« Back cops and the mayor to relieve itself from violence and illegal logging Print Checkpoints staffed by men with assault rifles camouflage and body armor greet visitors at the three major entrances to this town They are members of homegrown patrols that have helped keep Cheran a bastion of tranquillity within one of Mexico’s most violent regions The town of 20,000 sits in the northwest corner of Michoacan a state where authorities say at least 599 people were killed between January and May an increase of almost 40% compared with the same period last year Cheran hasn’t had a slaying or other serious crime since early 2011 waged an insurrection and declared self-rule in hopes of ridding themselves of the ills that plague so much of Mexico: raging violence a toothless justice system and gangs that have expanded from drug smuggling to extortion “We couldn’t trust the authorities or police any more,” said Josefina Estrada a petite grandmother who is among the women who spearheaded the revolt “We didn’t feel that they protected us or helped us We saw them as accomplices with the criminals.” a petite grandmother who helped lead the revolt in Cheran (Cecilia Sanchez / For The Times) (Cecilia Sanchez / For The Times) Indeed the criminal syndicates that have long dominated Michoacan are part of the reason that Cheran and other rural areas in the state have sent so many immigrants to the United States illegal loggers who worked at the behest of larger mafias and raided the communal forests that are vital to its economy and culture The timber thieves would parade through town on hulking trucks brandishing weapons and threatening anyone resisting He belonged to a town committee that monitored forest use and had taken a stand against illegal logging He and a colleague were kidnapped by gunmen on Feb joining the multitudes of “disappeared” who have vanished during Mexico’s war on drugs The disappearances — along with other killings and the plunder of the town’s ancestral forests — became unbearable in a community whose residents retain their identity as Purepecha Indians one of the few indigenous groups in the area that did not succumb to the Aztec empire “The talamontes would drive by in their trucks a mother of eight — six of them living in the United States — who sells health shakes from a small storefront Sometimes I went home and cried and cried.” she called some other women and decided to strike back As at the beginning of the Cheran rebellion on April 15 a man rings church bells in a tower high above town (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) On April 15 the people of Cheran sounded the bells at the Roman Catholic Chapel of the Calvary and set off homemade fireworks to summon help dragging its two crew members from the cab and taking them hostage they tied up their prisoners with rebozos an initial crowd of about 30 swelled to more than 200 Residents dug ditches and placed timber barricades to block entry to the town the people of Cheran set tires ablaze and lit campfires to ensure no one would pass they took five loggers hostage and torched seven of their trucks The gangs retreated and hostages were returned Known simply as the “uprising,” it entered the lore of violence-plagued Michoacan state where gangster exploits in recent years include rolling five human heads onto a dance floor The townspeople grasped an essential fact: The talamontes were part of a larger criminal network that controlled drug trafficking and worked hand-in-hand with politicians and police we had to change the whole system — out with the political parties out with the police and everything,” said Pedro Chavez “We had to organize our own way of living to survive.” Residents walk through the central plaza of Cheran (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) They decided to target the nexus between crime and politics that has haunted Mexico and do away with the police The town recruited outside legal expertise to exploit provisions of Mexican law that allow communities with indigenous majorities to set up a form of self-government incorporating traditional “uses and customs” into their rule The political parties and their patrons resisted the radical transformation The case eventually made its way to Mexico’s Supreme Court in 2014 Cheran’s provisional system of self-government was declared legal The town remains part of Mexico but runs its own show Cheran seems no different from other places in rural Mexico Stands set up in the colonial-era central square hawk foodstuffs sip a juice drink and share gossip and small talk often about loved ones and neighbors now in the United States But something is missing: There is no sign of the political slogans and emblems that are ubiquitous in much of the country Electioneering is forbidden inside the town limits Even motorists entering Cheran are obliged to remove or cover up party bumper stickers Residents can cast ballots in state and national elections but they must do so at special booths set up in nearby towns Instead of the traditional mayor and city council each of the town’s four barrios is governed by its own local assembly whose members are chosen by consensus from 172 block committees known as fogatas — after the campfires that came to symbolize the 2011 rebellion Each assembly also sends three representatives — including at least one woman — to serve on a 12-member town council The town receives all the funds — the equivalent of about $2.6 million per year officials say — that are its due from the state and federal governments Salaries of 200 or so town employees max out at the equivalent of roughly $450 a month leaving money to help fund the municipal water system and other services including a trash recycling program that is a rarity in Mexico The armed guards at the town entrances are part of a locally selected police force of 120 or so No one enters or leaves without inspection Cheran was ahead of the curve in the so-called auto defensa movement especially in crime-ridden Michoacan state set up local militias starting in 2013 as a response to gang-related violence But other local militias have often turned to the dark side integrating into existing criminal rings or forming new ones the community police force has stuck and become an integral part of the town’s security local officials handle minor offenses such as theft typically imposing sentences of community service Specialized squads also patrol the forests they were left to us by our forefathers for protection and nurturing,” said Francisco Huaroco as he and a team trekked past stumps that attest to former ransacking asks a resident near the devastated woods outside of Cheran town if he has seen suspicious logging in the forests (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) Swaths of bald earth slice through former woods roughly half of Cheran’s 59,000 acres of forest was illegally felled we would have had nothing left of the forests,” said Roberto Sixtos Ceja Sixtos said he left Cheran as a teenager to work in North Carolina — a destination for many here — but returned in 2010 to help the community confront the escalating crisis he helps manage a vast tree nursery where pine cones are grown into saplings part of an effort to replenish the hillsides The nursery holds more than 1 million young trees The town only allows harvesting of diseased timber or logs downed by storms or other natural causes Cheran natives who live in the United States have been closely following events here “We never stop being members of this community people of Cheran,” said Ramiro Romero Ramos who left almost four decades ago but now heads the Cheran Club of Los Angeles He recently was visiting to inaugurate a new roof on a primary school playground — a project partially funded by L.A.