Tourist killed in Plaza San Martin

[CarverFan]

For anyone interested in helping those living in villa 31, I came across this link to a women's co-operative that sells knitwear.
http://www.villa31.org/english/involved/

 

[Sockhopper]

Re. those who propose either boycotting BA, or bulldozing Villa 31 because it's at the edge of a wealthy area, I presume you'd want to start first with Pittsburgh and the no-go area of "The Hill" positiioned in its dead centre.

I go weak with fear in BA at just the mention of 2 separate things - 'paco' and that "Facultad de Medicina" area in Recoleta on Uriburu near Cordoba.

 

[steveinbsas]

Tourists boycoting BA and the local governement bulldozing Villa 31 are mutually exclusive.

I agree that the park near the Facultad de Medecina is an undesirable area.


I will probably never be near there again and I am sure I will never go to Pittsburgh (who here cares about Ptitsburgh, anyway?).

I feel sorry for anyone who still lives in fear in a big city in any country...no matter how "rich" they are.

At least a "poor" family in Pittsburg can make over $30,000 per year tax free (from the IRS) and own a car and have a TV in every bedroom...and get food stamps and a free cell phone.

 

[CarverFan]

What's so bad about that plaza? By day it looks fine...

 

[steveinbsas]

What's so bad about that plaza? By day it looks fine...

But it isn't.

Perps can emerge from almost anywhere (or just walk past an unsuspecting victim) and strike in an instant.

 

[notebook.fix]

The victim's sister was quoted as saying that her brother's death was so absurd, she could not believe that after all the dangerous places in the world that her brother had worked in, Lybia, Siria etc etc "how is it possible that he had to die in Buenos Aires? Why did he have to go there??"


The 24yr old suspect who's being held in a temporary police cell has so far denied killing the victim.



http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1447472-se-nego-a-declarar-el-sospechoso-de-asesinar-al-fotografo-frances

"Su hermana, Christine Schwebel, calificó de "absurda" la muerte. "Por su trabajo, él estuvo cerca de tiburones y de lobos, lo mandaron a lugares tan peligrosos como Libia o Siria ¿Cómo es posible que haya muerto en Buenos Aires? ¿Por qué tuvo que ir ahí esta vez?", planteó."

 

[perry]

Lets get a grip here in 6 years here has anyone else heard of a tourist being murdered in Buenos Aires ? Considering there are over 10 million tourists per year visiting La Capital it is still a very safe city for violent crime leading to death.

As stated in my other posts why do expats and Argentinians not make such a huge outcry for the 10,000 deaths per year on Argentinian roads . A car is a weapon as well and there are many drivers who are drugged and drunken out of their f..... minds driving in the early hours of each morning in Buenos Aires.

Many tourists have died on our roads by selfish drivers and every year over 100 pedestrians are killed on Buenos Aires streets many in the prime of their life.

If there is a will the road toll will decline considerably . The Government should act urgently on this issue as it now a national emergency .

 

[mercjoe]

That's fine.

But why dont you also tweet the ex bomber/guerrillera nilda garré and ask her about why the hell are they taking away PF from everywhere ?

I sent Macri a tweet to ask him about this. Maybe if more people message him as well he might comment on the situation?

 

[NedHowey]

Whenever I first came to Buenos Aires in 2008, I did some short-term volunteering in the villas. We helped the kids with homework or colored up coloring books. Anyway, from my perspective the vast majority of the people in the villas are hardworking, honest folks. I never visited Villa 31, but I was in other villas like Ciudad Oculta or Villa Soldati. They may not have a lot of stuff, but they do have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else.

If Villa 31 shouldn't even be there, where should these people go? There really isn't an easy solution. If the government tries to help these people get ahead, then everyone comes out to complain that their taxes are going to a bunch of "lazy people" and "imigrantes negros de mi*rda". (Read the comment sections on Clarin.com, Infobae, etc.) If the government does nothing to help these people, everyone is shocked when one of them -- likely unemployed, no education, etc. -- decides to steal or kill. The government is damned if it does, damned if it doesn't.

Thanks Bradly for reminding us that these problems are quite complex. Where there is poverty and need, and especially where there is a convergence of poor and rich, violence is often present. At its core are great injustices and wealth inequalities. As well, systems of justice that have failed. I can´t discount the news that the guy who did this was arrested 6 times in the last 10 years. Nor does it absolve this individual from guilt of his murder.

However, I worked for nearly a decade at a homeless organization in San Francisco. I´ve seen people stabbed to death, been charged at with chairs and hammers and knives, broken up knife fights, heck...even broke up a fight between two guys who had stolen screw drivers becuase they didn´t have the money to buy knives or guns (thankfully?!?!).

These problems are not unique to Argentina. Retiro and Plaza San Martin can be particularly risky.

Lets remember to stick together, stay aware and safe, and work in our communities (which for the moment for us all are here in Buenos Aires) to make things better.

 

[henryb]

Where there is poverty and need, and especially where there is a convergence of poor and rich, violence is often present. At its core are great injustices and wealth inequalities.

You nailed it down, guys. It is inequality that causes crime. It goes this way since Cain and Abel.
Villa 31 needs to be expanded to all GBA area. Then everybody will be equal, and Buenos Aires will become the safest place on the earth.
Then you can help even more unprivileged children to color up their color books, so that they have more opportunities to get ahead in life.

Sometimes it looks like BA is a refuge of social workers, who decided to make some easy money by teaching english in Argentina.