Obama Urged to Change U.S. - Latin American Relations

Friends of Brad Will, named after the independent journalist killed in Oaxaca, called on President-elect Obama to move away from decades of failed "war on drugs" policies that have served to fund and arm corrupt police and military powers, like the one that killed Will.

Let's see if Obama really will be about change.

Friends of Brad Will today called on President elect Obama to take note of the failures of the "war in drugs" in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean and to reject funding corrupt security forces there. The advocacy organization established when the U.S. reporter Brad Will was murdered by Mexican security forces in front of witnesses in a crime still unpunished also urged the President Elect to call for the release of Juan Manuel Martinez Moreno, wrongly accused by Mexican government officials of the murder of Mr. Will in Mexico in 2006.
"Mr. Martinez was framed by Mexican authorities to cover-up for officials from the State of Oaxaca who were filmed shooting into crowds during the 2006 teacher's strike." said Miguel Rivera, of Friends of Brad Will. "We demand his release and call on the Obama Administration to cease the proposed funding of helicopters and Blackwater and Dyncorp mercenaries through Bush's Merida Initiative to the Mexican and other Western Hemispheric militaries."

In a letter today to President Elect Obama, the respected Washington DC-based Witness for Peace stated, "Instead of spending billions in a failed "supply-side" strategy that funds human rights abuses, destroys the environment and fuels a decades-long armed conflict, end military aid and invest in real alternative development abroad and drug prevention and treatment at home."

The growing call to stop the Merida Initative builds upon the opposition of the AFL-CIO, US Steelworkers, and many others.

About the investigation of the murder of Brad Will, Rep. Manzullo (R, Illiinois) wrote to outgoing Secretary of State Rice, "Why should the U.S. Government give money to a government to "fight organized crime" when the very Mexican officials trusted with spending this money, including the Mexican Attorney General, refuse to cooperate with officials of the U.S. Government concerning a U.S. victim of a Mexican criminal act?"

Friends of Brad Will also called on the Mexican government to vacate the arrest warrants of others wrongfully accused of the death of the American journalist. Their names are: Hugo Jarid Colmenres Leyva, Octavio Pérez Pérez, Miguel Cruz Moreno, Leonardo Ortiz Cruz, Edgar Santiago Navarro, Gualberto Francisco Santiago Navarro, Marco Antonio Rojas Lazaro, Gustavo Vilchis Ramírez.

Source : Friends of Brad Will