Vigilantes,
Superheroes No More
May 7, 2014
URUAPAN, Mexico- In Mexico, vigilantes were once looked upon
as every day heroes. Locals viewed vigilantes as citizens who had taken upon
themselves the responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of its
citizens— a responsibility the government has failed to uphold. Unsurprisingly, the Mexican government has
looks upon such vigilantes as threats to the country’s overall security.
Disarmament has become the federal policy where vigilantes
are concerned. The presence of these groups highlights the federal government’s
inability to maintain security throughout the country, and in the eyes of the
government, the vigilantes are as detrimental to public safety as the drug
cartels and gangs. However, locals differ with such viewpoints. Government
attempts to disarm the vigilantes have often been met by public protest. This
past week, government military forces killed five civilians in an attempt to
violently subdue protesters in the town of Uruapan, a key city in the state of
Michoacán.
Yet, in light of the recent criminalization of certain
vigilante groups, the view of the public has shifted. Whereas support of
vigilante groups was strong before, dissent in public opinion is growing. Local
businesses who once funded these vigilantes as protectors are pulling away from
these former “superheroes”.
Locals note that vigilantes are quickly becoming part of the
criminalized gang and cartel system they once promised to defend against. In
the state of Michoacán,
vigilantes have been known to join the Knights Templar Cartel.
“We’ve
seen this before. Just like the Knights [of Templar], these vigilantes are starting
to terrorize us! They are becoming the monsters they told us they’d protect us
against,” exclaimed a local business owner. Cognizant of the shift of public
opinion, the Mexican Federal government has assembled a Task Force to dismantle
the vigilante groups.
Even
thought the vigilantes started out as “superheroes” defending citizens, many
view them as another burden working against them. Alongside the ever prevalent
drug cartels, ubiquitous police corruption, and an idle government, vigilantes
are increasingly being viewed as yet another source of terror for the Mexican
people.