-area residents from Cheran bears the inscription: “Cheran will neither surrender nor be sold!” Students at Erandi (meaning “Dawn” in Purepecha language) elementary school in Cheran (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times) Other towns have endeavored to copy Cheran’s transformation The model has relatively little application elsewhere in Mexico where the vast majority of the population is of mestizo Self-rule laws for indigenous communities do not apply “But the problems of today don’t compare with what it was like before,” said Estrada Before the community felt a great fear: Everyone went inside at 9 o’clock at night and shut their doors.” kidnappings and extortion plaguing areas just outside of Cheran all here are aware that it would take little for turmoil and conflict to reemerge The governor of Michoacan has publicly threatened a court case to reverse the town’s system of self-government “We in Cheran remain vigilant,” said Juarez Gonzalez six years after her husband’s disappearance patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com To read the article in Spanish, click here Twitter: @mcdneville Cecilia Sanchez of The Times’ Mexico City bureau and special correspondent Liliana Nieto del Rio in Cheran contributed Who is spying on Mexico's opposition leaders, journalists and activists? Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez released from prison and placed under house arrest How do you prosecute a murder without a body? California has been doing it for more than a century Foreign correspondent Patrick J. McDonnell is the Los Angeles Times Mexico City bureau chief and previously headed Times bureaus in Beirut, Buenos Aires and Baghdad. A native of the Bronx, McDonnell is a graduate of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and was a Nieman fellow at Harvard. World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page You can update your channel preference from the Settings menu in the header menu Director Cheran’s beloved classic 'Autograph' is all set to return to the big screen The re-release has been officially announced for May 16th rekindling nostalgia for fans of Tamil cinema 'Autograph' starred Cheran himself alongside Gopika many of whom felt the story mirrored their own experiences with love It became a cultural touchstone and a cinematic reflection of personal journeys also played a major role in the film’s success earned a National Award and continues to be cherished to this day well-known producer Suresh Kamatchi shared his heartfelt appreciation on social media 'Autograph' is a film that beautifully captures the transformation of ordinary lives Director Cheran molded himself through countless challenges It’s a timeless piece that still touches hearts.” Fans are eagerly awaiting the chance to relive this emotional journey on the big screen once again Contact at support@indiaglitz.com The story of Cherán is one of a paradise lost but then regained thanks to the determination of a small group of women who picked a fight with powerful cartels—and won The event is one chapter in the ongoing story of Cherán’s strong women standing up for their community which allows Indigenous communities their autonomy things were very different for Cherán and its people Sitting at more than 7,000 feet above sea level the rural town and its surroundings enjoy a cooler alpine climate with sunny days and rainy summers that yield bountiful local crops the area’s lush pine forests began attracting the interest of illegal logging cartels and soon Cherán was overrun with criminal activity Regional corruption allowed massive deforestation to go unchecked illegal loggers cleared 50,000 acres of forest Up to 200 trucks hauling mounds of felled trees trundled along Cherán’s roads each day “We began to feel a strong change in temperature The loggers had cleared so much forest that their climate was changing The loggers cut down a beloved tree beside the community’s ojo de agua believed by the elders to maintain the equilibrium of the entire ecosystem There seemed to be no end to the cartel’s greed as loggers arrived to begin the day’s destructive work locking them in the church and then setting off fireworks to signal to the rest of the town that the uprising had started The loggers’ vehicles were seized and burned It was the start of a war that lasted for more than a year through the mountainous forest to relay information about their enemy’s activities Such fierce and resourceful resistance runs deep in these lands: The Purépecha are one of the few indigenous groups never conquered by the Aztecs who stole the horses of Spanish invaders and led a rebellion against the Europeans true to their reputation for repelling outsiders the people of Cherán had kicked out the logging cartel and established their legal autonomy an indigenous form of government by a 12-member council that is chosen by the community and replaced the feared and corrupt police with the local ronda comunitaria The once-decimated forest began to make a comeback established as part of a community-led replanting effort and staffed mostly by women Locals say the climate has nearly returned to normal Rivera takes pride in the events of that last decade including her role and that of family members She was among those who made multiple trips to Mexico City to file legal papers in the wake of the uprising a medicine woman highly respected in the community led opening ceremonies for the new government in 2012 Rivera’s son Netza Hernández Cucué returned to Cherán after college two years ago is interested in learning about and preserving Cherán’s history recently curated an exhibition featuring local women artists to emphasize the role women have played in Cherán’s story “Other towns have tried to do what we did but the difference is that they don’t include women in their council,” says Huaroco ranging from an elementary school teacher to a stay-at-home mom is a 55-year-old homemaker now studying sustainable agriculture at the local engineering college She plans to focus on the continued rebuilding and preservation of Cherán’s ancestral territory and forest “Our forest is the lungs of Michoacán,” she says referring to the Mexican state that surrounds autonomous Cherán “In the past it was the whole region much of the state has been devastated.” Although the community has experienced a generally peaceful decade of autonomy, the threat that the cartels will return to these verdant slopes remains, and criminal activity in the region continues to threaten lives and livelihoods. In January 2020, the body of Homero Gómez González, an activist in the nearby Michoacán Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary was found in a well after a dispute with illegal loggers Rivera warns that the replanted trees around Cherán will become ever more appealing to criminals as surrounding forests continue to be destroyed “They are always waiting to come back in again,” she says cautiously They have not taken their eyes off wanting to defeat our community.” We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders will stand apart from Mexico’s electioneering season having tackled corruption and exploitation by banishing political parties All across Mexico political billboards are springing up and candidates are hitting the streets as campaigning starts for elections to pick a new president renew the congress and replace hundreds of state and local officials except for one small corner of the violent western state of Michoacán which has found a simple solution to the vote-buying and patronage which plague Mexican democracy The indigenous Purépecha town of Cherán threw out all political parties after a popular uprising in 2011 – and it doesn’t want them back “The only thing the parties have done is divide us,” said Salvador Ceja Presidential campaigns officially kicked off at the weekend, and polls put the left-leaning populist Andrés Manuel López Obrador – ahead of his closest challenger by double digits The elections come amid widespread despair at the country’s worsening security crisis and disgust at political corruption Antipathy toward political parties runs strong in Mexico: a recent survey found they were the least-trusted institution in the country But Cherán has taken its contempt for parties to an extreme Much of that antipathy can be traced back to the situation in the early part of the decade when the surrounding area was dominated by illegal loggers who clearcut local forests and hauled out dozens of truckloads of logs each week – with the protection of a local drug cartel and the collusion of corrupt police and local politicians Eventually, the townspeople decided they had enough. Early on 15 April 2011, local residents ran off the loggers and blockaded the town Then they kicked out the mayor and