Resisting extortion : victims, criminals, and states in Latin America

Criminal extortion is an understudied, but widespread and severe problem in Latin America. In states that cannot or choose not to uphold the rule of law, victims are often seen as helpless in the face of powerful criminals. However, even under such difficult circumstances, victims resist criminal extortion in surprisingly different ways. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in violent localities in Colombia, El Salvador and Mexico, Moncada weaves together interviews, focus groups, and participatory drawing exercises to explain why victims pursue distinct strategies to resist criminal extortion. The analysis traces and compares processes that lead to individual acts of everyday resistance; sporadic killings by ad hoc groups of victims and police; institutionalized and sustained collective vigilantism; and coordination between victims and states to co-produce order in ways that both strengthen and undermine the rule of law. This book offers valuable new insights into the broader politics of crime and the state. -- Provided by publisher "One rifle shot meant everyone should grab their guns and be alert for anything. Two rifle shots meant come with your weapons to the barricade because the Templarios [referring to the Knights Templar drug trafficking organization, or DTO] were coming. And three shots meant that everyone, even kids, had to come to the barricade"-- Provided by publisher Using ethnographic data gathered in violent locations across Latin America, Eduardo Moncada shares new insights into the widespread problem of criminal extortion. Despite living in settings where states cannot or will not enforce the rule of law, victims of crime find different ways to fight back.