Update at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday:
About 200 people marched from San Diego City College to the downtown federal building Tuesday afternoon in an effort to draw attention to 43 Mexican college students who disappeared nearly six months ago.
Among the protesters were parents of the missing students.
Blanca Luz Nava Velez, mother of 19-year-old Jorge Alvarez, said she believes her son is still alive despite the Mexican government's declaration that all the students are dead.
"We don't trust the Mexican government," Velez said. "We don't trust them because they took our children. There's evidence. Also, they've told us nothing but lies. That's why we don't trust them."
Angel Neri de la Cruz Ayala, a survivor of the kidnapping in Iguala, Guerrero in September, also marched in San Diego.
Ayala, 19, said he saw his 43 classmates taken away and shot at by police. He also said he saw one shot in the head.
"What we're asking for principally is for this country, considered the most powerful in the world, to put pressure on our government to solve the case," Ayala said.
The protesters were one of three caravans that plan to visit 45 U.S. cities to raise awareness.
Original Story:
Family members and friends of 43 students who disappeared from southern Mexico late last year will march from San Diego City College to the downtown federal building on Front Street Tuesday afternoon, as part of an effort to spread international awareness.
The group includes a mother and a father, and two students who escaped the night of the disappearance. The march is set to begin at 3 p.m.
The group is one of three caravans visiting 45 U.S. cities, and have been holding events since arriving in San Diego on Monday. On Tuesday they held a public forum at City College at 11 a.m. and plan to hold another at Balboa Park's Centro Cultural de la Raza at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, they will travel to North San Diego County and continue up the coast.
The case of the missing students has sparked controversy and protests across Mexico and abroad. Earlier this year, Mexico's former attorney general closed the case, concluding that the students were all dead after finding the remains of one. They said police in Iguala, Guerrero kidnapped the students and handed them to a drug cartel for execution. The families dispute the government’s official story.
