Photos

This is a follow-up to my earlier post of the protest in Mexico City this August that virtually paralyzed the city for months (more details about the protest are in my notes to that photo).

The PRD, a progressive, socially conscious political party, believed that the presidential election had been a fraud and had deprived their candidate, Sr. Lopez Obrador, of his rightful place as president, installing a corporate-friendly, USA-aligned candidate, Felipe Calderon, through subterfuge and fraud. As far as I can tell this is not a ludicrous claim, but it's not a proven one either (although there is evidence to support it, see: this).

Since then they have held an alternative swearing-in ceremony, presenting Lopez Obrador as the genuine president. How this battle of wills will end is anyone's guess, but my suspicion is that it will not be uncontentious. The supporters of Lopez Obrador are extremely determined, but so is the Calderon faction.

The police were everywhere during the protest, in huge numbers. Mostly they hung back and were casual, but when approached they were dour, imposing... friendly, but with a little edge of threat.

I was also lectured, in no uncertain terms, by a senior police official. The message: don't take pictures of the cops... no permisso. I don't understand Spanish, but the delivery, the few words I caught, and the hand gestures (mostly at my camera), made the meaning abundantly clear. Of course I had already taken many photos of cops and surreptitiously continued to do so.

I really like this capture because it combines a casual attitude with an inherent authority. These were ordinary men doing their jobs, but they were also very much agents of the state, unhappy with the state of affairs in the street.