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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

“I had to shoot people! Do you understand what that means?”

That’s the title in Clarin news paper, page 25, words from a survivor in Chile.
I translated the most significant parts:
“I had to shoot people! Do you understand what that means?”
Those were the first words said by Jorge Mendoza, manager of an important company in Concepción, when he was finally able to call Buenos Aires.

“I had to shoot people, I had to shoot people” he repeated in a lethargy state.
“Its hordes killing and robbing, they don’t leave anything standing. And here I am with my wife and two kids, they are terrified. This is worse than the earthquake, we cant stand it no more, we have no power, no water, no gas, no oil, nothing. We organized with four other neighbors to defend ourselves, no one protects us and we haven’t slept in 3 days, God, someone please do something”, he said. “They are robbing people that travel alone we cant move, we’re damned to hell and no one does anything to help us”.

Felipe Sandoval, journalist, lives his own tragedy. “Mi house is still standing and my family is ok, but the situation is anarchic. I had to send my wife and 3 daughters to a friends house in a gated community to protect them, and with another 7 neighbors we are protecting what little we have left. There’s no gasoline, we move around in bikes and through populated areas alone, because if not they rob you even that”.

He goes on “Y live in a humble, working class neighborhood, hard working people, and I’m living through things I never thought I would. We are our own hell”.
He continues saying “First they looted food stores, then supermarkets looking for anything, and now they started with the houses. Today, life isn’t worth anything here. What the earthquake hasn’t destroyed, this has”.

FerFAL

20 comments:

Shambhala said...

This is typical, unfortunately.
It is NOT Chileans only, South Americans only, brown/black/white people only.

This is one reason I stopped going to several other sites - they stupidly think all average, middle-class people will continue to act as such in a SHTF scenario.

Fortunately, this man has neighbors with huevos.

Anonymous said...

In any disaster, it's good to be surrounded by neighbors who are (a) well-armed and (b) white.

New Orleans after Katrina was total anarchy; the mostly black police force abandoned their posts and joined in the looting. Although the poor white communities of coastal Mississippi suffered much worse storm damage, residents spray-painted crude signs "U LOOT WE SHOOT" and stood guard.

Given the choice between racism and voting for Obama, I chose racism. The world just makes more sense if you accept that human behavior is strongly influenced by genetic factors.

Argentina is 97% white in the CIA World Factbook and 86.4% white in Wikipedia. I've only seen video, but riots in Argentina seem to consist either of elderly white people banging pots or young mestizos throwing bricks. I guess young white Argentines would rather be unemployed in Spain or Italy.

Phil said...

Jesus.
I can't begin to imagine what will happen after L.A. finally gets flattened.

Anonymous said...

This quake occurred 4 days ago. This tells me there is really no time to run to the store to get stuff.

I'm going to have to make sure I'm ready in an instant.

I've already talked to my neighbors and we have agreement on how we will protect ourselves.

Now I need more ammo and food.

Great blog. Got the book, it's great, I've just been preparing WAYYYYYYY TOOOOOOO SLOWLYY!

Loyalist said...

Why is it that when the SHTF people are caught with their pants down? Why don't more people prepare? I understand that even so, your preparations may be damaged/gone after an earthquake so then what? You've prepared but now you can't use your preparations? How do you try and protect your preparations in the event of an earthquake? How can we not resort to shooting people who are trying to survive (like you)?

Anonymous said...

'Fear is rampant; armed men with pistols are attacking residential homes' -- Mayor Van Rysselberghe, Concepcion. Source--> http://tinyurl.com/ydg6gbu

Hi FerFal, in light of US Supreme Court likely chance to lift Chicago gun ban, I'm curious about how US compares to citizen rights and gun laws in Latin America or other countries you know of. This month US citizens without criminal background are allowed to carry gun for self defense in US national parks (turn from 94 year ban on guns in parks). Until now only criminals, park officers, and police could carry firearm in park. Story--> http://tinyurl.com/yjy4env

I enjoyed your book and based on my experience in risky situations you're giving folks useful information they can use 'on street level' so to speak. It's all about having knowledge and tools to manage risk in your life...it's a lifestyle.

Our prayers and thoughts go out to the children, men, and women in Chile. It saddens me to see people live in fear. From what you hear to what extent is the media dramatizing the level of chaos and violence in the streets? I know US media can create doomsday scenario pretty quickly...causing fear and panic.

Best,
Oregon

Anonymous said...

'Fear is rampant; armed men with pistols are attacking residential homes'' -- Mayor Van Rysselberghe, Concepcion.

Hi FerFal, in light of US Supreme Court likely chance to lift Chicago gun ban, I'm curious about how US compares to citizen rights and gun laws in Latin America or other countries you know of. http://tinyurl.com/ydg6gbu

I enjoyed your book and based on my experience in risky situations you're giving folks useful information they can use on street level so to speak. It's all about having knowledge and tools to manage risk in your life...it's a lifestyle.

Our prayers and thoughts go out to the children, men, and women in Chile.

Best,
Oregon

Anonymous said...

I guess the citizens of Chile don't own AK 47's, M16's, FNFAL's, M14s, etc. While Americans are restricted in owning the full autos (unlike the average Iraqi or Afghan male), many own at least one of this type of weapon. 300 million citizens, 300 million guns, but only 70 million gun owners. Pity the unarmed.

Our (USA) closest parallel was the 1994 riots in Los Angeles. Korean shopkeepers (American citizens)seemed to do just fine with their AK's and AR-15's. They were not stupid or unprepared.

The veil of civilization is always thin at times of great crisis.

