Apparent shooting near middle school

 
People have been talking over the last couple weeks of an apparent shooting near an elementary school of a nearby town.  The individuals involved are believed to be related to the Zetas drug cartel.  Witnesses could not say what the motive for the shooting was, but the apparent sound of gunshots alarmed teachers who had been outside with children during recess.

The local radio station had been reporting on other matters and apparently started to report of the shooting, but later retracted what had been reported stating that the radio station made an error and misreported something that never actually took place.

These brazen acts may be common in other parts of Mexico, but not here.  This is the first of its kind.  Is this an indication that things may be getting worse for our relatively violent free border towns?  Various news sources suggest that it is more dangerous.  Just last year in a nearby border city, the police chief was assassinated after being on the job for less than a month and vowing to "in no part to commit corruption."  Another border town police commander nearby also experienced a similar fate just three weeks ago.  Are we headed to the likes of Ciudad Juarez or Tamaulipas where drug violence has become common place and people live in fear 24 hours a day?  

Narco Wildlife

 
Ranches are popular in this northern Mexican region.  Some people make a living raising animals like cattle and goats to sell to meat markets and export to the United States.  Drug traffickers use ranches to hide away from law enforcement and to disappear bodies by literally feeding them to the lions.  Narcos have evolved from burning bodies or placing them in acid filled barrels to raising large, living carnivorous predators capable of devouring a human body in minutes.

Feeding a large predator like a lion is doubtfully more economical than the cost of matches, but whats frightening is that feeding a lion with enough bodies can be cheaper.  How many bodies does it take to feed a lion?  Based on some research, lions eat on average of 40 lbs (18 Kg) of meat a day and eat up to two times a week.  If the average human weighs 190 lbs (86 Kg), then the average body can feed a lion for more than two weeks.

Mexico's drug violence has killed over 23,000 people plus countless others who have gone missing and have never been found.  The feeding frenzy at narco ranches may be a huge contributor to the missing.  Now there's some food for thought.

The Beating

 
Just a few minutes ago I witnessed something that I thought I would never see. It has been over two weeks since I wrote about anything.  Late model trucks and SUV's next to our house piled into a dirt field.  You could hear the diesel engines running.  One right after another.  I had been enjoying a calm, pleasant night with friends and family on our front porch until "Los Feos," the ugly ones, arrived.

About ten to fifteen of them grouped together around another person of interest.  He was wearing flannel-striped shorts and a dark t-shirt.  He tried to resist, but the power of the others overwhelmed him.  Los Feos pulled a large 2X4. Five hits, maybe more, right on his backside.  They had bent him over and pulled his shorts down.   Flashlights illuminated the scene. They told him that if he screamed or cried that it would get worse.  We all had been watching silently and then I told everyone to get inside.  I was afraid that if they saw us, we might be next.  Once we were all inside, I watched the rest of the incident, peeking from behind the curtains of my room.  A truck went by and they all shut their flashlights.  The truck passed and they continued the beating.  Just as quickly as they arrived, they left.  They forced the individual back into one of the trucks and took him to a more remote place West of here. I wonder what the person did to realize his beating.

I have heard stories describing beatings like the one I just witnessed.  These beatings serve as a way to keep common citizens unrelated to the drug trade in check and also serve to keep those involved in the drug trade from disobeying orders.  I am reminded of my old first grade teacher.  He used to spank his students with his bare hand as a form of punishment.  In this small town, narcos police the streets.  Individuals have gotten beaten for intentional reckless driving like making your wheels squeal and driving significantly above the speed limit, disobeying traffic signals, and other misdemeanors like fighting in the streets.

One thing I'm adding to the "Keep Me Safe" checklist is avoiding the streets at night.