No-Logo Trash Cans
 Often,
when passing by the corner of Hidalgo and Calzada de la Luz we’ve
seen a sign that says: “¿Por qué tiras basura?”
(“Why do you litter?”) This rhetorical statement has
always prompted a chuckle from us at here La Jerga, because the
only logical response can be, “Because there’s no trashcans,
dumbass”. There was a time when we had lovely Coca Cola-emblazoned
trashcans adorning our parks. The current municipal administration
thankfully put an end to the corporate branding and whoring of our
public spaces and they have recently installed these new, discreet
and practical rubber trashcans on nearly every block, even in colonias
outside the Centro. It’s brilliant. Someone figured out that
if they put trashcans around town, people would actually use them.
No longer will our streets and public fountains be littered by those
pigs who walk on two legs. I think we can speak for everyone when
we say the new trashcans are a welcome change to our city and we
applaud and thank the local government for installing them.
New Police Station Opens
One of the most positive and impacting changes the new
administration has implemented is the placement of a new caseta
(police station) in the Colonia of San Antonio. The new caseta is
located on the corner of Orizaba and 28 de Abril, an area that in
recent years has been plagued with the infiltration of juvenile
street gangs. It was actually a confrontation with one of these
gangs which prompted the opening of the new station.
 A
few months ago, coming home from the Centro late one night, a young
American male and his two friends, a couple, were savagely attacked
by some local gang members. In the midst of defending his two friends
the young man was brutally smashed in the face with a brick by one
of the gang members. His nose was broken and the resulting injury
required him to receive emergency reconstructive surgery. The incident
infuriated the victim’s family, who complained to the city
government and demanded that they make immediate security changes
to the neighborhood.
The government listened, and two months ago Caseta No. 1 was opened
in San Antonio. This is the first caseta of its kind in San Miguel,
which until now only had the main police head quarters in the Presidencia
and a station out by Los Rodriguez. The entire city of San Miguel
is patrolled by a maximum of 30 police officers during one shift,
leaving many colonias far away from the Centro without sufficient
police protection. Some officers feel they are spread too thin for
this constantly growing city and wish that the government would
hire more officers and offer more competitive salaries.
Caseta No. 1 has been a tremendous success and represents progress
for our growing municipality. Neighbors close to the caseta have
a noticed a dramatic improvement since the police moved in next-door
and are very pleased with the change. The gang activity has subsided
and the 24-hour police presence has helped make the neighborhood
feel much safer. We congratulate the present administration for
their response to the community’s needs. We understand that
similar casetas are being planned for other surrounding colonias
and we look forward to seeing them open soon.. |
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