respeto

Juan Jose and I had an interesting conversation about those places so fascinating to me; the forbidden places. Where I can't walk by myself, even during the day. These are generally the poorer areas, on the edges of the city, many of the higher places on the hills. Some hills are entirely safe even at the top, but others are entirely flaite. Before I get more descriptive, know two things: 1. that these places exist all over the world, yes, even in the developed nation of the United States of America, and 2. I have never been to where I am about to describe, so know that this is a highly skewed view which was formed on the basis from many conversations with people who have seen or live near places like this. Therefore, I will not claim to "know" much about which I am talking.

The poor sectors are most dangerous because they house not only the poor, but the flaite as well. The flaite live there, and their activities originate there. Drugs are rampant. They are not nice places to visit I imagine, nor are they remotely safe for me, but they fascinate me. Why are they like this? How did they form and why don't they get better?

The most interesting aspect for me is the following. Flaite knife and shoot each other and will attack you for your stuff, but this depends on who you are. If you are poor, they have no reason to attack you. If you are Chilean but from another neighborhood, that is reason. If you are a 'blonde' green-eyed gringa, that is very good reason. But if you are Chilean and live close to this place, and have entered sufficiently that your face is known, you are respected. I could not believe that this could be the case. But often it is a respect out of fear. Flaite know that you have family that can find them and retaliate, so they don't touch you. You don't touch them because, well, they are dangerous. I can go to some of these sectors by day, to know and seek and understand the reality, but only some, by day, and accompanied by a Chilean which I have described. But there are some places exist which I absolutely cannot go. This idea fascinates me, that a place can be so dangerous.

How can these places exist? Why don't the police go in there and arrest people? They can't. They would be killed, just because they are police. They can enter most places by day, but by night no, they would go in vain. And so, these places will continue to exist. Luckily though I gather that they are relatively contained; I am not going to find myself caught in a shootout because I won't be in the place where it happens, and they don't have reason to hurt me.

I want to understand this phenomenon. I can't though, because I don't live there. But I want to understand more than I do now, know why it is the way it is, know the people and the places that know one visits. Don't worry, I won't go wandering about seeking drug lords, nor will I really go to these places at all, only safer ones with Chilean guides. I promise.