These are dangerous times that we live in, and no more so than if you live in Guatemala City. In the last fortnight, a bomb was detonated on a chicken bus in the capital and a grenade thrown into another, both incidents killing many innocent people. The 'maras' are blamed for these attacks on Guate's public transport, criminal gangs that rule Ciudad De Guatemala like a mafia, and are responsible for most of the murders, kidnappings and extortion that occurs in the capital on a daily basis.
The results of a recent poll in Prensa Libre, Guatemala's national newspaper are staggering. 78% of businesses that were polled in the capital have been the victim of violence or some sort of other gang-related insecurity in the last six months, with 41% of the crime coming in the form of gang extortion. My Spanish maestra Clarita told me the other day that the Maras brazenly approach business owners and tell them to start giving them money or they will them. In the majority of cases, fearful Guatamaltecos simply pay up without going to the police, rather than themselves ending up in a future news article in the Prensa Libre, the victim of a shooting.
According to the newspaper poll, a staggering 98% of crime carried out in Guatemala's capital is not even reported by the victim, let alone the the perpretators being brought to justice. The Maras are quite literally getting away with murder. The honest people of Guatemala City are tired, scared and and angry, blaming the 'gobierno' (government) with increasing vitriol for its apparent unwillingness to do anything to try to stop the bloodshed and bring the gangs to justice - unwillingness, incapability and inaction.
The results of a recent poll in Prensa Libre, Guatemala's national newspaper are staggering. 78% of businesses that were polled in the capital have been the victim of violence or some sort of other gang-related insecurity in the last six months, with 41% of the crime coming in the form of gang extortion. My Spanish maestra Clarita told me the other day that the Maras brazenly approach business owners and tell them to start giving them money or they will them. In the majority of cases, fearful Guatamaltecos simply pay up without going to the police, rather than themselves ending up in a future news article in the Prensa Libre, the victim of a shooting.
According to the newspaper poll, a staggering 98% of crime carried out in Guatemala's capital is not even reported by the victim, let alone the the perpretators being brought to justice. The Maras are quite literally getting away with murder. The honest people of Guatemala City are tired, scared and and angry, blaming the 'gobierno' (government) with increasing vitriol for its apparent unwillingness to do anything to try to stop the bloodshed and bring the gangs to justice - unwillingness, incapability and inaction.
Having suggested the exact same thing to my Spanish maestra a few days ago, I was interested to read one readers suggestion in the opinion section of yesterday Prensa that there is an urgent need to reintroduce capital punishment in the country, to combat the rising gang crime. This is something I strongly agree with, having often wondered when the UK government is going to realise that one sure way to reduce murder, rape and child abuse is by issuing the ultimate penalty - death - if and when it has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that someone is guilty of such a heinous crime. A life sentence needs to mean life, and not being let out after 10-15 years for good behaviour and reintroduced into society to recommit the crime for which they were originally committed.
Tomorrow I head by bus for El Salvador, via Guatemala City. Wish me luck.
