Javier Sicilia, Time's 2011 Person of the Year, to Speak in Albuquerque Sat Aug 18, 2012

Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity to Rally in Albuquerque August 18, 2012

This is tearing our families apart and destroying our communities

Albuquerque (Monday, August 13, 2012) – Javier Sicilia, world renowned Mexican poet and human rights leader, will be leading the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity across the United States to speak to lawmakers and community members to put an end to the tragedies of the War on Drugs.  Albuquerque has been chosen as one of the 25 cities the Caravan will be stopping at during its U.S. tour.

 “It is not an issue of nationalities, it’s an issue of dignity… of placing the human as the center,” said Sicilia. “This war is destroying the moral and political skeleton of many nations.”

The caravan will travel more than 6,000 miles through ten U.S. states arriving in Washington, D.C., on September 10th. The Caravan, which will include over 100 members from Mexico, aims to inspire U.S. civil society to engage in citizen diplomacy to put an end to the war on drugs and start a healing process from the national emergency that has devastated Mexico.  Sicilia was named one of TIME’s 2011 Person of the Year for his work on this movement for peace.

The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, with help from their Albuquerque Host Committee, will be holding a large public event. The event will include testimonies from members of the Caravan as well as local community members, music, and poetry to bring peace to both sides of our shared border.

WHAT: Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity

WHERE: Holy Family Parish, 562 Atrisco Dr SW, Albuquerque, 87105

WHEN: Saturday, August 18, 2012

               12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Background:

Local organizations supporting the Caravan for Peace: NAACP, Drug Policy Alliance, New Mexico office, Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice, Los Jardines, Partnership for Community Action, South West Organizing Project, ENLACE Comunitario, La Plazita Institute, ENLACE New Mexico

Since 2006, Mexico has experienced unprecedented pain: more than 70,000 people have been killed and more than 10,000 have disappeared in violence resulting largely from the failure of drug prohibition.  The drug war has produced painful consequences in the United States as well, especially the mass incarceration of non-violent people – overwhelming people of color.

Bringing together victims of the drug war from both countries, the Caravan aims to expose the root causes of violence in Mexico, to raise awareness about the effects of the drug war on communities in the U.S., and to inspire U.S. civil society to demand new policies that will foster peace, justice and human dignity on both sides of the border.

More specifically, the Caravan calls for:

·         The exploration of alternatives to drug prohibition, including diverse forms of drug regulation and decriminalization.

 A halt to the illegal smuggling of weapons across the border to Mexico, which can be achieved without infringing on U.S. constitutional rights

·         Concrete steps to combat money laundering, including holding financial institutions accountable.

·         The immediate suspension of U.S. assistance to Mexico’s armed forces, and a reorientation of U.S. aid to Mexico in a manner that prioritizes human security.

·         An end to the militarization of the border and the criminalization of immigrants, and the adoption of policies that protect the dignity of every human being.