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on the border line between the US and Mexico
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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Forgotten victims of Mexico drug war's stray bullets

Borderland Beat posted by DD republished from Yahoo News
On March 20, BB reported on a ambush of federal police in the town of Ocotlan, Jalisco.  Eleven people (originally reported 10)  died in that shootout, including 5 police officers, 3 cartel members and that story said 2 innocent  bystanders were killed.  It turns out there were 3 bystanders killed, but the story didn't have any detail about their deaths.  This article tells their story.

Ocotlan (Mexico) (AFP) - The mechanic was working under a car when he turned his head and saw a dozen pick-up trucks creeping down the street in Mexico's western state of Jalisco.

"The devil is on the loose," Jorge Gerardo Herrera said ominously to his colleagues as he turned back to the car he was fixing in the town of Ocotlan.

Suddenly, a gunfight erupted and a stray bullet landed in the mechanic's heart, turning him into the latest innocent and forgotten victim of Mexico's cruel drug violence.

His death was recounted by the garage's owner, Felipe de Jesus Ramirez, who was there when members of the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel ambushed a federal gendarmerie convoy on March 19.


Eleven people died in the shootout, including five police officers, three suspected gunmen and three bystanders. The victims included a teenager who was returning home after doing his homework at a friend's place.

"We could hear the bullets whizzing by," Ramirez said. He ran into his garage with a woman and five girls who had been walking nearby.

Jorge Gerardo died as he stepped onto the sidewalk, caught by a bullet that felled him instantly. He was 25 and about to get married.

- No compensation -

More than 80,000 people have died in Mexico's drug war since late 2006, when then president Felipe Calderon deployed troops to crackdown on drug cartels.

The controversial deployment, which has continued since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in 2012, has led to numerous clashes between gangs and security forces.

There are deaths on both sides, and occasionally innocent bystanders are caught in the crossfire. But there are no official figures on the number of bystanders killed in the drug war, according to experts.

The country lacks legislation on who should compensate the families of victims, and how those families should be treated, said Gerardo Rodriguez Sanchez Lara, a national security expert.

"The issue is complex and very new in Mexico," he said, noting that in a country at war, those who lose or the state will usually be made to pay damages.

But in a country not at war, where there are "extrajudicial actors who kill civilians, the issue of compensation is more complicated," the expert said.

Rodriguez said the state should provide compensation to families of civilians killed in clashes, just as it takes care of relatives of dead police officers.

One major case of innocent civilians caught in the drug war took place last year in southern Guerrero state, where crooked police officers opened fire on busloads of college students.


Three students and three bystanders were killed. Another 43 students were abducted by officers and delivered to a drug gang, which killed them and incinerated their bodies, according to prosecutors.

In the northern state of Tamaulipas, shootouts have regularly erupted in the cities of Matamoros, Reynosa and Tampico this year.

Residents have used social media to indicate where shootouts take place so that people can take cover.

- Hiding in bathroom -

But the people of Ocotlan, a town of 90,000, did not have much time to react to the March 19 ambush.
An altar with flowers and candles was placed on the spot where the teenage student was killed, just 400 meters (yards) from where the mechanic was hit.

The walls of homes still bear the scars of bullet holes.

One woman said she and her son hid in the bathroom when the bullets began flying.
Bullet holes in the window of a house neighbouring the one where gunmen attacked the police in Ocotlan, Jalisco state (AFP Photo/Hector Guerrero)
 "Thank God, they were only 9mm bullets" and not more lethal ammunition fired by AR-15 or AK-47 assault rifles -- weapons used in other attacks and that are powerful enough to penetrate walls, said the woman, who asked for security reasons to remain anonymous.

45 comments:

  1. First of all those kids shouldn't get in the way of narco bullets...second of all if Chapo was out little kids wouldn't be getting shot...they would be getting an education for free!!! Chapo Loves everyone...including little nosy kids...I have already stated on here before that Chapo is in fact a true living God...he can do all and he knows all...but the Mexican government wants to hold him behind bars because he gives the people of the world what they need and want...at the end of the day you should not hate El Chapo...you should hate Libido!!!

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    Replies
    1. his Libido*
      (I posted the 10:21 AM comment)

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    2. Are you fucking high bro let me hold some

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    3. I agree with you. I also have stated many times that El chapo will be out by thanksgiving, little kids will most definitely get free education, maybe even free health care. . Who knows. Anything is possible with Mr Guzman out.

