[Santiago, Chile, 2003]

If you have ever been to Santiago de Chile and spent a week there, you will have recognized the “People of the Walk”. They are the ones who have a certain street in the area of ​​the Palace, and I guess one would call it the area of ​​merchants and they start to gather there around 4:00 pm Sometimes even earlier, say at 2:30 pm I’m not sure. -One way or another, they do have some sort of deal with the police, but they really stick together on this 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 in awe of the people on the ride, so many emotions for this group of slum merchants. Or knock them down and out of the merchants. Or sole proprietors with little money: the poor people of the city. But whatever you call them, they’re not afraid of work, and some Americans should take a good look at them, those bums who want a free ride all the time, and think society owes them something.

Every day, my wife and I would walk this cobblestone road, which at one time was maybe a streetcar, we would walk it several times a day, the last time around 10:00 pm, at least a hundred or more of these Walk people, they were on the walk. They had a system, let me explain:

Each one of them had a bag, or a suitcase or something like that, a briefcase to carry their Merchandise, something that could be folded quickly, the reason being that if the police passed by, they would fold up their four-by-four mat, mat, pad, blanket, whatever is on top, -top, that they had their merchandise on and they leave, as if they didn’t have it, and they hadn’t done any business. No one was fooling anyone, everyone knew what everyone else was doing, it was just a kind of formality, I guess to appease the council. Then, when the police left, they would put their products back where they were before, back on the open mat, on the floor, and the merchandise was once again for sale.

Sometimes I looked over my shoulder, behind me, and the whole street, four or five blocks, empty as a bird’s nest; clean of merchants, leaning against the nearest wall, as if they had disappeared, but they did not disappear, they stopped behind, that’s all. The policemen passed by then as if they had a duty to fulfill, and to antagonize the misfortune they did it a few times in a row, to see who was faster. A game that had to be played for officers. I get dizzy.

The people were a cross section of the entire city I think; -from eleven or twelve years old, to sixty or more: men and women. Another interesting tidbit is that they all seem to know each other and had their little clicks with each other. It was well known that if a person was caught by the police, without securing his possessions in time, the police would imprison him and take his possessions, his livelihood in essence. I say this once, and a horde of merchants surrounded the policeman, as if to tar and feather him. A fellow officer approached him and handed over the items and the merchant. And so, to some extent, they were all like the Three Musketeers, all for one and one for all.

And so to the “People of the Paseo”, God bless you all, and instead of stealing or stealing or selling drugs, Chile should be proud of you for trying to sell something to stay alive; I realize that these people don’t pay taxes, and maybe some of the items being sold are even stolen from local stores, that those people are waiting and selling out front, but nothing is perfect, and we have to Live. When a government is not fair to everyone, then things obviously go against them.

Written in September 2004

In Spanish Translated by Nancy Peñaloza

People of the Walk [Santiago, Chile/2003]

If you have ever been to Santiago, (Chile) and spent a week there, you might have recognized the “people from the walk”. They are the ones who have a certain street through the palace area, and I suppose, one could call it the mercantile area, they start to gather there around 4:00 PM. Sometimes even earlier, say 2:30 PM. I’m not sure if they have any kind of deal with the police or not, but really they hang out on this one street. No car, just a ride mostly.

I find this the most interesting, also a bit sad, a bit frustrating and a bit impressed with the people, so many emotions for this group of slum merchants. Or call them extremely poor merchants. Or sole proprietors with little money. But whatever you call them, they’re not afraid of work, and some of the Americans might take a good look at them, some of the lazy ones, that is, who want to roam free in every memory, and think society gives them a hard time. owes something.

Every day my wife and I would walk down this street for a while, around 10:00 PM. There were at least a hundred or more of these people on the ride. They had a system, let me explain:

Each one of them had a bag, suitcase or some kind of briefcase to drag with the merchandise, something that could double in a pinch; The reason being, that if the police came walking close, they would-quickly-double around the approximately four-by-four-foot area, where they had their merchandise (generally some kind of blanket or plastic material), and run away, as if they didn’t. they would be doing any kind of business. Then when the police left, they would put their wares back on the ground, and so on to sell to passers-by, casual observers, and members of the public. I bought a few things from these dealers, they were good people, and like anyone else, I intended to make a dollar – but in this case the hard way.

With times you looked behind yourself and the whole street, four to five blocks (in the prominent ones they were very) clear were of merchants; however if you looked more closely, they were resting against the nearest wall, as if they had disappeared, that was when the police were around, disappeared, but in a few minutes, it was back to business as usual: yes, after the police came out, this was dizzying.

People will be an example of the whole city I believe-as young as eleven or twelve and as old as sixty or more, male or female. Another interesting fact is that they all seemed to know each other and had their own little signs there — surprising was this. It seemed to be understood, if not well known, that if the police caught a person, he or she could lose their possessions, be put in jail, or simply take their things. And that was the fear of him. But on the other hand, they had formed a kind of pact between themselves, a kind of union, and when some of the policemen took the merchandise, or were about to take it from a certain individual, they would beat up the policemen, or try to. I guess this has been done. And here I was watching this from the second floor of McDonald’s (and in other locations depending on the time and day).

And so my trip to Santiago, (Chile), had an interesting element of this.

There is the “people from the walk” God bless them, and instead of assaulting or stealing or selling drugs, Chile should be proud that you are trying to sell something to survive. I realize that there are no taxes paid by you friends, and some of the items that are sold are stolen from the stores that sell located in front, but nothing is perfect, right?