Rebel Memory: A Critical Moment For Ayotzinapa (4/12/2016)

The International Group of Independent Investigators is being pressured to leave by the Mexican governtment. This is a critical time for the families of Ayotzinapa’s disappeared 43.

Rebel Memory: A defining event for Ayotzinapa (3/28/2016) Photo:Semillas Social Justice Collective

In New York City on March 28th, at John Jay College, Antonio Tizapa, father of Jorge Antonio Tizapa Legideño, one of the missing 43 Ayotzinapa students, continued to demand that his son and classmates be returned alive. Tizapa specifically asked for more support from students and academic institutions in the United States.

"It is a normal (rural college) - it's not a school like this one. It's very different," said Tizapa, as he described the demographic and humble background of the students who attend La Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos (Ayotzinapa's Teachers College). Most students who attend this school are children of indigenous campesinos. He asked, "what can a poor humble person do [...] in a place where you don't have the resources that we have here in the United States?"

Tizapa was the featured guest of Historical Memory Project's First Rebel Memory event and panel at the CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Rebel Memory is a series of dialogues featuring panels focused on memories from marginalized communities. According to Rebel Memory's mission, the history of Guerrero is an example of the deplorable legacy of colonialism still reflected through its repressive structures, disguised today as democracy and the "war on drugs."

The Historical Memory Project’s event coordinator and Mexican human rights activist, Florencia Ruiz, said that the concept of Rebel Memory was inspired by the Ayotzinapa disappearance. Ruiz explained "we were inspired by Ayotzinapa’s struggle for justice and wanted to create a space where people who are directly affected by impunity got to tell their own narrative - their own story."

Rebel Memory introduces critical conversation and lessons for students. Ruiz gives us some context: "before our panel with Mr.Tizapa at John Jay, no one was specifically talking about the repression going on in the state of Guerrero, about social justice leaders like Lucio Cabañas or exposing the long hidden history of state crimes in Mexico" said Ruiz. Ruiz adds that it is more necessary than ever that the world support the families of Ayotzinapa who after 18 arduous months of pain and struggle searching for the 43 students are facing a critical point in the ongoing investigation to find their children.

The Mexican government wants the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) to end their investigation by April 30th. The GIEI have become targets of government harrasment due to the fact that they publicly determined that the Mexican government's version of the 43 disappeared students fate was not substantiated by any scientific evidence. Tizapa, alongside other parents of the 43 normalistas, are calling for an extension of the investigation. They want the GIEI to remain in Mexico.

Testimonies from survivors and other evidence supports that all levels of the Mexican government are implicated in the forced disappearance of the Ayotzinapa students. The day of the tragic disappearance, Guerrero's local police in Iguala, were monitoring the students activity before attacking them with gunfire, which resulted in killing 6 and injuring dozens of others. The Mexican military was also present and involved during the attack and disappearance.

During a Q&A with students Tizapa reminded students that the US is the number one supplier of weapons and military support to Mexico.(3/28/2016) Foto: Semillas Social Justice Collective

Tizapa emphasized that state committed crimes and impunity exists in all of Mexico and cited the Merida Initiative, also known as Plan Merida, as a root cause. The armaments supplied through Plan Merida have resulted in an increase of violence in Mexico and are funded by U.S. taxpayer's money. Tizapa also recently collaborated with the Semillas Collectiveand other Mexican activists to produce a video about Mexico’s Impunity titled "Las Impunidades de Mexico". In the video, several cases in which the Mexican military killed innocent civilians were shown for the first time at John Jay College.

This video, as well as Tizapa’s “Run for Ayotzinapa/ Your Son is My Son” found on Semillas Collective’s YouTube Channel, ask that people sign the petition against Plan Merida found at www.semillasrise.com.

Panelists: Marcia Esparza, Director of Historical Memory Project, Antonio Tizapa (Ayotzinapa parent), Florencia Ruiz (CUNY), & Professor Gerardo Renique, History Department, CCNY. (3/28/2016) Foto: Semillas Social Justice Collective

In response to the constant defamation and false stories about the students and their families - attacks publicized by Mexican government funded media - Tizapa stated the following: "we ask ourselves why does the Mexican government continues to depict us and our children as criminals or as somehow being at fault for their disappearance? Why would the government do this to us? It seems that the only crime our children committed was being students…". Tizapa concludes "Maybe that's what the Mexican government fears: humble and poor communities mobilizing and becoming educated."

An emotional message of solidarity was shared by Erick Flores and other Ayotzinapa runners who have been running with Tizapa, as part of his "Your Son Is My Son" campaign.(3/28/2016) Foto: Semillas Social Justice Collective