Cherán - Revision history

Eleutherious: Course no longer cited as a source: views attributed to Logos, plain facts stated plainly

2026-11-04T23:55:11Z

Course no longer cited as a source: views attributed to Logos, plain facts stated plainly

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:55, 4 November 2026
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	'''Cherán''' is a Purépecha town and municipality in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, about 123 km west of the state capital, Morelia. Since 2011 it has governed itself through community assemblies and an elected council, outside the political party system. The municipality has a reported population of 16,243. ~~The~~ Logos ~~activist course ''Building a Parallel Society''~~ cites Cherán as an example of residents taking over functions a failing state had lost.		'''Cherán''' is a Purépecha town and municipality in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, about 123 km west of the state capital, Morelia. Since 2011 it has governed itself through community assemblies and an elected council, outside the political party system. The municipality has a reported population of 16,243. [[Logos]] cites Cherán as an example of residents taking over functions a failing state had lost.

	== What happened ==		== What happened ==
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	=== Safety record ===		=== Safety record ===
	~~The course~~ says that within a few years Cherán's homicide rate was among the lowest in Michoacán. Bloomberg reported in 2017 that the town had not had "a single slaying or serious crime in six years", a claim it traced to the town itself. The same report said federal authorities had counted 614 killings in Michoacán so far that year, a 16 percent increase on 2016. Wikipedia states that Cherán had the lowest homicide rate in the state in 2017.		Logos says that within a few years Cherán's homicide rate was among the lowest in Michoacán. Bloomberg reported in 2017 that the town had not had "a single slaying or serious crime in six years", a claim it traced to the town itself. The same report said federal authorities had counted 614 killings in Michoacán so far that year, a 16 percent increase on 2016. Wikipedia states that Cherán had the lowest homicide rate in the state in 2017.

	The researcher Giovanna Gasparello, writing in 2018, cautioned that official crime figures for Cherán do not reflect actual crime, for two reasons. Few crimes are reported at all, and a survey by INEGI, Mexico's statistics office, found only about 11 percent of crimes were reported in 2016. Since 2013 a local body, the Concejo de Honor y Justicia, has also handled cases, and it probably does not pass all its data to the national system. The official figures she cites record five intentional homicides in Cherán in 2012.		The researcher Giovanna Gasparello, writing in 2018, cautioned that official crime figures for Cherán do not reflect actual crime, for two reasons. Few crimes are reported at all, and a survey by INEGI, Mexico's statistics office, found only about 11 percent of crimes were reported in 2016. Since 2013 a local body, the Concejo de Honor y Justicia, has also handled cases, and it probably does not pass all its data to the national system. The official figures she cites record five intentional homicides in Cherán in 2012.
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	== Why it matters to Logos ==		== Why it matters to Logos ==
	~~The course~~ uses Cherán to argue that the gap left by a failing state does not have to go to cartels or corporations. In its account the residents organised their own defence, put their own community government in place, and won legal standing and control of their territory. ~~The course~~ presents a [[Parallel society\|parallel society]] as ordinary people occupying such a gap on purpose. It links the case to its wider argument on [[Institutional decline\|institutional decline]], that the functions a failing state abandons get occupied by whoever is organised.		Logos uses Cherán to argue that the gap left by a failing state does not have to go to cartels or corporations. In its account the residents organised their own defence, put their own community government in place, and won legal standing and control of their territory. It presents a [[Parallel society\|parallel society]] as ordinary people occupying such a gap on purpose. It links the case to its wider argument on [[Institutional decline\|institutional decline]], that the functions a failing state abandons get occupied by whoever is organised.

	== See also ==		== See also ==
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	== Sources ==		== Sources ==
	* ~~Building a Parallel Society,~~ Logos ~~activist course~~, 2026		* Logos Circles training material, 2026
	* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher%C3%A1n Cherán], Wikipedia		* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher%C3%A1n Cherán], Wikipedia
	* [https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/the-cheran-indigenous-communitys-remarkable-road-to-self-rule-in-mexico The Cherán indigenous community's remarkable road to self-rule in Mexico], Our World, United Nations University, c. 2015		* [https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/the-cheran-indigenous-communitys-remarkable-road-to-self-rule-in-mexico The Cherán indigenous community's remarkable road to self-rule in Mexico], Our World, United Nations University, c. 2015

Eleutherious: Plainer prose: fewer quotes, glosses folded in, claims attributed

2026-11-04T23:31:18Z

Plainer prose: fewer quotes, glosses folded in, claims attributed

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:31, 4 November 2026
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	== What happened ==		== What happened ==
	Before 2011 the town suffered from organised crime, bribed politicians and corrupt police. Residents faced kidnappings, extortion, murders and illegal logging of their forest~~. The~~ loggers ~~were~~ linked to the cartel La Familia Michoacana. On 15 April 2011 a group of women and men armed with rocks and fireworks attacked a busload of illegal loggers. Residents put up barricades to control who entered the town and met around bonfires to agree how to run it.		Before 2011 the town suffered from organised crime, bribed politicians and corrupt police. Residents faced kidnappings, extortion, murders and the illegal logging of their forest by loggers linked to the cartel La Familia Michoacana. On 15 April 2011 a group of women and men armed with rocks and fireworks attacked a busload of illegal loggers. Residents put up barricades to control who entered the town and met around bonfires to agree how to run it.

