On Monday, September 10th, the Caravan will arrive to Washington, DC, the final stop of the Caravan.  Poet and movement leader Javier Sicilia and victims who have lost loved ones to violence in Mexico will be here to make their voices heard in our nation’s capital – and we ask you to JOIN US and add your voice in calling for an end to the failed policies, an end to bloodshed.

On Wednesday, September 12th, LAWG and partners are organizing a Vigil/Procession for Peace to commemorate the 60,000 people who have died in Mexico’s misguided “war on drugs.”  We will gather at 5:30 p.m. at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Church—1525 Newton St. NW Washington, D.C.  At 6:30pm, we’ll march down 16th Street to Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park for a candlelight vigil.  Will you join us on Wednesday, September 12th to make a statement alongside victims of violence from Mexico?

If you live in or near D.C. we hope you can join us for this and other Caravan events.  Don’t live in DC, but know someone who does? Do your part by spreading the word.

Here’s the full list of events. Please join us – and spread the word!

Monday, September 10th
7 pm Rally at Freedom Plaza  to Welcome the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity to Washington, D.C. ( Freedom Plaza: Pennsylvania Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, NW)

Tuesday, September 11th
8:30-10am The Peace Movement in Mexico: Efforts to Bring Justice to the Victims of Violence in the Country
Sponsored by the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest

12-2pm Panel with Members of the Caravan for Peace
Sponsored by the American University Kay Spiritual Life Center
4400 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest
To RSVP, please click here.

6:00-7:30pm U.S. Guns and Violence in Mexico: A Bi-national Call for Solutions
Sponsored by LAWG, the Washington Office on Latin America, and the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University
1957 E Street Northwest
Lindner Family Commons
To RSVP, please click here.

Wednesday, September 12th
5:30- 9pm Vigil and Procession for Peace
5:30- Welcome at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church (1525 Newton St. NW)
6:30-Procession begins from St. Stephen’s down 16th St. towards Meridian Hill Park/Malcolm X Park
7:30-9-Music & Caravan Closing (16th St. & Euclid St.)

We still need help setting and cleaning up for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, not to mention marshalls to help direct people for the rally on Monday and Vigil on Wednesday night. Email Ruth Robles at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you’d like to help!

Can’t make it to anything, but wish you could? We’ve got you covered. We understand life gets in the way sometimes so stay tuned for pictures from the Caravan’s stop in DC. Click here to check out the Caravan’s photo stream! 

To RSVP, please click here.

Featuring:

Joy Olson
Executive Director, WOLA

Sergio Aguayo
Professor, Center for International Studies, El Colegio de Mexico (Mexico City)

Tom Diaz
Senior Policy Analyst, Violence Policy Center

(Speaker from the Caravan for Peace, TBD)

Lindner Family Commons
Elliott School of International Affairs
George Washington University
1957 E Street Northwest
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

To RSVP, please click here.

For more information, please contact Clay Boggs at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Countless families across Mexico have been devastated by drug-related violence, with an estimated 60,000 drug-related deaths since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took office in 2006. In 2011, the son of Mexican poet Javier Sicilia was found murdered, presumably by organized crime gunmen.  Out of this grief, a peace movement in Mexico has emerged. This influential movement has mobilized and united thousands across Mexico to call for an end to the violence,  joining in cross-country marches, holding vigils and processions, and engaging in dialogue with Mexico’s highest political leaders.
 
On August 12, 2012, over 100 members of the Peace Movement crossed the border from Tijuana to San Diego to start a month-long caravan across the United States to raise awareness about violence in Mexico and to engage in dialogue with victims of violence in the United States.
 
The Peace Movement has identified U.S. arms trafficking to Mexico as a critical bi-national issue. According to the ATF, 70 percent of guns recovered by Mexican authorities and submitted for tracing in the past three years are of U.S. origin. The United States must do its part to stop the massive flow of weapons across its borders. If powerful assault weapons are readily available close to the border, they will continue to make their way into the hands of criminal groups.
 
Please join us for this timely and important discussion about the violence in Mexico, arms trafficking from the United States, and the role of the Peace Movement in a bi-national campaign to stem the flow of arms across the border.