By Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat
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What does the life
of one man matter,
when the future
of mankind is in danger
The quote is attributed to Ernesto "Che" Guevara the Argentine marxist guerrilla leader, the camera zooms in on those words at the beginning of a new video released by the Knights Templar cartel.
The backdrop of the video is crammed with an odd assortment of items apparently important and carefully chosen by the narrator of the film, Servando Gomez Martinez. Among the items include; A photo of Che with the quote, the Mexican flag, a photo of Che with Fidel Castro, the former leader of Cuba, a statue of a knight, next to a hanging saber, a weapon and various photos and books.
Gomez Martinez is the leader of the Knights Templar, who is also known as “La Tuta” or “El Profe”, as a homage to his former teaching profession.*
In the video Tuta speaks to citizens, narcos, and President Felipe Calderon. The title of the video is “Communication (from) Los Caballeros Templarios (Knights Templar) Michoacán Guard”
After the close up of Che’s quote the camera pans out until the entire setting is in view and at that point Tuta enters the room, takes a seat and begins his narrative.
The Following is the narrative: (translated from Spanish by Chivis)
"Good afternoon citizens, of our city, our state, and our beautiful Mexico. We here present before you to let you know who we really are, what our group stand for, and what our intentions are.
Many of you know me from various situations in the media, in magazines, and from the many things spoken of me. You can call me as you like, “El Profe”, “La Tuta”, I do not care, I am your friend, that’s the way we would like to be seen as, as friends, we are friends of the people and of the country.
Our brotherhood, our group, our organization proudly present themselves as The Knights Templar. We are not a cartel or any organized crime group. We are a brotherhood and we were founded by a set of statutes and codes. " (he is holding a pamphlet of the organization mission and codes, see photo)
For The Knights Templar is important to follow rules. Our intention is that everything in this city, this state and in our country, operates in the most appropriate way as possible. We are not interested in the slightest in causing chaos and terror. We want you to understand that only by adverse situations, we are here today as a necessary evil. Later, I will tell you our motives and what we want.
In the these booklets, these statutes, were carefully crafted under strict program, and not just based on me, or what I say, but by a competent group of people who belong to our organization, to our brotherhood to the Knights Templars, together we have carefully developed the program.
These booklets instruct all our members, all of our boys, what to do and what not to do. And everything within it is as legal as possible. We say what is prohibited, what can be done and what cannot be done. For our members strictly prohibited is; theft, kidnapping, murder for hire, rape and all those crimes that hurt, they cause so much harm to our society.
Our only role is to help the people, preserve our state, and keep our country free of people who are causing terror.
There will be times when we will have to apologize to society for wrongdoing committed by our boys and I assure you with the word of a Knight Templar, we will address these issues and find a solution to the problems.
I don’t think they commit them with bad intentions. Because if they do, (he holds up the booklet), in here it says what will happen to them. These mistakes these boys make, or even those I am capable of committing or any of our high ranking members, will not be accepted if done with bad intentions. And if it is done that way they must apologize to society, and apologize to Mexico.
We will live by the codes. Why are we doing this?
So we can handle things in a way that does not harm society. If at times we must publically apologize to society, we will, because we want society to have confidence in making us see and feel the mistakes we make. So we will not make them again. We love our family, we want to work and live in peace. It sounds a little controversial, but that is what we want: to live in peace.
(Appealing to other narco groups to unite against Los Zetas) We also appeal to all the groups that exist in Mexico. Groups that, for certain reasons the television or radio calls “offenders”. And also all those groups that are legally constituted as civil organizations, to come together and make a common front to fight against Los Zetas, especially against Z-40 Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, as this person with his boundless ambition has caused so much terror and social confusion in our country, in our Mexico.
He is the primary cause of all that is happening in Mexico: robberies, kidnappings, extortion, and anything that may lead to such actions. We recognize that sometimes our guys are wrong, but there are rules and they will have to pay for mistakes, under no circumstance will we allow them to be made, here in our Mexico.
We are inviting all groups whether they are those of the Gulf, Sinaloa, Jalisco's, wherever they exist, including many groups that exist in Guerrero, many organizations. To all we are inviting them to make a common front to attack the Z-40, attack Miguel Angel and kill him. In general It is an open invitation to perform this.
We would also like to appeal to the President of the Republic, Mr. Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa to take action on the matter and see what is happening in our country. That Z40 is largely responsible for many of deaths that have occurred in our country, so far more than 150,000 deaths and as much or more still missing.
