Video Translated: La Tuta speaks...again Part Two

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La Tuta Part Two

The following is part two of the newest video message from La Tuta leader of Caballeros Templarios (CT or KT).  Some of his  words are reminiscent of auto defense leader Dr. José Maria Mireles 

In this installment he baits the person posing questions to him by interjecting an old embarrassment to the government.  In 2011 it was revealed by a Mexican investigative journalist, that Tuta was still receiving his teachers pay, though he had not stepped into a classroom in well over a decade.  Supposedly the payment had been halted, although no “on the record”, official verification was made public.  In an exchange below, he speaks of it, and immediately the interrogator jumped on the subject and asked if he still receives checks, read his reply, below. 

If you missed Part One link here, 

Who formed the community guards, then?

They existed in our state since the administration of Calderon that is well known by all of you. There has been a group that has been formed and has caused headaches to the federal government, at least to the last government and they are the Knights Templar, but we have our reasons, for the harassment to ourselves and our families. I am responsible for this, many of my boys are responsible for this, but my, mother, my wife, my children, my siblings or my friends have been blamed for it.

How many innocent people are in prison because of Genaro Garcia Luna and the administration of Calderon? Just to fill them up. There are many innocent people from Arteaga, which is my town, that don’t have anything to do with the organization and they are incarcerated. The best actor on television networks had was Genaro Garcia Luna, I think he was paid a lot of money to make all that drama; but oh well; we will see who is right at the end.

What situation might lead in Michoacán regarding the violence that has been generated? I mean from one side the auto defense groups and on the other, the Knights Templar, who are fighting over the territory and the villages.

 

It is so easy to calm things down. We just have to settle an agreement; we have to come up with agreements and negotiations, everybody; we are part of a society, I pay taxes, I am a teacher and taxes are deducted from my pay check.

 

Are you still getting paid?

I am going to assign it to you as a task, investigate, break your head a little bit, and you will notice how the system manages things. I know that you are an educated and prepared person and you know a lot of these things, just investigate and you will see.

What are you willing to do?

Whatever is necessary to accomplish peace and tranquility, it is not fear; we have people and we have everything. It is not our intention to damage the village but we are already here and we are not going to allow people from other towns to come and offend our town, starting with Police Corporations with whom we have had many problems.

Why can’t they do quality operations without bothering the villagers, and without causing fear? Why do they scare away the investment and tourism? Why have they categorized Michoacán as the worst? There were elections recently, clean Michoacán! All the politicians of all the parties ask for support to whoever they want to win the elections and afterwards they forget who their friends are, I am not going to say who, but all of them work that way, in PAN, PRD, PRI.

Why don’t they fix things up and we are willing to collaborate?

I am responsible and I know what will happen to me if I become careless, but I don’t want to bring my disgrace, to innocent people. The only one responsible for this is me and those who direct the organization with me, we are willing to do whatever it takes to bring peace and tranquility in Michoacán and not only in Michoacán but in all the country.

What are you willing to do? Turn in your weapons?

Turning in our weapons would be as if I turn myself in. We have publicly said, we can set aside and put away the weapons. If the government watches over and protects the villagers, as they should, go ahead, they are welcomed and we can negotiate, I would probably tell them, as the former Templar said, I am making bunkers with sand sacks in Aguililla to clear my record. I also want to clean my record, tell me where I can work as a farmer for a year so they won’t look for me.

Why the police that are in that place haven’t apprehend them and taken them where they need to be taken? So all we have to say is that I regret what I did and that’s it. Everything is forgiven? Is it all about that?

I don’t think that is ethical or professional from the authorities to allow things like that to be aired. The television media sell the information, they get ratings or whatever is called and you know that by getting higher ratings, more people would want their product to be advertised and that is business right?

So we are willing to do what is needed but I want to make it clear, turn in the weapons, no, set them aside, yes. We want peace and tranquility and we commit (noise of a helicopter, Speaking: that is a helicopter.) to peace and let the government do their job and establish a state of right against us if we are guilty but with respect, but at the same time to practice it against the community guards. Who are the community guards?

Who are they?

I am asking you. You are the press. The journalists have to be investigators and air what the real truth is.

But who are they? Do you know them, have you coexisted with them?

I am not going to say many things about them because you will say that I am saying this publicly and on television to make them look bad but investigate “La Many”. Who really is “La Many”? He belonged to the police of La Ruana. Investigate who is “El Americano” (the American). He is with the community guards in Buenavista.  Who is “El Abuelo” in Tepeque? Who is “Fructus”?

Investigate, I can tell you who they are but I am going to tell you when the camera is off so you know why he is with the other group. It was easy for them to still be with the Jalisco and come to Manzano. They are lying to the people. It is totally false that we charge one peso for the tortillas. “We buy the tortillas in 17 pesos because 2 pesos go for the Knights Templar”. It’s a lie. Community guards left all this organized since the administration of Calderon and the PFP is taking them everywhere and they (PFP) are leading it.

Do you think that we are going to let them advance? We have many people that are our friends, our relatives, and wherever the community guards go to, they displaced everybody. They are either executed or disappeared so the guards can keep their properties, because he was a friend or a buddy of a hawk. Is that crime? Is it a crime to have friends?

You are telling me that you are not going to let the community police advance, what would happen, what would you do to stop them?

