The California State Senate Resolution About Mexico No One in U.S. Knows About

Feb 3, 2015
9:17 AM

While the Mexican press was covering and tweeting about a resolution on Mexico by California state senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) that passed unanimously yesterday in Sacramento, we checked to see if any United States press outlets even gave Lara’s resolution a mention. That would be a no.

Here is what Lara tweeted yesterday:

This is the resolution Lara introduced last December:

Relative to Mexico and human rights.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SR 7, as introduced, Lara.

WHEREAS, On September 26, 2014, forty-three college students from the Ayotzinapa Normal School in Guerrero, Mexico, disappeared in Iguala, Mexico; and

WHEREAS, Mexico’s Attorney General, Jésus Murillo Karam, announced in a televised press conference on November 7, 2014, that the evidence indicates the forty-three missing students had been executed and incinerated in the municipal dump of Cocula, Mexico, by the Guerreros Unidos cartel; and

WHEREAS, It has been estimated that 25,000 to 26,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 2006; and

WHEREAS, The disappeared often include the very vulnerable, such as poor migrants, indigenous people, and women and children; and

WHEREAS, According to a report by Human Rights Watch, the state and federal army units in Iguala failed to intervene to protect the students; and

WHEREAS, The director of the American division of Human Rights Watch, José Manuel Vivanco, described the murders in Iguala, Mexico, and an earlier massacre in Tlatlaya, Mexico, as “the worst atrocities we’ve seen in Mexico in years, but they are hardly isolated incidents”; and

WHEREAS, There has been an international outcry regarding the deaths of the missing students in Mexico from, among others, the United Nations, the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the European Parliament, and the international human rights community; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate adds its voice to those in the international community condemning the disappearance and deaths of the missing college students from Mexico as a violation of human rights; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate offers its support to all those in Mexico standing up for human rights and justice against corruption and violence; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate urges the government of Mexico to support further dialogue between the international community, including the United States, and human rights organizations on human rights reforms; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

Missing-Mexican-students-jpg

Lara’s office even shared a standard press release yesterday:

February 02, 2015
SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Senate today passed Senate Resolution 7 authored by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) uanimously urging the government of Mexico to support further dialogue between the international community and human rights organizations in light of the disappearance and deaths of the forty-three students in Iguala, Mexico. The resolution comes the same day that Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission presents to the United Nations (U.N.) Committee on Enforced Disappearances a report that underscores the country’s “serious problem” with disappearances and lacking a comprehensive national list of those missing to effectively address the problem.

“California joins the international community in voicing our concerns against human rights violations in Mexico and throughout the world,” said Senator Ricardo Lara. “At least forty three young lives have been lost for standing up for what they believed in and many questions about how they went missing remain. I urge the Mexican government to support further dialogue between the international community and human rights organizations to implement human rights reforms that protect free speech and eliminate retribution of any sort for individuals expressing their opinions.”

On September 26, 2014, forty-three college students from the Ayotzinapa Normal School in Guerrero, Mexico disappeared in Iguala, Mexico. According to Mexico’s Attorney General, Jesus Murillo Karam, evidence indicates the forty-three missing students had been executed and incinerated in the municipal dump of Cocula, Mexico by the Guerreros Unidos cartel. It has been estimated that 25,000 to 26,000 people have disappeared in Mexico since 2006 and that those disappeared often include vulnerable, such as poor migrants, indigenous people and women and children.

Today, Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission presented to the U.N.’s Committee on Enforced Disappearances in Geneva a report that finds the country has a “serious problem” with disappearances and lacks a comprehensive national list of the missing to effectively deal with the problem. Mexico’s Ambassador to the U.N. Jorge Lomonaco faced questioning from the Committee and stated that the country is making a priority of passing laws against forced disappearances and perfecting a database to track the missing.

“It is promising to see Mexican officials take note of this problem and acknowledge that proactive measures are needed to implement positive change,” added Senator Lara. “I stand in solidarity with the families of the forty-three students and commend their courage for speaking out and pushing for increased accountability in Mexico and worldwide.”

We doubt CNN will run this. Or anyone else. Not sexy enough, but no matter how one feels about Lara’s action, we still applaud California’s senators for the symbolic unanimous vote. Someone in this country should at least acknowledge it.