Sergio in his neighborhood, the Comuna 13 in Medellin (Sergio wanted to keep his anonymity but tired of hidding, he finally sent a picture.)
Sergio was born and raised in Comuna 13, in Medellin. The epicenter of guerrilla wars. These neighborhoods were born around the 60s when the armed conflict pushed the peasants of the region to take shelter in the heights of Medellin. Slums then emerged, including Comuna 13, which quickly turned into a gateway to enter and leave the city. The armed groups go one by one to take control of it, turning it into one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Colombia. Comuna 13 is slowly recovering from decades of violence. It is in particular urban art that has helped the Comuna and today it is a "must see" of tourism with it graffitis, it dancers, it colors, it warmth ...
What's going on here right now? It's a long story. It all started because the government wanted to pass a tax reform. I know we have an international debt and we need reform. But with this reform, the government not only pretended to want more money than it needed, it did so at the worst possible time. Most of the money would come from the middle class, taxing more than 19% on essential things like water or electricity. The poorest will have to pay more, especially on food and gas. After a few days of demonstration, the government withdrew some comments in this reform but too late, the people were already angry. I think they tried to play with people. I think they tried to come up with a terrible reform, let the people show their displeasure and by changing two or three things they thought they would satisfy us, you know what I mean? It's just a strategy, it's choosing the least worst.
The people organized protests across the country. Most are peaceful, but some have seen their fair share of fires, fights and destroyed shops. The police intervened and used force disproportionately. According to the latest reports, more than 38 people have died, most of them, in the blows of the police, in just 10 days of peaceful protests. It is possible to see videos where the police wear civilian clothes, infiltrate the steps by breaking windows, lighting fires, all this to start the violence and be able to suppress it by force and especially weapons. The government has withdrawn the reform but they insist that it is needed, it is true, but it is neither the time nor the way.
Photo : Comuna 13, Jeanne Gourdon
Not everything I have said so far is the worst. During the demonstrations in Cali, people showed what was going on on Instagram so that everyone could see (over 100,000 people saw) how the police are murdering people. The next day, more than 50% of the population of Cali had no internet signal to prevent the images from being broadcast. It is horrible because the state spoke about the situation saying that nothing was happening, that the police were doing their job properly. On 05/07/2021, no more internet in Cali, again, we have no idea what's going on there, we just received a few videos of people with normal clothes (probably police officers) shooting people of the red cross, it's crazy!
I think it's just crazy that the police can kill people and people with enough power to act don't do anything. There is a huge problem in Colombia, the government has power over all the institutions in charge of defending the people. All the leaders of these institutions are friends or close to the president. We have a person in charge of defending the people called him "El Defensor Del Pueblo" (the defender of the people). During the worst night of violence, he was vacationing in a hotel, having a good time and not doing the job he was paid for.
I want real change and I feel it's happening, people are awake. Young people think differently and even if it is the government's habit of manipulating its population, it will not be so easy this time!
The gorvernment has ears everywhere, its difficult to act without being threatened
Personally, I do not take part in the demonstrations and remain discreet in the fight. The government has ears everywhere, it is difficult to act without being threatened and I think of my family. But to be honest, I think I'll be hitting the streets soon to join my protesting friends. I share everything I can on my networks but we are all censored because the government has an army on the internet.
I have hope because Colombia is a beautiful country with great people. We have so many amazing things to show the world. We just need a little more time for this to really change. We are in the middle of something, this country can become a disaster or a paradise.
If I have to get a message it would be to love as much as you can. Love is the ingredient the world needs to change. Money isn't the most important thing, it doesn't hug you when you get home. Get outside, open your eyes, and live your life beyond the comforts of home.
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