Last week we celebrated the 156th anniversary of Suchitoto (the city where I live). Students and employees of various institutions got to participate in a parade, and the city hosted various events in the plaza (including 156 fireworks at 4 AM this morning). I didn´t stay to watch the parade (they weren´t throwing candy, so what´s the point?) because I had a mission to get a volunteer signed up for Spanish classes, with the hopes of starting her this morning. While walking around town to get to the Spanish school, to lunch, and everywhere else, it was incredible seeing the huge crowds of people lining the streets of Suchi for the parade, or hanging out in the plaza listening to music and eating elote (sweet corn). Normally during a week day, the plaza is nearly empty, devoid of tourists (international or Salvadoreña), and seeing it overflowing with people really changed the atmosphere. Even into the evening, when people typically retire to their homes, the plaza was fairly hoppin´.
Suchitoto is not devoid of gang problems, and unfortunately their presence and (perceived) power is growing. Many people do not feel safe at night, even when travelling by car or bus. When I first came to Suchi, I was advised against being out after dark, especially alone, and to not wander into the residential areas of the city, sticking mainly to the center plaza area. This has been disappointing for me because Suchi is fairly residential, and once you´ve been around the center a few times, you know it pretty well. Several times I´ve had to warn uninformed tourists to turn around when the road starts to dip (this typically indicates a residential area, which could be dangerous). The office where I live and work sits on the border of this "boundary"; it´s close to the center, but just before the road bevels. There is a known pandilla presence about a half block from where I live.
Luckily for me (a white, American "tourist"), I´m not typically a target (except for occassional petty theft). This doesn´t mean I´m not cautious, by any means, so folks at home, keep cool. I´ve had all the lectures I could possibly want. Unfortunately for young Salvadoreño men, however, it´s a different story. Many of the guys I work with on the land don´t go into Suchi because of the pandilla presence here. For them, there´s a high chance of being approached and asked to join the gang, and if they refuse, are likely to be killed. Many of them know better, and so stay away, but this fear provides fuel for the gangs, to the point where police aren´t asked to get involved.
Many of these guys have family (usually male family members) that have already left for the U.S. in search of work or a better life. Some have told me they plan to do the same. As much as I want to tell them, "Don´t go", I will never be able to comprehend the struggles they face-- the difficulties of getting an education, finding a job (even WITH an education), and how to stay out of the gangs´ ways while still living life (there are two prominent gangs here in El Salvador: MS-13 and Barrio 18). I want to tell them, if all the well-intentioned, well-educated Salvadoreños keep leaving El Salvador, it´s never going to get better. I want to tell them that the journey is difficult and dangerous--you might not make it--and the $7000 USD you paid for your "ticket" north (a.k.a. coyote-guided trip) probably isn´t worth it. But I don´t really know. I never will.
Hearing about the nearly 40,000 unaccompanied minors fleeing to the U.S. from this side of the border has a different flavor to it. I see children leaving their home countries, searching for their parents working in the U.S., escaping the violence of gangs and corruption, going on the false belief that they will be granted permisos to stay in the U.S.. While I don´t have an answer, it´s heart-breaking to hear about people wanting to immediately deport these children back to where they came from. First and foremost, these people (children or not) are people, and should be treated as such. I´m not interested in a political debate, but I think that´s something that should be considered.
Seeing the crowds that gathered for the anniversary celebration made me wonder about the power of community-- how can Suchitoto take back its community, how can it become a place of safety and prosperity? How can it be more than a tourist destination, but a place to live peacefully and happily, without fear of death or danger?
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