common places

by Nancy Davies
August 1, 2006

In the manner of a marcha de las caserolas made famous in Argentina, the women of Oaxaca took to the streets with their pots, frying pans and spoons to beat out the call “Ruiz Fuera!” Ruiz out!

On Tuesday morning about 2,000 women gathered at the Plaza of Siete Regiones and marched toward the zocalo, a distance of five miles. Along the route they were greeted by cheering onlookers who handed them water and waved signs in support of the social movement that has set as its first and foremost goal the removal from office of the governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz (URO). The women tapped out the rhythm of “Ya Cayó” and used pan covers as cymbals. Many carried wooden spoons and drummed on their frying pans.

When they gathered in the zocalo the drumming sound was like a tropical downpour – rain on a tin roof. Then the bells of the ex-government building, made over as a museum by URO, began to ring. The movement has attached ropes from the bell towers to the kiosk in the center of the zocalo, and over the sound of the tapping of thousands spoons on pots, the bells peeled out.

No tropical rain: the sun at mid-day glared, and many women, who carried children, also carried sun-umbrellas. The females present ranged in age from babes in arms to tough old grannies. As many women wore the traditional aprons trademark of vendors in Oaxaca, as wore jeans. Before the march dispersed at 12:30, somebody announced from the kiosk, “Women are going to Channel 9”. The location of the state television facilities is a bus-ride outside the downtown area, across from the Theater Alvaro Carillo.

Women have played a strong part from the beginning of the movement, since they comprise half of the teachers’ union, and/or are mothers of students affected. As parents they have expressed rage against lack of decent schools and classrooms, and most recently against paying enrollment fees for public schools. Free education is guaranteed by the Mexican Constitution. Fees to register, as well as purchase of uniforms and books, appear to have fronted yet another method of theft.

About 350 women marched into the state TV channel 9 installation at approximately 1:30. Nobody stopped them. Perhaps a thousand women and children more stood on watch outside the building. At 3:30 the channel went off the air. Within an hour, the women telephoned to the radio station at UABJO to say they had two radio stations working from the site, one AM and one FM, but no television. They reported that there had been no opposition, no struggle, and nobody was hurt. They asked the listeners for back-ups – guards, food, water, and people who know how to operate television cameras.

By early evening some of the occupying force of women had returned to speak in person on Radio Universidad, while most remained at the television station.

“We are not afraid, “ the spokeswoman said. “Whatever happens, happens. We are fed up with this situation. We are fighting for our children. Women cannot stay home.”

On the previous day, Monday July 31, the government sponsored another
“Guelaguetza” tourist event organized by the Secretary of Culture of
the state, in the newly paved Llano Park, another renovated cultural
patrimony. Although Radio Universidad – yesterday the only source of
public communication for the social movement – had suggested that
people let it go, stay away, don’t provoke trouble, it’s not
important, the students (I’m guessing by the youthful voices) rushed
right down to Llano where the event was starting, screaming “Ya Cayó –
He’s Out!” However, they stationed themselves at the opposite side from
the event.

According reporting in Las Noticias, a near confrontation was provoked
when one youth climbed the park’s monument to Benito Juárez. The boy
who climbed the monument was literally lowered off the pedestal among a
rain of peanuts, empty bottles of water and some stones. A movement
contingent went to his defense. The shouts, insults and physical
aggression multiplied. Then someone began to fire a pistol of the type
used exclusively by the army.

The alleged shooter was captured by the APPO representatives. He was,
it was reported, handled with care, not mistreated, and verified as
healthy by a doctor before being handed over to representatives of the
federal Attorney General’s office who went to the Autonomous University
Benito Juárez of Oaxaca (UABJO) to retrieve the prisoner, identified as
Isaías Pérez Sánchez. Perez declared his innocence.

The news reports indicated that Pérez was dressed in civilian clothing,
but is in fact a member of the police force. As usual for Oaxaca, it is
very slow going to burrow down to the truth. However, as an observer I
can say that if a shooter, whoever it might have been, wanted to hurt
anybody he could have – but he did not.

Therefore, I place the event in the realm of the government policy to
create fear, anxiety and threats. Police cars stop in front of the
homes of leaders and members of the movement. Reports of armed
paramilitaries grow like weeds. The general atmosphere is flooded with
confusion and misinformation and outright lies such as attributing to
the teachers the unlawful behavior committed by thugs.

From the side of the social movement, the government buildings of all
the three branches have been blocked for four days; movement people
picketed the various hotels and restaurants where the state delegates
and governor have been trying to meet; several major highways are shut;
denunciations of various PRI criminals continue on Radio Universidad;
as reported above yet another tourist event was cancelled yesterday by
protesters; and from outside the city, towns call in to say they have
taken back their municipal buildings from the PRI caciques (bosses) who
have been draining town resources while the people cowered in fear of
repression.

Against this backdrop, at 7:00 Channel 9 went back on the air. Terrible
sound, full of static, but there was the APPO. Seated in front of a
movement banner, which reads “When a woman advances there is no man who
stays behind”, Daniela, a lawyer who works both with APPO and the
civil rights commission CODEP, introduced half a dozen women, (none
introduced by name, I simply recognized Daniela) who took turns with a
hand-held microphone to demand that URO resign “The women organized for
a great march. We are in the struggle. Thanks to Ulises Ruíz the people
have risen up, with marches, and concentrations of citizens. Channel
Nine never gave us information, only lies. The APPO is the people. In a
peaceful way we have taken the channel which is the public channel.”

Another woman said, “This is a historic moment.” The scene backdrop,
handheld, walked with invisible feet to stand behind her. In white
letters on red background it reads, “Fuera Ulises” – Ulises Out.

After the women’s victory broadcast, Channel 9 briefly broadcast
partial indigenous videos. At 8:30 all was quiet.

Filed under: calls to action,news
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