A week ago Friday I sat down to write about the ongoing protests in Oaxaca, Mexico. I had heard an occasional report here and there about a strike against the current state government and, having visited this beautiful city on several occasions, I wanted to write about it. Although I spent more than 45 minutes searching, I wasn't able to find any current information about the protests and abandoned the subject at that time.

The very next day, I was at the Fall Fundraiser for Crooked Trails and at dinner was seated across from an American who lives in Oaxaca. I immediately began asking questions about the current state of things and Eric shared some brief info (including his website) before departing early so that he could head to the airport to go home to Oaxaca.

Since then, things have taken a turn for the worse and, while it's all bad news, Oaxaca is at least getting the coverage it deserves.

At the forefront is the news that on Sunday, federal police bombarded the town in an attempt to end the five month protest that began as a teacher's strike. Armored vehicles, bulldozers and helicopters reinforced the troops, who hurled teargas at the protestors. And, on Friday, an American journalist from New York was killed during a shootout between protesters and men claiming to be local state police. Since the protests began, at least eight people have died.

This all began as a (yearly!) peaceful teacher's strike last May when they demanded better funding for schools and an increase in pay by occupying the city's center. The governor attempted to remove the striking teachers by launching teargas and sending several thousand troops. The strikers were undeterred and were actually joined by peasants, housewives and students who were outraged by the force used by the government and have since called for the resignation of the governor.

According to Eric's website, the protesters have always been peaceful, while the police, military and government are using force to try to quell the strike which has kept about 1.3 million children from going to school around the southern portion of the state.

Oaxacan elementary school teachers earn approximately $600 a month and the state has a large percentage of indigenous people.

The current escalation brings two thoughts to my mind.

My first thought is how impressed I am at the power of the people. I found myself in the midst of a strike by peasants in Oaxaca years ago (see picture below) and another strike by peasants in Nicaragua in 1997 when I was riding my motorcycle down the Pan American highway to Panama City. The Pan Am highway, the one main thoroughfare through Central America, was completely closed to traffic as logs and burning tires blocked the roads so that trucks and cars could not pass through. (I was able to sneak through on my bike after some effort - that's a whole 'nother story that you can read about on my website.) The local peasants in Nicaragua were able to strike against the government, take over the television stations and make an impassioned point about their disdain for their president.

My second thought is that, despite being "the land of the free", today we do not have the freedom to express ourselves against the government in our country for fear of reprisal. Think: WTO, more recent peaceful protests against the U.S. involvement in the Iraq War that has lead to arrests, and the government's ability to detain and arrest American citizens without providing a reason for doing so.

But I digress.

This is about Oaxaca and an amazingly strong group of people who are fighting for what they believe in.

It appears that Oaxaca (the city) is not safe for travelers at this moment. However, this could all calm down quickly AND Oaxaca State, which is a gorgeous region in itself, is still quite safe.

If you're headed there, contact Eric (his email is on his website). He invites your questions. And continue to keep your eyes and ears on the news as things are changing daily.

Happy Travels!