	The community expelled the loggers~~. It also expelled~~ the political parties, the municipal government in office and its police.		The community expelled the loggers, along with the political parties, the municipal government in office and its police.

	=== Legal standing ===		=== Legal standing ===
	On 2 November 2011 the Superior Chamber of Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal ruled in case SUP-JDC-9167/2011. It held that the community has "the right to request the election of their own authorities, following their traditional rules, procedures and practices". ~~The ruling~~ required this to be done with full respect for human rights~~. It~~ cancelled the municipal election that had been due in Cherán.		On 2 November 2011 the Superior Chamber of Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal ruled in case SUP-JDC-9167/2011. It held that the community has "the right to request the election of their own authorities, following their traditional rules, procedures and practices". It required this to be done with full respect for human rights and cancelled the municipal election that had been due in Cherán.

	On 29 May 2014 the Supreme Court of Justice decided a further case, Constitutional Controversy 32/2012. It found that the Michoacán Congress should have consulted the Cherán council before passing a reform of the state constitution. It held that ILO Convention 169 forms part of the constitutional standard. The court declared the reform invalid, with effect only for the parties to the case.		On 29 May 2014 the Supreme Court of Justice decided a further case, Constitutional Controversy 32/2012. It found that the Michoacán Congress should have consulted the Cherán council before passing a reform of the state constitution. It also held that ILO Convention 169 forms part of the constitutional standard. The court declared the reform invalid, with effect only for the parties to the case.

	== How it governs itself ==		== How it governs itself ==
	The community elects a 12-member council, the ''K'eri Jánaskakua''. The authority of the community assembly sits above every other local body, and decisions are taken by consensus. Other bodies include a youth council, a women's council, neighbourhood councils and a communal territory council. Neighbourhood watch members patrol the town and the surrounding forest~~. The community's patrol is called the ''Ronda''~~. The Mexican government treats Cherán as a legal self-governing indigenous community.		The community elects a 12-member council, the ''K'eri Jánaskakua''. The authority of the community assembly sits above every other local body, and decisions are taken by consensus. Other bodies include a youth council, a women's council, neighbourhood councils and a communal territory council. Neighbourhood watch members, known as the ''Ronda'', patrol the town and the surrounding forest. The Mexican government treats Cherán as a legal self-governing indigenous community.

	=== Safety record ===		=== Safety record ===
	The course says that within a few years Cherán's homicide rate was among the lowest in Michoacán. Bloomberg reported in 2017 that the town had not had "a single slaying or serious crime in six years", a claim it traced to the town. The same report said federal authorities counted 614 killings in Michoacán so far that year, a 16 percent increase ~~from~~ 2016. Wikipedia states that Cherán had the lowest homicide rate in the state in 2017. The researcher Giovanna Gasparello, writing in 2018, cautioned that official crime figures for Cherán do not reflect actual crime. She gave two reasons. First, few crimes are reported. She cites a survey by INEGI, Mexico's statistics office, that found only about 11 percent of crimes were reported in 2016. Second, since 2013 a local body, the Concejo de Honor y Justicia, has handled cases, and it probably does not pass all its data to the national system. The official figures she cites record five intentional homicides in Cherán in 2012.		The course says that within a few years Cherán's homicide rate was among the lowest in Michoacán. Bloomberg reported in 2017 that the town had not had "a single slaying or serious crime in six years", a claim it traced to the town itself. The same report said federal authorities had counted 614 killings in Michoacán so far that year, a 16 percent increase on 2016. Wikipedia states that Cherán had the lowest homicide rate in the state in 2017.

	On 2 July 2025 armed men, apparently members of the CJNG cartel, attacked the community~~. It~~ reported one member of the ''Ronda'' killed and one wounded. A report on the attack ~~said~~ it ~~broke "~~14 years of peace in Cherán".		The researcher Giovanna Gasparello, writing in 2018, cautioned that official crime figures for Cherán do not reflect actual crime, for two reasons. Few crimes are reported at all, and a survey by INEGI, Mexico's statistics office, found only about 11 percent of crimes were reported in 2016. Since 2013 a local body, the Concejo de Honor y Justicia, has also handled cases, and it probably does not pass all its data to the national system. The official figures she cites record five intentional homicides in Cherán in 2012.

