Communities in Southern Mexico's Guerrero State Accuse Army, Police of Harassment EFE
go to original January 30, 2014

A self-defense group member disarms a municipal police officer in Titxtla, a city in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, during a protest against the arrests of 30 vigilantes in the city. (EFE)

MEXICO CITY - Residents of several communities in Guerrero, a state in southern Mexico, released a statement Wednesday alleging that they "have spent more than 24 hours being harassed" and subjected to "intimidation and abuse of authority by the Mexican army, the Federal Police and state (police)."

The statement was issued by grassroots organizations in the cities of Juan R. Escudero, Tecoanapa, Ayutla, Florencio Villareal and San Marcos.

Residents protested against the presence of security forces members because the cities all have "community police" who are in charge of public safety, eliminating the need for a federal presence, the grassroots organizations said.

The Citizens Security and Justice System, which has existed for years, has allowed the communities to "put the brakes on the organized crime groups that kidnapped, extorted, raped women, collected protection money and (committed) a series of crimes that kept citizens in the entire area living in fear," the grassroots organizations said.

Read the rest at La Prensa

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