Chicagoans Unite At Millennium Park To Send An S.O.S For Venezuela
By Jon Graef in News on Feb 23, 2014 9:45PM
Photographer Adriana Mendez was kind enough to share with Chicagoist photos she took yesterday at The Legacy Tower at Millennium Park of about 1,000 Chicagoans uniting to form an S.O.S signal to send to international leaders in light of reported human rights abuses occurring in Venezuela.
Chicagoan Jessica Sicsu, who alerted Chicagoist to the photos via social media, and put us in touch with Mendez, explained in thorough detail what's been going on in Venezuela via email. Brace yourself, it's a long, but utterly essential, read:
On February 12, 2014, students in Venezuela called to take the streets to peacefully demonstrate against the government of president Nicolas Maduro. Tens of thousands, including students, parents, and even young children, joined the protests to demand answers from a corrupt and inefficient administration that has been unable to deal with rampant crime (murders, kidnappings, rapes), soaring inflation, shortages of basic food staples, energy blackouts and media censorship.Maduro's administration brutally attacked the peaceful demonstrators with shock groups of armed civilians with government-provided guns and motorcycles. These thugs operated with the protection and cooperation of the Venezuelan National Guard. Thus far, eight people have died, hundreds have been incarcerated (without probable cause) and injured. Several instances of rape have been reported by students detained by the National Guard, who have used the barrels of their rifles to violate defenseless demonstrators.
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The Maduro administration's brutality in the past weeks has sparked consecutive days of demonstrations throughout the country. The government has answered with increasing brutality and media censorship. Maduro increased his aggressive rhetoric, making fun of students who surrendered when surrounded by armed government convoys shooting tear gas and stun guns at close range.
On February 22, an international S.O.S to call for help was organized in most major cities around the world to draw attention to this terrible situation. Venezuelans and friends of democracy in every continent congregated in public places to let our voice be heard and try to fight the government-imposed censorship.
Chicago joined the efforts of other cities, including Sydney, Australia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Madrid, Spain and many others around the world. Close to 1,000 people got together at the Plaza of the Americas and then at Millennium Park, where the SOS caption was taken.
Additionally, Sicsu wrote that journalists, including CNN en Espanol reporter Patricia Janiot, had their work permits revoked and were asked the leave the country. Furthermore, a Columbian-based newscaster, NTN24, was pulled from the airwaves in Venezuela for broadcasting coverage of the protests. Lastly, a political dissident, Leopoldo Lopez, a political dissident, has been jailed under false charges, according to Sicsu.
For more on the protests in Venezuela, check out Al-Jazeera. For photos, go to the top of the post.