Dear Amig@s de CASA:

 As Day of the Dead festivities begin, all over Mexico people are preparing altars for their loved ones, gathering marigold flowers, lighting candles and offering fruits and favorite foods to the spirits who come to visit.

On October 27^th, the 2-year anniversary of Brad Will's murder, Oaxacans commemorated his life by planting a tree, building an altar, and creating a sand mural in his honor.  In continued efforts to demand justice, Oaxacans also barricaded the Calicanto intersection and organized a march, attended by tens of thousands, across the city and into the zócalo.  In an outrageous example of the absolute impunity enjoyed by the state government, the federal attorney general is attempting to blame the crime on members of the APPO rather than turn their attentions to the government-paid, plainclothes local police shown in Brad's video firing automatic weapons at the barricade.

Juan Manuel Martinez was arrested on October 16th and is being held on murder charges.  Eight others who helped Brad as he was dying, including independent photo-journalist Gustavo Vilchis who is currently on tour with CASA Chapulín's book Teaching Rebellion, have arrest warrants for "covering" for Juan Manuel. For a detailed report, read John Gibler's The Rule of Impunity: Mexican Government Ignores Overwhelming Evidence, Charges Oaxacan Activists with Brad Will's Murder.

Amnesty International and the National Human Rights Commission have both denounced the government's manipulation of the case.  Witnesses who are accused of murder have spoken out against their persecution as social activists.

Friends of Brad Will led a hunger strike in front of Hillary Clinton's office to draw attention to the flawed and biased case, demand that an authentic investigation to find the real murderers be carried out, and ask that the U.S. cancel Plan Mexico.
 
In another terrible incident of repression, Pedro Matías, reporter for the newspaper Noticias, also interviewed in Teaching Rebellion was kidnapped and psychologically tortured.  His car and all identification were stolen and he was left on the side of the road outside Oaxaca.  Reporters Without Borders reports.
 
Government repression against community organizers shows no sign of letting up.  The Oaxacan teachers' union has expressed its solidarity with the Morelos union, which has been attacked on numerous occasions throughout October by the state and federal police, with the same violent tactics used against Oaxacan teachers in 2006.  For more information, read these articles by John Ross and Katharina Kempf.
 
Workshops in CASA Chapulín this month have dealt with some of these issues.  Friend of Brad Will, Andrea Caraballo gave a workshop on her work with Contra Impunidad in Uruguay, and collective member Chris Thomas gave a talk on his recent experience at the Forum against Militarization held in Honduras.  In CASA de la Paz in Chiapas, the collective is holding a discussion series on…
 
We wish you all a happy Día de los Muertos, may your loved ones who have passed rest in peace and if their spirits come back to visit today, leave out their favorite goodies for them to enjoy.  (In Oaxaca, they're enjoying plenty of music and mezcal!)

Colectivos de Apoyo, Solidaridad y Acción
Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico