Brutal killing of Mexican mayor sparks anger, skepticism of Sheinbaum plan

READ HERE: HILPANCINGO, Mexico Oct 18 (Reuters) – Hundreds of people dressed in white marched through the streets, many with tears in their eyes, chanting “No More Violence!” on a humid October afternoon in Chilpancingo days after the brutal murder of its mayor.

The brazen decapitation of 43-year-old Alejandro Arcos, which has yet to be solved, has sparked anger and resignation. Many doubt whether Mexico’s newly inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum will be able to prosecute the murder or tackle the epidemic of cartel-led violence which has wracked Mexico for over a decade.

“We really don’t want ‘hugs not bullets,'” said Doreli Vega, 30, referring to the mantra of Sheinbaum’s mentor Andrés Manuel López Obrador who aimed to avoid clashes with cartels and instead address the root causes of violence through social programs.

“We’re tired of that,” said the mother of a year-old baby, weeping as she described living in terror and uncertainty.

Vega said an increased presence of the militarized National Guard police force, which López Obrador made his main law enforcement organ, had failed to improve the situation in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state – one of the poorest in Mexico.

“They feel they have the power to do whatever they want, and we really haven’t seen the change that they promised

On Tuesday, another local mayor, Roman Ruiz Bohorquez in the community of Candelaria Loxicha in Oaxaca state, was stabbed to death at his home.

Arcos and Ruiz Bohorquez are among the 1,247 homicide victims in the first two weeks of Sheinbaum’s administration, pollster TResearch’s analysis of government data showed, as Mexico’s staggering murder rate continues into the new administration.