Blog dedicated to reporting on Mexican drug cartels
on the border line between the US and Mexico
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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Indiscriminate "War"



A new self-defense group appears in Aquila, Michoacán.
Photo By: Enrique Castro

By:

Today, bullets are not only directed at individuals who fight to bring justice to their fallen family members, such as Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, Nepomuceno Moreno, and many other heroic fighters, but now also against citizens who form an organization to defend peace.  The cowardly armed suppression of a group of civilians peacefully protesting on Monday in the town of Los Reyes, Michoacán shows that with Enrique Peña Nieto, we have entered a new phase in the “war” against insecurity that is simultaneously creepier and paradoxically more hopeful than during the presidency of Felipe Calderón.

The federal and local governments continue with the irresponsible and failed “strategy” implemented since 2006.  Faced with any problem, they send more troops, police, and weaponry to “calm” the area, which predictably only begets more violence and blood.  The tactic of “decapitating” major drug traffickers, such as El Z-40, also continues by orders and information from the U.S. government.  The exaggerated accolades from Barack Obama and Janet Napolitano for Peña Nieto remind you of the comparison that the U.S. president made in 2010 towards Calderón comparing him to the supercop ‘Eliot Ness’ of the “Untouchables”.


What is striking about the current situation is not the alleged use of “intelligence” by the government of Peña Nieto, but of the courage and the organizational capacity of the communities ravaged by violence.  The demonstrators in Los Reyes sought to take over the City Hall in order to dismiss the corrupt policemen, to put an end to extortions, and to establish a system of grassroots comunitarian self defense.  On the past Wednesday, another group successfully managed to occupy the City Hall of Aquila, Michoacán and take control of the local Police Security Bureau in response to the total failure of the authorities to uphold the rule of law.  On the same day, in Guerrero, villagers from Xaltianguis blocked the road Acapulco-México in order to defend their community police from harassment by the Mexican Army who sought to disarm them.  There is also a video circulating on social networks that exposes the shocking and inspiring story of the Consejo Ciudadano de Autodefensa (Citizen’s Self-Defense Group) in Tepalcatepec, Michoacán.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR6zUlX7QYU

During the six-years of the presidency of Calderón, we have witnessed horrific homicides, including the grenade attacks on September 15, 2008 in Morelia, the massacre in Villas de Salvalcar in January 2010, and the attack on the Casino Royale in August 2011, among many other incidents.  But today not only do armed groups attack citizens who are in recreational gatherings but also those who are in social events with specific demands.

The current “politicization” of the armed repression is a very serious phenomenon that should concern us all.  And when this news is linked with the repression during the inauguration of Peña Nieto on December 1 and the systematic harassment towards the political dissidents during the current presidential term, it sets up a scenario of outright consolidation of more authoritarian ways of governance.

Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong stated that what happened in Los Reyes was “a response to the progress that the state and federal government have against organized crime”.  The Secretariat of the Interior suggests that as the authorities have more “progress” in their “strategy”, citizens will have to wait for worsening armed attacks on civilian groups.  Apparently, the “collateral damage” of the “war” of Peña Nieto will make those of the “war” of Calderón seem like child’s play.

While Calderón left the country in flames, and could even be found responsible for numerous war crimes during his term, at least society could have expressed their rejection publicly and peacefully in the streets.  Today with Peña Nieto, social protests are increasingly becoming more dangerous.
It’s very unfortunate then that leading analysts and activists who were highly critical of Calderón, such as Sergio Aguayo, now celebrate the self-praise of Peña Nieto about his “new” strategy supposedly based on criminal “intelligence”.  Opinion leaders, such as Aguayo make a small favor towards their own cause, applauding a strategy with the main difference of precisely directly attacking activists.  

Instead of giving a confidence vote to federal and local governments who have already shown their true face of being repressive and intolerant, we should accompany the brave people of the communities, especially the indigenous peoples, who have had the courage to self-organize into defending peace and the social welfare of people.  Rather than trying to get along well with the government and the power, we should listen to Elsa Márquez Manríquez, a woman from Xaltianguis who courageously says: “They killed one of my brothers, an uncle and a brother in law and the government only turns around and leaves us alone…we want the community police here, we feel protected having them around.”


Source: Proceso #1917 Pages 43-44

28 comments:

  1. The Revolucion will not be televised. Arriva mi lindo Michoacan putos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chinga tu madre wuey??

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    2. La tuya puto maricon

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    3. @11:51 La tuya le toka esta ves!!

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    4. Haha piche vato michuaocano vales pa pura verga .

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    5. Se pelean entre ustedes mismos por eso hay carteles sean unidos no pendejos!!

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  2. We want a revolution fight for peace and freedom... that's worth dieing for

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  3. John, sad to say that you have missed the whole point of politics in Mexico (and many other parts of the world incl the US). Politics is all about control. The ruling elite anywhere is the ruling elite because it has ultimate control of people and resources.

    The cartels with their money and guns (both used to control people and resources) is at the same time a blessing and a liability to the "established" ruling elite.

