In Ajalpan, Mexico two brothers were threatened by an angry mob who believed them to be kidnappers. Police identified them as pollsters for a marketing company and brought them to safety in a government building, but the town’s citizens believed otherwise. One vigilante doused the two brothers with gasoline and lit a match.
The killing of the Copado brothers brings to the spotlight how low the Mexican people view the efficacy and intentions of their government officials. Mob violence is on the rise and groups are forming to fight crime; however, as the murders of innocents in Ajalpan indicate, this not a viable form of justice.
Public confidence in Mexico’s justice system is currently so low, the New York Times reports that only 12% of crimes are even reported to the police. For example, only 2% of homicides are solved and not all areas are serviced by police. People are taking the law into their own hands: last year there were 78 lynchings in Mexico, twice as many as the previous year.
Full story at NY Times