			On 2 July 2025 armed men, apparently members of the CJNG cartel, attacked the community, which reported one member of the ''Ronda'' killed and one wounded. A report on the attack described it as breaking 14 years of peace in Cherán.

	== Why it matters to Logos ==		== Why it matters to Logos ==
	The course uses Cherán to argue that the gap left by a failing state does not have to go to cartels or corporations. ~~It says~~ the residents organised their own defence, put their own community government in place, and won legal standing and control of their territory. The course presents a [[Parallel society\|parallel society]] as ordinary people occupying such a gap on purpose. It links the case to its wider argument on [[Institutional decline\|institutional decline]], ~~which says~~ the functions a failing state abandons get occupied by whoever is organised.		The course uses Cherán to argue that the gap left by a failing state does not have to go to cartels or corporations. In its account the residents organised their own defence, put their own community government in place, and won legal standing and control of their territory. The course presents a [[Parallel society\|parallel society]] as ordinary people occupying such a gap on purpose. It links the case to its wider argument on [[Institutional decline\|institutional decline]], that the functions a failing state abandons get occupied by whoever is organised.

	== See also ==		== See also ==

Eleutherious: Second check fixes, plus material from the Circles handbook, Circle reports, LAN and Logos docs, source-checked

2026-11-04T21:10:48Z

Second check fixes, plus material from the Circles handbook, Circle reports, LAN and Logos docs, source-checked

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:10, 4 November 2026
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	=== Legal standing ===		=== Legal standing ===
	On 2 November 2011 the Superior Chamber of Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal ruled in case SUP-JDC-9167/2011 that the community has "the right to request the election of their own authorities, following their traditional rules, procedures and practices". The ruling required this to be done with full respect for human rights. It cancelled the municipal election that had been due in Cherán.		On 2 November 2011 the Superior Chamber of Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal ruled in case SUP-JDC-9167/2011. It held that the community has "the right to request the election of their own authorities, following their traditional rules, procedures and practices". The ruling required this to be done with full respect for human rights. It cancelled the municipal election that had been due in Cherán.

	On 29 May 2014 the Supreme Court of Justice decided a further case, Constitutional Controversy 32/2012. It found that the Michoacán Congress should have consulted the Cherán council before passing a reform of the state constitution. It held that ILO Convention 169 forms part of the constitutional standard. The court declared the reform invalid, with effect only for the parties to the case.		On 29 May 2014 the Supreme Court of Justice decided a further case, Constitutional Controversy 32/2012. It found that the Michoacán Congress should have consulted the Cherán council before passing a reform of the state constitution. It held that ILO Convention 169 forms part of the constitutional standard. The court declared the reform invalid, with effect only for the parties to the case.
Line 15:		Line 15:

	=== Safety record ===		=== Safety record ===
	The course says that within a few years Cherán's homicide rate was among the lowest in Michoacán~~. Independent figures are thin~~. Bloomberg reported in 2017 that ~~residents said~~ the town had not had "a single slaying or serious crime in six years". The same report said federal authorities counted 614 killings in Michoacán so far that year, a 16 percent ~~rise on the same period of~~ 2016. Wikipedia states that Cherán had the lowest homicide rate in the state in 2017. The researcher Giovanna Gasparello, writing in 2018, cautioned that official crime figures for Cherán ~~are~~ not ~~representative of~~ actual crime.		The course says that within a few years Cherán's homicide rate was among the lowest in Michoacán. Bloomberg reported in 2017 that the town had not had "a single slaying or serious crime in six years", a claim it traced to the town. The same report said federal authorities counted 614 killings in Michoacán so far that year, a 16 percent increase from 2016. Wikipedia states that Cherán had the lowest homicide rate in the state in 2017. The researcher Giovanna Gasparello, writing in 2018, cautioned that official crime figures for Cherán do not reflect actual crime. She gave two reasons. First, few crimes are reported. She cites a survey by INEGI, Mexico's statistics office, that found only about 11 percent of crimes were reported in 2016. Second, since 2013 a local body, the Concejo de Honor y Justicia, has handled cases, and it probably does not pass all its data to the national system. The official figures she cites record five intentional homicides in Cherán in 2012.

	On 2 July 2025 armed men, apparently members of the CJNG cartel, attacked the community. It reported one member of the ''Ronda'' killed and one wounded. A report on the attack said it broke "14 years of peace in Cherán".		On 2 July 2025 armed men, apparently members of the CJNG cartel, attacked the community. It reported one member of the ''Ronda'' killed and one wounded. A report on the attack said it broke "14 years of peace in Cherán".

