Women kicked out organized crime in this Mexican town - mySanAntonio.com

Marie Monteleone and Eric Martin, Bloomberg

Published 1:11 pm, Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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A member of the Forest Keepers patrols in search of illegal loggers in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 9, 2017. "Since the very beginning we have wanted three things: security, justice, and the restoration of our land," Pedro Chavez Sanches says. "Security was made possible thanks to our community patrol. The reconstitution of our land has been made possible because of the tree nursery. Justice, however, that is not that easy. The people of Cherán have lost loved ones, have family members that remain missing, they have pain, so justice is the hardest to reach, but we are progressing." less

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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A Forest Keeper checks a permit from men thought to be illegal loggers. The permit was determined invalid, and their tools were confiscated. illegal logging.

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Members of the Forest Keepers apprehend an illegal logger while on patrol in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 9, 2017. Depending on the extent of damage to the land, illegal loggers are fined and could face jail time. less

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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A member of the Forest Keepers patrols in search of illegal loggers in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 9, 2017. If illegal loggers are caught, their tools and machines are confiscated.

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Members of the Forest Keepers patrol in search of illegal loggers in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 9, 2017. The Forest Keepers, the community's defense team against illegal loggers, patrols the land daily. less

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Trees stand in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 9, 2017. For the past six years, the townspeople claim they have dodged the statistics that plague the rest of Mexico. Pedro Chavez Sanchez, a member of Cherán's elder council, spoke to photojournalist César Rodríguez, on how Cherán succeeds in spite of the violence growing in the rest of Mexico. "Things can not change unless you change things within, and that is how we did it. We worked as a community to create the change that we wanted. We listened to our elders, we trusted in our customs. If we have a problem, it is our problem, we solve it as a whole. We have no political parties, and we have no organized crime." less

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Members of the local police force, known as the Ronda Comunitaria, guard a checkpoint in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 8, 2017. The Mexican government recognizes Cherán as an autonomous, self-governing community. less

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Women work at the "San Francisco" tree nursery in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 10, 2017. Trees from the nursery are used for reforestation projects or sold to nearby towns.

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Trees grow in the "San Francisco" nursery in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 9, 2017. The nursery was completed in 2013 and the community estimates that it has produced more than 1 million trees.

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Women work in the "San Francisco" tree nursery in Cheran, Michoacan State, Mexico, on June 9, 2017. After Cherán's uprising in 2011, the town built the nursery, employing men and women of the community.

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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The town of Cherán is located in the Mexican state of Michoacán, known as one of the most dangerous states in Mexico. This year, Mexico homicides climbed to 12,155 through June, according the nation's interior ministry, up 31 percent from the same period in 2016. The 2,234 killings in June were the most since any month since at least 2001. less

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Members of the local police force, known as the Ronda Comunitaria, guard a checkpoint in the town of Cherán, Michoacán State, Mexico. The Ronda Comunitaria is made up of local residents, both men and women, from the community. less

Photo: Bloomberg Photo By Cesar Rodriguez.

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Keep clicking to see the female assassins leading Mexican drug cartels.

Photo: MySA.com

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The Mexican outlet El Blog del Narco has published photos purportedly showing women associated with drug cartels posing — some masked, others in various states of undress — with assault rifles, tigers, liquor and trucks. less