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Mexicans Form Groups to Pressure Govt on Crime

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federicoelimponente

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Nov 8, 2009, 5:06:17 PM11/8/09

This is translation from major Mexican newspaper El Universal that
describes how prominent Mexican citizens are forming civil
organizations to pressure government to attack crime & drug crisis.

The healthy trend is unknown outside of Mexico and available to folks
who read [free] site www.watchingmexico.com.

To get immediate updates, follow:
http://www.twitter.com/watchingmexico

Grave violence in Mexico
Violence makes Mexico flawed state,” not is “failed state,” head of
citizen’s crime group says

Edgar Avila CORRESPONDENT
EL UNIVERSAL
SUNDAY 08 NOVEMBER 2009

BOCA DEL RIO, Veracruz - The violence in Mexico is "serious,” however,
it can not called a failed state, but a flawed state, said the
president of the National Association of Boards of Civic Engagement,
AC (ANCPC, AC), Marcos Fastlicht Sackler in an interview here.

"I don’t dare to say it is a failed state because it is a very serious
allegation, and we still have institutions, laws, Congress and free
elections, but then, there may be a failed state, as it’s a state but
certainly flawed," he said.

Interviewed on the eve of the second regular meeting of the
association and the first National Citizen Congress on Crime and
Media, Fastlicht Sackler said that some claim to be winning the battle
against crime, while others say that we're at a stand-off.

"But ultimately, it's not a football game, when wins and loses are
added every week. We know the numbers and that during this [six-year]
presidential term will add between 14,000 to 15,000 people will be
killed [in the drug wars], so that the closure of the year is
difficult," said the president of the National Association of Boards
of Civic Participation.

Because of this, Fastlicht Sackler, who is also chairman of Citizen
Participation Council of the Attorney General's Office (PGR), said
that certain strategic places where violence has intensified,
especially in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Michoacan and Baja
California.

Therefore, he stressed the importance of citizen participation, if not
to totally eradicate violence, but to decrease to its minimum
expression, as has happened in other states, he said.

Inconsistencies

"We found inconsistencies, on the one hand many people are still
frightened and because they are more frightened they not participate
in anti-crime activities, and on the other hand, those who participate
more actively do worse overall. However, he citizens' movement has
grown tremendously in 10 years here, and in the last three years, even
more."

He gace as an example the National Association of Councils for Civic
Engagement, which seeks to bring together the efforts of all
associations and organizations to create a common front of citizen and
try to stop the crime.

Sackler Fastlicht said the second regular meeting of the association
and the first National Congress Citizen Crime and Media, will try to
begin the first serious and responsible effort at the national level
to assemble all societies and civic movements in the country .

"We have long noticed that there is an awakening of civic movements in
the country, due to the hightening situation in the acts of organized
crime, and we have seen how movements are born such ‘United Mexico”
and “SOS, Kingdom of Fernando Marti," he said.

Each man pulls his own way

However, he regretted that everyone is pulling his own way, which is a
waste of money and time and of strong men from each organization, so
they decided to create a partnership that covers these social
movements.

Fastlicht Sackler said that thanks to the work that began just over a
year with this organization during the national congress to be held
here will be attended by approximately 200 participants and 150 to 200
city councils.

He acknowledged that it is never easy to reconcile something of this
magnitude, because many people want to pull for thrie inyerests and
let themelves be guided by the most well known, but stressed that
gradually they werding built a large movement without faults nor one
dependent on the strength of other organizations.

"We are not looking at this association as the other to dispose or
minimize the contrary, it seeks to strengthen each of these
associations, but through a where we have a spokesperson and make us
much stronger in the public and to the three orders of government if
we will do more when they see us together, "he said.

Conference Activities

Within the first National Congress Citizen Crime and Media, will
address the subject of law and fighting crime in Mexico, which will be
conducted by specialists from Italy, Colombia and the United States,
as well as major national analysts.

Also, the Congress will review the challenges and demands of the media
(electronic, print and television) for the immediate future in making
a commitment to cooperate in combating crime.

Apart from lectures and work panels that are scheduled, there will be
room for a symposium on the main subject of crime and the first
regular meeting of the ANCPC.

In the working groups involving experts from across the country and
the chairmen of state committees of the Council of Civic Participation
of Attorney General of the Republic, and Citizen Participation
Consultation and public security throughout the Republic, he told this
newspaper.