Assailants gun down members of the federal anti-drug police. Many police officers in Mexico City and elsewhere shake down motorists and take bribes to protect illegal street stalls and other businesses. For years, police of every stripe have worn the most recognizable face of the corruption that plagues much of Mexican public life. But police malfeasance accounts for only a fraction of the deep-seated graft that eats at the very heart of Mexican society, experts say. But for there to be a corrupt policeman, there has to be a corrupt citizen.
Corruption is in the essence of a community.
It's a way of life. International surveys have long ranked Mexico as one of the world's most graft-ridden nations. One joke making the rounds in Mexico City has the country placing high on yet another corruption survey. Mexico would have topped the list, the punch line goes, if chagrined Mexicans hadn't slipped the judges a little something. International experts say that successful attacks against graft mark a crucial first step in fostering citizens' trust in one another and in their public officials.