In an email this morning, Covenant missionary Cindy Hoover wrote that she, project missionary Jo Ellen Reaves, and short-term missionary Laura Rodriguez were waiting out the violence. Leah Sander, the daughter of missionaries Gary and Mary Lou Sander, remained at her home near the university where she is studying.
On Saturday, Mexican President Vincente Fox ordered the Federal Police into the city that protestors had taken over since June when they built barricades, forced out police, and burned buses.
Hoover described the areas around their neighborhood as “foul with the smoke of burning tires and burning vehicles (used to block passage).” The morning had seemed relatively calm, however.
“We hope that the police can remove the barricades and restore some order and safety to the city, and that life can start towards normalcy by the middle of this week,” Hoover wrote.
Protesters accuse the governor of rigging the 2004 election to win office and using violence against his opponents. The protests began in May when teachers camped out in the city’s colonial center to demand higher pay and better working conditions.
After police attacked one of their demonstrations in June, they extended their demands to include a call for the resignation of Ruiz and were joined by students and Indian groups, according to news reports. Police and armed gangs have led sporadic attacks on the protesters, and at least five people have been killed in violence related to the unrest.
Much of the city has been in a state of lawlessness, and armed groups of protesters and other residents have patrolled the streets, frequently capturing and beating suspected criminals, reports state.
Officials had hoped that a vote last Friday by more than 31,000 teachers to end their walkout would lead to an end in the violence.
More information will be posted to this online Covenant News Service report as it becomes available.
