Fed up Reynosa residents protest military presence

Jeremy Roebuck, Paige Lauren Deiner and Jared Taylor

February 27, 2008 - 10:36PM

REYNOSA — Thousands of chanting demonstrators filled Reynosa’s downtown plaza Wednesday afternoon to protest alleged abuses by the Mexican military and federal police.

Carrying banners that compared the soldiers to terrorists and bearing crosses with the names of people killed in encounters with authorities, the marchers outlined a list of complaints including unwarranted searches of homes, stolen property and assaults on city residents.

The breaking point, many said, was the shooting of two civilians at a military checkpoint two weeks ago.

“We’re not at war,” demonstrator Sandra Quiñones said in Spanish. “Coming into houses and pointing guns at people — it scares people.”