxaca City is now living under a state of siege. Since June 14th,
   at least 20 people have been killed, over 500 people have been
   imprisoned, more then 100 people have been disappeared and hundreds
   wounded. Pick-up trucks carrying PFP, State and Municipal Police are
   now patrolling the city, randomly detaining people without arrest
   warrants. Most of the people detained are unable to contact family
   members and are being moved to prisons outside of the state.
   Teachers are being pulled from their classrooms. Many of the people
   detained have been tortured. An illegal radio station, Radio
   Ciudadana, affiliated with Gov. Ruiz is broadcasting the names of
   APPO members, Human Rights workers and others, giving their
   addresses and offering a reward for their assassination.

   The only way to resolve this conflict is through dignified, peaceful
   negotiation, and respect for human rights.

   Please come to this meeting where we will plan how we can be
   supportive of the people in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Location: Hunter College,  Room 436 North Building – 4th floor, enter 69th street between Lexington & Park Avenues