Consider Israel. 100% conscription ages 18-21. Everyone is a part of the military reserve after service. Every single adult is armed - some particularly well. All take their full auto service rifles home - M-16's, Galils's, FN's, plus sidearms. They take preparedness to a new level. And in spite of living in "a tough neighborhood", there will NEVER be looting in the streets of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

I feel for the Chileans but they have been lulled into complacency like so many others, and are now paying the price in blood.

Don Williams said...

Re Anon at 10:13 AM: "Given the choice between racism and voting for Obama, I chose racism. The world just makes more sense if you accept that human behavior is strongly influenced by genetic factors."

I'm white-- but it seems to me that the people who steal on a MASSIVE Scale are usually white. Look at Enron. Goldman Sachs.

The people responsible for the Great Recession that has hit the USA.

The Republicans who stole $3 Trillion out of our Social Security/Medicare accounts to pay for the Big Iraq Oil Grab and that 2001 Tax Cut for the Rich.

If I ever decide to start shooting thieves, the people I go after won't be brown.

gaga said...

"closest parallel was the 1994 riots in Los Angeles. Korean shopkeepers (American citizens)seemed to do just fine with their AK's and AR-15's. "

They didn't stop the looting though, did they? In fact, American is one of the most heavily armed and crime infested countries in the world .

Loquisimo said...

Anonymous 1:18's link is to some site called the Santiago Times, which appears to be a news source run by and for young English speaking expats from the West. Here's what Reuters had to say about looting, which apparently was done by organized gangs so that they could sell the looted goods back to the victims at 3x the normal price.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6225PX20100303

And while the gangs are taking from the markets, why not hit houses as well? After all, most Chileans likely don't own guns. Note that the gangs were saying that there was a tsunami, so everybody fled, during which the gangs stripped the city clean. Now they have all the food and are forcing people to pay. Sounds like a job for the Chilean Army.

Loyalist said...

Chilean survivors arm selves against looters
'Nowhere is safe,' says one quake victim in poor neighborhood

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35688813/ns/world_news-chile_earthquake/

PItt said...

To Anon @ Mar.3,2010 (10:13am).
Wow! Are you for real? That's your belief, that as long as there are no black people living near you when the SHTF and that you have guns, everything will be all right. Well, I hope you are right, because you are betting your life on it.

Even during times when the Rule of Law is working, we have crime. Burgulary, robbery, rape and murders occur all the time. And most of those crimes are not cross racial, and they are usually committed by someone the victim knew or was familiar. Now it sounds like you really don't know many black people, so you should be just fine.

Anonymous said...

Gaga,

Most (if not all) Korean business in L.A. were virtually untouched because they banded together and fended off the thugs wanting to loot. They didn't waste time, they got their acts together and aimed rifles at any group of thugs wanting to come their way.

Pat M. said...

FerFal,
In your next post can you give us links to similar reports, in English, if you know of them?
Thanks

Eric said...

Anon@10:13, your survival priorities are skewed; proud hearts, reprobate minds in desperate circumstances are what makes a person dangerous, not skin color. In a SHTF scenario, will you take comfort if you are attacked and murdered by someone desparate, but white, whom you naively trusted because they were "white" and racist, like you?. Would you, if you and your family were in dire straits, refuse genuine, no-strings-attatched assistance from someone who is non-white but is honest, hard-working, believes in the Constitution, self-reliance, small government, etc? Someone who would help you and yours live, who expects nothing more than to be looked in the eye when you shake his hand to thank him for saving your butt? Would you really refuse to be carried out of a burning building by a firefighter simply because he isn't "white". Yes you have your "preps", but ANY plan can be thwarted, for every move there is a counter-move. As I recall, one of the things FERfal mentioned in an earlier post was that most crime victims said was that the perps all looked NORMAL, i.e., they were trusted on sight.
In the 20th century, the most deadly people were white, Hitler Stalin, Mussolinni(sp). That shows me that irresponsible voting is the biggest threat to survival we face. I didn't vote for B.O. because I couldn't endorse his world-view (and he reminded me of Carter). I couldn't vote for Mrs. Clinton for the same reason. To me, she would not have been a better choice because of her skin color, nor would B.O. because of his gender (I suspect that would be a factor for you). Most of the crime committed in US is by "whites" because most our population is "white".

Anonymous said...

From Wiki: Anarchy - "Act[ing] without waiting for instructions or official permission... The root of anarchism is the single impulse to do it yourself: everything else follows from this." [5]

From merriam-webster: 2 a : absence or denial of any authority or established order

"...residents spray-painted crude signs "U LOOT WE SHOOT" and stood guard."

No absence of authority or established order there.

When the cops confiscated guns from law abiding citizens, that was a denial of anarchy that was more like chaos.

From dictionary.reference: Chaos - a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.

Given the choice between racism and voting for Obama, I chose neither, I chose freedom and liberty... for everyone.

Chaos for none, Anarchy for all, order springs from that.

~ Clark

Anonymous said...

The is an inherent understanding between pray and predator when the pray exposes it's strong, defensive side, hoofs and horns ready to defend life, that makes the predator seek an weaker, unsuspecting catch. Likewise, looters walk away peacefully to easier prey when they know themselves to be on the cross hairs of a rifle.

Gallo

Anonymous said...

"I'm white-- but it seems to me that the people who steal on a MASSIVE Scale are usually white."

Fairly or not, this view is widely shared among poor whites. So as SHTF and you flee your upscale urban condo in a hybrid SUV, don't expect the rural folk to welcome you with open arms just because you're white.

Julia said...

Totally OT, but one of my favorite bloggers posted a column about the Falklands and US/UK. Once I saw the mention of Mrs. K, I thought of you!

http://neoneocon.com/2010/03/03/latest-step-in-the-obama-administrations-ongoing-war-against-britain