Cemei Verdia Zepeda Calls for Reunion of "Los Autodefenses" in Michoacan

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Universal

Feb 28, 2018

Five years after the first self - defense groups were set up in Michoacán to fight organized crime and four years after the municipality of Aquila freed itself from the siege of the Knights Templar criminal group , the leaders of the armed civilian defense group gathered this weekend. .

Summoned by Cemeí Verdía Zepeda , commander of the Community Police of Santa María Ostula, the self-defense leaders of Tepalcatepec, Chinicuila, Coahuayana and Aquila , the group endorsed the fact that  in their municipalities there is no room for criminals , or more narcogovernments.

On the whole, they agreed that even for these elections they will defend their peoples with greater emphasis in order to prevent the cells of organized crime from taking over public positions and returning to power.

                   "The fight between the political class and organized crime is out of control ."

Cemeí Verdía, commander of the community guard of Ostula and the armed civilian defense group in the municipality of Aquila, warned that as long as there are no public institutions that guarantee the security of their municipalities, they will continue with this task of vigilance.

He recalled that four years ago, the citizens, tired of kidnappings, extortions, murders, rapes and plunder of their lands and mines, managed to banish the Knights Templars  narco criminals of that region of the Sierra Costa.

Verdi Zepeda reiterated, that although they were also attacked by state and federal authorities, their struggle was successful thanks to the courage and bravery of men and women who stood up for their communities and , literally put their chests to the bullets to defend their families.

"We did not want any more dead or missing; we were also fed up with the  kidnappings, extortion and dispossession of our natural resources. That's why we had to leave our families , work and /or jobs and face those bastards that were protected by the narco-governments, " he said.

He also stressed that five years after they took up arms and banished the criminals from their lands, the cost of their armed struggle has been imprisonment of their leaders and judicial persecution.

"That was the cost we had to pay for doing the job that belongs to and should be done by our governmental  authorities, but we could not wait; they were killing us; It seems that they wanted  to disappear us all,  all peoples that is, " said Cemeí Verdía Zepeda.

He also lamented the attacks of those who have been victims of municipal presidents related to their armed movement, as in the case of José Misael González Fernández de Coalcomán and José Luis Arteaga Olivares de Aquila.

"But we also have well in mind that in this fight there are more innocent people who have died and justice has not been done, as in the case of the boy killed by Mexican Army bullets, Edilberto Reyes García, for whom we demand the imprisonment of the guilty, "he said.

The meeting was attended by Héctor Zepeda Navarrete, commander of the self-defense groups in Coahuayana and its people, as well as members and leaders of the community guards of Tepalcatepec, Coalcomán and Chinicuila.

In an interview with Universal in mid October 2017 Cemei Verdia Zepeda told Carlos Arrieta that he is predicting the 2018 elections in Mexico and in particular the State of Michoacan to be the bloodiest elections in Mexican history.

He lamented the fact that only six of the 113 municipalities in Michoacan have remained free of criminal activity, ie organized crime and cartel activity. He named the Municipalities: Cheran, Tepalcatepec, Coalcoman, Chinicuila, Coahuayana and Aquila. 

Cemei Verdis also does not believe his Community Police or self defense groups will be able to completely shield their communities much with the security situation surrounding the elections. "People are confused, no body knows what to do or who to believe, these elections are just about power versus more power."

NOTE: As I type this another PRD pre-candidate was just assassinated in Zihuatanejo by six bullets.

Homero Bravo Espino was shot in his car by a group of armed men in San Jose Ixtapa. At least seven local candidates have been assassinated in the State of Guerrero so far.