The Peasant Self-Defense Patrol in Peru: Citizens Against the State
The author points out the fact that the State insists on its prerogative: the monopoly on the use of force (to avoid saying violence); but it forgets the reason and justification for this prerogative: the obligation to ensure security and guarantees within its territory. And, in this case, although they widely use force, citizens themselves must procure their own security, whether they are peasants, indigenous people, or city dwellers, even against the State itself. The second observation is that the State has attempted to co-opt the institution of the ronda campesina, remodel it into its self-defense committees, and present the matter as if the idea were its own.