Justice for our sister Marcella Sali Grace!

Version en espanol sigue despues del link.

10/2 UPDATE: Not really an update, just wanted to share this drawing, "Ramonita triste por Marcella Sali" by Kalvellido that I found to be very touching.

10/1 UPDATE: Yesterday, on what would have been Sali's 21st birthday, a march was held in her honor and memory here in Oaxaca. View my summary and photos here.

At the rally in front of the Cathedral, this statement by Sali's mother, Barbara, was read (in Spanish):

I would have people know that my daughter Sali was the light of my heart.  Sali taught me love, patience, and acceptance.  She taught me to work joyously, hard, and to fight like hell for what you believe in.   Sali’s father, her step mother, her brother and sisters, all of her family and I have an unfathomable depth of grief over the loss of her love and spirit.

We feel the outpouring of love coming from Sali’s people in Oaxaca, in Mexico, and across North America.  We appreciate all that you have been, have done, and will do for Sali and in Sali’s memory.  We thank you for your every effort to continue to seek justice in the death of our darling Sali.  It means everything to us as a family.

And this drawing, by Sali's half-sister Claire, was distributed. The day before Sali's family learned of her murder, Claire was at a friend's house and came home with a drawing, of which this is a part. She said her drawing was of a dead girl, and that this image was "the dead girl waving goodbye." It is Sali waving goodbye to all of those she loves.

9/29 UPDATE: Here's the my translation of the announcement for the march tomorrow in Oaxaca.

9/28 UPDATE: Friends, I don't have much of an update. More information is coming out in the Mexican press. For those who read Spanish, the local Oaxaca daily Noticias has an article, as does the national La Jornada. Those close to and who Sally worked with here should be producing a new statement or article shortly. Anything that comes out, I will translate and post here. There will be a march through town here on Tuesday for Sally. Thank you for the touching notes you have been leaving.

9/27 UPDATE 2: The AP has posted a mostly-accurate story about Sally's murder. Kristin Bricker has an accurate accounting of the lead-up to the arrest of Yoguez Singu.

9/27 UPDATE: Friends, there have been many developments in the past two days. More information will become available soon, but it can be confirmed that through the hard work of activists in San Jose del Pacifico, Oaxaca, and Mexico City, Sally's killer, Omar Yoguez Singu, has been identified and arrested in Mexico City, and transferred to Oaxaca. People here are confident that what happened to Sally was not "political" in the sense that it did not happen as a result of her political activities. Of course violence against women is very much a tragic political aspect of life under patriarchy.  And regardless of the reason, it does not make her murder any less appalling or the loss any less severe. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section. I will post more when it is available. Sally Grace, presente! Ahora, y siempre!

Please read and sign the below call to action. The Spanish version follows my translation. This event is beyond tragic.

Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca.
Thursday, September 25

Justice for our sister Marcella Sali Grace!

Brother and sisters,

Our hearts are full of sadness and rage because our sister Sali was brutally raped and murdered 20 minutes from San Jose del Pacifico and up to this moment the Oaxacan Attorney General's Office, as is its custom, is not doing anything regarding the fact that there exist witnesses who have information to identify those responsible.

Marcella Sali Grace was born in the United States, with a big heart in solidarity with just causes. She had many friends because she was always inclined to help, using her artistic talents to paint a banner or a wall or doing Arabic dance to raise funds for the struggle, or putting on punk shows, or giving self-defense courses for women because she knew very well how the men accosted them. This was one of her struggles, that women were free and respected. Sali was so involved in the struggle that she was an international accompanier of brothers and sisters who felt harassed by the bad government of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

Unfortunately, on September 24, a woman's body was found with the physical characteristics of Sali, in a deserted cabin twenty minutes from the village of San Jose del Pacifico and at the moment when a village member went to feed some dogs around that area, he was struck by a fetid odor coming from this cabin and notified the municipal authorities of the village, who proceeded to remove the body which was already in a state of decay, and after these events, they did not give any more information to the people in the village.

Yesterday, companera Julieta Cruz (who knew Sali was headed for San Jose del Pacifico) was informed that a young, foreign woman was at in the Miahuatlan amphitheatre, where she went, and where she recognized the body of Sali because of the tattoos she had, as her face was unrecognizable. Julieta thinks it is because of burns, but it doesn't explain why the rest of her body has less visible damage. When we asked for the case number we were denied as well from seeing the results of the autopsy, as they argued with us that because we weren't relatives they couldn't give us any information.

