It is difficult to write when life itself is interrupted by the emergency that we imposes organized crime. From Monday, September 9, Culiacan lives under the shadow of the violence. The entire population of the capital of Sinaloaas well as the neighboring townsare located under the siege of a darkness that does not allow them to breathe freely. While the country prepares for the national celebrations, Sinaloans We are left without celebrations. And it’s not that we don’t have reasons to celebrate, it’s that we simply can’t. Freedom, harmony, security and peace feel more distant than ever.
The situation of violence that is experienced in the capital of the State is far from being under control. Public security authorities lack the means to confront criminal groups fighting over territory, with thousands of lives at stake. We are adrift. Despite the efforts Governor’s efforts to downplay the seriousness of the situationthe reality is undeniableWe live it day by day. We don’t need anyone to explain to us what we are experiencing firsthand.
The job of authority is to provide us with security, not publicity. Instead of showing us reassuring images in carefully controlled settings, what we need is real protection. We find it offensive to see our Governor Walking along the banks of the Tamazula River, demonstrating a non-existent normality, when the majority of the population simply cannot do that, because they do not have the resources and security elements that he has. It is painful to see him exercise a freedom that has been denied to most of us.
Since Monday, life in Culiacán It resembles the times of the COVID pandemic. The streets are emptypeople do not dare to leave their homes for fear. It is not the virus this time, but the violenceThousands of people are prevented from using public transport because there are no trucks. Transporters fear that their vehicles will be hijacked and used to close streets, or set on fire on public roads, while the right to freedom of movement is being rolled back.
For entrepreneurs and small business owners, the situation is no different. There are no customers, but the bills keep coming in, salaries must be paid. Meanwhile, children, teenagers and young people cannot go to school. Shootings, roadblocks and streets with flat tires make any attempt at normality impossible. The risks of being caught in the crossfire are very real, and any activity on the street has become a dangerous gamble.
All productive activities have been affected, while economic losses are counted in millions. The social cost is very high. And it is society that will pay for it. The poorest and most vulnerable are the ones who suffer the most. For many, there is no tomorrow and even with these conditions, they have to go out to earn a living, assuming the risk and terror that is experienced in the streets.
The number of missing people has increased dramatically. It is common to see people murdered in the street. This is not a normal situation. As much as we have become accustomed to it in Sinaloa, this is not normal. Children and adolescents should not have to experience this. Shootings and summary executions continue. All life in the city is on hold, while death squads roam the streets. Our life is on hold.
Social media has done its job, showing the points of conflict: shootings, blockades, burned vehicles, armed groups moving around freely. But it has also been a space for spreading rumors that aggravate collective fear. Fear spreads freely throughout the city. It is a feeling of anguish, vulnerability and fear. Our families, friends and colleagues are at risk, and this is not an exaggerated perception. What we are experiencing is real.
In the face of all that is happening, many people are asking themselves, who is winning? In all honesty, I say that no one is winning. We are all losing. The criminal groups that are now “fighting” for “the square” and “the territory” are not any winning faction or team. Quite the contrary to the way they present themselves, they have already been defeated and defeated, due to their need to resort to crime and delinquency. Stripped of their integrity and human dignity, they no longer distinguish the hatred and horror that they are spreading. This is the true face of organized crime.
How long will we continue to feed the myth of a great criminal lordship that only sows death and despair?
The federal government has not done enough. It is clear that state authorities are completely overwhelmed. It is urgent to mobilize the National Guard and security forces to regain control of the city. Culiacán is one of the most important cities in the north of the country, the capital of the state, and it cannot be held hostage for a week. This is an urgent call for the President of the Republic: he must act immediately.
In this gloom, we do not lose hope.
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