Interesting...thanks for the message. It is hard to believe that the once
sleepy country of Honduras is now gang infested. Solving the problem is
complex for sure!
-----Original Message-----
From: Jackie Hansen [mailto:jackie.....org]
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 11:04 AM
To: travel-to-honduras.....com
Subject: RE: [travel-to-honduras] Re: nytimes article
Dear list members,
The gang problem in Central America, in particular Honduras, is a very real
and very serious concern for Hondurans. It may not be a grave threat to
foreigners but it is on the minds of all Hondurans, particularly those
living in impoverished barrios where maras thrive. My husband is Honduran
and fled his country to the United States almost nine years ago because of
gang violence. We are planning to re-locate from Washington, DC to Honduras
next year to be closer to his family but the threat of gang violence remains
a concern for us, particularly as we plan to live, at least initially, in a
gang-affected barrio in El Progreso.
I am by no means an expert on maras in Central America and the gang problem
is very complex, but it does stem in part from these factors:
-poverty and lack of educational and job opportunities
-availability of weapons
-us domestic and foreign policy
In the tumultuous 1980s many Central Americans re-located to the United
States. Many latino youth became involved with gangs in cities such as Los
Angeles. Thousands of these youth gang members were incarcerated and, upon
release, deported back to Central America. They imported the LA-style gang
culture to Central America. There are now transnational maras with members
in multiple countries. Mara Salvatrucha, a gang formed in El Salvador by
former LA gang members deported back to Central America, is active in my
neighborhood in Washington, DC!
The gang problem and related violence has spiraled out of control. For my
husband, in the neighborhood he grew up in you had to be a member of a gang
simply to ensure a safe route to school. A pacifist, I am constantly shocked
at the extent of the knowledge him and his family and friends here in the
United States have about guns, gangs and violence. I am equally shocked to
hear young nieces and nephews rattle off the names of guns rather than
reciting the alphabet.
Hondurans are very rightly frightened of the gangs and want something to be
done to curb the violence. Governments in the region are indeed taking
action, but its effectiveness must be questioned. Suspected gang members may
be arrested and detained simply because they sport "gang-like" tattoos. New
laws limit civil liberties and allow persons to be detained for a variety of
reasons in the name of stopping gang violence. Prisons are filled far past
capacity. Hundreds of prisoners have perished in fires and violence in
prisons where mara members or suspected members have been detained in La
Ceiba and San Pedro Sula. These prisons are gang schools, where
impressionable young people with few opportunities truly become hardened
criminals. With no rehabilitation and next to no opportunities, what will
happen when these young people are eventually released from prison? How can
young people escape the life of gangs and crime when they are not presented
with alternatives and when even former gang members can be arrested simply
because they sport tattoos from their former life?
As a result of the tough new anti-gang laws and implementation by Honduran
officials, gang members are taking retaliatory actions. Earlier this year,
about ten persons were beheaded in various parts of the country, their heads
left with messages to the President warning him to lay-off the anti-gang
crackdown. Other gang members from throughout Central America have fled to
southern Mexico, some of them robbing and abusing their countrypeople as
coyotes traffic them to "El Norte."
The solution to Honduras' mara problem is no less complex than its roots. To
address the roots of poverty and social inequality is no easy task. To
rehabilitate young people and provide opportunities for them to learn, grow
and flourish requires increased and sustained resources.
As people living in and traveling to Honduras I would encourage you to learn
more about this problem and to take action in Honduras or wherever you live.
Organizations in Honduras are working on this issue and need your support.
In the United States, Canada and elsewhere, contact local latino community
organizations and get involved. What Honduras needs is not full prisons, but
opportunities to learn, to work, to grow and to thrive without the daily
threat of violence. Honduras does indeed have beautiful beaches, striking
mountains, raging rivers and much more, but many Hondurans are not able to
enjoy these natural beauties. As outsiders, we are able to live in relative
safety and enjoy all the wonderful things Honduras has to offer. Honduras is
your host, you have a responsibility to invest in its future as well.
For more information please visit:
-Casa Alianza- http://www.casa-alianza.org
-Amnesty International- http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR370082004
-Related News Articles-
http://news.onemissingperson.org/HONDURAS-FEB-22-2004-1953e-Honduras-Gangs-L
eave-Grisly-Warning.html
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=522633
http://www.americas.org/item_14520
http://www.mcc.org/gallery/04_01/
Sincerely,
Jackie Hansen
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Strickland [mailto:michael.....net]
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2004 7:31 PM
To: travel-to-honduras.....com
Subject: [travel-to-honduras] Re: nytimes article
This social phenomenon (for lack of a better word) sounds disturbingly like
the situation in Brasil (Rio), as depicted in last year's movie CITY OF GOD.
I just happened to see this movie last weekend, and recommend it to anyone
interested in this subject. The movie itself was a dramatic presentation
(based on a true story), but the DVD also includes a pretty shocking 1-hour
documentary that shows how the Brazilian government is handling (or not
handling) their gang problem.
I'd be interested in hearing any firsthand accounts from anyone on this list
who currently lives in Honduras. In the early 1980s, I heard what a
dangerous place Honduras was with all of the conflicts between the Contras
and Sandinistas. But then I spent a year there, and experienced no problems.
So I'm curious how pervasive this problem with the maras is, from an
everyday Honduras resident's perspective.
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