I. Introduction and Background The film Cartel Land, directed by Matthew Heineman, is an on-the-ground look at the effects the Mexican drug cartels have had on everyday life, both through the lens of a doctor turned militiaman in Michoacán, Mexico and a former veteran and ex-drug addict turned vigilante. These characters, while being sympathetic due to their foibles, point to a larger issue of lawlessness and the chasm that arises when state action engenders disdain. The purpose of this review will be to look in depth into the film’s motifs of order arising from chaos, and how the heavy handed approach of the government may spur cartels and paramilitary organizations into action. The paper ¬¬¬Urban Violence and Security Promotion in Central …show more content…
via the drug trade and organized crime. Throughout the film, symbols of vicious bloodshed such as decapitation, dismemberment and stories told by family members merely bolstered this point. The cartel, to both Mireles and Foley, was the epitome of everything they stood against. Mireles believed that the cartel was usurping control from the government, and harassing civilians who were merely living their lives peacefully and using the territory to promote the drug trade. Foley, who originally came to the border to police it against illegal immigrants, soon came to the realization that the immigrants weren’t the issue; the cartel was driving people from their own land due to threats of violence. Foley also saw the cartel as purveyors of the drug trade, which was quite personal to him due to his past history of abuse of methamphetamine. Both of these men arose in places where there was a lack of state control, and, although they were very different in combatting the issue, viewed their causes as the only way to reinstate the true will of the people in their lands. This is obviously problematic (which was shown throughout the film), not only in the sense that they were taking violence into their own hands, but also because the cartels had arisen for nearly the same
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduria General de la Republica, PGR) had issued information related to the conformation of the seven principal drug cartels present at Mexico:
In the 1970’s Patricia Adler and her husband infiltrated a large drug smuggling and dealing ring located in Southwest County of southern California with the intent of learning more about the covert group. In Adler’s book Wheeling and Dealing: an Ethnography of an Upper-Level Drug Dealing and Smuggling Community, she delves into the multifaceted lifestyle and activities of those in the Southwest County drug world. In this paper, I will look into the factors that initiated their entry into the drug world, their activates that facilitated their smuggling and dealing of drugs, and their exit from the drug world, while applying multiple theories to explain their illegal behavior.
The drug dealing process went from distributors, who were the Colombians; the supplier who was Max; and the dealers who were all of the other drug dealers that helped with the cocaine industry. The drug dealers were situated in Washington Heights, which was an area known as the “hot spot” for the war on drugs. The crew learned how to make quick money, and ways to get the most out of their money. This is a reason why the kids went from trying the cocaine out before the purchase to it being prepackaged. The members resorted to this lifestyle hoping to have a better life for themselves and their
The movie, “The Perfect Dictatorship” (“La Dictadura Perfecta”), directed and produced by Luis Estrada and released in 2014, is a political, satirical comedy story of two reporters attempting to repair the image of a corrupt governor after he signs a deal with the boss of their television company, Television Mexicana. That’s one way we could describe the plot of the movie. Another would be that the movie depicts the inherent corruption of the Mexican government and the lengths to which they will go to retain (or regain) their reputation. Equally, we could see the movie as a demonstration of the corruption of the Mexican media and the ways in which the media influences and effects politics. In fact, the
Over the past 60 years there has been a recent phenomenon in the development and rise of gangs and gang violence. This is exceptionally apparent in South Central Los Angeles, where the Bloods and the Crips have taken control of the social structure and created a new type of counter culture. Poverty in this area is an enormous problem caused by a sheer lack of jobs; but just because there is a lack of jobs doesn’t mean that there will be a lack of bills to pay, so sometimes selling drugs in order to keep a roof over your head seems like the most logical option. Crime often times flourishes in these regions because the inconvenient truth is; crime pays. Senator Tom Hayden stated “It’s been defined as a crime problem and a gang problem
By the end of the 2000s, while it seemed to many that there was no end in sight to the violence, behind the scenes senior gang leaders in El Salvador admitted to having grown tired of the gang warfare. Many of them, reflecting on the destruction the inter-gang violence had wrought on the communities in which their mothers, wives, children and grandchildren lived, felt compelled to look for a solution.... ... middle of paper ... ... Having grown increasingly frustrated with these rampant displays of impunity by gangs, the Salvadoran public pressured its government to prioritize public security above all else.
