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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Juarez Businessmen For Vigilante Committee |
| 2009-01-18 |
| Fed up with the violence which has transformed the city of Juarez into a free-fire zone, a group of residents calling themselves the Juárez Citizens Command, has sent out a press release vowing to kill one criminal every day, until order is restored. The CCJ claims to be a group of businessmen, frustrated over the seeming inability of the authorities to curb the spiraling violence in Juarez. The statement from the CCJ was distributed in Spanish on the internet on Jan. 15. The following is an excerpt from that statement: "Better the death of a bad person, than that bad person continue contaminating our region." "Our mission is to finish each 24 hours with the life of a criminal. The hour has come to stop this disorder in Juárez." The CCJ said they would soon release a full manifesto detailing their stated goals. During 2008, there were more than 1,600 murders in Juarez. In addition to the murders being fueled by an ongoing war between the Juarez and Sinoloa Cartels, thousands of kidnappings occurred in and around Juarez last year. Also, bank robberies and carjackings have now become an everyday occurrence in the city. In short, chaos reigns. Recently, Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered an additional 2,000 troops into Juarez to battle the cartels. However, more than 35, 000 federal troops are currently deployed throughout Mexico, battling the cartels, with poor results. A few days before Christmas, the bodies of eight Mexican soldiers were found about 50 miles from Acapulco. All of the men had been decapitated. Several Mexican newspapers reported the contents of a note beside the severed heads which read: "For every one of ours you kill, we will kill 10 of yours." More than 5,600 people were killed in MexicoŽs drug violence last year. Many of those murdered were police officers and soldiers. Since Jan. 1, 2009, there have been more than 40 murders in Juarez. A brief sampling of those murders follows: Jan. 5...The lifeless body of Jose Ivan Vasquez Lopez, was discovered inside a trash can. Lopez had been beheaded. Jan. 7...The body of Ricardo Arturo Alvarado Contreras, was found lying in a vacant lot. His hands had been hacked from his arms. Jan. 6...Prominent attorney Mario Escobedo Salazar, was found shot to death inside his office. The bullet-riddled body of his son Edgar Escobedo Anaya, was found outside the office, police discovered 14 spent shells near the body. Jan. 13...Guillermo Pizarro Marceleño was shot to death as he sat eating inside El Trebol restaurant. Jan. 14...A 19-year-old student at the University of Ciudad Juárez, was shot to death with an AK-47, on the side of the road. Jaime Alejandro Irigoyen Flores, had been kidnapped from his home two days earlier. On Jan. 16, the El Paso Times offered a very interesting opinion poll on their website. The poll asked the question "With violence raging in Juarez, is vigilantism the answer?" What follows are the results of that poll after a total of 2,547 respondents: "Yes, nothing else has worked, and itŽs time for the people to take matters into their own hands."…59% "IŽm not sure, but at this point, itŽs probably worth a try."…29% "No, innocent people could get hurt."…16% While the results may be a bit shocking to some, it speaks to the fear and frustration that people are feeling with so much violence taking place just on the other side of the border. Many Juarez residents, including a great number of police officers have come to El Paso, seeking refuge from the cartels. Whether or not the Juárez Citizens Command will actually emerge as an actual force to confront the cartels, remains to be seen. However, the interest shown in their announcement and the positive way in which many already view them, is another sign that the government of Mexico is dangerously close to losing all control of that country. The drug cartels which now control large portions of Mexico and operate in nearly 200 U.S. cities, represent a clear and present danger to every citizen of both countries. None of us can afford to ignore this issue any longer. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #18 There will be no "drug cartel" controlling prices if drugs are legalized. Marajawana is a weed that any high-schooler can cultivate. Poppies grow quite well in California. Cocaine is easily sythesized in a lab. All with FDA approval right. Who's dreaming on about a non-interfering government bureaucracy, particularly when its already been demonstrated what the market will pay. Anything above 'personal' use one is caught with will still be hammered not by the usual DEA but the IRS and revenuers who have been known to get their pound of flesh. You buy the legal product at limited availability at government/cartel price or you still go to jail. This is not going to go away. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-01-18 23:07 |
| #17 There will be no "drug cartel" controlling prices if drugs are legalized. Marajawana is a weed that any high-schooler can cultivate. Poppies grow quite well in California. Cocaine is easily sythesized in a lab. All this stuff (if legal) would be dirt cheap (except for taxes... now making the taxes high WOULD lead to illegal production by criminals (just like cigarette smugglers.)) Drug cartel - bah. Just like the liquor and wine cartel I guess. |
