Venezuela murder-rate quadrupled under Chavez

[Happy Hippy]

* Caracas most violent capital in Western Hemisphere

* Chavez's popularity affected by crime wave

CARACAS, March 11 (Reuters) - Homicides in Venezuela have quadrupled during President Hugo Chavez's 11 years in power, with two people murdered every hour, according to new figures from a non-governmental organization.

The Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), whose data is widely followed in the absence of official statistics, said the South American nation has one of the highest crime rates on the continent, with 54 homicides per 100,000 citizens in 2009.

That rate is only surpassed in Latin America by El Salvador where 70 in every 100,000 citizens were murdered last year, the OVV said, citing official statistics from that country.


http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N11226112.htm

[LakeSamish706]

1. What is the reason for the increased crime rate, if you know? n/t

[virgogal]

2. Ask Sean Penn------he's the Hugo admirer.

[LakeSamish706]

3. And why would he know? He is not from Venezuela that I am aware of! n/t

[Happy Hippy]

6. .....

Well, he is the self proclaimed expert.

[Shell Beau]

8. He's an actor.

That is what he is an expert in.

[divideandconquer]

4. Easy access to guns

Future of America when the economy collapses a little more.

[Happy Hippy]

9. Hmmmm.

I am a steadfast supporter of the 2nd Amendment. However, I have read that it is common place for prisoners in Venezuela to keep firearms. Yes, you read that correctly.

[proteus_lives]

16. Oh brother.

:eyes:

Americans have had rightful access to firearms for centuries. The bloodbaths you antis ache for aren't coming.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Rising expectations

The murder rate took a huge jump (even larger) in South Africa after the end of apartheid.

Does that mean they shouldn't have ended apartheid?

[laughingliberal]

7. +1000 nt

[virgogal]

15. Johannesburg is still like a war zone.

[yurbud]

10. like when right wing death squads were trying to topple Sandinistas in Nicaragua in 80's

Chavez let those who plotted the coup against him live and few ended up even going to prison. If he didn't off those guys why would he go after anyone else?

[LakeSamish706]

13. Yep, thats what I wondered... It would seem that he should have been a real asshole at the

time and taken out any and all opposition to him. However, that is not the platform that brought him to power in the first place, he was voted in by a majority.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. You can't say that here.

[LakeSamish706]

12. Is it possible that the increased violence is being caused by opposition to President Chavez? n/t

[MadMaddie]

14. What would be useful for topics like this are statistics and

causal evidence.

I don't see anywhere what they think is causing the violence.

It would also be valuable to know about Briceno, a criminology professor at the Central University of Venezuela and at the Sorbonne in Paris who provided the statistics...

Like this....
<snip>
When Chavez came to power in 1999 there were 4,550 homicides whereas in 2009 there were 16,047, the OVV said.
<snip>

And this.....
<snip>
91 percent of crimes go unsolved.
<snip>

<snip>
Most of the deaths occur in crowded slums, but crime impinges on all sectors. In richer residential areas at night, cars shoot through red lights on often deserted streets and few people are willing to risk walking outside
<snip>

So if most of the deaths occur in the crowded slums where extreme poverty exists...does it correlate with Chavez's leadership or the previous 20 or 30 years of two classes of people in Venezuela?

[laughingliberal]

17. And yet, the assassinations in Columbia continue with nary a peep from Democrats. nt

[provis99]

18. I don't see the connection between Chavez and increased murder.

what, Chavez went out and murdered all these people? Or he went on the airwaves and told Venezuelans to murder people? Or maybe Reuters wasn't counting all the people murdered by government right-wing death squads under the pre-Chavez administration: hmmm...

[Wilms]

19. Where does VOV get the numbers?

Article says, "the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (OVV), whose data is widely followed in the absence of official statistics...".

So how did they cook up the numbers.

BTW, Rush Limbaugh" is "widely followed" too.

[daleo]

20. Maybe murdered poor people didn't used to get counted before Chavez

It is probably some sort of effect like that.