Breathe
By Yolanda Morales
"I only go to the barracks at night, that's when I felt vulnerable": Montserrat Caballero.
A day after the mayor of Tijuana announced that she would go to live in a military barracks because she feared for her life, we were able to chat with her about how she imagines her new life in this place. She says she is not afraid and, so far, she can sleep.
- Mayor Can you sleep?
- When you owe nothing, you fear nothing.
Last Monday, June 12, seven bodies were found east of the city; around 10:30 a.m., while in the Municipal Palace, Mayor Montserrat Caballero warned that she would go to live in the Military Barracks, in the 28th Infantry Battalion, as in years past the former Secretary of Municipal Public Security Julian Leyzaola would also do.
Caballero shared this information in his traditional "Despertar de la Esperanza" (Awakening of Hope), the name of his weekly meeting with the media.
Just last May 17, a bodyguard suffered an attack near the beauty salon where the mayor of the second most violent city in Mexico and one of the 5 most violent in the world, according to the Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice, goes almost daily to have her hair and make-up done.
A day after making the comment about her change of address to the military barracks Montserrat continued with her agenda, she went to an event in the Sanchez Taboada neighborhood (also a violent area) and later, around noon, she held a meeting with neighborhood leaders where she shared lunch, at this event a couple of journalists were waiting for her, 10 security vans and National Guard units arrived. The first thing Montserrat did was to approach us, greet us and respond.
Why are you going to live in a military barracks?
"It was a suggestion from the National Guard because of the threats I received, threats that I don't know from whom they come or from which groups or characters," he responded.
According to Caballero he received several banners with threats, more than 3, aggression against his bodyguard, phone messages. "The mayor who takes care of two million citizens is taken care of, there was an extortion incident, either we would clean up or we would get to work", he mentioned.
Does not rule out friendly fire
In view of the series of threats, the mayor does not rule out that these are actions that have to do with her gender, as she pointed out that when it was men who governed, the same thing did not happen.
"It could be because no one has said 'this mouth is mine', all government entities attack various criminals that exist, we know that the chair of the municipal president is very dear, it could be, it could be them, it could be".
"You know that a man did it and there has been no problem, see where I am trusting the National Guard and working in the colonias."
"I just live with my son, my husband doesn't live here."
What do you tell your child?
"I tell him that we are going to go to a place where he will be able to take his dog for a walk, where he will be able to play soccer and I will take advantage of the discipline to train my son..."
"What will I take with me? I can take few things, it's a modest thing, I will take few things, my pets and my son. At night is when I was feeling violated."
The message sent by the mayor is one of fear, the social networks are questioning her about her decision to move to a barracks, she is the first woman mayor and the first one who will go, in the next few days, to live in a barracks, in a small house, which still does not have electricity, water or internet.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of Opinion 51.
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