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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Analysis: A Case in Support of the Autodefensa Movement

Borderland Beat

“The self-defense groups of Michoacán, heroic and dignified, represent a fresh and hopeful alternative that should be recognized and supported” -La Jornada
“Mexican peace activist Javier Sicilia considers the use of weapons in self-defense to be both legitimate and "praiseworthy.  "It seems to me most worthy ,that someone might take a weapon in order to say: 'You are not going to diminish my dignity or the dignity of a community"-Sicilia

"We want to destroy organized crime, in our state.   We do not want criminals with a seat and power in the state government. Because of them, all Michoacán is ill-fated. The only ones who benefit are the criminals, but the people, are still fucked "….Dr Manuel Mierles
Analysis
Should society respect the institutions, or rather is it the institutions that should respect the society? Is there rule of law in a State where they kidnap, extort and murder with impunity? Why devalue the voluntary and respectable work of the community police, instead of providing them with necessary political and military support? Why isn't the State promoting legal frameworks and coordinating with them?

Charged as few other states with a thousand-year old culture [the Purépecha people established a complex society parallel to the Aztecs], a regional history and heroic memories of iconic characters [President Lázaro Cárdenas], Michoacán once again achieves notoriety in the national and global context. The social, cultural and political processes occurring today in this state make it a laboratory for dramatic and innovative social experiments.

The avalanche of facts, research, reports, statements, comments and interviews conducted by the press, their reporters and commentators on radio and television, reveal a scenario characterized by three phenomena:
 
  • Proliferation and multiplication of criminal organization groups that now extend across a majority of the more than 100 municipalities in the state and that combine movement of drugs and illegal logging with extortion of agricultural producers, traders and families;     
  • The impotence, indifference and even complicity of state and municipal governments with these criminal groups;
  • A legitimate citizen reaction of self-defense, now represented by the community police, that add new towns and municipalities every day.
Meetings between Cartels and Government Leaders
Confirmation of the first phenomenon runs through the family networks and communication channels among neighbors, friends and coworkers. The media have been responsible for confirming the second: from the meeting that took place between the La Familia Michoacana and 14 elected mayors, including several current state government officials (Proceso), to the revelation of a Senate meeting with members of The Knights Templars [Los caballeros templarios] on October 17 (La Jornada Michoacán), most recently to an investigation of two meetings (July and October of 2011) between the Acting Governor and now Secretary of Government and top leaders of The Knights Templar during the state election campaign (Milenio)

Citizen Control

Zapatistas 2013
The third phenomenon, which assumes citizen and social control of territory, reproduces what happened in Chiapas with the Zapatista caracoles [regional self-government structures], and in Guerrero with the self-defense organizations that exist today in some 160 communities in 23 municipalities.
Springing forth under the inspiration and learning gained from the indigenous communities of the Purhépecha Meseta [Highlands] with Cherán in the lead, the self-defense groups of Michoacán now extend through the municipalities of Buenavista, Tepalcátepec, Aguililla, Coalcomán, Chinicuila, Tancítaro, Urapicho and several other communities on the coast.

If the Michoacán movements connect with their equivalents in Chiapas and Guerrero and with the various regional organizations in Oaxaca, it foretells and sketches a new corridor of community, municipal and regional self-management--an extensive area where social and citizen power takes precedence

It is likely that the case of Michoacán, with its nuances and differences, might already be the emblematic example. Some 5,000 years ago, when the first unequal societies appeared, where a minority exploited the majority, the heart of the social model has been the same: an interplay between three powers, the political, economic and social.
The class that governs and administers duties or taxes; the economic sector, which accumulates wealth at different rates and intensities; and the bulk of the citizens. State, capital and civil society are three forces whose dynamics give form and content to each society.

Exploitive 1%

Today, in modern times, characterized by a maximum concentration of mega-monopolies represented by some 500 corporations, the political class, regardless of its color or ideology, now plays at capital's side. Hard data, coming from scientific research, confirm the expression that once seemed outlandish: today 1 percent of the species exploits the other 99 percent.

Everything indicates that as the world becomes more complex, unpredictable, uncertain and fragile, many of the institutions, such as formal democracy, the market, centralized justice, the banks, will become obsolete.

As in Michoacán, the human, urban and rural communities are realizing that existing institutions, overwhelmed by all kinds of problems, are non-functional and that organized citizens must take in their hand the management of resources, key decisions, justice, food production, education, prevention and so on. The State and capital are already overwhelmed.