Due to her solidarity work with the popular struggle of the people of Oaxaca, in other struggles in the world and against the racism on Mexico's border with the U.S., on different occasions and to different people, Sali mentioned that recently in Oaxaca she had suffered political persecution and surveillance. This makes us think that her cowardly murder is related to the widespread repression against the social movement and directed particularly at international observers. Because of this, we don't dismiss that the intellectual authors are the same who ordered the repression against the people of Oaxaca in their struggle for justice and freedom.

In the face of these bloody events, and for the brutal cruelty used against companera Sali, we don't disregard that this could be a clear message directed at all the people of Oaxaca, as well as the companeros in solidarity from different parts of the world; we say this based on the recent national and international news which says that "APPO members were the ones who killed U.S. journalist Bradley Roland Will" and as there is no justice in Oaxaca, we worry that the distortion of information could interfere in procuring true justice for our companera and the clear bureaucratic slowness with which the involved authorities are already treating this investigation.

In the face of these lamentable events, WE DEMAND:

The immediate speeding up of the investigations.
 
The immediate clarification of the facts.

Punishment for the intellectual and material murderers.

Justice for our sister Marcella Sali Grace!

Enough is enough with of the murders, violence and hatred against women who fight for justice!


We ask you to sign on (at the email indicated) to this demand for justice and to become a part of the urgent activities to demand the clarification of these cowardly acts.

[email protected]
Information: (01 951) 5178190 CIPO

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25

9:00 am Presence at the U.S. Consulate in Oaxaca
(Santo Domingo Plaza, Col. Centro, Oaxaca)

12:00 noon Rally at the State Attorney General's Office: To demand the case is brought to Oaxaca and to speed up the bureaucratic procedures for the administration of justice.
(Domicilio conocido, San Antonio de la Cal, Col. Experimental).

Signed:
Encuentro de Mujeres Oaxaquenas "Compartiendo Voces de Esperanza"
Colectivo Mujer Nueva
Consejo Indigena Popular de Oaxaca Ricardo Flores Magon
Voces Oaxaquenas Construyendo Autonomia y Libertad
Colectivo Tod@s Somos Pres@s
Encuentro de Jovenes en el Movimiento Social Oaxaqueno
(...)

Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca.
Jueves 25 de septiembre.

!Justicia para nuestra hermana Marcella Sali Grace!

Hermanos y hermanas.

Nuestros corazones estan llenos de tristeza y rabia porque nuestra hermana Sali fue violada y asesinada brutalmente a 20 minutos de San Jose del Pacifico y hasta este momento la procuraduria de Oaxaca como es su costumbre no esta haciendo nada a pesar que existen testigos que dan indicios para identificar a los responsables.

Marcella Sali Grace nacio en los Estados Unidos, con un corazon grande y  solidario con las causas justas quien  tenia muchas amigas y amigos porque siempre estaba dispuesta a ayudar, asi con sus dotes de artista pintaba una manta o una pared o bailaba su danza arabe para sacar fondos para  la lucha, o hacia sus conciertos con bandas de punks, o daba sus cursos de defensa personal a las mujeres pues conocia muy bien como los hombres las acosan, esta era una de sus luchas, el que las mujeres fueramos libres y respetadas, Sali estaba tan comprometida en la lucha que fue acompanante internacional de hermanos y hermanas que estan siendo hostigadas por el mal gobierno de Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.

Desgraciadamente este 24 de septiembre fue encontrado el cuerpo de una mujer con las caracteristicas fisicas de Sali, en una cabana deshabitada a veinte minutos de la poblacion de San Jose del Pacifico y al momento en que un poblador fue a alimentar a unos perros que se encontraban por ahi, lo impresiono un olor fetido que provenia de dicha cabana y dio aviso a las autoridades municipales de dicha poblacion, los cuales procedieron a hacer el levantamiento del cuerpo que se encontraba ya en estado de putrefaccion, y  despues de dichos sucesos, no se dio mas informacion a los pobladores.

