On the 11th day of the sit-in held by Los Laureles and Matatlán scavengers outside the Government Palace, the Secretary General of the Steering Committee of the Revolutionary Federation of Workers and Peasants of Jalisco (CROC), Antonio Álvarez Esparza, stated that the authorities have criminalized to the scavengers who only seek decent treatment and keep their jobs.
“Human rights have been violated with arbitrary arrests, The scavengers have been deprived of the right to maintenance and decent work, they also restricted the right to free demonstration, and the detainees have been prohibited from having a fair trial and are being held incommunicado. We also protest the poor performance of the State Attorney’s Office and the Judiciary, which have been used against the protesters. In addition to the fact that municipal governments have not complied with previous agreements on waste management.
In the past week, there was a confrontation between riot police and scavengers that left 67 people detained and seven injured. So far 62 people have paid an administrative fine and are now free.
“That is why we demand the release of the detainees and in addition to the installation of a dialogue table between municipalities, the Caabsa company, the scavengers and the state government”
After this event, the Jalisco State Human Rights Commission (CEDHJ) issued precautionary measures and provided support to those arrested.
Álvarez Esparza emphasized that poverty is being criminalized in the state.
“There are more than four thousand families that live off the scavenging, it cannot be possible that there is such a perverse attitude of the authority. That is why we demand the release of the detainees and in addition to the installation of a dialogue table between municipalities, the Caabsa company, the scavengers and the State Government to reach a joint agreement and resolve this problem.
The representative of the CROC He added that in the Los Laureles dump there is land with conditions to be used as a transfer plant..
“On one side of the Los Laureles dump there is a piece of land called Los Pinos, which has a platform and is conditioned to receive waste, only it does not have permission from the authorities. If this request does not convince you, we ask that more space be opened in the Matatlán garbage dump so that the scavengers can work, we believe that this issue is not only about the environment but that if it is not resolved, the garbage will remain. in the homes of citizens.
They maintain a sit-in and demand the release of detainees
The general secretary of the Jalisco Scavengers Union, Araceli Batres, confirmed that the sit-in remains in the Plaza de Armas, and reiterated that they are asking for the immediate release of the detainees, the president of the Matatlán garbage dump Civil Association, Andrés Gaona Ortega , Luis Ernesto Perfecto Cárdenas, Ramón Olivares and Isaac Alejandro Quesada Hernández, who still have not resolved their legal situation.
“Here are the mothers and wives of the detainees, all of them are hurt and upset with this situation, we are demonstrating for the need to work and eat, and that is why they mistreat us. In Jalisco the abuse of authority has been experienced and we are already tired of it, this is a very strong social problem that we have to solve, we cannot wait any longer”.
Mrs. María Guadalupe Hernández demanded that the authorities release her son.
“My son Isaac was the most beaten by the police, they accuse him of the crime of gang membership, he is just a young worker who was protesting because he can no longer support his family.”
In turn, Mrs. María Sánchez Briseño claimed that a week had passed since her husband’s detention and nothing had been resolved legally.
“I have sought support to free my husband Andrés, but they do not allow us to see him or communicate with him, we cannot pay bail because supposedly the crime for which he is imprisoned does not allow it.”
“I have sought support to free my husband Andrés, but they do not allow us to see him or communicate with him”
Since May 5, the scavengers have held a sit-in in the Plaza de Armas, through which they ask for the reopening of the Los Laureles dump, the authorization of more areas in the Matatlán dump or a sanitary landfill where the waste generated is deposited. in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area.
Sees risk of collapse in collection system
Oscar David Contreras Veloz, general secretary of the Guadalajara cleaning union, emphasized that postponing the solution for waste management in the ZMG could generate a risk of collapse in the garbage collection system.
“We are being overwhelmed by this situation, colleagues are working excessive shifts of 12 and up to 16 hours trying to ensure that the municipalities and citizens are not affectedThat is why we ask that all the parties involved sit down to talk and sign an urgent agreement because this should not continue like this”.
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Scavengers Demonstrations in Jalisco Los Laureles
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