Las Pandillas

¡Hola Amigos!
I was telling Oti about my fútbol game experience and we got talking about the pandillas (gangs) in Mariona. The current events in El Salvador and what Oti told me give some context to my Friday night experience.

To begin, three senators and their bus driver were killed at the beginning of the week. There is a man in El Salvador (who’s name I can’t remember) who founded the death squads during the war and is responsible for Romero’s death. The government wants to give this man a very high honor. People are very angry about this because the man is anything but honorable. Well, his son was one of the senators killed in Guatemala, ironically, in a death squad fashion. According to Oti many ex-death squad people still work in the government and are still committing violent acts. For example, on Monday, and international student disappeared and 13 women have been abducted near the Casa.

In Mariona, Oti said the gang situation is at its worse. On Tuesday, a sophomore in high school was ridding the bus and gang members shot him 5 times in the back of the head. Oti said she almost took that same bus to the market, but had a bad feeling and took a cab instead. Everyday for the past 15 days people have been killed by gangs. Buses are very unsafe. Drivers are forced to pay off gang members and are know to drive off their route in order to pay the gangs. Lolo said he was on a bus recently and a man held a gun to the drivers head, but was scared away when all the people on the bus ran at him screaming. Oti said fewer cars are on the roads at night because people are afraid of being attacked.

I feel like I’ve finally gotten a glimpse at the true reality in Mariona. After Friday night when I was robbed on the bus and then experienced a violent atmosphere at the fútbol game, I feel like I can relate better to the people in Mariona. I know what it’s like to be afraid and to not feel safe. What I experienced was very small scale, but it helps me understand what people living in Mariona are forced to put up with everyday. The people in Mariona are oppressed by fear and no one should have to live that way.

Paz,
Stephanie