Citizens of fear - Professor Susana Rotker

Citizens in Latin American cities live in constant fear, amidst some of
the most dangerous conditions on earth. In that vast region, 140
thousand people die violently each year, and one out of three citizens
have been directly or indirectly victimized by violence. In Venezuela,
adults are on average targets of crime seventeen crimes in their
lifetimes, four of which are violent. In Mexico, 97 percent of all
reported crimes go unpunished. Crime, in effect, is an undeclared war.
Citizens of Fear, in part, assembles survey results of social scientists
who document the pervasiveness of violence. But the numbers tell only
part of the story. Other contributors present moving testimonials by the
victimized and by journalists covering the scene. A third group of
essayists explores the implications of the resulting fear for both
thought and behavior. As Susana Rotker writes, "The city has been
transformed into a space of vulnerability and danger...What I am
interested in narrating here is...the generalized sensation of
insecurity that taints the Latin American capitals, the sensation that
has changed the ways people relate to urban space, to other human
beings, to the state, and to the very concept of citizenship.
"