Thread: Local teens march for justice

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Article Published: Thursday, May 26, 2005 - 8:54:54 PM PST

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5/28/2005

Local teens march for justice

Protest unsolved serial murders in Ciudad Juarez

By Christina L. Esparza , Staff Writer

BALDWIN PARK -- About 50 teenage trailblazers wearing red armbands braved the heat Thursday to march through the city, demanding justice for more than 300 women who lived and died almost a world away.

Baldwin Park High School's MEChA club worked throughout the school year to become a voice for the women and girls of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, who for more than 10 years have been sexually assaulted and murdered. Police still have no viable suspects.

The students held school presentations to make their classmates aware. On Thursday, they carried black crosses with the names of each of the female victims.

"The city hasn't seen the youth get involved like this,' said Chris Silvas, adviser to MEChA, a Latino student activist group. "This is a first.'

The students made their way from the Baldwin Park Teen Center and Skate Park to Morgan Park, chanting and encouraging motorists to honk their horns.

They carried banners in both English and Spanish, with quotes such as "It could have been your sister' and "Enough is enough.'

"No one wants to do anything about it, so we have to make our point, even all the way over here,' said 16-year-old Maria Castillo.

As the teens stood at the intersection of Baldwin Park and Ramona boulevards, Giovanni Herrera walked by to see what the commotion was about.

When he was told, he knelt in the grass and wept. His sister, Brenda Herrera, was one of the women whose name adorned one of the black crosses.

He couldn't speak, but instead clutched his sister's cross to his chest and rocked back and forth, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

Joana Hernandez, 16, isn't a MEChA member, and doesn't even go to Baldwin Park High School. She stood in line with the other students because her cousin, a resident of Juarez, was raped, but not murdered.

"I think this is a really important issue,' Hernandez said. "It's important people know about this because not a lot of people do. I can actually vocalize what I think without being judged. There's strength in numbers.'

The students were joined by Lisa Pringle, a field representative for Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte.

Solis is working on legislation to put pressure on the Mexican government to find who is responsible for the murders and helping it with resources.

"We're here to support MEChA from Baldwin Park and let them know the congresswoman is working on the same issue in Washington, D.C.,' Pringle said.

For Stephanie Parra and Liz Munoz, both 17, the march was the result of a labor of love they have been pushing since they learned about the atrocities more than 800 miles away.

They built the tiny crosses and wrote the victims' names on them. They sat through school board meetings to ask permission for the on-campus presentation and the off-campus march.

"We accomplished something. No other student has ever done this,' Parra said.

"It was a rush just to go to the board and ask for permission,' added Munoz. "We're actually doing something.'

Silvas said he hopes Thursday's march will give them footing to hold a bigger event next year and garner more support from the community.

"If you stay silent, you're part of the problem,' he said.

-- Christina L. Esparza can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2472, or by e-mail at christina.esparza@sgvn.com .

The students were joined by Lisa Pringle, a field representative for Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte.

Solis is working on legislation to put pressure on the Mexican government to find who is responsible for the murders and helping it with resources.

"We're here to support MEChA from Baldwin Park and let them know the congresswoman is working on the same issue in Washington, D.C.,' Pringle said.

Legislation!!! You pass a bill, I pass a bill. ARGGH

That's great isn't it that the US Congresswoman is going to pass a bill to get the Mexican Government to do something about a serial rapist killer in Mexico.

I wonder if the Congresswoman would pass a bill to make sure the serial rapist killer in Mexico doesn't enter the United States.

I wonder if the Congresswoman would pass a bill to get the American Government to do something about the illegal aliens raping, murdering and mutilating people in our country.

I wonder if Mechma and the students, who I'm sure mean well in this instance, would take an afternoon and march to draw attention and create awareness about the schools in California with 58% drop out rates because aliens gangs have taken custody of the schools.

I wonder if the Mechma and the students, who I'm sure mean well in this instance, would protest march on behalf of American Citizens terrorized by illegal aliens entering our country.

I wonder if.....

Oh, what's the point...neither the Congresswoman nor the students give a hoot about Americans....only the homeland, as we knew.

Baldwin Park High School's MEChA club worked throughout the school year to become a voice for the women and girls of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, who for more than 10 years have been sexually assaulted and murdered. Police still have no viable suspects.

The students held school presentations to make their classmates aware. On Thursday, they carried black crosses with the names of each of the female victims.

"The city hasn't seen the youth get involved like this,' said Chris Silvas, adviser to MEChA, a Latino student activist group. "This is a first.'

The students made their way from the Baldwin Park Teen Center and Skate Park to Morgan Park, chanting and encouraging motorists to honk their horns.

They carried banners in both English and Spanish, with quotes such as "It could have been your sister' and "Enough is enough.'

"No one wants to do anything about it, so we have to make our point, even all the way over here,' said 16-year-old Maria Castillo.

As the teens stood at the intersection of Baldwin Park and Ramona boulevards, Giovanni Herrera walked by to see what the commotion was about.

When he was told, he knelt in the grass and wept. His sister, Brenda Herrera, was one of the women whose name adorned one of the black crosses.

He couldn't speak, but instead clutched his sister's cross to his chest and rocked back and forth, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

Joana Hernandez, 16, isn't a MEChA member, and doesn't even go to Baldwin Park High School. She stood in line with the other students because her cousin, a resident of Juarez, was raped, but not murdered.

"I think this is a really important issue,' Hernandez said. "It's important people know about this because not a lot of people do. I can actually vocalize what I think without being judged. There's strength in numbers.'

The students were joined by Lisa Pringle, a field representative for Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte.

Solis is working on legislation to put pressure on the Mexican government to find who is responsible for the murders and helping it with resources.

"We're here to support MEChA from Baldwin Park and let them know the congresswoman is working on the same issue in Washington, D.C.,' Pringle said.

If they care so much, why don't they go to Mexico and do something about it there? Why don't they show their "courage" there?

It should be against American law to pass

"legislation to put pressure on the Mexican government to find who is responsible for the murders and helping it with resources".

Our deficit is high enough without helping the economic terrorists even more with money we do not have to help our own American LEGAL citizens.

After our deficit is balanced, maybe then we can decide if we want to help another country with the problems that their own citizens won't stay and try to fight for in their own country!

RIGHT ON...good12me!!!

In fact, it is inappropriate to be considering "laws to pressure" another Nation about local serial killers. As we know, serial killers and serial rapists are elusive and hard to catch. Maybe the Mexican Government isn't doing enough but the LAST THING WE WANT is for governments of other nations to be passing laws telling us how to handle our law enforcement and this Congresswoman is a Buffoon!!

Hopefully, we have some sensible people left in the government that will tell her, "Maam, we don't have authority or jurisdiction over THAT".

In fact, international pressure like this could be UNDUE PRESSURE and result in the arrest and capture of an INNOCENT PERSON just to make it go away!!

Where do these people come from, where do they wear their souls, and how in the WORLD did they end up in our Government!!

APPLAUSE..........APPLAUSE!

You guys have said it all!!