Social Unrest And Looting In Bariloche...

[jez]

Just been to the 'La Anonomia' Supermarket (not the one they tried to loot) in the town centre and it will open at mid day. The 'Todo' Supermarket in the center is open as usual. Banks are open - some had their shutters down yesterday. Only saw 2 Gendameria on the street corner. The Theatre is boarded up as a precaution, but am sure the boards will come down soon.

 

[ElQueso]

San Fernando, just outside of Tigre - it's on the news, they're trying to loot a supermarket there right now. Apparently they got in for a little bit of time but the police managed to get them out and are holding them back. Police shooting rubber bullets, crowd with ready-made plywood shields, throwing rocks and trying to attack to get to the supermarket.

One of my brothers-in-law lives out there and his wife just called my wife to let her know what was going on. They're a little freaked out.

Maybe this is something organized. I find the pre-prepared shields a bit interesting. The question is, if it's organized, who is really behind it? Are the poor being used as pawns? Is this just a phenomenon related to the christmas season? Certainly didn't happen any other year I've been here, that I was aware of.

What happens if the villas and other concentrations of poor in the city start boiling out...

 

[EricLovesBA]

On the "Chango" supermarket, there's a sign appearing in the pics.

It's written something like "Pagas menos, Llevas mas"... Was quite funny (except for the owners) to watch with the mob in front.

That caught my eye too. Seems to me there's a Christmas card in that somewhere, along the lines of:

On another note, for those envisioning that they are going to go home and set up these big screen TV's, sit back in their recliners and pop open some beer. Come on! If you made the decision to actually steal for your family so they can halfway enjoy Christmas, to take the risk of going to jail, does it make more sense to go to the supermarket, and haul off a cart of bread and potatoes that will last you a few days, or haul off a hi-def tv that you can sell and buy food for a month or two? How long are you going to keep a big screen tv in a house where rain is pouring through the roof and your front door consists of a shipping crate and corrugated tin you found by the road?? Obviously I don't know the details any more than the rest of you, but if these are squatters from the area, I'd be willing to bet the scenario is much closer to what I just described.

 

[mrporoto]

not much of a problem compared to the Londonistan riots, no arson and violence here.

 

[ElQueso]

My wife just went to the Disco on Esmeralda at Libertador. She's acquaintances with one of the cashiers there. The cashier told her that the Coto that is near the Villa 31 is under attack. This is completely unconfirmed - I'm mentioning this because the employees in the Disco are terrified of what's going on in Bariloche and San Fernando. This particular Disco is just on the other side of the train tracks from the villa.

Of course, coincidentally, I do hear sirens and whistles - but those are not uncommon noises anyway, on any given day.

Happy Holidays!

 

[steveinbsas]

San Fernando, just outside of Tigre - it's on the news, they're trying to loot a supermarket there right now. Apparently they got in for a little bit of time but the police managed to get them out and are holding them back. Police shooting rubber bullets, crowd with ready-made plywood shields, throwing rocks and trying to attack to get to the supermarket.

One of my brothers-in-law lives out there and his wife just called my wife to let her know what was going on. They're a little freaked out.

Maybe this is something organized. I find the pre-prepared shields a bit interesting. The question is, if it's organized, who is really behind it? Are the poor being used as pawns? Is this just a phenomenon related to the christmas season? Certainly didn't happen any other year I've been here, that I was aware of.

What happens if the villas and other concentrations of poor in the city start boiling out...

Organized attacks on supermarkets and trucks are also taking place in Rosario and two deaths have been reported on canal 26 (720 on DirecTV).

 

[French jurist]

Organized, or not organized, that is the question.

One of the attacks could have been more or less organized, but I don't hear/read any media telling something like "we should wonder if showing those images is not provoking further lootings".

Another reason could be more psychological: frustration & the Christmas season (exact same period when there are many car burnings in France.

At least the medias could avoid to show the images, and just inform there are some lootings (images of people running with LCDs is not really informative, it's rather sensationalism)

 

[ElQueso]

Well, TV is a visual medium. I suppose they could have an announcer just giving the news, but it sure wouldn't sell more airtime I hear what you're saying, but I don't know that not showing the images even would avoid what's happening. If poor people even hear that others are rioting, and they are on the edge as is, I think they would do what they would do even without seeing the images.

What I found interesting were the prefabricated wooden shields I saw on the news related to the San Fernando rioting. Whether organized in a nefarious manner, or simply organized between poor folk themselves, it shows some planning and the ability to adapt. Most riots I've seen in various places around the world didn't have enough pre-planning to have built shields for the rioters.

In other words, I don't see this as a spur of the moment thing in either regard, but a planned thing. The question is who organized it - local people who are fed up or someone instigating things?

But another thing to think about - I don't recall seeing riots last year at this time, nor any of the previous years I've been here. Makes me wonder if this is planned, or if things are really getting bad enough to make people riot on their own and the season is simply the catalyst of the first round of what could be similar to what happened in 2001. One of my wife's cousins was here for those riots, as a poor person, and she shudders to think about how things were for her then.

I've been worried about things like 2001 happening again now. I almost prefer these are planned, organized riots, for whatever reason, than a grass-roots set of riots that may grow...not that I prefer any kind of riot to a nice, stable place to live and have a family!

 

[dennisr]

Organized and preplanned by none other than Clarin

 

[jez]

On another note, for those envisioning that they are going to go home and set up these big screen TV's, sit back in their recliners and pop open some beer. Come on! If you made the decision to actually steal for your family so they can halfway enjoy Christmas, to take the risk of going to jail,

So the police rock up and find a big screen TV on your property. First they have to prove where it came from, then they have to prove who stole it. The thieves aren't as stupid as you may think. If nobody admits to steeling it, the worst they can get done for is handing stolen goods, they will be hauled off for questioning then released based on lack of evidence and inefficient judicial system. The type of people that were stealing the TV's don't give a s#!it about going to jail, they have probably already been there and are in a vicious circle of crime lifestyle.

How long are you going to keep a big screen tv in a house where rain is pouring through the roof and your front door consists of a shipping crate and corrugated tin you found by the road?? Obviously I don't know the details any more than the rest of you, but if these are squatters from the area, I'd be willing to bet the scenario is much closer to what I just described.

Lots of stolen goods were loaded up into 0km 4x4's, this is organized crime, they have homes that don't leak!

Check out the video here of people with cars: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=107499382755953