ZCZC
BCN-23
VENEZUELA-ECONOMY-SOCIAL
Crime and crisis turn Caracas streets dark and deserted
CARACAS, Oct 26, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Crime and a grinding economic crisis
have turned the traditionally vibrant, teeming streets of Caracas into no
man’s land once the sun goes down.
Major thoroughfares like the Francisco Fajardo highway were empty during
recent nighttime drives by AFP. Hardly any cars drove past the Esfera de
Soto, a giant, suspended artwork in the shape of an orange sphere, that is
iconic for this troubled city of six million people.
Nor was there much traffic on Libertador Avenue, which joins east and west
Caracas, and in the working class district of La Candelaria in the city
center hardly any pedestrians were out and about. And those that were walked
very fast.
By night, few people ride the Caracas subway, which is used by two million
people a day. It closes at 11 pm.
Street stands selling hot dogs and hamburgers go begging for customers. In
Plaza Venezuela, usually a busy spot in the city, food vendors miss the days
when they could barely keep up with demand.
In the east of the city things are no better. Las Mercedes, an upscale
nightlife district that was hopping a few years ago, is dead. Now,
Venezuelans get their fun at home. It is cheaper and safer.
In Venezuela it is almost impossible to eat out when inflation is beyond
runaway and projected by the IMF to end the year at 1.35 million percent.
That’s right, million. But it is rampant crime — problem number one for
Venezuelans until the economic crisis set in — that is the main cause of
such sadly empty streets.
NGOs say there were 26,000 violent deaths last year in Venezuela — 89 per
100,000 inhabitants, which is 15 times the global average.
BSS/AFP/HR/1125