As the world gazes with horror at the accounts of what happened to college students disappeared from a southern Mexican town, Mexican residents in Pennsylvania have raised their voices in Philadelphia. 

The unofficial group "La comunidad mexicana de PA" gathered Sunday outside of the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia in support of the 43 missing Mexican students, demanding justice from the Mexican Government.

The group was formed by Mexican residents in Philadelphia, Allentown, Easton and Norristown who are concerned about the violence and lack of accountability in the Ayotzinapa case.

They described the disappearance of the students as the latest ravage caused by the state and part of the drug trafficking violence that has intimately impacted the Mexican people. The group wants justice from the government, otherwise they demand the immediate resignation of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

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“Many Mexicans reside in the United States because of violence, insecurity and unemployment in the country. There are millions of Mexicans who have been displaced and would like to return to find a better country,” stated the group in a press release.
In a recent opinion column, Mexican anchor Jorge Ramos explains step-by-step why Peña Nieto’s resignation is sensible but unlikely.

“Peña Nieto acted with incomprehensible indifference and neglect: it took him 11 days to speak publicly after the disappearances occurred; he has refused to do a single press conference or interview with a freelance journalist — in fact, he has not answered a single question about it; and it took him 33 days to meet with the parents of the missing students. All mistakes. That is precisely what a president should never do,” Ramos said.

According to The Washington Post, data from the National Human Rights Commission’s records indicate that 27,000 people have gone missing since former President Felipe Calderon launched a military crackdown on drug cartels in 2006.

Today, a second protest will take place at 4 p.m. outside the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia, at 111 South Independence Mall.

Banner image by Joe Piette.