If you have ever been in Santiago, Chile and spent a week there you would have recognize the "People of the Walk." They are the ones that have a certain street by the Palace area, and I guess one would call it the merchant area and they start gathering there about 4:00 PM. Sometimes even earlier, let's say 2:30 PM. I'm not sure if they have some kind of a deal or not with the police, but they really stick together on this one street. No cars, just a walkway for the most part. I found it most interesting, also a little sad, a little frustrating, and a little impressed with the people, so many emotions for this group of slum merchants. Or call them down and out merchants. Or sole proprietors with little money. But whatever you call them, they are not afraid of work, and some of the Americans can take a good look at them, some of the lazy ones that is, who want a free ride all the time, and think society owes them something. Each day my wife and I would walk down this street a few times, around 10:00 PM there were at least a hundred or more of these People on the Walk. They had a system, let me explain: they, each had a bag, suitcase or some kind of carry case to haul there merchandise with, something that could be folded up in a hurry; the reason being, if the police came walking by, they could"quickly"fold their four-by-four foot-space area up, that they had their merchandise on (usually some kind of blanket or plastic material), and walk away, as if they were not doing business. Then when the police would go, they would put there goods back on the ground and sell them to the passerby, casual observer, and member of the public. I purchased a few things from these merchants, they were good folk, and like anyone else, trying to make a buck, "but in this case the hard way. Sometimes you would look behind yourself and the whole street, four to five blocks (of which they were selling on) were clean of merchants; although if you looked harder, they were resting against the nearest wall, as if they had disappeared, that is when the police were nearby disappeared, for within a minutes time, it was business as usual: yes, after the police left, it was dizzying. The people were a sample of the whole city I believe"as young as eleven or twelve and as old as sixty or more, male and female. Another interesting fact is that they all seem to know one another and had there own little clicks, -- amazing it was. It seemed to be understood, if not well known, that if the police caught a person, s/he could lose their possessions, and be put into jail, or simply have their things taken away from them. And that was their fear. But on the other hand, they had formed a kind of pack among themselves, a union of sorts, and when a few of the policemen took the merchandise, or was about to take it from a certain individual, they'd beat the policemen up, or try. I guess it had been done. And here I was watching this from the second floor of McDonald's (and at other locations depending on the time of day). And so my trip to Santiago, Chile, had one interesting element to it. And to the "People of the Walk," God bless you, and instead of stealing or robbing or selling drugs, Chile should be proud you are at trying to sell something to stay alive. I do realize there are no taxes being paid by you folks, and some of the items being sold are stolen from the local stores they are standing and selling in front of, but nothing is perfect, is it. In Spanish Translated by Nancy Penaloza Gente del Paseo [Santiago, Chile/2003] Si usted ha estado alguna vez en Santiago, (Chile) y pas una semana all, usted podra haber reconocido a la "gente del paseo". Ellos son los que tienen cierta calle por el rea del palacio, y supongo, que uno podra llamarlo el rea mercantil, ellos comienzan a reunirse all cerca de 4:00 PM. Algunas veces an mas temprano, digamos 2:30 PM. No estoy seguro si tienen alguna clase de trato o no con la polica, pero realmente ellos se juntan en esta nica calle. Ningn carro, solo un paseo principalmente. Encontr esto lo ms interesante, tambin un poco triste, un poco frustrante, y un poco impresionado con la gente, As muchas emociones para este grupo de comerciantes de los tugurios. O llmelos comerciantes extremadamente pobres. O propietarios nicos con poco dinero. Pero cualquier cosa que usted los llame, a ellos no les asusta el trabajo, y algunos de los americanos podran echarles una buena ojeada a ellos, algunos de los perezosos es decir, quines desean pasear libremente en todo momento, y piensan que la sociedad les debe algo. Cada da mi esposa y yo caminbamos bajo de esta calle un rato, alrededor 10:00 PM. All estaban por lo menos cien o ms de esta gente en el paseo. Tenan un sistema, djeme explicar: Cada uno de ellos, tena un bolso, la maleta o una cierta clase de maletn para arrastrar con la mercadera, algo que se podra doblar en un apuro; siendo la razn, que si la polica venia caminando cerca, ellos-rpidamente-doblaban su rea de aproximadamente cuatro-por-cuatro pies, en donde tenan su mercanca (generalmente cierta clase de manta o material plstico), y escapaban, como si no estuvieran haciendo ningn tipo de negocio. Luego cuando la polica se iba, ponan su mercanca nuevamente sobre el suelo, y as para venderlos a los transentes, observadores casuales y miembros del pblico. Compr algunas cosas de estos comerciantes, eran buena gente, y como cualquier persona, intentando hacer un dlar - pero en este caso de manera dura. A veces usted mirara detrs de usted mismo y toda la calle, cuatro a cinco bloques (en los cules ellos estuvieron vendiendo) estaban limpios de comerciantes; sin embargo si usted miraba ms minuciosamente, ellos estaban descansando contra la pared ms cercana, como si hubieran desaparecido, eso era cuando la polica estaba cercana, desaparecidos, pero en pocos minutos, era nuevamente negocios como de costumbre: s, despus que la polica sala, esto era vertiginoso. La gente era un ejemplo de la toda la ciudad yo creo-tan jvenes como once o doce y tan viejos como sesenta o ms, masculino o femenino. Otro hecho interesante es que todos parecan conocerse el uno al otro y tenan all sus propias seales pequeas, -- sorprendente era esto. Pareca ser entendido, si no bien conocido, eso si el polica cogia a una persona, l o ella podra perder sus posesiones, y ser puesto en la crcel, o simplemente quitarles sus cosas. Y se era su miedo. Pero por otra parte, haban formado una clase de pacto entre s mismos, una clase de unin, y cuando algunos de los policas tomaban la mercanca, o estaban para tomarlo de cierto individuo, ellos daran una paliza a los policas, o intentaran. Conjeturo que esto sido hecho. Y aqu yo estaba mirando esto desde el segundo piso de McDonalds (y en otras localidades dependiendo de la hora y da). Y as mi viaje a Santiago, (Chile), tuvo un elemento interesante de esto. Y a la "gente del paseo " que Dios los bendiga, y en vez de asaltar o de robar o de vender las drogas, Chile debe de estar orgulloso que usted est intentando vender algo para sobrevivir. Me doy cuenta que hay impuestos que no son pagados por ustedes amigos, y algunos de los artculos que son vendidos, son robados de los locales de almacenes que venden ubicados al frente , pero nada es perfecto, verdad?. |
