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FROM
CUBA
My
neighbor's grief
HAVANA, September (www.cubanet.org) - Thefts,
robberies, and snatch and grab incidents are on
the upswing on Havana's streets in the last few
months. About a year and a half or two years ago,
street crime had decreased substantially, but
lately, in spite of a beefed-up penal code, it
is rampant.
Yesterday at 8 a.m., for example, I found my
neighbor with his head in his hands, a sour look
on his face, contemplating the steel gates to
the garage where he had stored his motorcycle
the night before.
The chain securing the gate had been cut, as
had the chain that secured the motorcycle's wheels.
My neighbor used another neighbor's phone to
call police. The woman who let him use the phone
expressed condolences, as if the man had lost
a near relative.
This was all early in the morning. When I returned
home after 10 p.m., I saw a patrol car of police
who had come to investigate.
Today, my neighbor woke up to the realization
that he will not see his motorcycle again. He
looked sad and frustrated when I muttered a half-hearted
greeting as the only consolation I could offer.
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