Calderon Meets Anti-Crime Organizers

Please Rate Vote 1 Vote 2 Vote 3 Vote 4 Vote 5

MEXICO CITY) — Moving quickly to address mounting anger over crime, President Felipe Calderon promised Sunday to adopt several proposals from civic groups who led more than 100,000 Mexicans in marches against daily kidnappings and killings.

Among the measures is the creation of a citizens' panel to monitor government progress in fighting crime, better police recruiting and oversight systems and equipping officers with more powerful weapons, Mexico's conservative president said. Calderon acknowledged that Mexicans are desperate to see results two years after he took office and began an aggressive battle against drug traffickers and other criminal gangs.

Angry citizens across the country's 32 states took part in Saturday's "Iluminemos Mexico" or "Let's Illuminate Mexico" protests, dressed in white and carrying candles, to show a united front against violence.

Some 200,000 protested in Mexico City, police said, while more than 84,000 demonstrated in other towns and cities, according to La Jornada daily.

Calderon said Sunday that the protests "start a new period marked by the great force and energy with which we can face criminality," and called on citizens to help official crime-fighting efforts.

The government "shares the demands and the indignation of the people," Calderon said after meeting with 14 civic leaders who staged Saturday night's candlelight protests in the capital and cities across the country including Puerto Vallarta. "We know the biggest problem in Mexico is public insecurity."

Calderon offered few details about the proposed panel, but members of the 14 civic groups told reporters the president promised a concrete plan within a month. "We're going to keep demanding: What's happening, what's happening, what's happening?" said Laura Elena Herrejon, of the civic group Pro-Neighbor. "Everyone who is listening to us must keep up the pressure." Calderon said he had already included many of the other ideas in a 74-point anti-crime agreement drawn up last month during a national security meeting with governors and mayors.

Drug cartels have responded to the government's offensive with daily attacks against police, gunning them down at their homes, checkpoints and headquarters. The rise in violence "is a consequence of the gradual and growing disintegration of public and governmental institutions," Calderon said, acknowledging that "in many places authorities have been overwhelmed by delinquency and crime."