Re: THE PRICE WE PAY NOW FOR NOT HAVING A FUTURE


"PL" <pl.nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"George.com" <roblyn@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"PL" <pl.nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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THE PRICE WE PAY NOW FOR NOT HAVING A FUTURE
2007-07-08.
By Yusnaimy Jorge, activist Center for Health & Human Rights "Juan
Bruno
Zayas"

Havana, July 2nd., 2007. Reinier, only 20 years of age, is no longer
with his family in the Tamarindo Quarter, Mantilla municipality of the
capital city of Havana. A poniard-stab in the back went through a lung
and claimed his young life while he enjoyed a party during the night of
June 11, 2007. He died instantly among the screams of the terrorized
multitude of juveniles.

That same night other three young men were attacked in different fights
also in Mantilla. It was said that one received one shot that affected
one eye and that the other were stabbed.

Visiting the Santa Amalia neighborhood a few weeks ago I learned that a
young couple, under the effect of drugs, committed the horrendous crime
of murdering their small baby of only a few months of age.

A few days ago somebody commented to me: -It is bad out here in the
streets. In the corner of where I live, in La Vibora, a mom and pop
eatery (paladar) was assaulted. With a baseball bat they attacked the
man who was guarding it. And in the next block they also used a bat to
attack a young man to steal his clothes and shoes. Of course, nobody
dared intervene and I never knew if the victims survived or not. You
cannot even leave your home these days!-.

Hidalgo is a friend who is a surgeon who tells us that he is on medical
duty every 6 days and that it extremely infrequent the shift in which
there not several emergencies due to the arrival of patients victims of
fire or steel arms.

The increase in violence is a daily reality in the life of the Cubans
in
the isle. Young people are the most affected by this phenomenon that is
the result of the social conditions to which the people is subject to
and the government indifference vis a vis this scourge.

There is practically no entertainment for the young people. They only
have theater, the movies and the beach during summer. Theater and
movies
are not their cup of tea because the films and plays are not very
attractive. The beach they can enjoy but it is a problem because of the
difficulty in obtaining transportation and the high alcohol consumption
that results in fights and crime at the beaches.

The discothèques are the night centers in more demand. There the young
people who can save during the week the 5 or 10 dollars that the ticket
costs would go to meet. It is the way they can procure the ecstasies of
a time of entertainment drinking alcohol and taking drugs and having
access to cheap prostitution.

Since working and studying are not sources of income in convertible
currency, the easiest solution to obtain hard currency is holding up
people and provoking damages to people in the streets and other crimes
such as armed and violent robberies. All this is without counting the
practice of prostitution with foreigners or nationals that can be
observed in people progressively younger, including children of both
sexes under 15 years of age.

These days being a professional, good student or having a job is no
motivation for many young people. They seek success becoming renowned
delinquents and fight without any scruples in the streets to have
economic gains that would allow them to enjoy a pleasant life.

Prestige is also enjoy among the delinquents by those who join the
practice of Afro-Cuban religions or fraternal associations, such as
being abacua, that at the present time are a factor in the increase in
violence by a deviation from the original concepts of that type of
religion.

The government with its policy of ignoring the vicissitudes of the
Cuban
society is the one that keeps the immense majority of the population
living a miserable existence and, thus, directly contributes to
increase
in violence by living in denial about the social chaos and not offering
adequate opportunities to the youth that has no hope or positive
expectancy for the future.

whilst not denying there are weighty social issues in Cuba, the type of
activities outlined above are nothing strange to my country. We have a
first
world economy, low unemployment, opportunity and every conceivable
consumer
gadget available. Despite this we have fights, stabbings, youth gangs,
drug
induced crime, horrendous physical child abuse, street beatings etc etc.
This country does have a 'future', to coin the phrase, yet we suffer our
social ills near as much as anyone.

rob

Does you country have a similar law as this:
http://www.cubaverdad.net/crime_of_dangerousness.htm

there is indeed discussion of late about moving in that direction for
certain crimes. As it is, some of the commentary about law and order
advocates laws of similar ferocity. The US has laws along those lines.

As I said earlier however, the incidents outlined in the article are nothing
strange in this country (New Zealand). We have 4.2 million people and quite
a low crime rate, decent people (by and large), a decent police force &
justice system & opportunities for people. I can think of a party based
stabbing in the news recently. We have had several children murdered by
(piss poor) parents, who didn't need drugs as an excuse. Some high profile
beatings of shop keepers, pizza delivery guys (drugs were involved here).
Shootings of innocent bystanders by psycho crims (and we have a very low
incidence of gun violence). Obviously I am not boasting of some of the ***
we have in this country, just stating that the types of crime mentioned are
also freely available in first world countries such as NZ which have quite a
nice future.

rob


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