People stand in the main square of Cher‡n, Michoac‡n, Mexico on Saturday, January 17, 2014. On April 15, 2011 the town of Cher‡n saw its citizens band together to force organized crime out of the community, and since then many other towns in the state have followed suit. The initial conflict was sparked by an organized crime group cutting down valuable trees in Cher‡n's forests, which were a large and valuable part of the town's economy.

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Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Cherán, Michoacán, Mexico
Photo credit: © Brett Gundlock / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: autodefensa, cherá, cher‡, community, corruption, crime, drug, durgs, economy, forest, government, groups, illegal, logging, main, mexico, michoacá, michoac‡, organized, people, ronda, security, sevina, square, trees, vigilante, viglante, violence, war