Riot Police on Venezuelas Front Lines Seek a Way Out
Source: Wall St journal
CARACAS, Venezuela—When Ana, a five-year veteran of the national police, finishes her night shift patrolling this city’s dangerous slums, she often arrives home only to pick up her riot gear and head out again to confront rollicking protests against Venezuela’s embattled government.
On those front lines, she and her colleagues use tear gas and rubber bullets against increasingly desperate protesters armed with stones, Molotov cocktails and even bags of feces. The showdowns take place in scorching heat, and she says the authorities provide her with no food, water or overtime pay.
Ana, who along with others cited in this article asked that her last name not be used for fear of official retribution, is one of about 100,000 Venezuelan security officers, mostly in their 20s, shielding the government of increasingly unpopular President Nicolás Maduro from escalating unrest.
She and many of her exhausted colleagues say they are wavering as protests enter a seventh week with no end in sight.
“One day I will step aside and just walk away, blend into the city,” she said. “No average officers support this government anymore.”
Read more: WSJ Online
The worm begins to turn.......
Soon the loser-in-charge will have few to protect him and the people can regain control of their country. the road back to prosperity will be a long one, but without change VZ will disappear into the toilet.
= new reply since forum marked as read
