Friday, April 14, 2006

Lawbreakers 1, Police 0

The young men had been drinking on the street corner. Talking, laughing. About 3 AM some point had been crossed between drunkenness and the young men's testosterone levels and a fight broke out. There was much screaming of obscenities and the noise of the young men getting pushed and shoved against the doors of the houses on the corner.

Someone must have called the police. They arrived in force. Motorcycle cops, wagons and cars. The fighters scattered with the police chasing them. One was captured and handcuffed and put in the wagon. The others must have escaped into the house where they live a few doors down the street and the police were banging on the door. Suddenly bottles were exploding all over the street as the young men who were on the roof started throwing bottles at the police. The police responded by throwing rocks. The young men were screaming obscenities at the officers.

The bottle throwers were winning the war. The police retreated to safer spots. In a lull in the battle, they moved their motorcycles further up the street away from hits by bottles. Soon they were all gathered about a 1/2 a block away from the bottle throwers. They stood in the street discussing the situation. Then some of them left. Now there were six of them in the street. Far from the bottle throwers who stopped throwing bottles.

The six police officers stood there a little longer. All was quiet on the street now. Soon they all left. Perhaps the bottle throwers went to bed to sleep off their intoxification.

What happens next time?
Will the police respond if they are afraid of getting pelted with bottles?
Will the police file a report with the Ministerio Publico?
If they do, will the Ministerio Publico investigate?
Will these young men be arrested?
Will the young men think they own the street?
Is there any respect for the police in San Miguel?
Citizens in San Miguel are being urged to organize Neighborhood Watch Programs. If the police retreat when they are being attacked by lawbreakers, what good will a Neighborhood Watch do?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Billie,
Are you certain this is a place you want to live fulltime?

Leigh

Anonymous said...

Billie - Don't let a little 'barroom' brawl send you packing - exciting times and not a dull moment in sunny south of the border ;-) We have had a few barracho problems in Ursulo Galvan - mostly harmless but caution is the alert level for sure.
Juan Calypso