Mass and peaceful march in remembrance of José Antonio’s death and demand for justice

By Sandra Kienitz, the Northern Program Coordinator for MCC Mexico

All photos by Sandra Kienitz, MCC Mexico

Two years after his death, José Antonio Elena Rodriguez’s life was celebrated with a mass at the Paróquia la Puríssima in Nogales, Mexico. Co-celebrated at 4:00 pm by Father Sean (Kino Border Initiative, USA) and Padre Mauricio (Puríssima, Mexico) the message to family, friends and supporters was of prayer for the perpetrators, being transformed by the experience and reacting in non-violence, and not giving up hope that justice will come.

Present were supporters like the Samaritans, No Más Muertes, Kino Border Initiative, Martín Eduardo Moreno Ramos (the representative of the Sonoran Comision Estatal de Derechos Humanos), and many other organizations and individuals, including Mennonite Central Committee Mexico.

Around 5:15 pm a group of 300 people of all ages marched in silence to the U.S. Port of Entry Deconcini carrying coffins with the names of victims killed by Border Patrol, holding up signs asking for justice and pictures of people killed along the border wall.

The group stopped by the border pedestrian entrance and chanted under leadership of César Lopez Jiménez (Colectivo Justicia Fronteriza) “We shall not be moved,” named the people killed by Border Patrol and responded “present”, and demanded “justice now.”

The march continued through the downtown streets, where the SUTAN (Sindicato Unico de Trabajadores del Ayuntamento de Nogales) was holding a protest and presented a good moment to share demands. Finally the march arrived at the border wall, where the Mexican group met protesters from the U.S. side led by the sound of drums and dance of members of the Tohono O´Odham tribe.

Araceli, Jose Antonio’s mother, marches in memory of her son. Photo by Sandra Kienitz.

At the place where José Antonio was shot and killed the participants stopped for a candle light vigil that was filled with chants and slogans for justice, songs about migration and border violence, and poems declaimed by participants, and an artist who talked about the process of making a mural of José Antonio. Several members of the family spoke about their desire for justice and to clean the name of José Antonio, who was first portrayed by the media as stone thrower who deserved what he got. All happened in sight of the same U.S. cameras that registered José Antonio’s death on Calle Internacional.

The family’s attorney (Luis Fernando Parra) who is leading the suit filed in the U.S. court in June 2014 updated the public on the progress made in the case. The request of the family is that justice be made now by releasing the name of the Border Patrol officer who shot José Antonio as well as the video recordings of the night of the shooting. With these Mexico would be able to ask for the extradition of the perpetrator.