END OF THE LINE FOR OUR GUIDEBOOK VIVA OAXACA

After many years researching, writing and revising our guidebook to Oaxaca, Viva Oaxaca: An Insider's Guide to Oaxaca's Charms, we've decided that it's time to retire it. The Kindle version will no longer be available, nor will new copies of the print version. However, used copies should still be available via amazon.com and other sources of used books.

We want to thank all of the readers over the years who have told us that Viva Oaxaca added something to their time in Oaxaca. That was our goal, and we're glad to have been able to contribute in that way.

Of course, Oaxaca continues to be a beautiful, fascinating and rewarding place to visit. We'll continue to write and post photos about our experience of Oaxaca on this site.

SAVING LIVES AND LIMBS IN OAXACA ONE SIDEWALK AT A TIME

We first starting noticing the repairs two years ago. Sidewalks where we'd gotten used to dodging treacherous holes or half-hidden screws suddenly were fixed. The repairs were neat, clean and substantial, always labeled by hand with the inscription, “Gpo. Salvando Vidas Oaxaca.”

Whether you're new to Oaxaca or have lived here for years, you've almost certainly noticed, complained about, or perhaps even hurt yourself navigating the city's notoriously cracked, broken and obstacle-ridden streets and sidewalks. The sidewalks don't seem to be anyone's responsibility; clearly the city does not repair them, nor do individual homeowners or businesses. If you're like most of us, you've probably shrugged, decided that's just the way it is here, and learned to walk very carefully.

But evidently that was not the case with Gpo. Salvando Vidas, whoever they were. Our curiosity was piqued, although not enough for us to try to track them down until this year, when we came across yet another careful repair, but this time with a phone number added to the inscription.

One of more than 200 sidewalk repairs by Gpo. Salvando Vidas Oaxaca, A.C.

We called the number and spoke to a very pleasant-sounding Oaxacan man who told us that yes, he was the head of the group, and that he and his wife would be happy to meet with us to tell us about it. We arranged to meet for coffee a few days later.

It turns out that the life-and-limb-saving group is very much a family affair. The padre de familia, Manuel Chávez Núñez, told us that the idea came to him in March of 2014 when he saw a handicapped person fall because of a missing sewer-access cover. Watching the injured person being carried off in an ambulance, he decided that something needed to be done to protect other pedestrians. He talked it over with his family—his wife Ángeles San Juan and his children, Carolina, age 23 and Manuel, 20-- presenting the idea as something they could do together to help others. “We're a very close family—homebodies really,” says Manuel. So it came naturally to them to take this on as a family project. Covering the treacherous spot that had sent the handicapped person to the hospital turned out to be just the first of many such repairs—to date, 200 and counting. To say that they are Good Samaritans doesn't begin to do them justice.

“Once we started, we realized that there are many, many places that need to be repaired,” Manuel says. “We've become something like 'the street police,' always on patrol for obstacles that are dangerous for pedestrians.”

At first they kept a low profile, not sure of how the authorities would react. But eventually they spoke to the municipal government to see if they could get the city to take responsibility for needed repairs, or at least to make sure they would not get into trouble for the work they were doing.

“If the government told us to stop, we would,” says Manuel. “In theory, it's the responsibility of the city. But they made it clear to us that they didn't have the resources to do what we were doing. It would have been a problem if they had opposed it, but instead they said, 'go ahead.'”

Manuel and Ángeles are disappointed that the city government is not doing what it should, but they refuse to let it anger them. “We're not against the government,” says Manuel. “There's no value in being against someone or something. Instead we say that the government has given us, as citizens, the opportunity to take action.”

When it became clear that this was going to be a major, continuing project, and that people outside the family would at times be involved as volunteers, they decided to formalize the group as a Civil Association (Asociación Civil, or A.C.). Manuel showed us the thick sheaf of papers that defines the Association's rights and responsibilities. “We paid for the 'acta constitutiva,' so that we would have the legal right to take actions to benefit the community,” says Manuel.

The work they do isn't easy, or cheap. They donate their time and labor, as do the occasional volunteers, but they have to pay for the tools, lumber, concrete, rebar and other materials they use. As they have gained experience, they've taken on bigger and more challenging repairs. Reinforcing and re-cementing a three-foot long hole can easily cost $800 pesos. That's a substantial out-of-pocket expenditure for a family supported only by Manuel's work as a tailor.

“We started including our telephone number about six months ago in the hope that it would encourage people to contribute,” explains Manuel. “But we haven't received any donations so far.”

It's clear that donations or not, the group will continue to repair sidewalks all over Oaxaca with the goal of saving as many lives and limbs as they can. “Many people are indifferent, or just think that broken sidewalks and the accidents they cause are natural,” Manuel says. “But we think differently. We can't be indifferent or leave it to others. We made the decision that we would take action, and we have.”