Eleutherious: New article from the Building a Parallel Society course, source-checked

2026-11-04T19:21:14Z

New article from the Building a Parallel Society course, source-checked

New page

'''Cherán''' is a Purépecha town and municipality in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, about 123 km west of the state capital, Morelia. Since 2011 it has governed itself through community assemblies and an elected council, outside the political party system. The municipality has a reported population of 16,243. The Logos activist course ''Building a Parallel Society'' cites Cherán as an example of residents taking over functions a failing state had lost.

== What happened ==
Before 2011 the town suffered from organised crime, bribed politicians and corrupt police. Residents faced kidnappings, extortion, murders and illegal logging of their forest. The loggers were linked to the cartel La Familia Michoacana. On 15 April 2011 a group of women and men armed with rocks and fireworks attacked a busload of illegal loggers. Residents put up barricades to control who entered the town and met around bonfires to agree how to run it.

The community expelled the loggers. It also expelled the political parties, the municipal government in office and its police.

=== Legal standing ===
On 2 November 2011 the Superior Chamber of Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal ruled in case SUP-JDC-9167/2011 that the community has "the right to request the election of their own authorities, following their traditional rules, procedures and practices". The ruling required this to be done with full respect for human rights. It cancelled the municipal election that had been due in Cherán.

On 29 May 2014 the Supreme Court of Justice decided a further case, Constitutional Controversy 32/2012. It found that the Michoacán Congress should have consulted the Cherán council before passing a reform of the state constitution. It held that ILO Convention 169 forms part of the constitutional standard. The court declared the reform invalid, with effect only for the parties to the case.

== How it governs itself ==
The community elects a 12-member council, the ''K'eri Jánaskakua''. The authority of the community assembly sits above every other local body, and decisions are taken by consensus. Other bodies include a youth council, a women's council, neighbourhood councils and a communal territory council. Neighbourhood watch members patrol the town and the surrounding forest. The community's patrol is called the ''Ronda''. The Mexican government treats Cherán as a legal self-governing indigenous community.

=== Safety record ===
The course says that within a few years Cherán's homicide rate was among the lowest in Michoacán. Independent figures are thin. Bloomberg reported in 2017 that residents said the town had not had "a single slaying or serious crime in six years". The same report said federal authorities counted 614 killings in Michoacán so far that year, a 16 percent rise on the same period of 2016. Wikipedia states that Cherán had the lowest homicide rate in the state in 2017. The researcher Giovanna Gasparello, writing in 2018, cautioned that official crime figures for Cherán are not representative of actual crime.

On 2 July 2025 armed men, apparently members of the CJNG cartel, attacked the community. It reported one member of the ''Ronda'' killed and one wounded. A report on the attack said it broke "14 years of peace in Cherán".

== Why it matters to Logos ==
The course uses Cherán to argue that the gap left by a failing state does not have to go to cartels or corporations. It says the residents organised their own defence, put their own community government in place, and won legal standing and control of their territory. The course presents a [[Parallel society|parallel society]] as ordinary people occupying such a gap on purpose. It links the case to its wider argument on [[Institutional decline|institutional decline]], which says the functions a failing state abandons get occupied by whoever is organised.

== See also ==
* [[Parallel society]]
* [[Institutional decline]]
* [[Commons governance]]
* [[Circles]]

== Sources ==
* Building a Parallel Society, Logos activist course, 2026
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher%C3%A1n Cherán], Wikipedia
* [https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/the-cheran-indigenous-communitys-remarkable-road-to-self-rule-in-mexico The Cherán indigenous community's remarkable road to self-rule in Mexico], Our World, United Nations University, c. 2015
* [https://schoolsforchiapas.org/cheran-resists-armed-attack-breaks-14-years-of-peace-in-purepecha-community/ Cherán Resists: Armed Attack Breaks 14 Years of Peace in Purépecha Community], Schools for Chiapas, 5 July 2025
* [https://www.scjn.gob.mx/derechos-humanos/sites/default/files/sentencias-emblematicas/summary/2022-06/Summary%20CC32-2012%20HRO.pdf Summary of Constitutional Controversy 32/2012], Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Mexico
* [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2017-08-11/women-kicked-out-organized-crime-in-this-mexican-town Women Kicked Out Organized Crime in This Mexican Town], Bloomberg, 11 August 2017
* [https://www.redalyc.org/journal/137/13758692004/13758692004.pdf Giovanna Gasparello, Análisis del conflicto y de la violencia en Cherán, Michoacán], Relaciones. Estudios de historia y sociedad 39 (155), El Colegio de Michoacán, 2018

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[[Category:People and orgs]]