banished political parties arguing that infighting was what had allowed the town to fall into crisis Constant intrigues in the main political grouping meant that the villagers could never come together to confront major problems – such as the illegal logging – said Pedro Chávez Sánchez the head of the 12-member council that now governs Cherán was formed after the 2011 uprising and eventually ruled constitutional by Mexico’s supreme court Neighbourhood assemblies will select a new council on 1 July – the same day as the presidential election But no ballot boxes will be installed in Cherán meaning that anyone wanting to vote for president will have to travel to neighbouring communities View image in fullscreenWomen work at the local tree nursery in Cherán Photograph: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images“We can’t put a project like this at risk in order to participate” in the federal election with polling stations and all that accompanies that the parties are going to want to get back in here.” Political parties have occasionally attempted to campaign in the town only to be escorted out by the local ronda – the citizen-run security force formed after the uprising Instead of party publicity – ubiquitous in small Mexican towns and villages – walls in Cherán are emblazoned with murals invoking the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata or denouncing political parties local politicians not only turned a blind eye to drug trafficking and extortion but financed their campaigns with illegal logging and attempted to seize control of common lands “All the previous authorities belonging to political parties they’d take everything with them,” said Ceja Academics studying Cherán say the new council has largely contained corruption and held to account by the neighbourhood assemblies a sociologist at the Centre for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (Ciesas) The community has also had success protecting the environment and reforesting the region View image in fullscreenA masked man member of Cherán’s security commission or ronda Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesMichoacán is one of Mexico’s most violent regions but local officials say that not a single kidnapping or extortion attempt has been reported since the uprising “[Cherán’s] main achievement has been peace,” said Fernández “It has the lowest homicide rate in all of Michoacán – and maybe all of Mexico outside of [the south-eastern state of] Yucatán.” In a country where drug-fuelled violence and political corruption are reach ever-greater extremes Cherán occupies an almost mythical place in the popular imagination as a rare success story So the town was particularly shaken by the murder in January of Guadalupe Campanur whose body was found just outside the municipality Campanur was one of the first women to join the ronda and actively participated in neighbourhood assemblies Initial reports suggested that she had been targeted for her work on ecological projects but friends and community officials said she was not in a leadership position State officials say a suspect has been detained And despite the success of the town’s political project it is not insulated from outside forces: regional political parties are reportedly trying to get sympathisers elected to the council that they will not be allowed to return to Cherán The highly acclaimed Tamil film 'Autograph' the film was both a critical and commercial success The re-release will feature a digitally enhanced version of the film The official release date is expected to be in May ‘Autograph’ was initially released on February 19 and ran for over 150 days across 75 theaters The movie was also screened at various film festivals and won multiple awards including a National Award and Tamil Nadu State Award 'Autograph' was successfully remade in Kannada the film team has created a special AI-enhanced video Filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj shared the re-release trailer on social media expressing his best wishes to Cheran and the entire cast Alexandria just hired Cheran Cordell Ivery as the city attorney replacing outgoing City Attorney Joanna Anderson Ivery, who starts work on Jan. 8, has been the city attorney in Hampton, Virginia, for the last five years. She replaces City Attorney Joanna Anderson, who has had the role since 2018, and announced her retirement in June provide public records and represent the city in court Mayor Justin Wilson said that Ivery brings experience and energy to the position “The City Attorney is one of the few positions across our organization selected by Council, which reflects the level of responsibility this role holds in the City,” Wilson said in a statement Ivery joining the City and look forward to her counsel and leadership.” Ivery was previously the deputy city attorney in Portsmouth from 2010 to 2018 and from 2014 to 2018 was an adjunct professor at William and Mary Law School which is where she earned her law degree in 2003 She also has a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Cornell University The Council has concluded its search for a new City Attorney The Council just voted to select Cheran Cordell Ivery as Alexandria’s new City Attorney She brings a wealth of experience and energy to help lead our City! https://t.co/mX1Fyqj5aP — Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) November 14, 2023 Image via Facebook For the duration of the rainy season, those mushrooms dominate the indigenous Purhépecha town’s Saturday and Tuesday markets, laid out in geometric piles among fistfuls of wild greens and opaline stalks of blue and pink corn. “In mushroom season,” Campanur, 32, says, “you can suffer a little less.” Over the next four years, the loggers poured like termites over the volcanoes, sometimes clearing more than 124 acres in a week. Trucks loaded with wood rattled through town as many as 250 times each day, according to Miguel Macías Sánchez, current president of the Council for Community Property, escorted by armed guards who aimed their AK-47s at anyone who questioned them. Nine years later, Cherán and its democratically elected 12-person council have set an example of good governance in a state beset with mismanagement and violence. Though still recipients of federal funding, Cherán has barred entry to all politicians, political parties and state police, operating instead under a system known as Uses and Customs, which allows indigenous peoples to administer themselves by their own rules. According to the Council for Communal Property, Cherán has replanted nearly 80% of the land devastated by the loggers, known to most as the rapamontes, or forest rapers. And the mushrooms, Campanur says, have come back, part of a powerful vindication of the town’s indigenous identity. Though the uprising only lasted a few hours, the 189 bonfires, or fogatas, lit that day burned on every corner in town for nine straight months. At first, the fogatas functioned as a security measure, allowing people to pass messages quickly across the village at night. But it didn’t take long for the fires, which doubled as public kitchens, to become the basic unit of Cherán’s emergent political order: a hearth, rather than a crucible, to forge a new society. The view of Cherán from Cerro San Marcos, the only one of the town’s hills that wasn’t heavily deforested by illegal logging. (Felipe Luna / For The Times) Gathered around the fogatas, men, women and children took turns preparing meals while formulating a provisional council and security force to guard the forest, armed with weapons left behind by the state police. “The movement was a kind of mirror that allowed us to get to know our roots,” says José Trinidad Ramirez Tapia, 66, a member of the first town council, elected seven months after the movement began, and of the provisional committee that guided the community through the intervening period. “It was at the fogatas that we got to know ourselves.” Meals began with whatever arrived in the relief packages sent from relatives in the U.S. and sympathizers across Mexico but soon became opportunities for the older women who had led the revolution to pass down recipes while sharing their memories of how the town worked before the arrival of state police sometime in the 