MEXICO CITY — In November, nine women and children from the LeBarón family were murdered in a brutal attack by gunmen on a road in Sonora, Mexico. Family members visited Mexico City on Thursday seeking justice for other kinds of victims.
The LeBaróns are rallying with the families of children with cancer whose treatments have been cut off as a result of the Mexican president’s austerity and anti-corruption plans.
Bryan LeBarón said Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador isn’t doing enough to solve the country’s problems.
“Our fight really encompasses a lot more than just going after the drug cartels; our fight is for the defense of victims here in Mexico,” LeBarón said. “There's a crisis here in Mexico where there's an extreme shortage of medication; these children are suffering and dying, and the government really hasn't had an adequate response.”
LeBarón said the family is thankful for the collaboration between Mexican and American authorities to try to solve the murder of their relatives. But he says the U.S. is a major market for the cartels and needs to do more regarding drug abuse.
“As American citizens, we have to recognize that we’re a big part of the problem,” said LeBarón. “We’re one of the largest consumers of drugs in the world and that money is blood money.”
He said López Obrador needs to stand up for human rights to avoid a negative image of the country overseas.
“If they (people in the government) are not going to really look for solutions, we (Americans) are going to stop participating; we're not going to visit the beaches or we're not going to do business with Mexico,” LeBarón said.
