Mexican teachers strike against violence

Mexican teachers are striking against rampant crime after some educators have reported being extorted, kidnapped and intimidated by local gangs, officials said. About 7,000 teachers marched up the main tourist strip Tuesday in the coastal Mexican city of Acapulco with banners demanding security from government officials, El Universal reported. Several anonymous death threats have been sent to teachers by criminal gangs demanding over half their salaries. Teachers have refused to return to classrooms until the government does something to protect them. More than a hundred schools have been shut down in the once-popular tourist resort since August, when public school resumed across Mexico. Drug cartels have been fighting for control of Acapulco over the last two years by extorting professionals and local business owners to fund the drug organizations.