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    4. 10:21am
      You're so mean

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    5. You're one fucked up individual .......

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    6. 10.21
      'Chapo is a living god'
      Is that an attempt at sarcasm?
      Fuckin hope so?

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    7. 10:21 it is people like you that make the efforts of the good useless. How can someone praise someone that is just as guilty as any other narco? Just because you buy a book for a child does not grant you the freedom to kill people. Just because you build a house or two for a few families does not grant you the right to kill six families. Nor does any of these grant you the right to sell your poisons in countries that you do not reside in. The glorification of any of the individuals is sickening. Did Chapo educate these children to put a stop to his reign of terror? Of course not. Had any of them grown up and confronted his illegal activities, he would have wasted no time executing them. These post are merely to give readers insight on the trials of Mexico. Yet in every comment forum a few bad apples turn it into a "this cartel is stronger, this Capo is more powerful." None of that matters. For once it is best to forget the criminals and pay respect to the innocent that have become victims. You can place Chapo on whatever pedestal you wish, The fact remains he like all the rest is history in a prison, wishing for freedom. There is only one GOD and he made sure Chapo was placed where he belongs. Never compare the made to their maker. Hopefully you pray for forgiveness. You chose the wrong forum to speak of narcos. This one is to respect the innocent deceased.

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    8. I think I like you better when you're on your meds...

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    9. That pisses me off that 1st sentence of yours.What gives you the right to say that?

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    10. "A bullet don't have have no name it". Sorry for the double negative sentence but it's a movie quote from Boyz in the Hood. The quote does seem relevant in the deaths of these innocents.

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    11. Oops sorry..."a bullet don't have no name ON it". It should make since now

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  2. Remenber this normal its ok

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  3. My wife was a victim

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    Replies
    1. may she rest in peace buddy

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    2. Sorry to hear that . There's a bunch of A**hoes on the north side of the border that say (all ) victims are somehow involved and not innocent.
      That's a general attitude I have collected and by having a contrary opinion I was basically tar & feathered and ran out of town.

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    3. That's your somewhat biased,and uneducated opinion.I think there are many many innocent victims of these tragic cartel wars,you would have to be a moron to believe ortherwise,but,we have all sorts commenting here,don't we weiii?

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  4. At one of my offices in Mexico we have been a part of the backdrop of two shootouts.

    The first, I was in Mty, when I get a call from my staff, crying teling me a shootout between feds and narcos was happening in and around our parking lot. I leased the entire office complex and added iron gates but felt safe enough to have them opened half the day. I told them to gather in the center area, lock doors, set alarms, and hit the floor. They were ok and no one in the city was hurt except a bad guy.

    the next incident the feds and bad guys stopped briefly in the street in front of my office, shooting for a minute but quickly moved on, the shootout went full force in front of a school. ELementry school across from my bbf's MIL home. At the end of the shootout 2 bad guys were killed, a couple arrested, but two mothers waiting for their children were hit by bullets, one died in the hospital the other I assume was ok.

    I always thought how careless and uncaring about innocent bystanders police agencies are in Mexico, they should have allowed the bad guys to move away from the school. protecting innocents should come first. I bet the bad guys are already out of prison. and 3 children have no mother

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    1. Yes , Chivis & remember the school in Monterrey that got caught in the crossfire a few years ago ?

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    2. exactly. and in Juarez several times at schools.

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    3. Thanks for sharing that Chivis. As you read it and imagine the position your staff was in, it is gripping. Just happy to hear no one was hurt.

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    4. Could it partly be the cartels hiding near schools like the jihadists do? Not that the police couldn't force them away but still.....

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    5. Too much geographic detail Chivis; your post here along with others you have made. Using the school as a point of reference and the other details provided, just look for the office building rented to one business with an iron gate. I know, I know, Monterey is a big place with many businesses with iron gates, but all they have is time, purpose (to quiet you), and now,a narrowed down search area.

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    6. Nah...I was IN MTY, not in the state and city the office was in at the time of the first shooting. Mty apt gone, that office now closed.

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    7. You 'nah' reflect a sign of 'being call out response' to me you still live.. In there and still walk around in the streets no te confies vato

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    8. I received your other messages, I really appreciate your concern! honestly what I say is the truth or I would take the comment down.