This cannot do gentlemen, we, our brotherhood we are willing to cooperate in the best way we can to solve this problem that has caused harm to our Mexico
We want to contribute to the harmony and development of our people, of our country. We will cooperate in finding a solution. We want that somehow the National Action Party, which is in power, and the Federal Police led by Genaro Garcia Luna, act responsibly. We ask very respectfully that they take responsibility and act according to the truth, not to take sides in criminal groups so to speak. We reiterate our organization is no cartel, and not an organized crime group, we are a brotherhood The Knights Templar.
The media, television and radio, have completely distorted what is happening in our country. Gentlemen journalists, we offer you an invitation to act with professionalism and tell the truth of what is happening in our country, not only what suits the party that is in power or currently representing the Government of Mexico.. Take responsibility, act as professional journalists.
We also want to issue an invitation to the new senators and deputies who will take over, to see what we are sending as a good thing, we have no commitments at all with any political party, our commitment is to our people of Mexico.
All we want is for this to work, we are a necessary evil, but here in Mexico is a way to fix ourselves. If the interests of other countries do not include what happens in Mexico, educate your people or take care of your country.
We also want to ask our Mexican Army, the Armed Forces of Mexico and Marina, who proudly represent us in our country, and who are legally established from the beginning of our Constitution, the Constitution of the United Mexico, to act as they should. Be gentlemen.
All of our respects for the Marina (navy) and for the military."
"Thank you"
"Thank you"
(With that last sentence, Tuta rises and leaves to leave the room)
*Tuta the “teacher" continues to recieve his paycheck..
La Tuta translates to The Teacher, El Profe means The Professor.
La Tuta translates to The Teacher, El Profe means The Professor.
Mexican security forces would like very much to capture, or even kill, reputed crime boss Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, leader of the cultlike Knights Templar drug gang.
But getting Mexico’s Education Ministry to stop sending Gomez paychecks may prove a much bigger challenge.
But getting Mexico’s Education Ministry to stop sending Gomez paychecks may prove a much bigger challenge.
According to Mexico’s El Universal newspaper, the former schoolteacher is still on the payroll, even though federal prosecutors are offering millions in reward money for his capture — and despite the fact that he hasn’t set foot in a classroom in more than a decade.
What’s worse, Gomez was issued checks totaling more than $2,000 in the first three months of this year, although the paper first reported the unseemly payments in December. Mexican lawmakers opened an investigation, demanding to know why Gomez — who was also indicted for drug trafficking by a New York federal court in 2009 — hasn’t been fired.
What’s worse, Gomez was issued checks totaling more than $2,000 in the first three months of this year, although the paper first reported the unseemly payments in December. Mexican lawmakers opened an investigation, demanding to know why Gomez — who was also indicted for drug trafficking by a New York federal court in 2009 — hasn’t been fired.
“Firing a teacher is nearly impossible here, a true bureaucratic labyrinth,” said Otto Granados, a professor of public policy at Mexico’s Tecnologico de Monterrey university. “This kind of thing happens all the time,” he said, citing a recent study that found that more than 100,000 Mexican teachers were drawing salaries despite not showing up for work.
The country’s main teachers union — the largest in Latin America — is a political juggernaut so powerful that it assigns jobs through an extensive system of patronage, Granados said. Only teachers who have been convicted of a crime can be fired, and since Gomez remains at large, he apparently can’t be taken off the payroll.
Gomez, whose nickname “La Tuta” means “the teacher,” first registered as an educator 15 years ago at a small rural primary school in his home town of Arteaga, in Michoacan state. He taught there for a few years, then tried his hand at farming, and ended up working with local drug smugglers, according to George W. Grayson, who has written extensively about the La Familia drug cartel, of which Gomez was a founding member. The group became famous for its bizarre Christian-themed worldview and for beheading and burning alive its enemies.
The country’s main teachers union — the largest in Latin America — is a political juggernaut so powerful that it assigns jobs through an extensive system of patronage, Granados said. Only teachers who have been convicted of a crime can be fired, and since Gomez remains at large, he apparently can’t be taken off the payroll.
Gomez, whose nickname “La Tuta” means “the teacher,” first registered as an educator 15 years ago at a small rural primary school in his home town of Arteaga, in Michoacan state. He taught there for a few years, then tried his hand at farming, and ended up working with local drug smugglers, according to George W. Grayson, who has written extensively about the La Familia drug cartel, of which Gomez was a founding member. The group became famous for its bizarre Christian-themed worldview and for beheading and burning alive its enemies.
A thank you goes out to 777 of Borderland Beat Forum, for helping with a translation
