Breathe
By Laura Garza
Yesterday, District Judge Monica Perez Arce and a colleague were part of a group of protesters who went to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to place a banner at gate 6 with a message against the recently approved Judicial Reform.
During the peaceful demonstration, about 100 elements of Mexico City's Citizen Security appeared and began to encapsulate those who were placing the banner, and later closed the way to two female judges.
Two women encapsulated by armed elements, defenseless and vulnerable to an abuse of power, when they were only carrying a megaphone and a cell phone.
The image went viral in a matter of minutes through social networks, and with it the portrait of the abuse of functions by the authorities against two civilians who were not committing any type of aggression, nor were they creating a risk for anyone.
Two women judges raised their voices to defend the more than 224 women judges who will lose their careers if they do not decide to participate in the election by popular vote.
There are those who believed that having a woman President would bring better times and better roads for Mexican women, but 27 days later it seems quite the opposite.
To this situation, let us include the slogan "Claudia Sheinbaum does not arrive alone, we all arrive".
The president's defense of the judicial reform not only includes not abiding by the Constitution, but also doing it her way by encapsulating whoever she has to, even if it is only two women.
The photograph is a warning, twenty days into his six-year term it becomes a document that represents the repression of the freedom to demonstrate in the country's capital.
A dark colored tide surrounding two women, elements with shields and helmets that look at them, record them, and also turn their backs to them.
Elements in the background watching as if they were witnessing an act of entertainment, with their hands hidden in the pockets of their pants, arms crossed, all doing nothing but watching with morbid curiosity, with the power that gives them a radio and orders to encapsulate two women, yes, just two women.
I cannot imagine the impotence of both judges, the pain in the stomach of not knowing what will be the next step of those who are cornering them. The fear and the trembling of the body knowing that in our country women disappear, are silenced and killed daily.
While organized crime advances in our country, homicides, people deprived of their freedom, car theft and femicides are on the rise, the police force concentrates on two women.
An image of the beginning of a six-year term that will not be forgotten and will be remembered when it ends, because we are tired of being forgotten, dead or alive.
What is it about, President?
*Laura Garza, photographer for 24 years; she has specialized in political portraits and editorial work. She has worked as a photo editor in different national media and for the Presidency of the Republic. She is a columnist on photography and political image analysis in lopezdoriga Digital La Razón and currently directs EnBlanco.digital Communication Consultancy.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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