| Posted by: Leigh 2009-01-18 22:49 |
| #16 In Iraq it was called The Awakening Movement. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2009-01-18 22:32 |
| #15 P2K, you're assuming no domestic production or distribution. Oh, I do, controlled by the same people or their fronts who run the business now. Note the DeBeers comment. You assume our own pols won't be bought and sold [as they are on so many other issues]. Throw in the loads of FDA regulation and approval processes that do along with it and we'll just throw gasoline on the smoldering corruption here. They'll throttle demand with political complacency, just look how they handle the oil demand. They will still make money and the users will still have to find ways to fund their habits, most of which will not involve a reliable 9 to 5 job. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-01-18 18:27 |
| #14 the vigilantes don't pay any corrupt police so you damn right they will go after them harder |
| Posted by: rabid whitetail 2009-01-18 17:44 |
| #13 P2K, you're assuming no domestic production or distribution. This will be one product in which we're self-sufficient. Drive the bad guys out with low prices. Legalization, regulation and taxation are the way to go to eliminate 90% of the problem. Are there still moonshine stills? Sure, but they are not significant as a % of the total. Likewise, the drug cartels can fight it out in their home countries for the home market, but they'll have a tough time competing here if we do it right. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-01-18 16:41 |
| #12 I agree, Tipover. Those weapons are not comming from the US. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-01-18 16:36 |
| #11 I doubt 'legalizing' it will help that much. The cartels will behave just like DeBeers and diamonds*. They're not going to share the business. In fact they'll literally kill to keep the action. They've cornered the market, set the price and conditions of sale, and have enough influence [$$$] to keep it that way. *or for that matter the corruption of liquor distributor licenses which are limited and the object of political influence and corruption in this country [just raise it to an even greater factor]. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-01-18 16:08 |
| #10 "Perhaps 90% of these weapons are smuggled across the US border. They are frequently purchased from licensed US gun dealers in Texas, Arizona, and California. AK-47 assault rifles are literally bought a hundred at a time and illegally brought into Mexico. Mexican authorities routinely seize BOXES of unopened automatic military weapons. The confiscation rates by Mexican law enforcement of hand grenades, RPG's, and AK-47's are at the level of wartime battlefield seizures." This statement seems to be something that should be verified. The type of arms listed are NOT commonly available in the US, especially in the quantities stated. I would look to Venezuela and fellow travelers. The bulk orders would show up instantly in the system and all it would take is one serial number to point to the sources. |
| Posted by: tipover 2009-01-18 16:01 |
| #9 Yon posts McCaffrey's report on Mexico Excerpt: • Squad-sized units of the police and Army have been tortured, murdered, and their decapitated bodies publicly left on display. The malignancy of drug criminality now contaminates not only the 2000 miles of cross-border US communities but stretches throughout the United States in more than 295 US cities. B. Drug criminal behavior is the central threat to the state. Mexico probably produces 8 metric tons of heroin a year and 10,000 metric tons of marijuana. 90% of all US cocaine transits Mexico. Mexico is also the dominant source of methamphetamine production for the US market. The drug cartels have criminal earnings in excess of $25 billion per year ---and physically repatriate more than $10 billion a year in bulk cash back into Mexico from the US. C. The bottom line--- nearly 7000 people murdered in the internal drug wars since 2006--- 3,985 murdered this year alone through 25 November. The outgunned Mexican law enforcement authorities face armed criminal attacks from platoon-sized units employing night vision goggles, electronic intercept collection, encrypted communications, fairly sophisticated information operations, sea-going submersibles, helicopters and modern transport aviation, automatic weapons, RPG’s, Anti-Tank 66 mm rockets, mines and booby traps, heavy machine guns, 50 cal sniper rifles, massive use of military hand grenades, and the most modern models of 40mm grenade machine guns. 6. CRIME AND CORRUPTION: A. The crime rate is staggering. The US State Department notes that crime in Mexico continues at high levels particularly in Mexico City. Criminal assaults occur on highways throughout Mexico. Armed street crime is a serious problem in all the major cities. Robbery and assault on passengers in taxis are frequent and violent. Mexican authorities have failed to prosecute numerous crimes committed against US citizens, including murder and kidnapping. 