“It comes from empathy,” adds Ángeles, “love for other people.”

Further information about the Gpo. Salvando Vidas Oaxaca A.C. can be found on their Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/GSVOAX/. You can see videos of them at work on YouTube (go to YouTube and search for “Gpo. Salvando Vidas Oaxaca.”) They would be happy to accept donations of labor, materials or money. If you would like to volunteer, contribute, or learn more, call Manuel at 951 328 6528.

Robert Adler and Jo Ann Wexler

Puede encontrar una tradicciónal españolde esta historia aquí.

"This home is the only home some of us have"--translation of news story about the attack on Oaxaca's Home for the Protection of Young Women

This is an English translation of a story by Yuri Sosa that appeared in the Oaxaca newspaper Las Noticias on November 29, 2016. It personalizes the impact of the illegal attempt by the State Government, apparently at the urging of the Church, to evict the Home for the Protection of Young Women of Oaxaca from the building it has occupied for more than 40 years:

For Marcela Santiago Antonio, the Home for the Protection of Young Women of Oaxaca (a Civil Association) means a better future.

The young woman, from San Pedro Jicayan, on Oaxaca's coast, came to the City of Oaxaca, the State capital, at the age of 18, with the goal of studying towards a professional career. Thanks to the support that this organization provided, she has achieved her goal and is now a college graduate with a license in Intercultural Education.

"The only thing I ask is that they don't throw us out of this space; for some of us it's the only way we have to go forward," pleads Ms. Santiago Antonio, a few hours after the Monday pre-dawn raid by elements of the State Police with the intent of evicting the residents and staff of the shelter, located in the Historic Center of Oaxaca.

Since the young women still do not know how this attempt to evict them will end, they remain barricaded in the building.

Through a window beyond which can be seen one of the young women's rooms, Marcela caled for the authorities to allow the center to remain open.

If she had remained in her village, she would have had to end her studies after high school, the highest level of education available there. But one day the village doctor, who had come from the Capital, told her about the Home for the Protection of Young Women in Oaxaca, where she could stay while attending the university, she explained, surrounded by her companions.

"This is a safe place, where you meet other people with the same goal, which is to better ourselves," she said. "Here we're not alone; we're part of a group."

Marcela said that one of the goals the young women share is to spread the word about the existence of the shelter in the communities they come from, so that other young women can have the same chance to better themselves.

She is eternally grateful to the director and staff of the Home since she, at the age of 26, can still live there and be provided with the necessities of life.

"If the Home were to close, I don't know what I would do, where I could go," she said. "The doctor who helped me died six years ago." As she spoke, her companions indicated with their expressions that they would be in the same desperate situation.

-----

You can read more about these events at the following URLs:

http://viva-oaxaca.blogspot.mx/2016/11/chronicle-of-illegal-and-failed.html

http://viva-oaxaca.blogspot.mx/2016/11/cronica-de-un-desalojo-ilegal-y-fallido.html

http://viva-oaxaca.blogspot.mx/2016/11/church-and-state-vs-vulnerable-young.html

CHRONICLE OF AN ILLEGAL AND FAILED EVICTION IN OAXACA--CHURCH AND STATE VS POOR AND INDIGENOUS YOUNG WOMEN

Chronicle of an illegal and failed eviction

First communication

In the pre-dawn hours of the 28^th of November, three days after the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and three days before the end of the term of the governor of the the State of Oaxaca, approximately 40 members of the State Police under the direction of Commander Vicente Cruz Morga arrived at the Home for the Protection of Young Women of Oaxaca, located at the corner of Matamoros and Tinoco y Palacios in the city's historic center. Their intention was to intimidate the young women living there so that the police could enter and take possession of the building illegally. Since the police did not possess an eviction notice, the young women asked the police to wait until the person responsible for the building could arrive, and denied them entrance.

When Luz de la Rosa, Director of the Protection of Young Women of Oaxaca program, arrived, Commander Morga did not produce a document or order for eviction, and said that they would wait for the person in charge of the eviction, who would present the document so that they could proceed. Some time later a person arrived who did not want to identify himself in an official manner, but who said he was Angel Donato, who ,we found out later, is the current legal officer of the Secretariat of Administration of the State Government, by the name of Angel Donato Ramirez Cabrera. He demanded in a domineering manner that the door be opened so that the eviction from the building could proceed. When he was asked to produce a legal document to support his demand, he argued that he was the authority and that he did not need to produce any document.