1970s. “When I went to study, I assumed I would leave and not come back. Really ugly things were happening,” she says. But the fogatas and the optimism they inspired proved a powerful draw, a place to learn recipes and taste ingredients that, in some cases, she hadn’t seen since her early childhood in her grandmother’s kitchen. “It went beyond just traditional cooking to the relationship we have with our territory,” she says, which is to say to the core of the movement itself. Since then, “There’s a lot more valorization of our identity, which is something we’d lost.” Centuries of oppressive policies, first by the Spanish and later by the modern Mexican state, had left many Purhépecha communities ashamed of their ancient culture, the only Mesoamerican civilization south of the northern deserts to have resisted the imperial Aztecs. Smaller communities maintained their mother tongue, but in Cherán, a municipal seat and commercial hub for the surrounding villages, the language faded. “People would be humiliated for speaking Tarasco when they left town,” says Josefina Estrada Velazquez, 64, one of the 15 women who led the April 15 insurgency. “They didn’t want to be Purhépecha.” Some people from smaller towns where Purhépecha remains the first language remember coming to Cherán for secondary school and being mocked for using the language at all. It went beyond just traditional cooking to the relationship we have with our territory. ... There’s a lot more valorization of our identity, which is something we’d lost. Thousands migrated from Cherán to bigger cities or to the United States — according to some estimates, there are as many Cherán natives in the U.S. as in Cherán itself — but few maintained close ties to Cherán’s traditions. They did come back with aspirational, “modern” foods including hamburgers and fries. The time-consuming work of traditional cooking and ingredients foraged from the wild were denigrated as relics from an impoverished past. “People were really ashamed to sell things like mushrooms and wild greens in the market because that was work for poor people,” Campanur says. But in the rainy months that followed the movement, with money and supplies running low, groups of men started joining the forest guard to search the woods for edible fungi. Mushrooms became a fixture at the fogatas. “After the movement, there wasn’t a single house that didn’t eat mushrooms: That’s what helped us to recover in those difficult years. It’s how we sustained ourselves,” says Imelda Campos, 65, better known as Doña Mela and widely considered the finest traditional cook in town. “Cherán was always a big town with a strong heart. Our food is our strength.” (Felipe Luna / For The Times) Cherán was not the first town in Michoacán, much less in Mexico, to agitate for a degree of political autonomy, yet its success and its circumstances are unique. Few entirely indigenous communities are so large or have so much support from relatives elsewhere, and few have managed to transform their communities so dramatically without creating a power vacuum for other forms of corruption and violence. Yet children born after the movement, Huaroco points out, will grow up having never known political parties and shopping in markets where mushrooms are called by their Purhépecha names. Signs posted around the town hall offer quick lists of Purhépecha words and fliers outside advertise immersion courses, some of them taught by Doña Mela, who uses cooking as a vector for teaching language. “Today,” says Trinidad, “we’re Purhépecha by choice.” “Our system is never complete,” Huaroco says. “And nothing else will be if we don’t keep developing our love for our community — and food is a part of that.” To do that work, Trinidad hopes to revive the fogatas along with the meals and discussions they inspired. As of now, there is only one fogata still burning in Cherán, lit by a group of 10 women every Thursday and Sunday night, and known, half-jokingly, as la inmortal (the immortal). On a recent Sunday, well after sundown, Mary García Romero, the youngest of the group, drags an enameled spoon through a tangle of bird’s feet mushrooms wilting slowly into a thick red atapakua. A column of steam and smoke, redolent of sweet soil and wood and a bracing gust of yerba buena, collide with the soot-blacked tin roof erected nearly a decade ago. As the night wears on, the women share recipes and compare notes on ongoing problems in the community. Up the street, a young man shouts drunken expletives into the darkness. Rosa Fabian Romero, seated on a log laid out across the uneven pavement, turns up the radio, tuned to the frequency of the community station, called Radio Fogata, to drown him out, while Angeles Tomás Sánchez calls the ronda to take him home. “We should have used more guajillos to give the atapakua a nicer color,” Doña Rosa says, eyeing the burbling pot critically. She adds imperiously, without so much as a taste, “And it needs more salt.” Cherán is safe now. Young women go jogging in the forests alone. Neighbors look out for one another. The forest guards, Campanur complained good-humoredly, barely train anymore. Whole families go to the hills to hunt mushrooms, a delicacy brought back from the brink. Yet these women continue their vigil. “We come to the fogata because there are still a lot of things we haven’t quite solved yet,” Doña Angeles says. Mary García drizzles a stream of red liquid onto her palm, licks it away and throws another handful of salt into the pot. She nods in agreement. “Things can always be better.” Food ‘The White Lotus’ stars defend incest-like twist: “Nothing here is purely for shock value...” Peppa Pig and George to get a new sibling; Mummy Pig announces pregnancy Did you know THIS detail from Squid Game created chaos that nearly ‘ruined a woman’s life’? Shalini Passi: I did not anticipate the love I am getting from all corners of the world Release details and viewing schedule for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew episode 3 Andrew Walker and Ashley Williams share laughs and awkward moments filming kissing scene for 'Jingle Bell Run' Cheran's Journey Trailer: R Sarathkumar And P... Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil. If anyone dares to see the full series , they must be awarded the stars. Les than zero stars. Vomit worthy worst series that I have ever seen. All candidates have halo around their heads and common people are shown as worst characters who need to be preached by brainless idiot director who thinks he is above all zero stars actually. Ms Roopa has given a perfect review. Worst web series. Holier than thou attitude of Mr cheran is the worst of all 10 animals that can live without water for days 10 life-changing books that will help people improve in 2025 10 timeless Shakespeare love quotes that still make hearts melt AC overheating leads to fire! 10 ways to prevent overheating in air-conditioners Classic Vintage Indian Hairstyles by Bollywood Divas 12 things people need to start doing today to reduce stress and balance cortisol levels 8 fruits that have no seeds and their benefits Karishma Tanna radiates effortless charm in pastel hues and summer moods Sriti Jha’s touristy selfie game is on point 'Squid Game Season 3' release date revealed: OTT platform teases final chapter's plot and cast Amid the 'India's Got Latent' row, comedian Samay Raina and 4 influencers summoned by the Supreme Court for a petition alleging comments that made fun of disabled people The Rookie Season 7 Episode 17: All you need to know about the upcoming drama All American Season 7, Episode 13: Here’s all you need to know about its release date, time and where to watch 'Sullivan's Crossing' Season 3: All you need to know about the release, episode details, and streaming options Actor Ajaz Khan accused of rape on pretext of marriage and film role English dramas to watch on OTT in May: Four Seasons to Another Simple Favor Hospital Playlist star Kim Jun Han RETURNS as Ahn Chi Hong in 'Resident Playbook’ - Details Inside Kim Sae Ron's father asks for 50 million deposit on flat; unable to get refund- Here's why Kim Soo Hyun’s poster for K-drama ‘Knock Off' sparks criticism amidst ongoing controversy Kavitha MuralidharanTamil poet Rudhramoorthy Cheran is known for his powerful verses