In Bolivia, where the state is weak, the justice system is, to say the least, imperfect, and people are poor, it is not uncommon for people to take justice into their own hands. I won’t turn this harsh reality into an abstract discussion, but rather recount a tale told to me by a very close friend who lives in Punata, a rural area about 30 minutes outside of the city of Cochabamba.

Two young men stole a bicycle from a boy returning home from school. They took the bicycle and were riding it around town. Some people, realizing the bicycle was the very same one that was stolen from the boy only a few hours before, identified the thieves.

In that moment, the pueblo mobilized. A mob of people went after the thieves. Unfortunately for them, the bicycle tire went flat right about that time, and they were unable to escape. The mob apprehended the thieves, tied a noose around their necks, and hung them from a tree. They doused them with gasoline, and set them on fire. Both of the young men were burned alive for stealing a bicycle.

Even in the news one hears similar stories of citizen justice in action, as communities make powerful examples out of the dregs of society, humiliating them, insulting them, cutting their hair in public, and in extreme cases, hanging them and burning them alive.

My friend explained to me that the working class people in Punata have no tolerance for thieves. People work so hard for so little, and they find it completely unacceptable that a few people would try to get ahead by leaching off of their own hard work. One could argue that a similar sentiment led to the election of Evo Morales in December of 2005.