In Acapulco and across Mexico, violence poses huge test for new president

A member of the National Guard at the police headquarters in Acapulco – Copyright AFP ANWAR AMRO

Samir TOUNSI

Gunfire, murders and threats — insecurity is part of everyday life across much of Mexico and one of the main challenges awaiting Claudia Sheinbaum when she becomes president on Tuesday.

A shooting this month in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco left two people wounded in a seafront bar. In late August, a human head was thrown in front of the establishment.

When contacted about the incident, a bar manager cut the questioner short. 

Locals speculated that he had refused to pay “rent” to one of two local gangs.

Farther back from the seafront, the El Progreso neighborhood is one of those most affected by violence in Acapulco.

A man was killed in a cobbler’s shop a few days ago, a resident said. “It’s a daily occurrence,” he added with a sigh.

“Six murders in Acapulco” was the headline in the newspaper El Sur on September 10. 

“That’s a total of 26 crimes this month, presumably linked to organized crime,” the local newspaper said, without naming the two rival gangs involved in extortion and drugs.

Acapulco, once a playground for the rich and famous, has lost its luster over the last decade as foreign tourists have been spooked by bloodshed that has made it one of the world’s most violent cities.  

The insecurity is hardly unique to the city in the southern state of Guerrero.

Spiraling criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen more than 450,000 people murdered in the Latin American nation since 2006.

But in the heart of El Progreso, the mood on a recent day was one of celebration at the municipal police headquarters. 

Under a blazing sun, Mayor Abelina Lopez Rodriguez handed out new uniforms to officers.

Giving a speech, she made no mention of violence, preferring to talk about year-end bonuses instead.

“Acapulco is a paradise,” she told AFP.

“We must continue working to create better opportunities for our police officers and for society,” added Lopez Rodriguez, a lawyer by profession. 

“Peace is built in hearts,” she added.

Corruption comes from another level of government, her entourage explained off-camera.

“Of course” municipal police can be infiltrated by gangs, the new head of public security, Eduardo Bailleres Mendoza, told AFP.

He wants officers to undergo random drug testing “to prevent staff from also being victims of the use of toxic substances” — and thus susceptible to the influence of organized crime.

A municipal police officer earns just 14,000 pesos ($710) per month, he said.

– Drones and bombs –

On the eve of the Independence Day holiday weekend in mid-September, hoteliers were optimistic.

Tourists will come, they said.

But when the area has been in the headlines recently, it has not been for good news.

In nearby Coyuca de Benitez, at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain range, a candidate was murdered on the eve of June 2 municipal elections.

Some 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Acapulco, the inhabitants of Santa Rosa de Lima said they are living under pressure from local cartel La Familia Michoacana.

The gang has been using drones against communities that resist extortion.

“On April 21, they lobbed bombs, more than 20. Several hectares of forest were burned,” said Azucena Rosas Garcia, leader of the mountain community of San Antonio Texas.

She showed images that she said were recovered from the memory card of a downed drone. An investigation was opened months later.

Suddenly, as she spoke, armed men drove by in a red pickup truck. 

They were self-defense militias, explained Victor Espino, a local community leader who said that he himself was arrested by the police in possession of a weapon.

“When it suits them, the law exists. When it doesn’t suit them, they don’t apply it,” the avocado farmer said.

“They don’t defend us, nor let us defend ourselves,” he added.

Nearly 200,000 people have been murdered in six years under outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who prioritized tackling the root causes of crime — a strategy he calls “hugs, not bullets.”

President-elect Sheinbaum, who comes from the same left-wing party, has pledged to continue that approach while improving coordination between security forces and state prosecutors.

In the northwestern state of Sinaloa, cartel infighting has left dozens of people dead in recent weeks, underscoring the magnitude of the task facing Sheinbaum.