What would you do if someone was trying to get in your house? Would you let them in and let them screw you? No. Am I right? You were going to react as the lions do, start marking your territory, aren’t you? So what would you do, then? We are not going to let them do it, and every time they come, it will happen, the same thing it has happen.

Can we say that this situation, instead of what the police say that there is peace, may lead to greater violence, a civil war?

I wouldn’t go so far, probably there is a lack of organization in the country, and the reasons were not given for a civil war. I don’t see it that way.

What could we call it?

Well, let’s call it criminal groups against criminals. What do you think? I don’t consider myself a criminal but that is how you call us, so let’s say it’s a criminal group against criminals. PFP or militaries should not intervene. Let them do it alone, since there are bunches. Why take sides, why don’t they listen to us?

Probably they will take our side. Who have worried about us? Until now, you young lady, is interested in interviewing us, but who has worried about knowing what is our routine and what is what we want? No one has asked us before. For you and for everyone else we are criminals. Investigate if we really are criminals.

What do you want? What is your doctrine?

We want employment, education and health. That the government corporations serve as they should with the taxes they steal. Why don’t they give education? They are going to say that there are universities but where is the employment? An attorney, a doctor with salaries as Cordero said, any Mexican can live with 6,000 pesos per month. Why doesn’t he get paid that? Why doesn’t he say: “I don’t want a permanent base, just give me 6,000 pesos per month”? Probably it would not harm him to receive 6,000 pesos per month because he should have enough funds since he is a politician. I say it with due respect.

Why aren’t we careful what we say? Don’t you think that those words offend the people? Don’t you think that they humiliate the people? Probably.  I also have humiliated the people and if I have, I’ve done unconsciously, that wasn’t my intention. That is what our doctrine is about, that everybody defends their rights, their values. Every man has its dignity and their pride. I prefer to ask forgiveness than to ask permission, if someone hurts me personally. I am not going to allow someone killing my parents, my brother or my woman and if my woman wants to leave me, she is free to do so, I can find another one.

Simple as that but there should be respect. Federal, state and all type of government should respect my agreement. We have another cause as to why we are here, and if you want to categorize us of anything, go ahead, I had said it clearly. We have many friends that like our organization are drug traffickers. They can do whatever they want; we are not going to prohibit it. We will prohibit kidnapping, rape and robbery. Probably you would say: “But you also steal”, I have said before, there are some of my boys that don’t understand and they steal. I am not going to say that I don’t steal, but we need a way to produce for our people to eat. Ask around how many people we have of each village and how many people receive a salary.

At top is decal for one month highway tax paid to CT the lower is
avocado growers CT receipt for "tax" citizens pay a tax to use public highways

 

Did you substitute the abandonment of the government on these villages? What benefit have you brought to the villages of Michoacán and the other places where you have presence?

The real problem is not only of the actual administration or the last administrations. All the administrations commit the same mistake. Many government employees leave the resources to their personal benefit, it doesn’t go to where it should.. I am not going to say that they are not doing anything because there are many militaries, marines, PFP and state police. What happens is that certain people of different federal government dependencies only fill their pockets. They don’t think about the towns.

What benefits have you brought to the communities where you are present? I don’t know if you have helped with pavement on streets or public lightning on streets?

You should put on evidence government employees and I want to make it clear, everybody knows everybody but not one civil servant have to do with us; we are respectful and we respect  their job, they should do what they are supposed to. If they won an election for popular vote, we should not mess with them. The only thing that we want is for the budget to be applied as it should. Yes, we have done many things. I ask for you to go to the communities and investigate, you already know where I am.

But, have you done roads, bridges, electricity to the communities that are abandoned, from your own resources? Have you supported the communities that way?

I invite you to go to the communities and you know where I have been or have domain. Ask the municipal presidents if it’s true that we are charging a fee of 10%. You can go and do your own investigation. We have done a lot of labor but it is not my duty to say it. I should not put on evidence many things but everybody come to us and ask for support. Poor people have their needs and sometimes they don’t have enough to pay  a thousand pesos for childbirth.

Not even for a caesarian section. The c section is not paid by the government for impoverished, I mean progress, opportunities, I don’t how referred to,  that fucking little program, but the money is not enough and since the people are so screwed and without a job that they come to us for support. If a c section costs one thousand pesos, I can give them 300 or 400 thousand pesos and not only for that, any kind of disease they have, anything they have asked for.

I am not going to say which, or where, it is not for me to say. But do your investigations, see what we really are. Just as during elections, when you do, what do you call it when you put who is on top?

A poll?

Yes a poll. I invite you to do one and project who we really are. The real problem here is what is happening with the community groups. Who walks around with their faces covered? My boys are covered but we are already categorized as criminals.

I assure you that most of them (community guards), 80% of them are criminals. We have plenty of space in the mountains to do whatever we want and not affect the villages or the people. It is not a message for the federal government. It is for the criminal groups because they are criminals and they are moving everywhere and stealing uncontrollably, but if any police corporation keeps supporting them on their advance for interests they have against us, I am going to say this as I talk, there will be quarrels. Let’s pray to God that it doesn’t happen and that we can get to an agreement and we are willing to do what is necessary so it will end up here.

Do you have something else to say?

Thank you, young lady for joining me. I am thankful

Thank you