More on Ferguson and Brown

Over the past three weeks I have tried several times to make a video about the protests and about the 43 students who have been missing for 32 days now, but I keep coming up against the wall of context. Corruption exists in Britain and the USA and Germany and Australia (these are the places most of the community that watches my videos is from) but it’s a totally different beast in México. It’s frustrating to watch videos from TIME about the missing 43 that purportedly ask whether Peña Nieto’s presidency can weather this, but continue to frame him as the man in charge, responsible…untouched by this. Then there is the international coverage (or lack thereof) that implicitly trusts the reports from inspectors on the mass grave sites, that rests on trusting the institutions because we are privileged enough to be able to do that to some degree, however shaky, in our own countries. As it was put in the Brown Political Review on October 20th, state authorities used force against civilians through the criminalization of protest, as well as the forceful abduction and murder of individuals, in order to induce terror and collective paralysis. I cannot imagine how frustrating and scary it is for my family and friends in México, but I can listen. I implore you to do so too, and if you are able, to read reports from Mexicans about the ongoing protests and demands for the return of the 43. Alive.