And yet another horror story

[fred mertz]

I'd like to read comments to the letter written by the honorable Mr. Darryl Dunn, Ambassador to Argentina from New Zealand thst was in Saturday, 31 July Buenos Aires Herald. Please don't say "it can happen anywhere."

 

[Lucas]

I blame this entirely on the relentless growing of the villas miseries around the city and of course attached to this the paco, drugs and alcohol things that this city never ever saw before, authorities, particularly the city authorities don't do nothing to stop or eradicate these villas miseries, they keep on growing and growing attracting the worst elements of society and the low life of neighboring countries, these villas never should be permitted to be build in the first place, the authorities should tear apart a the first sight of one being built, but no they have to leave it to grow untouched because the political damage is to great to affront that we are now rounded up by this terrible situation with little o no solution, they are to big to dismantle now and the political cost is to heavy to bear. As long as it continues expanding the crime and drugs dealers in this city will flourish and grown exponentially with the villas not doubt about it.

 

[igor]

I'd like to read comments to the letter written by the honorable Mr. Darryl Dunn, Ambassador to Argentina from New Zealand thst was in Saturday, 31 July Buenos Aires Herald. Please don't say "it can happen anywhere."

May be somebody could enlighten a few of us who don't always read the Herald on Saturdays.
What was the remarkable event that motivated honorable Mr. Darryl Dunn to create this piece of epistolary writing?

 

[cbphoto]

http://www.buenosairesherald.com/PrintedEdition/View/40809

 

[perry]

I agree that Buenos Aires is feeling more edgy especially at night and with the spiralling inflation I do fear for our future. There seems to be no plans nor design to control this out of control juggernaut which will create more resentment and social unrest.

Drugs are a huge problem in our society and there seems to be little programs nor education to combat this scourge that takes from the poor it spirit and creates crime .

We need people in power that care for the future and have concrete plans to implement changes . Society is moulded by its leaders and they must set a better example

 

[SaraSara]

Far from being a safe area, Recoleta is known to have one of the BA's highest rates of robberies and purse-snatchings. Villa 31 is just on the other side of the tracks from Libertador, and criminals know the police won't chase them once they get in there.

This is not to diminish the problem, but just to warn people not to let down the guard in "good" areas of town. Not even on a Sunday at noon.


KIWI ENVOY ASSAULTED
I have been living in this beautiful city for six months. Aside from my diplomatic duties, I am a cyclist, at the moment training for a continental crossing (Buenos Aires-Valparaíso) in November. I hope to raise funds for two charities here in so doing. My cycling experience includes a full crossing of the United States, several tours of France (including the Alps) and my own country, New Zealand.
Last Sunday, just before midday, while cycling in the cycleway in Avenida Libertador just opposite the entrance to Calle Rodríguez Peña, I was ambushed by two thugs who knocked me to the ground and, while I was still prone, threatened me at knife-point before making off with my bicycle. I watched them head off across the railway tracks.
Some minutes later, a young family with two small children on bicycles came past. My instinct was to warn them but I realized the danger for the moment had passed. No doubt it will pick its time to return, hopefully not when such a family is passing by.
I used to think the central city areas were pretty safe. One of my staff strayed off the normal paths in Boca one day and suffered the same fate as I did. However, I was in what was supposedly one of the safest parts of the city.
I no longer think that and I will no longer be using any part of the cycleway. I think it’s safer on the road with the traffic. I would recommend that readers who may use this cycleway always keep an eye out and avoid the crossing opposite Rodríguez Peña, trusting that this letter serves as a general warning to visitors and residents in the city.
Darryl Dunn
New Zealand Ambassador

 

[davonz]

This is good (well not for the guy, but to get it out there), a few high profile people having this sort of problem might make the police do something about it..

 

[va2ba]

This government is not going to do anything about it. Cristina K's main area of support in this country comes from these villas and all theBolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans who are living here illegally. It was Kitchner's administration who barred the city police from working for 3 or 4 years. They have only just recently gotten back to work. (FYI, the police you see in the orange vests are federal police, working for the federal government and making next to no pay. It is the police dressed in yellow who are the city police that actually get paid well enough to do things)

Her administration, for some reason, seems to encourage these villas and the people and the crime that comes with them.

And it is to big to deal with now. How could you possible fix this problem. Going in and trying to get rid of them would cause crime toescalate to unimaginable levels. If you think that it bad now, wait until a government and society lashes back against these people and they have nothing to lose.

I see no easy solution for this problem and especially not one that won't make everything worse for the foreseeable future.

 

[AlexfromLA]

What exactly does this have to do with these three nationalities ?

From what I have seen in Buenos Aires it is usually legal Argentinian thugs who are committing these crimes. It's easy to blame immigrants, we are trying to do it in the US at the moment. But the problem is Argentinian criminals AND immigrant criminals.

And from what I know, South American immigrants all get automatic residency in any South American country so they can't really be illegal. This isn't an anti immigrant or racial issue, no need to make it one.

And how does her " support " come from " illegals " who cant vote ?

This government is not going to do anything about it. Cristina K's main area of support in this country comes from these villas and all theBolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans who are living here illegally. .

 

[SaraSara]

And from what I know, South American immigrants all get automatic residency in any South American country so they can't really be illegal

That is incorrect.

As an Argentine, I don't get "automatic residency" in Uruguay but must go through a lengthy and expensive process to get it.

I know from personal experience that both Bolivians and Peruvians must apply for residence here just like anyone else. It takes a sponsor and about a year to get it. We sponsored a few immigrants and helped them go through the process.

Undocumented people are afraid of being stopped by the police, who extorts bribes to let them go. The Once train station is one of their favorite hunting grounds.