The government of Uruapan, Michoacán, reported this Wednesday the cancellation of the November 20 parade, citing the worsening security situation the region is experiencing, as city officials said in a statement. The decision came just two weeks after the shooting death of then-mayor Carlos Manzo, which continues to shock the country. City executives signed off that the annulment would also be done as an act in memory of Mr. Manzo.
Every year on November 20, the country celebrates the commemoration and remembrance of the Mexican Revolution, which began on the same day in 1910. “This decision was made with deep respect and responsibility, prioritizing the safety and peace of the entire family of Huarapense,” said the letter from the administration, which has been led since last Wednesday by Manzo’s wife, Grecia Itzel Quiroz.
On November 4, all members of the state House of Representatives endorsed Quiros for the mayorship of Uruapan. However, he had to wait until the next day until the same forces unanimously approved his election. Afterwards, the executive itself announced that the new mayor promised to continue Manzo’s project: “a government that is close to the people, transparent, and aims to rebuild the infrastructure of society.”
Manzo’s murder at the hands of a 17-year-old boy associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) during a Day of the Dead celebration on November 1 exposed on a national level the maelstrom of violence being experienced in Michoacán, a region besieged by organized crime. The shock of the attack on a local politician quickly reverberated through the National Palace. President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a new peace plan for Michoaca state last Sunday, a week after the attack, pushing for 100 actions, including sending 5,000 troops and investing 57 billion pesos. On the same day, authorities arrested five CJNG criminal suspects.
The latest data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) showed the uncertainty that Uruapan City is experiencing. 82.6% of residents considered this municipality unsafe in the third quarter of this year. As a result, the region became the fifth most dangerous region in the country, after Culiacan (Sinaloa, 88.3%), Ecatepec (Mexico, 84.4%), Cuernavaca (Morelos, 84.2%), and Ciudad Obregon (Sonora, 83.6%). Although significantly lower than last quarter’s 89.5%, anxiety rates continue to be an issue. Although the percentages still showed the severity of the place.
That’s not the only information that reflects the severity of Michoacán. Inegi also said the state’s crime victimization rate in 2024 was 16,572 per 100,000 residents, an increase of 10.5 percentage points compared to the previous year’s crime victimization rate of 14,993 per 100,000 residents.
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