The Rewriting of Frankenstein

Abstract

In May 2014, there was a national gathering of autodefensas in Mexico. At this gathering, autodefensas leaders and their allies sought to unite and consolidate citizen frustration with public insecurity. They also blamed the government, not the autodefensas, for continued and escalating violence. The autodefensas are now a metaphorical Frankenstein in terms of reputation for the general public. Despite the judgements, the experiment of self-defense and community policing continues to grow in Mexico.