Days 32-38/ Week 5: Riots, Tear Gas, and More Havoc

October 21, 2019

Personal Thoughts during the "Estado de Excepcion"

After this past weekend, I thought things would cool down throughout the country, but it has done the exact opposite. On Monday, there were small protest in Guayaquil and looting throughout the city, but Keke and I were told it was safe and to act as if it were a normal day, so we went to our internship and classes. The only big problem that occurred was that taxis began to block certain roads, so it made it harder to travel throughout the city. Additionally, the indigenous people blocked some of the main streets/ highways to allow trucks and cars to get into the city, so no trucks were able to supply markets with fruits and vegetables. The people began to panic and buy all of the food from the stores. My host mother told me there was no fruits, vegetables, or water when she went to buy food for the week and the prices of food went up because there was a low supply and higher demand. Also, the price of public transportation went up because the prices of gas rose and consequently the people became very enraged because a lot of people use public transportation. However, things took a sudden turn for the worse on Tuesday after the president gave a speech announcing that he was moving his headquarters to Guayaquil. Not only did the protest worsen in Quito (which was already horrible), but they started to worsen in Guayaquil as well. Thousands of indigenous people began to march to Guayaquil and start protesting and there was also a lot more looting and robberies occurring because people took advantage of the chaos. As of Tuesday, Guayaquil became the official capital of Ecuador, which put a target on the city's back. At this point in time, I have not and do not plan on leaving the apartment.

Here are some articles to give you a different perspective and more information:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/08/protesters-swarm-ecuador-capital-as-president-moves-out
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/world/americas/ecuador-protests-president.html

Originally, the capital of Ecuador was Quito, but since the President has decided to move his headquarters to Guayaquil to escape the protest, the new capital of Ecuador is Guayaquil.

A picture of the taxis blocking the streets on 7/10/2019

On Wednesday, October 9th (Guayaquil Independence Day), there was a countrywide protest. I did not leave the house at all, but there was a peaceful protest near my house that I could see. The mayor participated in the protest and everyone wore white shirts and some people carried a Guayaquil flag. There were also other protest in other parts of the city that were not as peaceful. The police used tear gas to disperse them and some of the protest got violent. Although it was peaceful in Guayaquil, things began to worsen in Quito. The president decided to move back to Quito quickly and the people continued to riot and destroy parts of the city.

On Thursday, October 10th, Guayaquil seemed to be in a better state. The city began to calm down and go back to normal. I even returned to my classes and internship, which was relieving because this has been the most boring week ever.

In Ecuador, they always celebrate their holidays on a Monday or Friday so people can have a long weekend. Since Guayaquil Independence Day was on a Wednesday, the country celebrated it on Friday; however, because of all the protest, the parade and many of the activities were cancelled. The city seemed more calm than normal because many people did not want to leave their homes.

On Saturday, I went to the Malecon and went up the "Torre del Reloj" or "Torre Morisca." From the inside, you can see the top of the city and the clock work.

Also, while walking through the city, I encountered an unfortunate event. While walking, I actually heard tear gas bombs go off on a main street and was almost trampled by a group of frantic people. The tear gas burned my eyes, but I also saw other people bent over, crying, and using others as a crutch to help them walk. I was completely shocked by what was happening and it opened my eyes to what was really happening around the country. Before this day, I was cooped up in the apartment and never saw what was happening up close, but after the event, I realized how crazy everything really was. In Guayaquil, the police/military used tear gas bombs and beat people with their batons. However in Quito, the police/military not only used tear gas bombs and batons, but also guns. There was a video of a protester getting shot that had went viral, which outraged other protesters even more. Quito had become a complete war-zone.

On Sunday, October 13th, the protest finally ended. After President Moreno sat down with the United Nations and the leaders of the indigenous, he decided to revoke the economic measures he took on October 3rd and create a new one; therefore ending the riots and protest. After everything, the protest left 7 people dead and Quito in chaos.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/ecuador-deal-ends-nationwide-protests--for-now/2019/10/14/8575b3be-ee81-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html

Internship/School

Because of the state of emergency this week, I was only able to attend school and my internship on Monday and Thursday. The government cancelled school for the entire week, but CEN operates on it's own so it decided to open and close early at 4:30 rather than 6. There were hardly any patients in the internship, so I did not learn much.

Food

Despite not being able to leave the house, on Sunday I tried an amazing restaurant called Don Chuzo. Don Chuzo is a restaurant that serves typical Guayaquilian dishes such as arroz con menestra and morro. Those are two of the most typical dishes in Guayaquil. It was delicious!