Security
La Ronda Comunitaria”–– Citizen Patrols
Currently, neither the police nor the armed forces patrol Cherán. Instead, the community instituted "Kuarichas" –– a Purépecha word that means "he who cares, guards, protects or covers", and is currently used to refer to the security forces created by the citizens themselves under the system of self-government.
Cherán carries out different groups of surveillance patrols which include forest rangers – with a total of about 96 people working day/night shifts. They work in coordination with the broader community patrol (both self-defense forces are part of the Honor and Justice Council) to maintain the forest, stop wildfires, oversee the implementation of soil conservation works, and administers permits for the extraction of timber and other forest resources. The Ronda also ensures that there are no plantations of avocado in Cherán’s territory – after the community forbade commercial cultivation of the crop in 2019.
Border Patrols
Entry to the town, an hour and a half away from the state capital Morelia in the Purépecha region, is monitored by heavily armed and camouflaged personnel who are volunteer members of the 80-people community watch. Their purpose is to stop illegal loggers and crime gangs from having access to the town.
Sources:
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Gil-Vasquez, K. (2021, March 8). The Purépechas of Cheran: Community solidarity, public security and environmental conservation in Mexico. Taylor & Francis. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780367823382-4/Purépechas-cheran-karol-gil-vasquez