Dear Sir,
Thank you for publicizing the efforts of the community of Melaque, Jalisco to educate the public about the need for better security.
There are a number of errors in the story, however, that are most likely attributable to information had by those you interviewed. The most glaring error is who instigated the meeting and the petition. Two local Mexican women initiated the original meeting and the petition — a local teacher, who felt some responsibility since she had first met the man who was murdered when she was teaching on Salt Spring Island and he had begun coming to the area once she relocated to Melaque; the other is a local woman attorney who takes a significant interest in community affairs. These two women brought the community together to voice concerns. Those concerns were shared concerns — since community policing and adequate infrastructure affect us all. The meeting you reported on, in Cihuatlan, grew from this first meeting. There is a concern that this effort not be politicized, but rather be seen as a non-political matter that affects all of us whatever our nationalities or other interests.
Carol Murray