Te quiero, Chile. Superas esto. Superas todo.
Nonstop violence and insecurity rule in a community overrun by drug-dealers
Locals know La Legua as a drug-trafficking hub, riddled with violence and heavy with fear. Tucked into the borough of San Joaquín, just a half hour from downtown Santiago, La Legua's problems were unknown to most Chileans until a Catholic priest, Father Gerard Ouisse, made a desperate cry for help last week.
In a letter, Ouisse told the prosecutor's office that the people of La Legua live as though still under dictatorship, ruled by fear and insecurity. Many keep their kids out of school, too afraid for their safety to let them out of the house.
"We live every day under intolerable violence," the letter reads. "We are powerless, forced to hide in our homes while drug-dealers own the streets and walk freely carrying guns. . . . It's common for parents to call their children from work to know if it's safe to come home or if they must wait for the shooting to end."
Authorities arrived in droves the next day. Sen. Soledad Alvear, along with the mayors of San Joaquín, Peñalolén and Puente Alto, visited Ouisse's parish in San Cayetano church. There, they heard first-hand accounts of residents witnessing shootings and hiding in fear.
Afraid of retaliation, the residents of La Legua who spoke up begged media to withhold their names; they forbade photographs as well. Since word of his letter got out, Ouisse has been under police protection.
Rodrigo Ubilla, undersecretary for the interior, has been charged with developing a plan to "recover" La Legua. Ouisse has begged that the plan not be centered on violence.
"Repression is not the solution," he told The Santiago Times in an interview. "What we need most of all is long-term social help based in education. We need to recover lost time, and help reintegrate criminals into society, so that La Legua won't be a ghetto any more."
Local politicians echoed Ouisse.
"We need policies to look out for children whose parents are in prison," said Sen. Alvear. "We must proactively intervene to keep young people from committing crimes, instead of taking measures once the crimes are committed."
Manuel José Ossandón, mayor of Puente Alto - another southern Santiago borough with a reputation for violence - harshly criticized the way La Legua has been treated in the past, and said the current violence is the result of many years of bad social policies.
"In Chile there is a hidden poverty," said Ossandón. "Many times is not monetary, but is more closely tied to culture, education, quality of life, human development, and the acceptance of violence. Year after year we make the same mistakes, and build new La Leguas all over the country."
Ouisse made sure to note that La Legua is also filled with people who volunteer to "work in solidarity" and help improve the community. "We have soup kitchens, drug rehabilitation and disability programs," he said.
Ouisse emphasized La Legua's being "a community that wants to move forward, has fought and wants to keep fighting to restore its dignity."
In a letter, Ouisse told the prosecutor's office that the people of La Legua live as though still under dictatorship, ruled by fear and insecurity. Many keep their kids out of school, too afraid for their safety to let them out of the house.
"We live every day under intolerable violence," the letter reads. "We are powerless, forced to hide in our homes while drug-dealers own the streets and walk freely carrying guns. . . . It's common for parents to call their children from work to know if it's safe to come home or if they must wait for the shooting to end."
Authorities arrived in droves the next day. Sen. Soledad Alvear, along with the mayors of San Joaquín, Peñalolén and Puente Alto, visited Ouisse's parish in San Cayetano church. There, they heard first-hand accounts of residents witnessing shootings and hiding in fear.
Afraid of retaliation, the residents of La Legua who spoke up begged media to withhold their names; they forbade photographs as well. Since word of his letter got out, Ouisse has been under police protection.
Rodrigo Ubilla, undersecretary for the interior, has been charged with developing a plan to "recover" La Legua. Ouisse has begged that the plan not be centered on violence.
"Repression is not the solution," he told The Santiago Times in an interview. "What we need most of all is long-term social help based in education. We need to recover lost time, and help reintegrate criminals into society, so that La Legua won't be a ghetto any more."
Local politicians echoed Ouisse.
"We need policies to look out for children whose parents are in prison," said Sen. Alvear. "We must proactively intervene to keep young people from committing crimes, instead of taking measures once the crimes are committed."
Manuel José Ossandón, mayor of Puente Alto - another southern Santiago borough with a reputation for violence - harshly criticized the way La Legua has been treated in the past, and said the current violence is the result of many years of bad social policies.
"In Chile there is a hidden poverty," said Ossandón. "Many times is not monetary, but is more closely tied to culture, education, quality of life, human development, and the acceptance of violence. Year after year we make the same mistakes, and build new La Leguas all over the country."
Ouisse made sure to note that La Legua is also filled with people who volunteer to "work in solidarity" and help improve the community. "We have soup kitchens, drug rehabilitation and disability programs," he said.
Ouisse emphasized La Legua's being "a community that wants to move forward, has fought and wants to keep fighting to restore its dignity."
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