that bring to life the horror and trauma of the 26-year-long civil war fought between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels. But even the titles of his poetry collections can tell a story. His first book Irandaam Suriya Uthayam (The second sunrise), was published in 1982, a year after a Sinhalese mob burned down the Jaffna public library, destroying thousands of rare books and manuscripts. In July 1983, Tamil separatists ambushed a military convoy, killing 13 soldiers. Over the next few days, the island nation witnessed an anti-Tamil pogrom, leading to the massacre and exile of thousands. Cheran’s Yaman (God of Death) was published in 1984 and Kanal Vari (Songs of the sea shore) in 1989. His next book, published in 1990, when the second phase of the war began, was called Elumbukoodugalin Oorvalam (The procession of the skeletons) and was followed by Erinthu Kondirukkum Neram(In the time of burning) in 1993. ““It is, in a sense, a closure. We have lost tens of thousands of lives. Without a closure, how could we think of reconciliation?”” The Eelam war ended in 2009 after the Sri Lankan government killed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. Cheran’s poetry collection published in 2011 was titled Kaadaatru (A ritual to mollify the cremation ground). “It is, in a sense, a closure. We have lost tens of thousands of lives. Without a closure, how could we think of reconciliation?” asked Cheran, in a recent conversation. “The titles themselves convey the trajectory of civil war. In retrospect, when I look at the titles of my collections, it looks like I have captured the entire history of the civil war in Sri Lanka but not as a historian. I have done it as someone deeply involved and as an independent writer,” he said. is a chronicle of a genocide foretold and Kaadaatru was about the genocide itself For the title of his latest collection of poems Cheran read all 2,381 poems in the ancient Sangam literature—he was looking for a word that would communicate the trauma of a society that had lived through war “I cannot believe that a language as rich as Tamil had no word for the post-war trauma of a society Agnar has just been published by Kalachuvadu Publications along with another poetry collection Thinai Mayakkam Allathu Nenjodu Kilarthal(Blurred genes) where he teaches at the department of sociology at University of Windsor in Ontario He recently began offering a course in genocide at the university His poetry has been translated into over 20 Indian and international languages including Spanish a senior writer and Tamil scholar in Sri Lanka calls Cheran the foremost of the children produced by war His poems are powerful and gut-wrenching accounts of voices lost in the din of violence (translated by Geetha Sukumaran and Anushiya Ramasamy) “Anushiya Ramasamy and I began these translations recently. We translate helplessly, carrying the images of the dead, giving them words in another language. Most times, we are weary of trying to find in the thesaurus, words for trauma, trial and blood. Sometimes we forget whose memories we are writing about—Cheran’s personal narratives and lost loves—or our own thoughts mired in his words,” Sukumaran said. Cheran’s Aiyo vividly—and almost matter-of-factly—captures one of the many sordid tales of violence unleashed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force on Tamils in Sri Lanka. “The progression is not over yet,” said Cheran “The trajectory continues and so does my poetry The images might change; they would reflect the changes in the trajectory” he used metaphors of blood and wounded land is partly autobiographical and raises fundamental questions on morality “How can one be a good writer without having questions on morality?” he asks The writer says he is not in agreement with blaming the LTTE for what happened in Sri Lanka from within the Tamil society in Sri Lanka I think the entire Eelam Tamil community is responsible for whatever had happened in Sri Lanka The society has a collective responsibility Writers and artists have a moral responsibility Thinai Mayakkam deals with that question.” “"You cannot call poetry travelling over 30-35 years as war poetry a senior Tamil poet and writer who has followed Sri Lankan poetry closely said that he considered Cheran’s the most important voice in Eelam poetry “The verse Saambal Pootha Therukkalilirunthu ezhunthu varuga (Rise and come from the ash-laden streets) in Irandaam Suriya Uthayam captured the public imagination in such a big way that it was printed on pamphlets.” “It transformed into the voice of the entire humanity I consider this the most important contribution of Cheran to Tamil literature—he expressed the common human voice in his poetry It reflects the most fundamental principle of Tamil life: Yaadhum oore Cheran is clear that he doesn’t want to be limited by being defined as a war poet “You cannot call poetry travelling over 30-35 years as war poetry How can you classify someone like Elie Wiesel as a war poet?” He is also convinced that while the war may have ended “It is a defeat for those who see it in complete nationalist perspective The fire for liberation will continue to burn Militant politics might have been defeated by there is still space for civic politics it requires commitment and it needs radical kind of democracy I don’t know when but it is bound to happen.” A documentary about an indigenous uprising against organized crime in Michoacán and the subsequent establishment of a self-governing community premiered online on Thursday Cherán: The Burning Hope tells the story of Cherán a Purépecha town 110 kilometers west of Morelia Fed up with the presence of drug traffickers and illegal loggers residents banded together to oust the criminals in 2011 even using bonfires to prevent loggers from entering the community They later established their own security force to supersede the municipal police whose members were in cahoots with the criminals an organization affiliated with the non-profit Qatar Foundation and directed by Elpida Nikou and Rodrigo Hernández the 13-minute film tells the story of Cherán from the perspective of its residents Much of it is narrated by Yunuen Torres Asencio which has recorded oral histories of Cherán’s tumultuous past as young people we felt our liberties were being taken away,” she says at the start of the film “We couldn’t move around freely and were surrounded by fear [Organized crime] was like a well-planned monster that was taking more of our territory in Michoacán.” But in the 10 years since organized crime groups were expelled and Cherán became autonomous peace and security have improved and the community has built a sustainable economy that includes a sawmill a construction materials company and a garden as well as Latin America’s largest rainwater collection system “Autonomy is the decision to govern ourselves The documentary features spectacular aerial footage of Cherán and surrounding areas shot by drone operator Miguel Tovar and provides a fascinating insight into the struggles and successes of a small town in Michoacán ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Seshasayee of the Madras High Court brought cricket into the courtroom in his final judgment dismissing a petition in a longstanding corporate dispute The case involved Cheran Enterprises and its foreign investors The legal tussle started with a failed business deal between Cheran Enterprises These investors had pumped substantial sums into the company—Rs 75 crore and Rs 4 crore respectively—under agreements that turned sour the Company Law Board (CLB) ordered Cheran to repay Rs 79 crore with 8% annual interest within a year or transfer certain assets to the investors Cheran began a marathon of legal challenges over FEMA regulations and share valuations offering paltry settlements that were a fraction of what was owed compared it to a cricket match that had overstayed its welcome The victorious fielding team has retired to the pavilion It may require some time for team-petitioner to realise that it has lost a match that it was desperate to win,” he stated adding poetic flair to his legal reasoning Describing KCP’s legal maneuvers as “childish and pretentious,” the judge likened them to a lower-division cricket team struggling to hold its ground