Today is the hour for citizen self-management. Viewed from that perspective, the self-defense groups of Michoacán, heroic and dignified, represent a fresh and hopeful alternative that should be recognized and supported

Michoacán government spokesman, Julio Hernandez, accused Mireles, without presenting any evidence, that Mireles had been in jail from 1988 to 1992 on charges of planting and harvesting of marijuana, the doctor rejects accusations flatly and there has not been any evidence produced to support this accusation….(Proceso)


The people who want to join the movement are within their rights. The Constitution itself, in Article 10, makes it very clear. Every village that does not have the safety and security of the institutions that were formed to do so, can be armed in self-defense of their rights, their property, their lives.
On tour in Tancitaro he was greeted by the people with respect and admiration, he told them;
"This movement has to grow, but only in states that can do so without involving political parties, only the people can defend because it is a matter of life. We can support them, we can give them everything, but they should get the breed and that have large, not hide, "says encouraging people.
When he leaves, Dr. Mireles receives enthusiastic applause, greetings, blessings and even slaps. "Men like you, we need," they say. He answers: "You can also do the same, we must overcome fear,  we already decided how we want to die ... fighting."
 
 
 
Sources

 
Jornada-EFE-CNN Mexico-MexicoVoices-proceso

15 comments:

  1. Chivis and Javana - I can tell you one thing for sure. This autodefensa movement cannot possibly survive - without the efforts of a free press and brave journalists. If the autodefensas themselves become isolated and cannot tell their real stories to the world - they are as good as dead. This issue is a big one for Mexico and you have pioneered "spreading the word" since the beginning. Stay with it now, and be close to the heart of the people. GOOD for you for showing everyone how real journalists should behave :-)
    P, CA

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  2. javana? dude this is chivis. her and valor have been the reporters doing all the reporting on this almost since the group begun.

    chivis where can i see all the articles? I tired the search tool and i think some are missing. please help.

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  3. 10:43 you are right that I should not have excluded valor (first comment) - no offense intended valor - your work is also excellent. :-) but BB must look to the future, and that is the reason for my comment. even if all the BB reporters were working on this one story, they would no have enough people to really cover it.

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  4. thank you...DD and I have made lists of the autodefensas coverage his is a bit different than mine but here they are:

    http://borderland-beat-forum.924382.n3.nabble.com/WHO-IS-DR-MIRELES-SOME-KNOW-HIM-AS-DR-JOE-HIS-HANDLE-ON-CB-RADIO-IS-CRUZ-ROJA-THE-MILITARY-CALL-HIM--td4060934.html#a4060941

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  5. Why devalue the voluntary and respectable work of the community police, instead of providing them with necessary political and military support? Why isn't the State promoting legal frameworks and coordinating with them?

    The answer is your government is corrupt and it's time for another revolution. This time pick some better leaders.

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  6. Chivis send your report and videos of Community Defense to Alex Jones and he will def. put it on his site plus now and again he is interviewed by different news channels...Hope the word spreads.
    Viva Mexico and death to CT putas.

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  7. The politics charging all that money for roles that are out of their league. You guys want to change anything it has to start there. Why because they charge templarios plus all tax money that's why governors sons have Ferrari and live like kings on citizens money

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  8. Cartels and Goverment crate Tyranny on Mexican people this is war betwen freedom and puppet Goverment and cowardes cartels ! Ariva Mexico God bless this people !

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  9. Greatest news I have heard in 4 years. need these guys Tamps.

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    Replies
    1. Dude you should check the article below where there is a video you can actually see the self defense group getting into a shootout with the cts cartel check it out people

      Delete
  10. Wow Chivis this was awesome to read! I have been reading and watching documentaries about what you described here, about inequality, and how are destroying lives and the environment with our immense greed, ignorance, and conformity. We all need to wake up!

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  11. i know of a very good hearted very rich man who uses his money and power to help poor people kind of like someone we all know and love here on BB

    if she perhaps reached out to him about these indigenous people and there problem. i am sure he would pull some strings to get them some media air time perhaps sparking an interest in some stations to send people down there

    Buela please talk to Alan Shawn Fienstien you and him are cut from the same cloth i am sure he would be overjoyed to work with you and he has very powerful deep rooted connections all over USA

    http://www.feinsteinfoundation.org/

    thank you for your time

    ~~~el spaceio~~~

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  12. CT = Cockroach Thugs with Beggar Tuta the Puta as their Coward Crybaby leader....Jajajaja

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  13. The top leaders of CT will soon pack their bags and run away with their families leaving behind the garbage low level CT gangbangers to be killed as all CT gangbanger thugs are nothing more than expendible cannon fodder for top CT leaders...Jajajajaja

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  14. Great articles thanks for your work, (Fear not for God is with you, He will give the autodefensas the victory threw the Holy spirit to defeat the devil and all those that have alligned themselves with him.) Viva Mexico!! Viva Cristo Rey!!

    ReplyDelete

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