With the people kept in poverty through oppression and the economic situation in communist Cuba worsening with each passing day, crime has grown exponentially on the island. The rise in criminal gangs on the island has forced the Castro dictatorship to acknowledge their existence. After years of pretending there was nothing to worry about, the Cuban regime has finally admitted Cuba has a crime problem. But as is always the case with socialism, they offer no solutions.
Via CiberCuba (my translation):
Ministry of the interior admits there are criminal gangs ‘instilling terror’ in Santiago de Cuba
During a recent meeting with residents of the Abel Santamaría neighborhood (El Salao) in Santiago de Cuba, the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) acknowledged the presence of criminal gangs dedicated to “instilling terror” among the population.
Authorities asked the affected residents for a vote of confidence and issued a warning to the criminals.
“Know that you will be severely punished for the acts you have committed. We have identified the different groups that exist and operate in these areas. Understand that we know who the members of these groups are that are currently disrupting public order and tranquility, and we will go after them,” a MININT official explained in a video shared on social media by journalist Yosmany Mayeta.
“I want to tell you that the Ministry of the Interior is fully prepared to combat these kinds of incidents, which cannot continue,” the official told the residents regarding the existence of gangs carrying knives and machetes and intimidating the citizens.
He specifically referred to the case of David Enrique Perdomo Álvarez, a 26-year-old lineman, whose right hand was cut off by one of these gangs. There are already five detainees in connection with the incident, according to the MININT official.
In the final segment of the address, a woman, skeptical of MININT’s promises, recounted that her son was assaulted at the door of their house by two hooded individuals last year, and she reported that the case had not been resolved up to that moment.
“No one has come to my house to give me an answer,” she declared. The official responded by stating that he was not aware of the incident and that a response would be provided.
Despite the vote of confidence requested by MININT, many residents in Santiago de Cuba have expressed skepticism on social media regarding the promises of severity towards criminals, and they demand that it be true.
“They cannot come to a neighborhood where there is not just one gang, but several, and promise that people should trust them, that they will put an end to criminal acts. When we know that it won’t be like that, that everything remains the same, and it will continue like that. They haven’t solved the cases that have happened; how do they expect the people to trust them? Let there be no panic,” concluded a Cuban in statements collected by Yosmany Mayeta.
They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Thus, the Cuban government should be very pleased with the criminal gangs. But then again I suppose that robbing and abusing the average citizen with fear and violence is the exclusive privilege of the government.
Cubans in general are non-violent. At least most of the ones I have known. However, I met one Cuban fellow years ago that confessed to me that he escaped Cuba on a stolen boat and in the process of leaving had to murder someone who was witness to his escape. He said it very nonchalant. He was from the eastern end of Cuba – Santiago de Cuba. This is the area of Cuba where Fidel came from. It explains much about the Cuban revolution.