42

Early this morning the Monterrey metro area experienced it's 42nd hit of the year. By hit, I mean mob related assasination. "Danny Boy," as he was known, a 38-year-old mob member was gunned down by a group of 8-10 men. They shot into him so many times that his face was totally obliterated and his chest was practically gone. In the ensuing chase, the police engaged in a shootout with the hitmen, apparently killing one of them before they dragged the body into an SUV and got away. Danny Boy had been the target of another attempt in May. This time they got him. These murders are part of the vicious drug gang war that has swept northern Mexico. In some locations, the gangs are so powerful that they control whole towns (elections, police, local government, etc.). The situation has required that the special police forces and army virtually lay siege to several cities.

The most startling hit was when the mob killed Marcelo Garza, the young and respected chief police investigator of organized crime for the state of Nuevo Leon (the state Monterrey is in). He was gunned down in a park with his six-year-old daughter sitting next to him on the park bench. Their audacity at going after Marcelo Garza sent shockwaves through Mexico, as it indicated the boldness and power that these gangs have achieved, being able to assasinate upper-level government members with impunity.

Added to the situation in northern Mexico, there are riots in Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. In May the teachers union organized a strike, asking for increased wages. The governor ordered the police to respond aggressively. In the resulting riots, several protesters were shot and killed by police. That triggered even greater riots that resulted in the police forces being expelled from the town. The protesters siezed control of the capital city, holding it for around six months. With the absence of authority, robbery, killing, rape, violence was the order of the day (including the death of American cameraman, Brad Will). Only this week the Federal police moved in, siezing control of the capital in violent and at times deadly confrontations. There are still ongoing clashes between police and protesters.

In addition to this, the election crisis isn't completely over. After socialist Lopez Obrador lost the election be less than 1%, his party organized massive protests in Mexico City, paralyzing the downtown area for several months. On November 20th, the anniversary of the Mexican Revolotion of 1910, his party plans to name him the "official and legitimate President of Mexico." It will be interesting to see how that whole situation plays out.

All in all, Mexico is a country in turmoil, crippled by corrupt politicians (usually the most corrupt are town and lower level police officials) and drugs wars. Even more significant than the political situation, these situations reveal the desperate need that this country has for the redemptive power of the Gospel to radically transform every layer of society.