After we refused to open the door, he gave orders to the police to knock down the door. At the same time, all of the police officers who had come in the Kodiak riot-squad truck and two patrol cars got down to follow his order. We asked for intervention from the Human Rights Defense agency and from the Special Office for Attention to Crimes Against Women, so that they could observe and testify about the proceedings. Nonetheless, we were told that everything would be done according to the law (although he never produced any official document), and that everything would be recorded on video. Angel Donato asked by telephone for a locksmith to force entrance, who arrived almost immediately. We asked the locksmith who had sent him, and he said he was sent by Father Alejandro (Rodriguez Gonzalez). From that we understood that the situation was not only on the part of the state government but also under the auspices of the clergy of Oaxaca.

Because we would not let them get close to the main door to the building, Donato gave the order to force the lock on the door of the small grocery store that is part of a project to help sustain the Casa. The locksmith, surrounded by ten police officers, tried to force the lock. After he was unable to open the lock with his tools, they tried to knock the door down with blows. Fortunately, they were not able to achieve their goal, since the young women inside the Home had put a large quantity of furniture against the door to impede the illegal, forced entry by the police force.

Given the determination of the State Police and the legal officer of the Secretariat of Administration, we started a series of video recordings to publish on social networks the outrage that was victimizing the young women of our organization, which provides them the only means of continuing their studies. In this way, the civil society would solidify in our support. After not being able to achieve their illegal entry, the police decided to leave, although not without threatening that they would return with more force and with the necessary documents, saying, “We can go in and we will go in.”

After this, we began to take precautionary legal steps on behalf of the young women of our organization to guarantee their security and their physical, psychological and moral safety.

We appeal to the State Authorities (secular) and to the Church for them to conduct themselves legally, in the same manner that we have done, and not to fall into the temptation to traffic in influence-peddling.

Pedro Lemus

Volunteer for the Home for the Protection of Young Women of Oaxaca

Spanish-English translation by Robert Adler

You can find the Spanish original here.

And my description of the events, in English, here.

Crónica de un desalojo ilegal y fallido--Chronicle of an illegal and failed eviction

1er comunicado

La madrugada del 28 de noviembre, tres días después de conmemorar el día Internacional de la Eliminación de la Violencia contra la Mujer y tres días antes del cambio del titular del gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca, aproximadamente 40 elementos de la Policía Estatal bajo el mando del comandante Vicencio Cruz Morga llegaron a la Casa de Protección a la Joven de Oaxaca, ubicada en la calle de Matamoros y Tinoco y Palacios del centro histórico de esta ciudad. La intención era atemorizar a las jóvenes que viven ahí para que ellos pudieran ingresar y tomar posesión del inmueble de manera ilegal. Como no traían orden de desalojo, se les pidió que esperaran a que llegara la responsable de inmueble y se les negó la entrada.

En cuanto llegó Luz de la Rosa, directora de Protección a la Joven, el comandante Morga no exhibió oficio ni orden de desalojo, por lo cual dijo que esperarían a la persona que estaba a cargo de este desalojo, quien presentaría el mencionado documento y así proceder. Tiempo después, arribó una persona que no quiso identificarse de manera oficial, quien dijo llamarse Ángel Donato, del quien nos enteramos después, es el actual encargado jurídico de la Secretaría de Administración del Gobierno del Estado, de nombre Ángel Donato Ramírez Cabrera. Él solicitó de manera prepotente que se abriera la puerta para hacer el desalojo del inmueble; cuando se le pidió que mostrara la documentación legal en la que se fundaba su solicitud, argumentó que él era la autoridad y que no tenía por qué mostrar ningún documento.

Ante nuestra negativa de abrir, él dio órdenes a la policía para acercarse a la puerta y derribarla. En ese momento todos los elementos de la policía que venían en el camión Kodiac de granaderos y las dos patrullas se bajaron de los vehículos para cumplir la orden. Solicitamos la intervención de la Defensoría de los Derechos Humanos y de la Fiscalía Especializada para la atención de Delitos contra la Mujer a fin de que dieran testimonio y acompañaran el procedimiento, sin embargo ellos dijeron que todo se iba a dar conforme a derecho (aunque no exhibió ningún documento oficial) y que se iba a grabar todo en video. Ángel Donato solicitó vía telefónica la llegada de un cerrajero para forzar la entrada, el cual llegó casi de manera inmediata, le preguntamos quién lo estaba enviando y él cerrajero mencionó que lo enviaba el Padre Alejandro (Rodríguez González). Así que la situación ya no sólo era de parte del Gobierno del Estado sino también de la cúpula del clero de Oaxaca.

Como no permitimos que se acercaran a la puerta principal, Donato dio la orden para que forzaran la cerradura de la puerta de una tienda de abarrotes que forma parte de un proyecto productivo con el que se ayuda al sostenimiento de la Casa. El cerrajero, custodiado por una decena de policías, intentó forzar la cerradura; al no poder abrir con sus herramientas, intentaron derribar a golpes la puerta. Afortunadamente no pudieron lograr su cometido, aunque las jóvenes, desde adentro ya habían puesto en las puertas cualquier cantidad de muebles a modo de impedir el ingreso ilegal de la fuerza pública.

