Neighbors of the Havana municipality of Boyeros took justice into their own hands when they beat up an alleged assailant who was later arrested by the police. The incident, captured in a video that was published on Thursday by Internet user Cesar Perera, shows the moment when law enforcement officers were escorting the man amidst outraged neighbors shouting at him to “get to work, nerve.”
According to the publication, the assailant was apprehended with the help of the locals in the Las Cañas de Calabazar neighborhood, which is part of Boyeros. This incident reflects a growing trend in Cuba where the population feels compelled to take matters into their own hands due to the inefficiency of the police and the alarming increase in robberies.
Earlier this year, residents of San Miguel, in Havana, also resorted to violence when they beat up an alleged thief who assaulted a 12-year-old boy to steal his phone. Similarly, residents of Cabañas, in the province of Artemisa, took matters into their own hands in March when they beat a man who had allegedly broken into the patio of an elderly woman living alone.
In another incident, residents of the Santos Suárez neighborhood in Havana managed to apprehend an alleged thief who was carrying a backpack filled with various tools for stealing, although no stolen items were found on his person.
These incidents of mob justice highlight the frustration and lack of faith in the police’s ability to protect the citizens and combat increasing crime rates in Cuba. With no signs of improvement in sight, it seems that the population will continue to take matters into their own hands, raising concerns about the potential for more violence and vigilantism in the future.