Mexican Poet Javier Sicilia To Lead 6,000-Mile March In Protest Of "Failed" War On Drugs

Mexican poet Javier Sicilia's 24-year-old son was killed last year in what is described as "prohibition-related violence" -- he was brutally murdered by drug cartels in their fight against the country's government. The death of his son forced the 55-year-old poet to realize that his story is not unique -- there have been more than 70,000 deaths in Mexico's drug war, the majority of which didn't receive the amount of attention that the death of the son of a popular author and poet has garnered. 

In response, Sicilia founded the Movement for Peace With Justice and Dignity, with the goal of getting the Mexican government to come up with strategies other than Presdient Felipe Calderon's all-out war on the cartels, which the group says only exacerbates the violence.

Starting in August, Sicilia will lead a 6,000-mile trek across the United States to draw attention to the failed war on drugs, and the thousands of casualties it's created.

The march has been dubbed the Peace Caravan Against Drug the War in the U.S., and is being led by victims of the drug war on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border.

The Caravan "aims to inspire U.S. civil society to stem the flow of weapons into Mexico, to support humane and health-oriented alternatives to drug prohibition, and to demand more effective, non-violent security strategies. Bi-national respect for justice and human dignity lies at the heart of this initiative, making humane immigration policy another central concern of the Caravan."  

A formal announcement about Sicilia's march is expected Monday. Click here for details.