Murder Rates Keep Rising in Venezuela (Part 1/3)

RYAN DUFFY: Probably could have gone one slice of pizza lighter at dinner. FELIX JEREZ RIVERA: [SPEAKING SPANISH] RYAN DUFFY: So it's the 13th year of the Chavez regime here in Venezuela, and his Bolivarian revolution has left the country deeply divided along political lines. And despite its egalitarian aims, the economic divide between the haves and the have-nots remains staggering. Despite all this, in this election year, the issue that will decide the future of this country is violence. Venezuela has become known as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and last year alone, Caracas had more violent deaths than Baghdad. With a population a tenth the size of the United States, Venezuela last year managed to record more murders than America. An astonishing 19,000 violent deaths in a population of 29 million. LUIS CEDENO: If you want to compare with wars going on in other countries, they don't have that death toll every week. So we have to ask ourselves, are we in a state of war? RYAN DUFFY: With the protection of Caracas' finest, we headed to Pitara-- a sprawling slum where a shocking percentage of the city's violence happens-- to get a lay of the criminal landscape. There's probably two ways to go to this neighborhood, with the guys who run it from the inside, and the guys who control it from the outside, otherwise, the guys with guns. [MUSIC PLAYING] FELIX JEREZ RIVERA: [SPEAKING SPANISH] RYAN DUFFY: I was feeling OK about this until the eight hundred disclaimers about what to do when and if we come under fire, and here's the evacuation, and hide under the tires. And all that kind of made it a little more real. We spoke with Luis Cedeno, the head of Paz Activa, an NGO that tracks violence in Venezuela. LUIS CEDENO: What violence you would see in Pitara? You would see gang violence. When these gangs have a shoot out, you're in the middle of the shoot out, you're going to get hurt. RYAN DUFFY: The craziest part is that this isn't organized narco-violence, this is petty, you looked at my sister sideways, street bullshit. Someone turns the corner and shoots at him and misses, either you or I is going to die. FELIX JEREZ RIVERA: [SPEAKING SPANISH] RYAN DUFFY: In Caracas, living in Pitara counts as probable cause. FELIX JEREZ RIVERA: [SPEAKING SPANISH] LUIS CEDENO: There are actually little arsenals in every barrio. You can go there and you can actually buy a gun, buy ammunition, access to grenades. You can actually rent the gun if you don't want to buy it, and it's a lot cheaper. FELIX JEREZ RIVERA: [SPEAKING SPANISH] RYAN DUFFY: Just made a stop here on the patrol. Looks like a guy was not just drunk driving, but actually drinking while he was driving. And apparently drinking and driving isn't a big deal here. On an average day in Venezuela, 58 people are murdered. This is my nervous tic. The entire time we were with the cops, of the radio was crackling with reports of killings all around the city, and we were soon in pursuit of an armed suspect. [POLICE RADIO] RYAN DUFFY: With over 90% of crimes in Venezuela going unsolved, it wasn't quite a surprise that this call ended without a suspect. FELIX JEREZ RIVERA: [SPEAKING SPANISH] [MUSIC PLAYING] RYAN DUFFY: Has crime in this area gotten better or worse over the course of your career? FELIX JEREZ RIVERA: [SPEAKING SPANISH] [MUSIC PLAYING] RYAN DUFFY: Although the slums have always had problems with violence, it's only in the last decade that it has risen to war zone levels. So the question is, what the hell happened in the last 10 years? [SINGING] RYAN DUFFY: Venezuela is ruled by socialist superhero, Hugo Chavez. A man who, at a glance, seems completely out of his mind. HUGO CHAVEZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH] RYAN DUFFY: Despite its third world crime stats, Venezuela isn't exactly a poor country. It's a massive oil industry produces 2.5 million barrels a day. Most of which is consumed by the United States. And the country has larger proven reserves than Saudi Arabia. Before he took power, foreign companies like Exxon Mobil made huge profits from Venezuela's oil fields. But when Chavez nationalized the industry and sent the multinationals packing, all those profits went directly into government accounts. But despite this, and after 13 years of power, he still shifts the blame for the problems of violence and poverty onto previous governments. HUGO CHAVEZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH] RYAN DUFFY: But in October, the Bolivarian Revolution faces its toughest electoral challenge ever from Henrique Capriles Radonski who's hoping to tap into the public's pent-up frustration over the violence issue among other things. But even with a strong opponent and his fierce battle with cancer, Chavez is still plowing forward with his socialist agenda. HUGO CHAVEZ: [SPEAKING SPANISH] [MUSIC PLAYING]

Channel: VICE

Views: 2,131,290

Keywords: caracas, VICE guide, hugo, narcotics, Independent, travel, Radonski, VICE news, vice.com, Election, VICE mag, rates, venezuelas, El Prieto, murder, Latin America, VICE, VICE Presents, Paz Activa, VICEVIDEOS, venezuelan, ryan duffy, Capriles, drugs, Petare, narc, VICE magazine, VICE videos, exclusive, Capriles Radonski, Henrique, chavez, Caracas, journalism, hugo chavez, gang, documentary, x2, violence, Me or your own eyes, venezuela, videos, dangerous, venezuelan elections, homicide, narco

Id: i2uoMlBvp2k

Length: 7min 13sec (433 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 03 2012