Mexicans Rally Against High Crime

Felipe Calderon acted quickly after he was sworn in as president two years ago, sending military forces to his home state of Michoacan to battle the drug-fueled crime wave there. Yesterday, more than 150,000 Mexican protesters clad in white clothing marched against the crime that continues to worsen thanks to the cartels: More than 2,300 people have been killed in gang crimes this year, and in April the State Department issued a travel advisory for the border regions after a spike in violence.

After the march Calderon met with protest organizers, and Reuters reports that he renewed his commitment to fight the drug gangs -- a pledge made even more difficult by the fact that cartels have recently issued warnings police and military to go corrupt and work for them, or die. More:

"'The federal government renews its commitment with its citizens and precisely will step up efforts to eradicate this evil,' Calderon said in a nationally broadcast speech.

...Long used to violent crime, Mexicans were nevertheless outraged by the kidnapping and murder of Fernando Marti, 14, whose body was found in a car trunk in Mexico City on Aug. 1, even though his businessman father had paid a ransom.

Mexico is one of the worst countries in the world for abductions, along with conflict zones like Iraq and Colombia.

Calderon, Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard and state governors held an emergency crime summit last week and vowed to stamp out abductions and violent crime."

Still unsolved, as well, are most of the hundreds of murders of women in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua.