Impasse

Two folks from our colonia who support the resistencia have died in the last week. On Tuesday a 65-year-old man who was buying food at a corner store in Flor del Camp was shot when the resistencia march encountered police. People from our church said the marchers were unarmed when the police began to fire. Last night a 24-year-old girl died from asthma complications after she was exposed to tear gas fired by police to disperse protesters. This all hits closer to home, though we didn't know either one personally.

Tonight Reuters is reporting on a presidential decree to suspend certain civil liberties, such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, in an attempt to quiet the resistance. Radio Globo, one of the only pro-resistance--though not always accurate--news sources, said that the decree also calls for the station to be officially silenced, along with Channel 36. We'll see this week if these reports turn out to be true.

The curfews at this point are only in place at night, but the suspension of civil liberties, if true, does the same thing in one fell swoop. Now the military and police can arrest anyone at any time.

Someone at church today said that we are "living in a time of shadows." For many who consider this fight to be against injustice and tyranny, these are dark days indeed.