Mexico's 'Avengers' Backed by Public Sick of Crime and Lack of Punishment David Agren - The Guardian
go to original November 11, 2016

Mexican federal police patrol the streets of Guadalajara (Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

It was still dark when four men boarded the packed commuter bus heading for Mexico City and ordered the passengers to hand over their valuables.

They gathered up mobile phones and wallets, but as they prepared to leave near the town of Toluca, one passenger stood up, drew a pistol and shot the four assailants, killing their leader instantly.

The three injured robbers stumbled off the bus, but the gunman followed them out and shot them dead at the roadside. Then he returned to the bus, handed back the passengers’ belongings and disappeared into the darkness.

Police in Mexico state, which wraps round the country’s capital like a horseshoe, have deployed hundreds of officers in search of the so-called justiciero – or avenger.

But many Mexicans – fed up with crime, corruption and impunity – took to social media to praise the unidentified killer. None of the bus passengers have offered information to police, saying it was too dark to see him clearly.

Gema Santamaría, a sociologist at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, said that while the country has long been plagued by lynchings of supposed criminals, individual vigilante murders are a relatively new development.

“Public approval of the justiciero has to do with the deep discontent over how the justice system and security services work in Mexico,” she said

Santamaría said that surveys have shown about 46% of Mexicans approve of vigilante acts, while some 80% approve of “harsher punishments” to deter crime – “even if that means police abuse”.

Read the rest at The Guardian

Related: What Happens When Cartels Play Robin Hood? Nothing Good. (The Daily Beast)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!