Flower Power
Mexican florists are made of tougher stuff than their American counterparts. You see, florists—florists!—are rioting in Mexico. It would be funny if, uh, people weren’t dying.
Mexican Police Quell Florist RiotSAN SALVADOR ATENCO, Mexico—Thousands of riot police stormed the town square early Thursday to subdue machete-wielding protesters who had beaten two officers into unconsciousness, dragging them through the streets in attacks televised nationwide.
Violence exploded in the area Wednesday when police tried to evict unlicensed flower sellers from a market in a nearby town…. A 14-year-old boy was reported killed and dozens more injured in the confrontations.
Rioters first blocked a stretch of federal highway about 14 miles northeast of Mexico City, turning back police with rocks, Molotov cocktails and large firework rockets.
Perhaps if Mexico had decriminalized the green "flowers" as planned, mayhem wouldn't have ensued.