Well not me personally., but my neighborhood here in Panama.
A little after breakfast I started to hear what sounded like gunshots. I ignored them at first, since people often set off firecrackers for not particular reason, although 9:00 AM on a Wednesday seemed a bit odd even for Panama.
I finally looked out my window. The radical construction worker’s union, SUNTRACS, was having a big demonstration on Avenida Balboa, two blocks from my house. The anti-riot police were firing tear gas grenades at them.
I just checked the TV. Apparently the protests are all across the city.
I think I will be working from home today. And I am glad my apartment is not at street level.
Things have settled down now. Traffic is flowing smoothly on Avenida Balboa. I think I’ll go in to work later this afternoon.
Street blockages like this happen pretty regularly here. I avoid driving by the University for that reason. They seem to have a protest every couple of months. But this is the worst one in my neighborhood I have seen recently.
Damn, my mother lives in Panama City. I’ll have to call her tonight. Out of curiosity, what part of the city do you live in? Mom’s in La Cresta, near Via España.
Bellavista, near Parque Urraca, a couple of blocks up from the Hotel Miramar.
I think La Cresta was probably OK, since it’s a bit out of the way.
Seems like the confrontations were prompted by a worker being killed during a violent clash yesterday in the city of Colon on the other side of the isthmus. The original demonstrations were about the cost of living.
Things had quieted down by the afternoon, and I was able to go out to a meeting I had scheduled. Actually the traffic was fine, since I think most people were staying home.
This evening I took a walk around the park near my house, where a lot of the commotion had been this morning. Those assholes had smashed all the glass in the bus shelters and other signs. While I was there a “flying squad” of streetsweepers came in and cleared everything up.
This particular union has a penchant for violence and vandalism. Years ago I was driving in the city and got caught up in the middle of a demonstration. I had to park my car and get out on foot. Later when I came back, I found my windshield had been smashed. Nothing to do with me, these guys just like an excuse to smash things.
Glad you’re okay, Colibri. How frightening that must have been. Anytime violent things happen that are so much larger than you are, there’s a factor of senselessness that is more than unsettling, because you can’t plan for or predict it.
