“Our First Message is of Peace”: CRAC-PC to the Government of Guerrero

Translated and Submitted to It’s Going Down

“The first message that we give is of peace, and not a message of war. However, in spite of the aggressions that you have carried out, we will not disarm and we will continue in struggle…” said members of the Coordinadora Regional de Autoridades Comunitarias-Policía Comunitaria (CRAC-PC) and the community of TIxtla to the government of Guerrero. This message was given during a march in the streets of the city to demand security and en end to the aggressions toward the community organization.

After November 25, when the lifeless body of the network coordinator of the Coordinacion Regional de Autoridades Comunitarias—Policia Comunitaria (CRAC-PC) in Tixtla, Irineao Salmerón Dircio was found, at 10 am of this Sunday, the community police and inhabitants of Tixtla gathered at the principal entrance of the municipal head. In two lines they advanced through the main streets receiving shows of solidarity from some neighbors that left their houses to be witness to the mobilization. The members of the CRAC carried large arms with a white ribbon symbolizing the peace that they desire for Tixtla. Similarly, students of the rural school “Raúl Isidro Burgos” of Ayotzinapa carried the ribbon on their left arms. Some signs could be seen that had inscriptions that read things like: “Organized we can care for ourselves”, “Justice for Compañero Irinea”, and “Security is not a problem of perception, the authorizes understand.”

Currently in Guerrero there lives a wave of violence. According to the state newspaper “El Sur”, since the beginning of the year until December fourth, 222 assassinations have been carried out related to organized crime. On November 23, professor Irinea Salmerón Dircio left his house for work and was taken by armed men. Two days later he was found in the municipality of Chilapa de Álvarez in a bag together with another assassinated person. On the bodies there was a note that read, “This happened to them for not following the boss, and this will happen for all of the community jackoffs… Sincerely, Los Jefes.”

Three days later, Luis Tenero Encarnación, the former councilor of Tixtla and social activist that had participated in the boycott of the election in 2015, was taken from his home by force. His body was found with bullet wounds two days later along with two other people.

Manuel Olivares Hernández, technical secretary of the network of civil organizations of human rights, says that the government has dedicated itself to attacking the community police rather than directing their forces to combat insecurity. Because of this, there has been a rise in these community organizations: “It is unfortunate that the government, in place of attacking the problem that gives rise to the community police, prefer to attack the organization of the people and attempt to inhibit the formation and action of the community police groups. These groups are the alternative to guarantee the right of life, security, and physical integrity of the people of the community that are the most vulnerable before the actions of organized crime.”

He confirmed that as an organization in defense of human rights, he is worried that there has been no advance in the investigation of the assassination of the coordinator of the network, Irineo Salmerón. He said that is it community police groups that have given true results of security. “It has been demonstrated that only the groups of community police that are of the people and of the community, it is they who are the only ones that can guarantee true tranquility and guarantee the right to life to all of the population because they are elected by the interior of the community and they are known within the community.”

He warned that the presence of the army and of the federal and state police in the streets only is theatre as it does not attack the root of the problem of insecurity.

On behalf of the community police, one of the members of the network committee of the CRAC of San Luis Acatlán, assured that in spite of the aggressions that they have suffered, they will continue as an organization in defense of the security of the communities: “What we are continuing is the strengthening of CRAC because we have a bodily spirit, because we know that in the moment in that they touch the compañerxs, we have to respond and this is the form in doing so. Just as we are doing, we are saying that we do not want war but neither will we disarm before the aggressions that we have suffered. We will continue with arms in hand giving to the struggle.”

He also assured that the harassment they have received is not only against them, but also against the social movement as a whole. Thus, they do not believe that the aggression comes from organized crime but from the government itself: “In Tixtla those who are being harassed are those of the social movement as a whole. We think that it is not organized crime but it is the state. What makes us very curious is that the blows that have been given have been against normalistas and compñerxs of CRAC. They have been against the ex-councilor of Atliaca that had also supported CRAC. Thus, we think that those blows that have been given are not those of organized crime because we are far from this.”