As can be seen, the author teaches the readers that gang violence and the pressure to fit in will lead nowhere but trouble within yourself and others.In the article Gang Violence by Gale student resources and content they state that gang violence in the United States has gone up since the mid 1980s and 1990s.“I had certain yearnings at the time, which a lot of us had, to acquire authority in our own lives in the face of police, joblessness and powerlessness.Las Lomas was our path to that, but i was frustrated because i felt the violence was eating us alive.” pg 113. The author shows us how by acquiring authority he loses his self morals, and in that moment in his life he feels powerless and feeling as if he had no choice but to follow in the violent paths.It is important we read fiction because the
Mexico has a long history of cartels the deaths, drugs and weapon trafficking is in all time high increasing year by year. “Mexico's gangs have flourished since the late 19th century, mostly in the north due to their proximity to towns along the U.S.-Mexico border. But it was the American appetite for cocaine in the 1970s that gave Mexican drug cartels immense power to manufacture and transport drugs across the border. Early Mexican gangs were primarily situated in border towns where prostitution, drug use, bootlegging and extortion flourished” (Wagner). They keep themselves armed and ready with gun supplies shipped from the U.S, taking control of the drug trades. The violence is spilling so out of control that they overthrew the Mexican government.
...litary group and the Zapatistas at bay, and the true power of the media becomes as glaringly clear as the conflict it can spur. On camera, the “Peace and Justice” party accuse the Zapatistas of violence. Off camera, they threaten to kill the Mexican members of the film crew.
Led by the Arellano Felix brothers, the nephews of Miguel, and later their own nephew, Luis Fernando Sanchez Arellano, the Tijuana Cartel suffered through many deaths and arrests, which made the group smaller, yet still influential. Another cartel, the... ... middle of paper ... ... they continue to send troops to regain control of towns and prevent violence and crime in an attempt to make drugs a less prominent factor in their society.
As a result, the law enforcement officials have proven to have a lack of empathy and the poor connection to their county. Which has provoked many citizens to speak out against law enforcement and in view of the opinion of the newscasters it has “created a climate of fear” and has left the Latin community feeling intimidated and helpless. The government has precautionary reactions to this violence and have observed the organization of MS-13. The video then speaks of the gangs as “domestic terrorists” with the most threatening crimes, such as the piling unsolved homicide cases, which have led to many suspects. Government officials chose to state that these gang members would be eradicated from their community, by remaining fully committed to “finishing the job”.
In the film “Bordertown”, the protagonist, Johnny Ramirez ultimately finds solace, happiness and satisfaction in the aftermath of his own failure. If one were to believe the notion that we are all at a fixed station in both life and society, then the Mexican protagonist’s ambitions and their disastrous outcomes would only serve to bolster this opinion. This is, however, what the film “Bordertown” attempts to convey to its audience. As Johnny Ramirez ambitiously sets out, attempting to acquire material success, in the world outside of his neighborhood, he finds only offers of wickedness and corruption. His final retreat back into his barrio is where he finds goodness and love. This film, then, suggests that not only should Ramirez not have bothered in his undertaking, but that any venture outside of one’s own “station” or “place” would put that person out of his or her natural element. The results of this can be dangerous or disastrous. The film’s message is clear: Stay where you belong.
Our team presentation focused on three Latino gangs, MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha), the Mexican Mafia and the Los Surenos gang. My part of the presentation was to provide information on the type of crime these three gangs are known to commit. The crimes committed by the MS-13 gang are varied, violent, and take place all over the country. The FBI even put together a task force called the MS-13 National Gang Task Force in December of 2004 to try to put a stop to this gang’s activities. (www.fbi.gov). Los Surenos or Sur-13, originally based in Los Angeles, has also branched out from turf wars with rival gangs to “for profit”, violent crimes across the country. The Mexican Mafia has a similar story to tell as well in regards to gang crimes, which again range from respect crimes, and retaliatory violence to crimes for profit.
"For the commercial insurgency, border controls are perfunctory in "free trade" areas, and there is still a great demand for goods that are linked to smuggling" (PRISM Issue No 3). President Calderon's term in office has seen numerous arrests and significant cooperation with U.S. law enforcement, and intelligence activities, which has negated the freedom of movement the cartels once enjoyed. It has also prompted them to seek other venues to keep their revenue flowing. The arrests aren't without criticisms. Due to recent arrests of ...
Cynthia Sorrensen, who is an author for Johns Hopkins University’s Project Muse website does a great job at explaining this. In regards to the film, she states, “It opens discussion on the ‘othering’ in the illegal drug trade and industry and larger society. There is much at stake portraying mules, intermediaries, and even drug lords as ruthless evil people” (Sorrensen). This is due to the fact that such representations help encourage American citizens rally behind the efforts such as the War on Drugs without forcing people to take an introspective look at the drug problems that affect our country domestically. This film does not choose to portray the characters in film as violent and merciless.