Lopez Obrador argues violence is not solved with more violence, and that the answer lies in improving living standards with welfare spending and better wages so as to root out chronic poverty and inequality that feed crime.
He does have a point. For a long term solution, the Government needs to create a stable, prosperous society. But, part of that is feeling safe and that may mean a bit of violence to meet the violence of the gangs. It’s not an “either/or” situation. You can work on building a stable society, while also imprisoning criminals. Of course, that assumes government officials aren’t on the take. Corruption really derails a society.