Baires

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BUENOS AIRES BRIEFING
October 2004

News this month

Bowling for Carmen

The sleepy town of Carmen de Patagones, in the south of Buenos Aires province, was left in a state of shock after a troubled adolescent ran amok with a gun at his school on September 28th. The youth, identified only as Rafael, stole the gun from his father, a junior naval officer; he killed three fellow students and wounded five more.

The media, politicians and locals all tried to make sense of the attack, with little success. Suggestions for Rafael's motives ranged from friction with his father to fondness for dark clothes and the music of Marilyn Manson, a creepy rock singer. He had scrawled nihilistic messages into his desk, including one that read, “The most sensible thing that human beings can do is kill ourselves”. He is under psychological observation, but the judge heading the investigation into the shooting declared that despite Rafael's “obsessive and phobic symptoms...he understood perfectly what he was doing” during the attack. The provincial governor has so far resisted calls for metal detectors at all schools. Instead, authorities have promised more resources for social work and psychological care in schools, and have written to parents inviting them to reflect on the current levels of violence.

Cracking down

After months of controversy, the capital's legislators in late September finally approved a harsher set of penalties for minor offences. The new laws impose prison sentences for a range of crimes, such as drag-racing on city streets, using unauthorised fireworks and selling alcohol to minors. Blocking city streets, a frustrating tactic of unemployed protestors (piqueteros), will now result in fines and community service. Prostitutes who solicit within 200 metres of schools, religious buildings or houses—which in effect encompasses every point in Buenos Aires—will meet a similar fate.

Opponents argue that giving the Federal Police more power will only lead to more corruption. The city council's executive branch has also promised to veto regulations it sees as unworkable, potentially preventing any of the new measures from taking effect.

For background see: The battle for safer streets, October 2nd 2004

Also in the Buenos Aires guide Tango Here are some of our favourite places to see Argentina's national dance... Read more

The market's down

Over 50,000 visitors each day flock to the La Salada market, just outside Buenos Aires in the Lomas de Zamora district. Its 7,000 stalls do $400m worth of business per year, selling cheap clothes, shoes, electrical goods and pirated CDs. The market is illegal, though, and authorities have spent months trying to formalise its activities, with little success. Violence flared after a dawn raid by police in late September. When they removed several thousand stalls that were supposedly blocking roads, one protesting stall-holder died in the ensuing pitched battles. Peruvian and Bolivian officials in Argentina intervened in the dispute; their citizens comprise the bulk of the displaced stall-holders. So far, though, local authorities have refused to back down.

City works

Buenos Aires plans to double its spending on public works in 2005: at the end of September, the city council approved infrastructure spending of more than $400m, or almost 25% of their total budget. The council's top priority is the extension of the city's subway system: a new line is due to open in 2006, and several new stations are planned for existing lines. Another big investment is improving flood defences in the wealthier northern suburbs, a long-time demand of residents. The city plans to repair much of the city's dilapidated roads, including several central avenues, and will give the venerable Teatro Colón a much-needed facelift. Despite the spending spree, though, local taxes have not been raised; in fact, the 2005 budget includes a 10% rebate for those who pay on time.

Elephants' rights

Circus owners took to the streets after city legislations passed a law imposing closure and a $3,000 fine on any circus that uses animals. The councilman who proposed the measure argued that animal acts are inhumane, claiming that animals are trained with electric shocks, kept in cramped conditions and, in the case of elephants, forced onto hot surfaces to make them stand on their hind legs. Owners denied the charges, though, filling the streets outside the legislature with circus performers (no elephants, though) on the day of the vote.

Though some councillors were persuaded—one argued, rather weakly, “if I were an animal, I would rather be in a circus than a zoo”—the measure passed handily. It takes effect in October 2006, giving circuses time to replace trained animals with people, who will, legislators hope, receive better treatment.