      Paz

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    9. The first you don't have in Mexico is an honest government that cares one little bit about the people. Next you have no rule of law. Money totally controls everything in Mexico. This will only happen when and if it never demanded by the people of Mexico. I seriously doubt that will ever happen. The people of Mexico have lived under rule for 100's of years. The bottom line is what you have, A failed country, a failed form of government, a failed society, and a failed people. Don't take me wrong. I say this everyday, that the United States is becoming another Mexico as the rich buy and control the US government and people sit back and just take it like sheep.

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  5. There is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins Ecclesiastes 7:20

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    Replies
    1. No but we can at least try.

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    2. So does that mean that they all get let off?

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    3. Yes we can try daily. But it's easier to resort to judgment without realizing we condemn ourselves in the process. It's a never ending process. But we must try to live a better life. And continuously pray for our neighbors.

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  6. Not only were they victims of a horrific killing, they are also the victims of a govt who does not want to acknowledge their lives. Ignoring something, someone..does not make it go away. Thank you BB, for posting the names of the innocents killed in this battle. It helped to see them as people, who they were..not just nameless innocent victims.

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  7. Mexicans are pretty cool peeps but damn! These criminals are hard core!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For real,cold and hardcore,never mind all the bollocks

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  8. I hope someone writes a narco corrido celebrating the violence, Its fun to dance too.

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  9. Anda suelto el diablo, Echenle agua bendita!!!

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    Replies
    1. It is against the law to waste water, unless it is for fracking, making a hole on the body may qualify for fracking expenses, lobbyists can find the votes with the proper $$$ talking...

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  10. It is good that the single victims are recognized. I was somewhat disappointed that the spotlight was on the group of students yet, the toll of innocent victims out weighs the 43 students by a long shot. The 43 were just a larger group added to the already large amount of innocent people. Answers were demanded yet there were many unanswered innocent murders prior to that. Good post BB. You guys always look at the whole picture. It is sad to think anyone has to live in constant fear. I often imagine what it must be like for the average person headed to work in Mexico. Or just going to get groceries. Locking up at night for sure and never coming back out. Hopefully change will come and this evil that dominates will be destroyed.

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  11. That is what is so unjust about the war on the cartels in Mexico, innocent civilians will get caught in the crossfire. For the most part, anytime an engagement between armed groups and the authorities occur, they engage without regard to the physical integrity of non-combatants. The federal forces practice indifference to the safety of civilians in what essentially is urban warfare. To make things worse, a lot of these innocent bystander casualties I'm assuming have gone without compensation to the families of the victims. As the story explained - the bread winners. Potential compensation just mysteriously disappears while they purchase mansions or go off to live un Spain or something. At least the Freddy Gray family knows how they will receive compensation for the tragic loss of their family at the hands of the Baltimore P.D. After what was witnessed in Baltimore yesterday, the city of has already played a heavy price. Baltimore was burning yesterday.

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    1. Its all about terrorism . Look up the word in most any dictionary definition.
      But , someway , somehow Mexican groups are not classified as such ... go figure. In the U.S. a dude takes a shit on the floor in Wall Mart and gets charged by smalltime cops with Bio -terror

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  12. My two nietas and I were in a balacera in the estacionamiento de Bodega Aurrera in Lazaro. I got hit in the forehead by I guess concrete broken. They had 9 and 5 years at the time. It is all very funny until it happens.

    Some of you are fools.

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    1. Angel aguirre rivero has been accused of the murders of perredistas, (500) to stop Lazaro cardenas from becoming presidente, Carlos salinas de Gortari and ernesto zedillo still had to steal the presidency from him and plant a lot of mapaches in the PRD, including angel aguirre and la pareja imperial de iguala de abarca...
      --AMLO's victories were also denied to steal the presidency again, the rest is history...

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  13. The ayotzinapos' importance is not that "only" 43 disappeared, or 49, or 50...
    Their importance is that the people were so provoked and concluded that "#fue el gobierno"...
    ---and all the times the pinche gobierno has denied any involvement,
    ---and all the news services that promote the idea that "the abarcas", that their police took the ayotzinapos, and that they were delivered to two or three sicarios of the abarcas who killed and burned them ayotzinapos, for being rojos, or drug trafficking guerrillas...like this post again...
    ---How much does it pay under the table?

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  14. --From the times of salinas de gortari, it was estimated that 50 000 people were getting killed or disappeared per year...and under the calderonato, zedillismo, and the fox, we are told 80 000 total "estimated", and 25 000 disappeared... really?

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  15. @G057

    I don't know who they are. I asked around but no luck

    ReplyDelete

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