    The blessing is that it provides the ruling elite with an enemy against which it can protect its citizens (i.e. providing violence but no services). Once the citizenry realize that the ruling elite fail in this simple mandate the cartel activites become a liability to the ruling elite.

    By providing insecurity a cartel exposes the weakness of the ruling elite which leads to people attempting to take control of the own lives/situation.

    That a bunch cartels spread violence and mayhem may be a nuisance to the ruling elite, but that communities take up arms on their own is a direct threat to the state's (i.e. ruling elite) monopoly on ultimate control over the masses. This is the reason that a community organised secutiry apparateus is an infinitively more dangerous threat to the state than all cartels put together.

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    Replies
    1. Thats why in the u.s we say thank god for our 2nd amendment otherwise our gvt here would be way worse than it is.the gvt has a healthy respect for a people with some 300 plus million guns in its citizens hands and i know plenty ppl here who would rather die that give the gvt our weapons

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  4. Don´t always trust Proceso, they´re a leftist news magazine tied to the PRD party!

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    Replies
    1. Just like televisa ( or telerisa) to PRI. Back when EPN was estado de Mexico governor helped him with his campaigns and presidency ones too

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  5. Yes a Revolution for equality. Not for a bunch of meth heads like in michoacan. And it will be televised by google street view

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  6. How does bb feel about being part of this cancer called Mexican government? Narco contra narco narco contra gobierno. Narco gone who will face the government? And f u liberal hippies who are content getting assramed by the govt. No habra revolucion.

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  7. 現在一點兒中裁定你的中國是在這裡 .

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  8. Writing from Europe but this seems a bizarre article. What is the point of it?, seemingly it all started in 2006 when the Mexican government took on the drug cartels?.
    I've read this so often here that I can only assume the Mexican people want the drug cartels to continue as long the ordinary people aren't affected.
    If the average Mexican wants their government to make deals with killers rather than kill them on sight then thats democracy.

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  9. It is a revolution no more wagons or horses now its r bullet proof anything from trucks semi trucks. Weapons also changed no more revolvers or lever actions now its semi and full auto rifles even RPG s bazzokas granades launchers you think of it they have it. Many of these thanks to the U.S. armed forces or goverment. I believe Mexico is at half way in the war hopefully. Don't get ass hurt but all thanks to the U.S. with their plan merida which was for the only reason of mexicans killing Mexicans... don't get fooled with the news cartel this that the big picture is politics . In Mexico when a politic gets out of office he and his children are set for life. Why would they run for office with all the killings $$$$$thats why. Don't worry about Pena nieto he don't care about drug dealers he is after pemex with the rat of Salinas de gortarri Mexico's real president. Yes the one that took away Mexico's 0s and transferred them to his off shore accounts and flew away then came back to Mexico where they love him..... pedej%&$

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    Replies
    1. U can be rite,except not salinas,its his boss the Rons Hernandez Ran Tj clippd Colosio...

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  10. Miren pendejos remember Escobar
    he was a brutal Dictator
    why do you think theres guerrilla rebels
    in México now becuse narcos kill who ever They
    want and think just cuse you got a suit
    payed in your pockets means you can even
    kill a rivals kid
    in the end narcos get What They deserve
    And Thats a slowe and painfull death.
    Remember Narco Cheerleaders
    Narcos are just dictators.
    people WHO want to opress you.
    Control you own you.
    -Al Quds
    oh i forget viva La Revolución!


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  11. You think the presidente gives 2 $h!ts about
    you.
    a real presidente would walk with his
    people Especialy the poor talk to
    his people.
    ask his people What They need
    but instead we always get a
    Dictator someone in fancy suits
    cars, nice houses.
    mean while a kid tryng to get out the
    evil dope game tryn to figure out how
    they guna eat. so They Have no choice
    but to put on the ski mask looking for
    some One to kill.
    I hope México Revolts
    - Quds out

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  12. Control the drugs, control the politics.

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. puro michoacan pariente siempre al millon dando chingadasos

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  15. Join the Free México Army

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    Replies
    1. Those guys are pawns in a chess game that is this cartel war

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  16. the people from michoacan are tired of the templarios imposing rules and quotes. Back then the valencias or mileno didn't mess with the people. the good old traficantes michoacanos days, that's why they were welcomed in jalisco. Until osiel sent the zetas and kicked milenio out it was cool. templarios and familia michoacana are just off branch of zetas. drug traffickers uses to help people not screw them

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  17. This silent war does not discriminate..... on various forums/sites travelers say " Mexico is safer than the U.S.A. or Europe. When anyone else post on these travel sites about safety concerns in Mexico they are excommunicated.
    No one really cares. As long as Pepe serves them margaritas and they can stick their finger up Pepe's ass . No one freaking cares. The carnage, the hell, the death , the rape, the decapitations in mexico will not stop until the margarita glasses in cancun come to a halt .
    No one gives a rats azz about mainland mexico or how many innocent people die.
    Its all lost. God help us.

    ReplyDelete

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