Agustin Roberto “Bobby” Salcedo, a school board member in El Monte, a suburb of Los Angeles, was kidnapped and killed over the holidays while visiting Mexico. Salcedo, 33, is believed to be the first U.S. elected official killed in Mexico’s never-ending narco war.
His death in Gomez Palacio, Durango state, also brings home in painful fashion the horrors of the drug-fueled violence down south to the can-do, immigrant-friendly communities of California; this is the first time a prominent and admired Mexican American who appeared to have no known ties to organized crime is caught up and killed in the conflict.
“Bobby was a great leader, an American citizen, a politician and an educator, and what happened to him deserves attention at the highest levels of government,” his widow Betzy told the L.A. Times during a large vigil Monday night at his high school alma mater.
According to reports, Salcedo and his wife, a native of Gomez Palacio, were out at a bar with friends on Wednesday, December 30. At around 2 a.m. that night, armed men stormed into the place and hauled off six men, Bobby among them. Their dumped bodies were found the next day.
Shocked relatives, colleagues and former classmates in El Monte are calling on U.S. authorities to act on their loss. But the reality is, as the L.A. Times notes, “impunity” still reigns in the Mexican criminal justice system, no matter who the victim is. That’s perhaps the most painful realization here, in the broader picture. There may never be justice for Bobby Salcedo.
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bobby salcedo, civic leader, death, drug war, drugs, durango, educator, el monte, gomez palacio, killing, mexican american, mexico, narco, school board, tourism, war
ben f says:
is there any evidence that this was a targeted attack on mr. salcedo, or was this a random act of violence?
Daniel Hernandez says:
Hello Ben, it appears pretty random. According to one story I saw, the gunmen came in asking for the owners of a van outside that they did not recognize. Keep in mind the killing crews of the cartels rarely hesitate when given the option to pull the trigger. - Daniel H.
Kyle Wegner says:
Of course there is going to be "collateral damage" in any "war." What do the "Shocked relatives, colleagues and former classmates in El Monte" that "are calling on U.S. authorities to act on their loss" expect U.S. authorities to do? Enter Mexico, a sovereign country presumably, and start arresting people? or? When a "Mexican citizen" is killed in the U.S. is the Mexican Government supposed to "act", and do what? This death is tragic like all the deaths involving the drug war are tragic, no matter the victim's "citizenship" or standing in a community, or educational level. There needs to be an end to this "war". The Mexican government must be blamed (for carrying out this bloodbath) along with the drug consumers in the U.S. As argued in "El Narco: La Guerra Fallida" ("Narco: The Failed War"), U.S. drug use -- the motor of the violent trafficking industry -- is largely unaffected by Mexico's enforcement actions. The answer is drug decriminalization or legalization.
Daniel Hernandez says:
Thanks for your perspective, Kyle. Very sad stuff because, as you and so many others argue, this "war" is entirely preventable.