Grayce Mosier

04-28-16
3rd period

El Salvador Goverment vs Crime

Secret deals, excessive violence, a fight for power. These are some of the few
problems El Salvadors government in struggling against. This small area is
now the murder capital of the world and President Salvador Sanchez Ceren
has had enough. People are fleeing the country in fear of the rising crime and
the death toll hasnt been this rough since El Salvadors 90s civil war.
However, all seemed well when the gangs went under a sudden cease fire
recently but Sanchez saw right through this tactic. Behind the screens, the
gangs were only calling it quits if the government let up their crackdown on
crime and stopped the top gang lords from being sent to a maximum
security unit. Assured by their acquired power and the already corrupt
prisons in El Salvador, the gangs were ready to have their demands met. In
2012 a similar deal was made when President Mauricio Funes was in charge.
Acting with the crime lords, he discreetly agreed into the occupation of a
homelier prison for the lords if they agreed to restrain their outside guys.
This stopped crime for a short period but the silence of the gangs was not of
peace but of plotting. Gangs went to more underground forms of crime,

replaced their imprisoned bosses and tried to land in the positive eye of the
public. Now, almost two years later, the gangs were ready for history to
repeat itself and waited for their chance to overpower those around them.
Instead Sanchez was able to rally other political members to work twice as
hard on the crackdown instead of backing down. The demands went ignored
and business was something of the usual. However, this act of power was
much different from the gang members. Instead of showing their strength,
the government was showing their dire need for justice and balance.
However, this push and pull for power has proved difficult. The gangs are
ready for a change but what kind of change leaves everyone on edge. While
using their spotlight to speak on poverty in El Salvador, human-rights abuse
is a much heavier topic that is caused by the gangs themselves. A
crackdown isnt an enough. Suppressing the gangs will only cause them to
burst and the over flow will cause excessive blood loss. The government is
ready to change too with their agenda of better protection, better anti-gang
programs, dismantling of gangs and much more. The only thing they need
now is from the community. If the government and the people can work
together in justice, then the future of El Salvador seems bright. Sanchez
Ceren has a plan, as well as the political and international financial backing,
to promote peace. Says Mac Margolis of the Chicago Tribune But none of it
will mean much unless he can convince El Salvadorans that there's more to
making them safe than a new hard line.

This war of power in a lowly area of Central America is almost the exact
definition of the word politics; the activities associated with the governance
of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among
individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power. (source:
google.serach/politics.r) These gangs arent out there because of boundaries,
in which this would be title a boundary dispute, but rather are there for
selfish reasons. The outcome of this makes civilians go through a forced
migration, the gangs themselves being labeled as a push factor while the
government is trying to create a pull factor with their crackdown. While El
Salvador is a threating place, the gangs are not aiming to kill civilians for
they are not terrorist but are still a threat. This article contains many
examples from various units in our book but the main topic of the fight of
power places in the Political Geography unit. Overall, this was an intense and
interesting article of the rising problems in El Salvador and what attempts
are being made to fix them. The best of luck to Sanchez and his team.

SOURCE: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-salvadorcomment-5c80c652-ff37-11e5-9203-7b8670959b88-20160410-story.html