El dia de ayer se le dio aviso a la companera Julieta Cruz (quien tenia conocimiento de que Sali se dirigia para dicho lugar), que  una joven extranjera se encontraba en el anfiteatro de Miahuatlan, a donde ella se dirigio, en donde reconocio el cuerpo de Sali debido a los tatuajes que tenia, ya que su rostro estaba irreconocible,  la companera supone que es debido a quemaduras, pues no se explica por que el resto del cuerpo tiene danos visiblemente menores. Al momento en que pedimos el numero de averiguacion se nos fue negado al igual que los resultados de la necropsia, argumentandonos que debido a que no eramos familiares de la persona no se nos podria facilitar ningun dato.

 Debido al trabajo solidario con la lucha popular del pueblo de Oaxaca, de otras luchas del mundo  y contra el racismo en la frontera de Mexico con Estados Unidos, en diversas ocasiones y a diferentes personas, Sali comento que en Oaxaca, en fechas recientes sufria de persecucion politica y vigilancia. Esto nos hace pensar que su cobarde asesinato tiene relacion con la represion generalizada a los movimientos sociales y dirigida particularmente a los observadores internacionales. Por esto mismo no descartamos que los actores intelectuales sean los mismos que ordenan la represion contra el pueblo de Oaxaca que lucha por justicia y libertad.

Ante estos hechos sangrientos, y por la brutal crueldad que ejercen sobre la companera Sali, no dejamos de lado que puede ser un claro mensaje dirigido a todo el pueblo de Oaxaca, asi como a los companeros solidarios de diferentes partes del mundo; esto lo decimos basado en las recientes noticias que estan circulando a nivel nacional e internacional, de que "los appistas son los que mataron al periodista norteamericano Bradley Roland Will" y como no hay justicia en Oaxaca, nos preocupa la distorsion de la informacion que pudiera interferir en la procuracion de una verdadera justicia para nuestra companera y la ya evidente lentitud burocratica con la que estan tratando el caso las autoridades actualmente implicadas en la investigacion.

Ante estos hechos lamentables EXIGIMOS:

 La inmediata agilizacion de las investigaciones.

 El esclarecimiento inmediato de los hechos.

 El castigo a los asesinos intelectuales y materiales.

 !Justicia para nuestra hermana Marcella Sali Grace!

!Basta de asesinatos, violencia y odio contra las mujeres que luchan por justicia!


Pedimos su adhesion  (en el correo que se indica) a esta exigencia de justicia y a formar parte de las actividades urgentes para demandar el esclarecimiento de estos hechos cobardes.

[email protected]
Informacion: (01 951) 5178190 CIPO

VIERNES 25 DE SEPTIEMBRE

9:00 am Presencia en el Consulado de los Estados Unidos en Oaxaca
(Plaza Santo Domingo, Col. Centro. Oaxaca)

12:00 del medio dia Mitin en la Procuraduria de Justicia del estado de Oaxaca: Para la exigencia de atraer el caso a la ciudad de Oaxaca y agilicen su tramite burocratico para la imparticion de justicia
 (Domicilio conocido, San Antonio de la Cal, Col. Experimental).

Firmas:
Encuentro de Mujeres Oaxaquenas "Compartiendo Voces de Esperanza"
Colectivo Mujer Nueva
Consejo Indigena Popular de Oaxaca Ricardo Flores Magon
Voces Oaxaquenas Construyendo Autonomia y Libertad
Colectivo Tod@s Somos Pres@s
Encuentro de Jovenes en el Movimiento Social Oaxaqueno
(...)

Comments

[sharky]

in this moment only think why is mexico!!!
is shith, is murder, is fear or only is nothing!!!!

saly i miss you beuty!!!!

[lindsey]

i only talked to her once, but my heart is broken. i feel so overwhelmed by all the hate and violence in this world. in oaxaca, here in minneapolis, in our lives and against our bodies. i just dont know what to do. sali... fuck.

[Catherine Eiler]

You have been with us, you are with us, you will be with us. You are beauty and grace and we are so proud.

[Tyler Bushman]

Sali mi Paisana. I met sali on the international caravan this last august in chiapas. We both went to the Garrucha. We were the only two gringos in the garrucha. So everytime we would cross paths we would say "Hola Paisano" (hi fellow citzen) I was really impressed with her kindness towards everyone. She will be missed especially by our many Herman@s mexican@s that she helped so much, all the way from the northern boarder to the southern. I demand justice.
RIP
Tyler Bushman

[pittsburgh food not bombs]

Rest In Peace, and we will Fight In War, Social War!