Ante el empecinamiento del personal de la policía estatal y del encargado jurídico de la Secretaría de Administración, iniciamos una serie de grabaciones en video para publicar en redes sociales el atropello del que estaban siendo víctimas las jóvenes de esta organización, quienes han encontrado en este proyecto la única forma de continuar sus estudios. De esta manera la sociedad civil se solidarizó para apoyar y después de no lograr el ingreso ilegal, optaron por retirarse, no sin antes advertir que regresarían con más elementos y con la documentación requerida: “por que de que entramos…, entramos”.

Después de esto, se iniciaron los procedimientos legales correspondientes a fin de obtener medidas cautelares para las jóvenes de esta organización, así como garantizar su seguridad, su integridad física, sicológica y moral.

Apelamos a que las autoridades del Estado (laico) y de la Iglesia se conduzcan por la vía legal de la misma manera en que nosotros lo hemos hecho y no caigan en la tentación de traficar con influencias.

Pedro Lemus

Colaborador voluntario de Casa de la Protección a la Joven

Puede leer mas noticias de este asunto, en ingles, a este URL.

CHURCH AND STATE VS VULNERABLE YOUNG WOMEN IN OAXACA

Oaxaca's Casa de la Proteccion a la Joven (Home for the Protection of Young Women), in the historic center of the city, has sheltered, protected, and educated vulnerable young women since 1974. It's a highly successful program, run on a shoestring, that provides a home, community, counseling and other assistance to up to 20 girls and young women who have come to Oaxaca from indigenous communities and outlying villages to try to create better lives for themselves.

At 4:00 a.m. on November 28, without warning, the home was assaulted by approximately 40 members of Oaxaca's State Police along with a representative of the State Secretariat of Administration. They attempted to evict the 20 young women asleep in the shelter, along with Luz Maria de la Rosa Hernandez, the program's director. Remarkably, the women were able to barricade the heavy wooden door to the home, and, so far, prevent the eviction.

Some of the staff and young women of La Casa para la Proteccion de la Joven

in the building's courtyard. Director Luz de la Rosa (front row, center)

According to the director, neither the police nor the government functionary presented any kind of legal documentation or justification for the raid.

The director explains that, for the last few years, the Archdiocese of Oaxaca has been trying to appropriate the building that has been the program's home for more than forty years. As is often the case in Oaxaca, the building's ownership history is unclear, and the Church's claim to the property was in the process of being negotiated and litigated.

However, it appears that rather than allowing the legal process to take place, the Archdiocese prevailed on the outgoing state government (the six-year term of the current governor, Gabino Cue Monteagudo, ends tomorrow, November 30) to order the State Police to evict the women and take possession of the property.

Ms. de la Rosa explains that the program has been housed in the same building since 1972, through a series of 15-year concords with the State. It appears that the original owner, General Francisco Leon, stipulated that on his death the building should be used for the public good, by an academy that no longer exists. At some point the State apparently appropriated the building, and, until recently, was content for it to house the program for the protection of young women.

Why the State changed its mind is not clear, but, as reported in the newspaper Las Noticias on 29 November, it may have decided to give the building to the Arcdiosese in compensation for a building "erroneously" appropriated from the Church in a neighboring city by the previous governor, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. The Archdiocese claims that the property was granted to two local priests for their private use.

From behind the barricaded doors of the Home for the Protection of Young Women, Ms. de la Rosa said that she had requested the intervention of the Defensoria de los Derechos Humanos del Pueblo de Oaxaca (Defenders of Human Rights of the People of Oaxaca) to prevent further violation of the rights of the young women in the program.

Explaining that this apparent misuse of the power of the Church and State could not succeed once it became public knowledge, Ms. de la Rosa asked for help in spreading word of the attempted eviction as widely as possible.

"This home is the only one many of us have," said one of the young women in the program.

"All we ask is that they don't throw us out of this space," said another. "It's the only way we have to move ahead."

A detailed account (in Spanish) of the attempted eviction appears along with this report.

New Day of the Dead photos from Oaxaca

El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is in full swing in Oaxaca. Here are a few glimpses of this modern festival with ancient roots. It's essence, welcoming, nurturing and communing with the faithful dead on their once-a-year return:

 Muertos ready for the fiesta

 A woman selects flowers for her altar

A Catrina dressed to kill

 Pan de Muertos--Bread for Day of the Dead

 An altar at the childhood home of Lila Downs

Detail of the altar

Flower vendor's baby at Sanchez Pascua market