Displaced goes against Petro’s proposal to “pay not to kill”
The announcement made by the national government in Buenaventura about starting to pay young people “not to kill” continues to generate an enormous amount of criticism and comments among Colombians. The vast majority pointing out that the subsidies should be focused on young people who are not part of and have never thought of being part of any criminal group.
In the midst of this digital debate that was formed by this matter, a user identified as Pedro Urquijo, who claims to be an ice cream vendor on the street and an advertising distributor, sent a message to the national government in which asks that the subsidy be focused on giving free education and not money to young people.
To emphasize his message, the man recounted his personal experience as a displaced person from violence, in which he would also have been hit by a truck being seriously affected. He assures that on a bad day you can earn up to six thousand pesos and that studying has become an impossible dream.
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“I have wanted to study, get ahead, study gastronomy or pastry, create a business, give employment to young people, crime never crossed my mind,” said Urquijo, emphasizing that youth need free and quality study more than money.
In a short time, the 40-year-old tweeter’s message became quite popular, mostly receiving messages of support asking for his location in order to help him. In fact, he himself in his personal account constantly shares the area in which he will be located and brochures from his advertising delivery business.
“During the week with the ice creams in the commercial area of San Cristóbal Norte, on Sundays in the Villas de Mediterráneo park in the Usaquén town and when he goes out to distribute flyers wherever he goes out,” Urquijo said in one of the responses. In other comments, the man reaffirmed that although he is not against giving money, they should first be assured of an education.
President Gustavo Petro’s proposal
Last Friday, July 7, President Gustavo Petro visited the port of Buenaventura to hold a security council together with the Minister of Defense, as well as the Police and Army leadership. This, on account of the difficult public order situation due to clashes between the Shotas, Espartanos and Jalisco gangspresumably from Mexico.
Added to this, President Gustavo Petro was leading a social dialogue with various sectors of Buenaventura, which began the “University in your territory” program, which only in this city will offer a thousand higher education places.
It was precisely in this space that President Gustavo Petro assured that “There will be thousands of young people that we are going to pay for not killing, for not participating in violence.” A transfer of money that according to the Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco, is scheduled to take place for a year.
An announcement that was tremendously controversial among various political sectors, which described as nonsense to pay rent to young people to stay away from crime, leaving aside those who never thought of entering it. However, from the same government, especially from the Ministry of Equality (which will be in charge of this subsidy), it was pointed out that this benefit is of a preventive nature and will not go to the coffers of criminal gangs.