[B. R. Gowani]

So sad that such a young humanitarian Marcella Sali Grace was brutally murdered. The greater sadness is that the authorities won't say anything and won't do anything.

[colleen]

RIP!

[nosmokes]

A beautiful woman of courage and peace was taken from this world in an ugly and violent act. May her life stand as a testament for the need to move forward with our humanity, and may her death serve as motivation for others to continue the fight for justice.

[HarrisonMissesSali]

http://svr84.ehostpros.com/~plrds84/images/f453.jpg

[Stan]

Companera Sali's passing reminds me that we are all capable of more than we do. Standing up to oppression in order to free the people, it's the work of santas! I think completely selfless acts of courage like Sali's move us closer to No Mas Muertes! Paz

[AME]

hatred to my pais and
his government
we must unite and not let to us
pass this news so brutal

sali will be strange to you

[Nathan]

Rest in peace.

[Amy]

This is incredibly sad news. Rest in peace.

[Wandie]

this is absolutely appalling and so incredibly sad.
RIP

[ludditerobot]

Speechless.

Nothing, no one, in vain. RIP.

[mgearheart]

Rest in Peace.

[Aaron]

I am very close to Dry River people and I offer my deepest sympathies to all those who knew her. In times like these we should consider what activism/politics truly can entail and the sacrifices that so of our comrades before us have made so that we might have even the modicum of dignity however small it is, that we enjoy now.How much worse would capitalism be without people like her. It only tells how much further we have to go. Remember comrades:

Los que mueren por la vida no pueden morir por la muerte!
Marcella presente!

[danielito]

sali you're a human. i love you.

[suzi]

sally was a beautiful bright spirit. her energetic enthusiasm for life was truly contagious. i will always remember her in a positive light, and yet i am shocked by the brutality of her murder. with so many gifts to bestow on the world, it is a shame that she has departed so soon. love and prayers.

[tulip]

I only met Sali once. She was so full of life, laughter, and beauty. All of us in Oaxaca are in tremendous pain over the loss of such a courageous compa. I miss you Sali. You and your family are in my thoughts.

[dharma]

AME, did you mean "sali will be missed", not "sali will be strange", as "extraño" means "I miss" and also "strange". Just to clarify, because I think that was your message.

Sali seemed like a wonderful young woman and I'm sorry this happened.

--------------------------------------

Creo que Ud. quería decir que van a extrañar a Sali. En inglés se lee como "sali va a ser extraña". Náda más para aclarar lo que Ud. dijo.

Sali obviamente fue una mujer maravillosa y valiente. Tan triste todo esto. Mis condolencias para todos que la conocían.

[Brandye]

Salli was so beautiful. I am truly saddened to hear this and feel blessed to have known her and danced with her. Such a beautiful spirit filled with love and light. RIP Dear Butterfly...

[Dustin]

Such disgusting murder and brutality. I am angry. The only retribution that can make up for this is the forcible end of patriarchy and its attendant brutality against the innocent. We need a total revolution, an end to the tyranny of fear and desperate choices. This goes beyond whatever sacred "ism" we subscribe to. It is a simple practical necessity, if we are to live like human beings.

I hold the institutions that guard these murderous social relations responsible. Those that allow these crimes against the people to continue, whether in Oaxaca, Juarez, or the U.S. The Church, with its demand that women suffer in silence. The State, with its police that laugh as these outrages occur, and then turn around and beat those who organize to end it. I blame the men who wink and smile at violence against women, colluding in the institution of male privilege.

I'm not just angry. I'm terrified, imagining what Marcella must have gone through. I imagine such violence being aimed at me. How can we live this way?

[purple]

sally and i diden't always see eye to eye, but i cared about her, and she will be missed. We had some good times together traveling back when she first left home.

[Lark]

I knew Sally well and hearing this news is so shocking and terrifying. She moved so freely over the earth- she seemed invincible to me. So young and so powerful. Her brutal death is incomprehensibly tragic.

If anyone who lives in NYC knew her and would like to get together to talk about her, please contact me through my blog.