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Dear Friends,
THANK YOU for sending your message of solidarity to the people of Ciudad Juárez as they fasted for justice and for an end to violence and militarization last month. More than 2,000 people sent such messages! I was privileged to join the fast in the city's central plaza and the binational rally organized by diverse groups in both El Paso and Juárez on Juanary 29. You can read my account of the weekend on my blog.
These events demonstrated juarenses' unity and courage, but much more is needed from us. In the days after the fast, several more femicides occurred, and last week more than 50 people were murdered in only 72 hours. Both the achievement and subsequent violence are described eloquently by Victor Quintana.
 The destructive forces Juárez faces don't just come from Mexican organized crime. They are intimately and historically bound with U.S. drug policy, a gun-crazy culture, military "assistance," and the racism that sees violence only in "them," not in "us."
In the coming weeks and months, we'll be asking for your help as FOR responds to this mix with action. (If you don't want to receive FOR emails on Mexico, you can unsubscribe.) We hope to confront the U.S. gun trade and Mexico policy by showing their human costs, in concert with Mexican groups and with you.
One possible action is a visit by family members of those killed in Mexico by U.S.-sold guns. Please let us know if you are interested in organizing an event with Mexican victims in your community.
We are also recruiting activists to participate in FOR's Latin America Campaign Committee, which works to support our efforts to demilitarize U.S. policy in Latin America, including Mexico. If you are interested in joining us in this committee, please contact me, John Lindsay-Poland.
Finally, we urge those who can to participate in the April 8-11 Conference for Demilitarization in Washington, DC, organized by FOR and 70 other organizations. You can register online.
Thanks for your solidarity, and I hope to see you along the way.
John
Research and Advocacy Director
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