AND
Carlos’s ominous crime Manzo, municipal president of Uruapan, Michoacán, in a public event on November 1, certainly generated a demand for justice from broad aggrieved social sectors, not only in Uruapan, but in vast regions of the country. And not only for the crime of a municipal president with strong and real leadership, but also for the other municipal presidents murdered in recent times, which did not lead to an investigation that showed the intellectual and material authors subjected to criminal proceedings, an elementary idea of a rule of law. In this case, as in the others, “it is being investigated.”
While this happens and produces results or not, eight days after the crime, the federal government, headed by the President of the Republic, Claudia Sheinbaum, with the full cabinet, presented from Mexico City the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice (November 9, 2025) with 12 axes of strategy, more than 100 actions and an investment of more than 57 billion pesos, which is not yet known if they were already planned or were relocated to face the crisis of violence and insecurity experienced by the entity. It is unobjectionable that it is defined to address security, economic development with well-being, road infrastructure, safe roads and trails, infrastructure with drinking water, irrigation and sanitation, programs for well-being, education, health, housing, culture, women, youth and justice plans for indigenous peoples.
The inevitable question is whether this is a plan that is also required in the rest of the country or why Michoacán did not have it before the aforementioned crime and, most importantly, what is the direct link expected with respect to the eradication of violence and the impunity that accompanies it. Let’s contrast with just one example: the recent crime of Marco Antonio Suástegui in Acapulco, Guerrero, a historic fighter against the construction of the La Parota dam, remains unpunished, even though it generated strong reactions from the social movement in the entity and internationally, but he was not part of the political class. Is that why no plan was announced in Guerrero? We will have to unravel the logic of the government’s reactions regardless of the fact that with or without a plan, the violence remains unstoppable in several regions of the country. Grecia Quiroz, widow of Carlos Manzo, now substitute municipal president in Uruapan, has declared that they expect results in two months and that in no way are they endorsing a kind of utilitarian exchange of the plan for the indispensable Justice.
And precisely we have another example of the political logic that guides the current federal government, and that in my opinion would merit a profound review and consequent correction. I am referring to the open combat to the call of the so-called Generation Z to a march on November 15. It was reported from the morning call that he had destabilizing interests and promotion on networks with financing of that kind. It is not a coincidence that at the same time that it was declared, without necessity, that freedom of expression is respected, the National Palace was walled off in Mexico City, a preferred and desired scenario for violent groups that “appear”, and did so again, provoking confrontation with the police.
The narrative of the media and networks about the march, which was peaceful before reaching the Zócalo, was to highlight precisely that confrontation and emphasize that not all of its participants were young. Two of them told me that no rented truck was seen like in others, that they arrived by their feet and their will. What was a constant was the cry to stop the violence and yes, the annoyance with the previous official disqualification, and yet many young people overcame their fear and courageously went out to demonstrate. And again it must be noted that youth, Z or not, are being strongly affected by violence of various kinds and that was the strongest feeling that motivated young people – and not – to go out and march.
Let’s continue with the questions. When a march is called by an electoral political force, it is not emphasized or investigated whether they are really part of it, but in this case, it was reprehensible that not all of the participants were young. Those of us who are not, do not have the right to join their cause? Who stands with the right to supervise? Finally, also in this case, a national approach to young people and a thorough review of the forced recruitment that they live in various regions would be required. It is no coincidence that the person who fired the gun to murder Carlos Manzo was 17 years old. Much to review in the official discourse, from the long-range view before denouncing conspiracies of citizen initiatives, to recent expressions such as “those who are not born do not go to schools”, or, “if we are close to the people, we cannot be far away.”