in a professional league “KCP finds itself on an unplayable and slippery wicket,” he noted dismissing the argument that FEMA regulations hampered the investors’ ability to own land This had been settled previously by allowing nominees to purchase the property The judgment also highlighted KCP’s string of defeats in both lower courts and the Supreme Court emphasizing the futility of their persistent legal strategy “Despite the scars of earlier defeats only KCP and his teammates believe their strategy may still work,” Justice Seshasayee remarked the judge reflected on the broader implications of fairness and dharma in judicial proceedings “Unfairness may tempt; unfairness may even pay at times; but unfairness certainly fails,” he declared underscoring the values central to his judgment   Which language would you like to use this site in More than 80,000 people disappeared in Sri Lanka. Many people there, including me, have relatives or friends who have disappeared in the past 30 years during the war at least you know their fate and you can have some closure You will be like a small bird trapped in a dark cage The major issue in Sri Lanka is the state’s brutality over the past 30 years but one that is very willing to kill thousands of people or “disappear” them without hesitation The state is the source of human rights violations And when it comes to literature and fine arts Poetry [is] a small candle – with an uncompromising fire which was bombed by the government for reporting atrocities carried out by Sri Lanka’s security forces It was not liked by the various Tamil militant groups either and in 1990 became editor of Sarinihar (Perfect Equality) a Tamil language weekly newspaper one of Sarinihar’s writers disappeared in the capital Sarinihar was very critical of the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) There were some serious threats on my life and with Amnesty International’s help I volunteered at the Amnesty office for some time and eventually received a scholarship to do my PhD at York University in Toronto the other journalists that had worked for Sarinihar are living in exile now The sun has setacross the spreading fields the sun has setin the shadow of the woods the sun has setbeyond the anger of the rain which is yet to fallupon the hundreds of bodies sprawled upon the sand upon a severed legalone upon the sea-shorethe sun has set Upon the broken wingsof a quivering small birdwhich does not knowwhere to heap its loss and sorrow and searches for a corner in a small cagewhere it can lurk;within my tears the sun has set At dawn they arrivewith faltering words:The body has not been found There are several poems in my collections on disappearances evoking the friends I have lost I have no naive hope or belief that my poetry can turn the world upside down. However, as someone who cherishes and fights for freedom of expression, writing can be a source of strength, a way of protest, and a medium with which to change the perceptions of others. It is a slow but significant process. As Canadian poet bpNicholonce said: “A / LAKE / A / LANE / A / LINE / A / LONE” a single line of my poetry may evoke a thousand waves and memories Find out more about our poetry competition, Silenced Shadows Together we can fight for human rights everywhere Your donation can transform the lives of millions If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you Tamil actor-director Cheran debuts in Malayalam cinema with Narivetta Tamil actor and director Cheran is set to make his debut in Malayalam cinema with the upcoming movie Narivetta Directed by Anuraj Manohar and written by Abin Joseph Cheran shared the news on Twitter on July 22 unveiling the film’s poster and expressing his excitement about this new venture I am acting in a Malayalam movie with the best actor Tovino Thomas which shows huts on fire with people walking away Narivetta boasts an impressive ensemble cast including Suraj Venjaramoodu Cheran expressed his enthusiasm for this new opportunity "It's great to be acting in a Malayalam film for the first time Anuraj Manohar's story and my role in it impressed me It's an extra joy to act with Tovino Thomas." நண்பர்களே... முதன்முதலாக நீண்டநாள் ஆசையாக இருந்த ஒன்று நிறைவேறி இருக்கிறது.. மலையாள திரைப்படம் ஒன்றில் ஆகச்சிறந்த நடிகரான டொவினோதாமஸ் உடன் இணைந்து 'இஸ்க்' படத்தின் இயக்குனரான அனுராஜ் மனோகர் இயக்கத்தில் நடிக்கிறேன்.. என்றும்போல உங்கள் ஆதரவும் அன்பும் தேவை.. நன்றி. pic.twitter.com/6nOyzUg8BN Cheran is also working on his next directorial venture The film stars Kichcha Sudeep and Srinidhi Shetty and is being produced by Sathya Jyothi Films The announcement was made on Sudeep's 52nd birthday and the poster shows an unidentified man with his hands and clothes smeared in blood While details about the plot and cast are yet to be revealed the project has generated significant buzz Despite rumours that Kichcha 47 had been shelved due to Cheran's involvement in another film with Prabhu Deva and Kajol Cheran's last directorial work was the television mini-series Journey Also Read: Rohit Shetty Teases All-Women Cop Universe After Deepika Padukone's Singham 3 Debut Also Read: Sonam Kapoor Opens Up About Ageing And Acting: 'It's Flattering But Weird To Get Roles For 20-Somethings' Jagran English brings you all the latest and breaking news from India and around the world. Get live English news from India, World, Politics, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Business, Education, Sports, Technology, and much more. Follow english.jagran.com to stay updated with the latest English news. Copyright © 2025 Jagran Prakashan Limited. In some places, like the Indigenous township of Cheran in Michoacan state, the fight against illegal logging and planting has been so successful it’s as if a line has been drawn across the mountains: avocados and cleared land on one side, pine forest on the other. This required a decade-long revolt in which the townspeople declared themselves autonomous and formed their own government. Other towns, bullied by growers and gunmen from drug cartels, struggle on but are often cowed by violence. David Ramos Guerrero, a member of Cheran’s self-governing farmers board, says farmers here have agreed on a total ban on commercial avocado orchards, which he contends bring “violence, bloodshed.” “People are allowed to have three, four or five, or at most 10, avocado plants to supply food, but commercial planting isn’t allowed,” he said. The reason is clear. On a patrol, Ramos Guerrero looks out across an almost deforested valley in a neighboring township. Rows of young avocado trees stand in lines up the denuded slopes that once held pine and fir trees. “This is an island,” he said. “All around Cheran, there has been an invasion of avocados.” Anyone who has walked through the cool mountain forest of pine and fir trees in Michoacan knows that the canopy protects against heat and evaporation; the thick mat of fallen pineneedles acts like a sponge, soaking up and storing humidity; the roots prevent water and soil from running off the slopes. But the first thing avocado growers do is dig retaining ponds to water their orchards, draining streams that had been used by people farther down the mountain. Then drug cartels extort money from the avocado growers. “We have realized the only thing avocados do is soak up all the water that our forests produce,” Ramos Guerrero said. Cheran, which began its experiment in self-rule in 2011 by blocking roads used by illegal loggers, now digs trenches across logging roads with backhoes. “We start in a friendly way, by talking” to avocado farmers, Ramos Guerrero said. “If we don’t reach an agreement, then we use force — we tear up or cut down the avocado trees.” If farmers still don’t agree to stop logging or planting avocados, Cheran’s forestry patrols swing into action. Riding a pair of pickup trucks through the woods, community patrols of men armed with AR-15 rifles stop and seize an ax, then a chainsaw, from two men cutting up trees. The men will probably get them back with a caution to seek permission next time. The patrols find cut pine logs hidden in the brush along the road and seize them, heaving them onto one of the trucks. Salvador Ávila Magaña, 65, remembers how it was before the 2011 Cheran uprising. He was scared off his property