On Thursday, three men were shot in the Garay neighborhood and residents say that it is due to the sale and consumption of substances.
In the vicinity of the Jesús Obrero church, located in Leonidas Plaza and Alcedo, it is common to see consumers and micro-traffickers. In that area of the Garay neighborhood, where three men were shot last Thursday, there is concern.
The residents say that it is almost daily to observe groups of consumers walking the streets, checking the garbage and stealing objects to be able to buy H.
The problem is such that those who come to the Catholic church in that neighborhood have been victims of the consumers, who have stolen accessories from their vehicles and who remain at the door of the church inhaling drugs.
“They have had to go to look for their accessories in a warehouse that is on the corner. There you buy the same rear-view mirror that was stolen minutes before, but you have to pay double what they gave the axman ”, said a parish worker, who had the rear-view mirror removed from his car while he was at mass.
Dalila Castro, who lives in the same neighborhood, indicated that users sleep at the foot of her house some nights and that at dawn they begin to inject substances.
“One day I woke up because my son was going to work and when we opened the door we found an axman crossed in the path, vomiting and almost naked,” said the woman with discomfort.
No matter how much the police are called, they just take them out, but they can’t take them away or something like that, complains another neighbor who secretly pointed out the house where they sell drugs.
“We are afraid to report because they can send us to do something,” said a neighbor while shopping at a store in the sector.
Another inhabitant of that neighborhood hopes that at least they no longer consume on the streets, as it is a bad example for children.
“The children cannot grow as if this situation were normal,” said the mother of three minors.
But not only the consumption in the streets is a complaint of the inhabitants of that area of the city. Near the Garay neighborhood is the Salado neighborhood, which goes as far as 9 de Octubre avenue. In that area, the main complaint is uncontrolled sex work, associated with a series of problems and crimes.
There is drug use, robberies, said Gustavo Rivadeneira, who is part of the neighborhood committee that groups these sectors together. Rivadeneira, who has always lived in this sector, explained that in recent years he has had rapprochements with the municipality so that the ordinances that allow controlling consumption in the streets and sex work are specified.
Those ordinances exist, said Rivadeneira, but no sanctions have been established for those who violate them, that is, in practice they are useless because the police cannot enforce them.
The policemen ask them to leave, but then they come back. No one can be imprisoned, said Rivadeneira, who added that for a year the cantonal council has been analyzing possible sanctions, but these must be determined by the municipal trustee and this has not yet been done.
Rivadeneira, who was appointed community manager for district 3, added that, for example, a fine of $ 40 can be established for those who for the first time violate the ordinance of not practicing prostitution on public roads and six days in jail for repeat offenders.
Despite the lack of a fine, he does consider that the Police can take measures to control this problem that has affected several businesses on 9 de Octubre Avenue.
“Police that take action with immigration, that they work and comb this area and I assure you that they are going to remove more than 70% of those who are engaged in prostitution because many are foreigners who do not have papers in order and there are even minors, Dinapen must act, “said Rivadeneira.
Sol Paredes, who also lives in the center of Guayaquil, near the Olympic swimming pool, asserted that prostitution is a problem that has greatly affected the image of her sector.
“It is not a matter of morality, but this leads to other crimes such as robbery, micro-trafficking, hit men and the pimps they accompany are dangerous people,” he said.
In that area of downtown Guayaquil there is also another problem and that is that car accessories that are stolen throughout the city are sold in some small stores in the area. That’s what a neighbor who lives on Esmeraldas Street tells us.
“Once I was entering my house and they asked me if I was the one who sold the brains of the cars. It was a man who had been robbed in Urdesa and had been called to tell him that he could be found in that corner. He had to go to a warehouse where they installed his own equipment, but he had to pay, “said a neighbor. (I)
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
