Mexican Drug Cartels: Shadowy group says it targets Mexico drug cartel; some are glad

Comment: While it is understandable people should be concerned about vigilante killings, what is the alternative when the government of Mexico and its police forces are corrupt or inept? Vigilante groups can serve as a temporary stabilizer and/or change agent until something more functional can operate in the open without being targeted. In the meantime however, it is wise for Mexicans to fights from the shadows until they can stabilize their local areas enough to where it is safe for police forces to resurface without being targeted for killing and/or bribes.

No, the vigilante effort is not perfect, it’s a band aid. Had Mexico addressed the worsening plight of the people starting in the early days of the drug war in the 80s, we might not be looking at such a situation.

So, regarding who is behind the killings? That’s not important right now as the people’s security must come first, but the people of Mexico must develop an understanding of their protectors so they do not go into thermal runaway.

One cannot blame Mexicans for going this route, they are like any other human being, they are addicted to living and protecting their families. To be successful, the Mexicans need to disrupt the psychological grip the cartels have over the people by fighting back. The article below shows how they are doing this.

The only effective forces in Mexico at this time are the Mexicans willing to fight back, and the military. The government…so so.

Excerpts:

Shadowy group says it targets cartel; some in Veracruz are glad

MEXICO UNDER SIEGE

It is a sign of the desperation and outrage over drug-war violence that the vigilantes are not only tolerated but welcomed. But there is a disturbing question: Just who is behind their killings?

Suspected members of the Zetas drug gang are escorted this month for public… (Bernardo Montoya / Reuters)
October 19, 2011|By Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Veracruz, Mexico — The callers to the radio program were voicing their support for the Matazetas, the Zeta killers.
Better they fight among themselves. Let them kill each other. Anything to rid us of the thugs who long ago took control of our city and are slaughtering our people.
It is a sign of the desperation and deep outrage over surging drug-war violence that a shadowy group of vigilante killers is not only tolerated but welcomed by many here in Mexico's third-most populous state.
In videotaped presentations, a group of masked men with military bearing has claimed responsibility for the spate of killings, portraying it as a cleansing operation. Many of the bodies had a "Z" for Zeta written on the back with ink marker, a witness said.
The mystery group announced that it was in Veracruz state as "the armed branch of the people, and for the people."
"We are asking officials and authorities who support the Zetas to stop doing so, and let the armed forces know that our only objective is to finish the Zetas," the spokesman for the group told the camera. "We are anonymous warriors, without faces, proudly Mexican."
…
Their sudden rise and the surgical precision with which the killers systematically picked off nearly 100 people in 17 days has led to conjecture among some people that they may be operating with implicit or direct support of the government or military. Some suggest that the June kidnapping, torture and killing of three marine cadets in Veracruz might have propelled the marine corps to begin acting outside the law. Officials dismiss such speculation, and others wonder why a group aspiring to be a clandestine death squad would post videos on YouTube.
…
In the Michoacan case, the federal government tried, and failed, to prosecute several officials for their ties to La Familia. And Fernandez, a member of Calderon's political faction, was eventually reined in, or at least quieted, by party elders.