Violence

Friday, September 9, 2011

The town is alive and dead at the same time, news of yesterday’s events are spreading like wild fire and the violence that has arrived so close to home.  The news are vague in what took place here yesterday but the unofficial story is that several people were killed out on the main road when the federal police confronted one of the local cartels.  Stories tell that the local cartel took some of the federal police officers hostage.  As I go about my days chores buying the groceries and fresh tortillas I notice the truck loads of federal police about the town.  I can hear them as people questions and I walk a little faster and with my head down hoping I can go un-noticed.  When I arrive at home, phones are ringing and relatives arrive all wanting to know what we know.  There is a silence and a hesitation to share information for fear that knowing too much might be dangerous.  I want to be afraid but I can’t be.  Being afraid means we can’t continue to live our lives and go about our day and I am already away from the people I love I can’t now allow myself to be a caged animal.