by threats from loggers, who then clear-cut his land. “The last threat was that if we showed up [at the land] again, they were going to kidnap us; we were going to be found in bags,” Ávila Magaña said. “Several people were killed, and they were found in pieces, burned.” Even though his 45-acre plot had been completely logged, Ávila Magaña decided to replant pine trees, hoping “to leave something for my children or grandchildren,” who he hopes can resume what had once been a sustainable forestry practice of extracting pine resin for use in turpentine or cosmetics. “We reached an agreement among the communal farmers that we weren’t going to plant avocados; we were going to only plant trees that produce good oxygen,” he said. Avocados have been nothing short of a miracle crop for thousands of small farmers in Michoacan. With a few acres of well-tended trees, small landholders can send their kids to college or buy a pickup truck, something no other crop allows them to do. But because of the immense amount of water needed, the expansion of avocados has come by moving into humid pine forests, rather than disused cornfields. Neither the growers nor the exporters have made any serious effort to ensure that their avocados come from sustainable orchards. The Mexican Avocado Growers Assn. did not respond to requests for an interview. If the battle has been temporarily won in Cheran, it is still being fought in other towns in Michoacan that haven’t had a citizen takeover of local government. About 60 miles away in Villa Madero, activist Guillermo Saucedo tried to institute the kind of farmers’ patrols used in Cheran to detect illegal logging and unauthorized avocado orchards. He got 60 or 70 people to participate in the patrols, starting in May 2021. But by Dec. 6, Saucedo says, he had perhaps spoken too forcefully at meetings or angered the powerful allies of the loggers and avocado growers, and he ran up against drug cartel gunmen. “A white SUV with tinted windows cut me off,” Saucedo recalled a month later. “Three people got out with pistols and rifles, and they cocked their guns and pointed them at me. ... They started hitting me and forced me into the vehicle.” Along the ride, they tossed a jacket and a ski mask over his head and kept hitting him in the head with the rifle stocks and the butts of their pistols. Later, at a safe house, they repeatedly asked him about a detained cartel boss, but Saucedo thinks that was a cover for their real interest: his community organizing. “They kept beating me until they got tired,” he said. Hours later, they abandoned him on a dirt path in a distant township and instructed him to blame a rival cartel for his abduction. The patrols ceased, and Saucedo has been forced to lie low in his home village of Zangarro. His requests to the federal government for protection have gone unheeded, in a country where, over the last three years, 96 community, environmental or rights activists have been killed. Saucedo and environmentalist Julio Santoyo are unsure as to what the exact links are among the drug cartel and the loggers and avocado growers in Villa Madero. Santoyo believes the gangs could be directly investing in avocado plantations. It would not be beyond belief in Michoacan, where in 2010 another cartel, the Knights Templar, took over the business of mining iron ore and exporting it to China. Saucedo thinks the cartels are protecting the loggers and growers. “They are acting as godfathers for them, protecting them,” Saucedo said. Certainly, avocado growers in other parts of the state have often complained that drug cartels were demanding payment for each shipment of fruit, and it’s easy to see why the gangs would want more production. In Villa Madero, which was once surrounded by pine forests, Santoyo recently used Google Earth to count about 360 retention ponds that avocado growers have dug to feed their thirsty groves. Saucedo says that since many of the pine forests have been cut down, avocado growers are resorting to deep wells, further depleting the water table. Santoyo says he has received indirect threats from a cartel to “tone it down” with his activism. But he says local farm families are already being affected by the avocado plantations. “People in this area have traditionally been able to get water from the streams for their animals — goats, cows or sheep,” he said. “They can’t find water anymore, sometimes even for themselves, and now they have to haul it in pickup trucks or on foot or with horses.” Associated Press journalist Fernanda Pesce contributed to this report. Politics California Keerthy Suresh’s chic and elegant workwear looks 8 simple desk yoga asanas to prevent sleepiness at work Reliving history through Bollywood epic films based on real events 10 red saris of Bollywood divas that are timeless 10 popular Indian snacks perfect for tea time munching Empowering positive affirmations to navigate challenges in relationship Our Privacy Policy has been revised. Please review updated ';P+='Privacy Policy Here';P+=' MEXICO (Report) — On the road leading into this hardscrabble town in Mexico’s southwest corner there stands a checkpoint staffed by heavily-armed guards This scene is not particularly unusual for this violence-plagued country but Cheran is no ordinary place: seven years ago this month the mostly indigenous townspeople here grew tired of watching the loggers illegally cut down their trees and frustrated with the extortion rackets run by the organized-crime cartels and angry at the politicians who did nothing to protect them or the forest that is central to the local timber economy And so the denizens of this community tucked away in the state of Michoacán evicted the bootleg loggers and the mobsters who hired them; they kicked out the police department and the mayor and the city council and the prosecutors and the judges and they decided to do it all themselves The gendarmes patrolling the city’s borders are Cheran is no utopia, but virtually everyone here says they feel happier and safer with the new autonomous arrangement that is reminiscent of the Paris Commune the radical workers’ movement that governed the City of Lights for two months in the spring of 1871 before authorities and industrialists managed to regain control people have realized that this new system is the most suitable for us … now we take care of each other,” David Ramos Guerrero and ultimately jeopardizing Cheran’s water supply The townspeople’s complaints to their representatives at City Hall repeatedly fell on deaf ears until finally dozens of women gathered at the Roman Catholic Chapel of the Calvary at the town’s edge and waited As the trucks passed hauling their illegal bounty armed only with fireworks and rocks and white-hot indignation thousands turned out for a ceremony to celebrate the insurrection set in motion on that day in 2011 tired of being manipulated by organized crime and the government decided to rise up in struggle,” David Ramos Guerrero told MintPress News The cartels and their lackeys in the local government responded by shutting down cell-phone towers and electricity That only served to light a fire under the community the bonfires began to appear across the town until eventually there were more than 300 to help the people keeping watch for the inevitable retaliation by the cartels “They were principally a meeting point to defend ourselves against the organized-crime groups and the bad government that was in power,” said Guerrero Luz Torres said that her first priority was the safety of her children she saw her neighbors pour into the street were close enough that they were within yelling distance so periodically they would call out to each other to check in “Everything is alright!” they would yell back “Neighbors who previously did not speak to each other got together at their fogata to defend and to talk on a daily basis,” Alan Silva Guardan Luz Torres fought back tears as she recalled those early nights and how her fogata was left one evening with only a certain type of wood that is known not to burn;  but somehow it burned those nights providing light and hope to those on the streets Everything was discussed around the bonfire from daily banalities to long-term strategic plans One resident said he saw it as a richer type of democracy The