Motojets, warning signals in the northern and Ipodromo areas / Web
Residents of Barrio Hippodromo and Barrio Norte are living in agony and despair due to a series of criminal incidents that have occurred over the last few weeks and have left residents in a state of anxiety and constant alarm.
For months, those on the front lines have been speaking out and taking steps to try to mitigate the damage. Community alerts, WhatsApp groups, surveillance cameras on street corners and meetings with authorities promising reinforcements that never materialize are part of a difficult scenario with no solution in sight, at least in the short term.
The prevailing sentiment is one of wasted effort, unequal competition against impunity. “We live our lives looking out the window and hoping that we won’t be next,” some say, with the resignation of someone who has already lost confidence in everything.
According to records kept by a group of residents of Barrio Norte, the first blow to the tranquility of the area came on October 14, between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., when armed motorcycles plowed into Muzzareria’s pizzeria. It was a quick and violent assault and he robbed employees and customers of their collections and belongings.
Just a day later, a waste container appeared engulfed in flames on the same block. Confused, the neighbors interpreted it as a warning.
Then, after several days of calm, the old demons resurfaced in the early morning hours of Saturday, November 8, just as the neighbors were beginning to gain confidence. It’s a car crime.
Two motorcycle jets struck a young woman on the same 38th block between 2nd and 3rd avenues. The woman was kicked to the ground, dragged and her cell phone was stolen. The girl was left on the ground, crying and stunned, while her neighbors watched from their windows, unsure whether to go outside or lock themselves in.
That same afternoon, witnesses said the same suspects beat two girls in Blue’s cafeteria, ages 6 and 37, stole the day’s proceeds and fled on a stolen motorcycle. The victim was in shock and was transported to the hospital with the assistance of local staff. CCTV images were circulated among merchants, who began talking about the “mark and repeat gang.”
Finally, at 7 a.m. yesterday morning, two bike jets surprised a man walking to work at the corner of Routes 1 and 37.
As happens in most of these episodes, they threatened him and took away what he was carrying – his briefcase. It was a clean, quick, almost surgical heist. The witnesses are no longer even surprised. For now, they know reporting looks like an act of testimony.
Just an hour later, another incident shook the area again. This time it was number 117 between numbers 32 and 33 in the Ipodromo area. A 42-year-old woman was riding a motorbike when two men, who were also riding motorbikes, pinned her in the middle of the road. One of them came out and demanded it stop. As she tried to flee, the driver rammed into a parked car and her passenger hit her severely.
Between the blows the victim managed to scream, but no one heard. They snatched his backpack and fled with everything he had on him: his cell phone, money, documents, medicine, keys, clothes and even his sunglasses. He later said he felt only fear and confusion and could not even see in which direction they fled. The silence that followed was louder than the screams.
Investigators say the attackers are the same ones who have been active in the area since mid-October. Two young men move with precision, keep track of the neighborhood, and disappear before the police arrive.
Observed in a peculiar way, the 117 incident between the 32nd and 33rd is another event that occurs every day in the geography of La Plata. However, when viewed objectively, this despicable act confirms the escalating violence and lack of protection that neighboring countries are experiencing.
These are no longer isolated events, but a series of events that repeat in a pattern. The common denominators are bikes, violence, and a lack of street patrols.
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