Social Tensions in Buenos Aires

[perry]

The last weeks we have witnessed an increase in social tensions in Buenos Aires . Is this a sign of the future in store for us due to a rapid increase of population and a polarising of social classes.

I was with a Ba expat in Villa Lugano on Saturday night and it was not a preety sight with a deeply divided community fighting over a public park taken illegally in the last week .

I do not agree with squatters and the culture of government handouts . In most cases people have choices and the real needy rarely grab private property illegally.

Buenos Aires is for everyone but needs to be a city that has law and order and the respect of public and private property . Giving leeway to anti social behaviour does not bode well for our future and I certainly believe that a proper response is needed.

 

[Gringoboy]

I agree Perry.
At the very least CK has taken security measures by adding a further 3000 gendarmeria to the existing force of 3k in GBA.
Surely a recognition of turbulent waters, socially.

 

[Dionysos]

You also have to realize that most of these people are illegal immigrants and really should not have many rights. Friends here are close, but outside that, they are very selfish. Trying to do a land grab does not surprise me in the least. Trying driving here...

 

[steveinbsas]

You also have to realize that most of these people are illegal immigrants and really should not have many rights. Friends here are close, but outside that, they are very selfish. Trying to do a land grab does not surprise me in the least. Trying driving here...

This is one of the most "interesting" post I have read in over four years.

"These people" do have rights as inhabitants in Argentina...almost as "many" rights as citizens. They are not illegal unless a judge declares they are (on an individual basis). What does friendship have to do with any of this? While they may not have the right to "do a land grab" what is the connection with driving? I wonder how many of "these people/illegal immigrants" actually own cars (with which to demonstrate their selfishness).

 

[Dionysos]

I may not know all the ways in Argentina, that is for sure, and I may be very well jaded by living in California. And I am far from being liberal.

If I come here, I can stay 90 days as a tourist, or get a visa. Why is it different for them? Why do they have special rights? If you look at the US, there is a lower ratio of illegal immigrants compared to the overall population than here in Argentina. What gives them the right to make a home in a park? The police and government obviously could not get things accomplished as they should have, and the local citizens intervened. Does 2 wrongs make a right? No, but I would defend where I live too, but in a different way.

Sorry, my brain was everywhere earlier due to frustrations of figuring out some issues here.

 

[dennisr]

It is "mob rule" in Buenos Aires. Went to Aeropark today and greeted with the pounding of drums in the terminal: LAN airline strike. No consideration for anyone: babies, elderly. Idiots standing around beating their stupid drums like it is some kind of joke. Real Macho stuff. From there while*walking down Callao, 20 people are camped out in the middle of the street blocking all traffic. Twenty people have the right to screw up everyone's day because of some Walmart problem, so the sign said. And the day did not get any better. When I get home, some poor soul*is clipped by a bus. Bus driver stops, takes a gander at the corpse, gets back in the bus and drives off like nothing happened. The kid is dead. No cop, nothing. Kid is laying in the street and everyone is blowing their horns because the body is blocking traffic. Yelling and screaming to move the corpse.*
Will not even begin to try and understand the squatter issue. It is "mob rule" in Buenos Aires. Just another day in Buenos Aires, Paris of South America. Think this may be my last trip through paradise.

 

[esllou]

I may not know all the ways in Argentina, that is for sure, and I may be very well jaded by living in California. And I am far from being liberal.

If I come here, I can stay 90 days as a tourist, or get a visa. Why is it different for them? Why do they have special rights? If you look at the US, there is a lower ratio of illegal immigrants compared to the overall population than here in Argentina. What gives them the right to make a home in a park? The police and government obviously could not get things accomplished as they should have, and the local citizens intervened. Does 2 wrongs make a right? No, but I would defend where I live too, but in a different way.

Sorry, my brain was everywhere earlier due to frustrations of figuring out some issues here.

go and look up mercosur on wiki/google.

same in the EU. Italians and Greeks and Poles can move freely around the EU and look for work, Ukrainians can't. Way of the world.

 

[tangobob]

I was with a Ba expat in Villa Lugano on Saturday night and it was not a preety sight quote]

What was not pretty, you or the expat??

 

[syngirl]

If I come here, I can stay 90 days as a tourist, or get a visa. Why is it different for them? Why do they have special rights?

Dionysos you still need to figure some things out -- why IS it different for "them"? Why DO "they" have special rights? Because they're from paises limitrophes!! They have almost all the rights of Argentines as provided for them under the constitucion of Argentina and the Mercosur act. The constitucion of Argentina also says that every person here has the right to a vivienda digna.

You as a full-foreigner from non-bordering non-Mercosur country have virtually no rights apart from the graciousness of the customs officers to continue to give you 90 day tourist stamps in your visa, and the kindness of the public hospitals to provide you with care even though it is not required of them, unless you get yourself a proper visa and DNI.

I don't agree with the tomas whatsoever, but you do have to start to understand that "these people" are not here illegally, however the taking of a public park SHOULD be illegal, though according to Anibal Fernandez it is not. This is part of the crux of the matter -- the federal government refused to recognise the taking of the park as an illegal act.

How they are going to continue to take that stand on private properties that have been taken (ie the Club that is still being occupied) and public areas that are far outside the governance of Mauricio Macri is beyond me. CFK seems to think she can just ignore this whole thing and hope Macri goes down in flames, but if this continues to spread throughout the country she's going to have a real problem on her hands.

 

[AnalogDreamer]

It is "mob rule" in Buenos Aires. Went to Aeropark today and greeted with the pounding of drums in the terminal: LAN airline strike. No consideration for anyone: babies, elderly. Idiots standing around beating their stupid drums like it is some kind of joke. Real Macho stuff. From there while*walking down Callao, 20 people are camped out in the middle of the street blocking all traffic. Twenty people have the right to screw up everyone's day because of some Walmart problem, so the sign said. And the day did not get any better. When I get home, some poor soul*is clipped by a bus. Bus driver stops, takes a gander at the corpse, gets back in the bus and drives off like nothing happened. The kid is dead. No cop, nothing. Kid is laying in the street and everyone is blowing their horns because the body is blocking traffic. Yelling and screaming to move the corpse.*
Will not even begin to try and understand the squatter issue. It is "mob rule" in Buenos Aires. Just another day in Buenos Aires, Paris of South America. Think this may be my last trip through paradise.

Are you saying a bus hit a child and left the dead body on the ground??? Am I understandong this correctly?
I don't believe so, even when this city is caotic and has problems that are hard to understand, I know that wouldn't fly.

I don't get where people is getting that inhabitants from the villas are "illegals". Did you ask for their documents? Does that make them 2nd class citizens?