fogatas became the basis of a new form of grassroots political participation and Cheran was in a virtual state of siege for months in 2011 Several residents were murdered by the cartels Luz said a member of her fogata insisted on checking on his land on the outskirts of town His body was found days later; it has been burned and mutilated After dispatching with the loggers and cartels that hired them the discussions at the fogatas shifted to the corrupt politicians who enabled their tormentors Local elections that were planned for November 2011 were canceled after the community petitioned electoral authorities to enact a Mexican law that allows Indigenous communities to practice self-rule. After a protracted legal battle, the Superior Court of Mexico’s Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary formally recognized Cheran’s political autonomy Cheran is today governed by a system called “uses and customs” that replaced the system of political parties There is a 12-member Head Council whose representatives are chosen by assemblies held in the town’s four neighborhoods the delegates for which are selected by residents at their fogatas The funds and resources that used to go to municipal authorities now go to the council “When we say ‘uses and customs,’ it is just another way of saying we are going back to the teachings of our ancestors,” Guerrero told MintPress News While some still occasionally use the word “government,” most here reject that term as the elected officials are seen more as public servants This system allows for a closer auditing of public funds and residents say they believe public money is now better spent there are posters and signs for the upcoming election in Mexico “This project that we are living, it is a project that in some form, without political parties, is giving us results,” said Guerrero. Gone too are the local police; the forest is now protected by “forest keepers,” who are chosen from the community to patrol the surrounding areas. Residents also say they feel much safer now that the police are gone. Petty crime is handled by the community. The state where the so-called war on the cartels began a decade ago, Michoacán is one of the most dangerous states in the country, but not in Cheran. Even late at night, the streets of Cheran are filled with children playing. But Cheran is not out of the woods yet. Residents are worried that complacency could set in and political parties could work their way back into the community. They are keenly aware that there are forces that would like to do away with the example Cheran has set. “We have to keep remembering in order to strengthen our culture, our community,” said the young activist Guardan. As part of the commemoration of the uprising, the community organized a massive march that wound its way throughout Cheran’s four neighborhoods. In every neighborhood, there is at least one mural dedicated to the people’s struggle. As they moved through the town, residents came out of their homes and cheered them on, some throwing confetti as people passed. Children — some of them not yet even born when the uprising took place – put on skits with their classmates, defending their fogata or acting out the arrest one of the illegal loggers. Many wore bandanas on their face and carried wooden replicas of guns. The events of April 15, 2011 are deeply ingrained in the town’s culture. “It is a means of keeping the oral tradition, the knowledge of previous generations, alive,” said Guardan. “It gives you new strength to stay in the struggle because not all has been won,” Luz Torres told MintPress. ”We have taken another little step forward and are not retreating.” Top Photo | Members of Cheran’s Head Council, together with migrant-rights activist Father Solalinde, stand in front of the Chapel of the Calvary in Cheran, Michoacan, April 15, 2018. (Photo: José Luis Granados Ceja) José Luis Granados Ceja is a writer and photojournalist based in Mexico City. He has previously written for outlets such as teleSUR and the Two Row Times and has also worked in radio as a host and producer. He specializes in contemporary political analysis and the role of media in influencing the public. He is particularly interested in covering the work of social movements and labor unions throughout Latin America. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Print Reporting from Mexico City — Like many residents of the pine-covered hills of Cheran in central Mexico Guadalupe Campanur led a life of radical resistance As a young woman in 2011, she joined town leaders in fighting back against illegal loggers and drug traffickers accused of murdering local farmers She later played a role when the town’s newly formed self-defense patrols expelled the local government that was perceived as corrupt They replaced police officers and politicians aligned with national parties with homegrown militias and assemblies inspired by the community’s indigenous roots was deeply committed to the town’s unique political and social experiment leading patrols of the militia as well as community sewing classes she was found strangled on the side of a highway Was Campanur’s death connected to her activism? Environmental activists have been killed in Mexico and countries across the globe in recent years Or was she just another of the 80 homicide victims killed daily across Mexico a country where increasingly balkanized criminal groups have fueled a historic surge of violence ENVIRONMENTAL WARRIORS: Defending the planet has become a suicide mission » the incident is a profound loss for a close-knit community that has proudly sought to insulate itself from the violence of the rest of the country “We have maintained our struggle to confront this situation of insecurity and the death of a member of our community hurts us deeply,” Chavez said Silvano Aureoles said that although authorities have not yet identified any suspects the slaying “will not go unpunished.” The state attorney general’s office said relatives of Campanur said they were unaware of threats against the woman Campanur’s body was found near a highway about 20 miles north of Cheran with 1,510 homicide investigations opened there last year Traveling by automobile is notoriously unsafe and road closures organized by criminals — so-called narco-blockades — are frequent State Department issued a warning urging American citizens not to visit the state has been a haven since the community takeover A heavily protected bastion where local militia members guard each main entrance to town authorities say there has not been a murder there since the takeover in 2011 with locals armed with assault rifles fanning out across the woods looking in search of illegal loggers Political electioneering is banned — no one can enter the town with so much as a bumper sticker promoting a political party — because of the link between political parties and criminal gangs that operate in the area Because Cheran’s residents mostly belong to the Purepecha Indian ethnic group they were allowed to set up their own government under Mexican laws governing indigenous areas it took a lengthy court fight for the town to be able to implement its own system of government the local assemblies and the militias have stepped up security in the region To read the article in Spanish, click here kate.linthicum@latimes.com Twitter: @katelinthicum patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT Cecilia Sanchez of the Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report. Kate Linthicum is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City. the series offers nothing that you haven't seen before While they're all capable and equally ambitious Ashok has to pick only one candidate for the opening The narrative is predictable from the beginning while the dialogues aren't impactful either it's Kalaiyarasan's act you'll love watching the most Shraddha Kapoor raises the ethnic fashion bar in an ethereal black saree ​Tara Sutaria embodies timeless grace in her traditional ensembles​ 8 Gym friendly protein rich foods for muscle building Janhvi Kapoor perfects the essence of ethnic elegance 12 yoga asanas that will make you stronger than ever Mrunal Thakur makes a glamorous statement in custom-made golden saree 10 hidden benefits of beer no one told about