HAVANA, November 1 (María Elena Rodríguez, Cuba-Verdad) -
Homeless people who scavenge in garbage bins for food or some item they might be
able to use are routinely fined by police and made to return the refuse they
have picked up to the bins.
Lately there seems to have been an increase in the number of scavengers, who
operate at night and can be seen sleeping in the porches of buildings in the
daytime. The increased activity has led to turf fights, as the scavengers claim
a propietary interest in a particular garbage bin and find it necessary to fight
off poachers.
Residents question the government’s objective in imposing fines,
arguing that it would make more sense to help them. Others say the government
doesn’t want to admit "the social, economic and moral conditions to
which the country has sunk," as one man said who didn’t want to be
identified for fear of losing his license as a self-employed tradesman.
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