Students in front of an educational institution during a march to mark International Women’s Day on a street in Valparaíso (Chile).ADRIANA THOMASA (EFE)
About fifteen schools and universities in the Chilean region of Valparaíso, about 120 kilometers from Santiago de Chile, have decided to suspend their classes this Tuesday because of the risks of a funeral for a drug trafficker. These ceremonies are considered very risky by police as the groups occupy neighborhoods and take over territories, an increasingly common practice in popular areas of major cities. They informally block the streets, set off firecrackers and shots in the air, and conduct caravans, among other acts of intimidation. “We cannot allow drug trafficking to dominate the school calendar,” said Interior Minister Carolina Tohá.
The deceased’s name was Ñaju and he was shot dead in front of the Las Acacias school in Valparaíso last Wednesday. He was parked in a car around two in the afternoon during school hours when three people came out of another car and shot him at least 20 times. The police are investigating the crime.
Tohá, who has taken into her own hands the serious public safety problem Chile is facing, assured that while the government understands that this type of measure is being taken to protect students, it is urgent that “the increase police surveillance and improve coordination so that schools are not affected. “We cannot allow the drug trade to dominate the school calendar. We will not accept that in Chile,” affirmed the interior minister of the government, Gabriel Boric.
The municipality’s mayor, Jorge Sharp, of the non-state left, expressed concern at the escalation of violence in certain neighborhoods. “We are talking about the sense of anxiety and fear that exists among residents of the upper sectors of Playa Ancha ahead of a high-risk funeral that will take place in the next few hours,” he said Tuesday. Sharp appealed to the national authorities, Minister Tohá, the Undersecretary of State for the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, the Carabineros and the police to “endow the Valparaíso region with all the capacities and resources necessary to combat the proliferation of weapons head-on in drug offenses. For Sharp, “It cannot be that the residents of Valparaíso live in fear.”
Education Minister Marco Antonio Ávila commented that schools and universities made “a good decision” to protect students and that what is happening today “is not independent of what is happening in many parts of the world” where the School administration of students constantly needs to assess the risks.
Chile is experiencing a security crisis that has led to a 30% increase in organized crime, firepower and a 30% increase in homicide rates. Certain agencies, like La Florida Mayor Rodolfo Carter, have begun implementing unprecedented measures in the country, like demolishing drug-related homes, to send a signal to the community. Citizens largely support this type of initiative.
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