44% of all murders through November of this year were of unidentified victims--- primarily because of fear of becoming involved by family and acquaintances of the deceased. D. Mexican law enforcement authorities and soldiers face heavily armed drug gangs with high-powered military automatic weapons. Perhaps 90% of these weapons are smuggled across the US border. They are frequently purchased from licensed US gun dealers in Texas, Arizona, and California. AK-47 assault rifles are literally bought a hundred at a time and illegally brought into Mexico. Mexican authorities routinely seize BOXES of unopened automatic military weapons. The confiscation rates by Mexican law enforcement of hand grenades, RPG’s, and AK-47’s are at the level of wartime battlefield seizures. It is hard to understand the seeming indifference and incompetence of US authorities at state and Federal level to such callous disregard for a national security threat to a neighboring democratic state. We would consider it an act of warfare from a sanctuary state if we were the victim. The bottom line---the US is ineffective and unresponsive to Mexican concerns about weapons, bulk cash, and precursor chemicals flowing south into Mexico from the United States--- with a blow-torch effect on the security of the Mexican people. 9. SUMMARY: A. Much is at stake for future US economic and national security policy from 2009 through 2017. A stable, economically healthy, and law-based Mexican neighbor is fundamental to US expectations of prosperity and peace within North America. The drug menace and drug addiction is central to much of the US criminal and social malignancy that has put more than 2 million Americans behind bars, clogged our courts, and placed enormous burdens on our health system. B. Now is the time during the opening months of a new US Administration to jointly commit to a fully resourced major partnership as political equals of the Mexican government. We must jointly and respectfully cooperate to address the broad challenges our two nations face. Specifically, we must support the Government of Mexico’s efforts to confront the ultra violent drug cartels. We must do so in ways that are acceptable to the Mexican polity and that take into account Mexican sensitivities to sovereignty. The United States Government cannot impose a solution. The political will is present in Mexico to make the tough decisions that are required to confront a severe menace to the rule of law and the authority of the Mexican state. Where our assistance can be helpful, we must provide it. The challenge is so complex that it will require sustained commitment and attention at the highest levels of our two governments. We cannot afford to fail. |
| Posted by: KBK 2009-01-18 15:01 |
| #8 I see a U.S. invasion within 20 years as the problem spills over and the Mexicans are unable and unwilling (stupid machismo and anti-"Yanqui imperialism" ) to handle it. More likely I think is the decriminalization of street drugs in the US. The pressing need for tax revenues in the US in coming years will bring this about just as the Great Depression helped end Prohibition. Drain the money out, make the businesses dealing in this stuff legitimate, and you mostly eliminate the violence overnight. |
| Posted by: AzCat 2009-01-18 14:37 |
| #7 I have to agree with Frank G. The payoffs to the Police and Government in Mexico make certain the drug cartells thrive. When the Government doewsn't serve and protect the Citizens the Citizens have every right to protect themsleves. Killing the rank and file won't stop it, however. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-01-18 14:22 |
| #6 the Mexican police are part and parcel of the problem. The guy who would take $20 to dismiss a "WTF?!?" traffic ticket 20 years ago gets $20K now to allow drug traffickers and illegals smugglers to operate in his area. It's more dinero than they can resist. I see a U.S. invasion within 20 years as the problem spills over and the Mexicans are unable and unwilling (stupid machismo and anti-"Yanqui imperialism" ) to handle it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-01-18 12:19 |
| #5 My father, brother and I have traveled rural and urban Mexico for years and never had any trouble, save a few small time street hustlers wanting a dollar. There are a few thousand criminals making mexico look dangerous to the world. If the Police don't handle it, they will eventually come around to vigilantism. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2009-01-18 11:58 |
| #4 Unless it's a tactic that I don't get (and talk about a low threshold...), issuing a press release identifying yourselves while declarng war on an enemy that doesn't hesitate to slaughter the "authorities" doesn't seem prudent... ... they'll be just as dead if they don't know who did the deading. |
| Posted by: Hyper 2009-01-18 11:40 |
| #3 The usual reaction from government is to go after the vigilantes far harder than they ever did against the criminals cause the criminals very existence and actions are not at threat to the legitimacy of the state. The vigilantes by their existence threaten the legitimacy of the state and those who hold power by it. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-01-18 11:32 |
| #2 "Better the death of a bad person, than that bad person continue contaminating our region." "Our mission is to finish each 24 hours with the life of a criminal." Works for me. Have at it, boyz. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-01-18 11:05 |
| #1 Coming to neighborhoods near you. Sneak previews available now. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2009-01-18 10:49 |