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| CLICK HERE NOW FOR FREE ONLINE SPANISH LESSONS Police Brutality in Santiago, Chile
So, Paseo Ahumada is not my favorite place in Santiago. It leads into the Plaza de Armas, and is crowded by Barney the dinosaur impersonators, mimes and the choking smell of burnt candied peanuts mixing with smog. I'm not exactly a street vendor enthusiast either, but they're not the worst part of downtown. Street vendors do take up space, but the pedestrian via is really wide and the street vendors are usually tucked in between phone booths and planterbox trees. So they don't seem to be the main traffic problem. I'm not sure why they're cracking down so hard on street vendors, beating them and loading them on paddy wagons. One reason might be they compete with legitimate stores. But on Paseo Ahumada the legit shops are overpriced for the quality they offer, and the experience is lame. Street vendors offer better prices and give consumers more selection. Or at the very least, that Chile's economy is in the dumps so you might as well these poor folks scrap for what they can. In this video, the woman shows me her pregnant belly and explains that there's nothing she can do about the police brutality. She also tells me she's got Sumo, a really great Argentinean group I've wanted to hear more of lately. And okay, some of you readers might have copyright concerns. But it's not just CD's; street vendors sell everything cheaper, from dish-drying towels to T-shirts to produce. It's better for the consumer. I'd rather buy a Sumo CD from her than pay $35 USD in a Santiago music shop. So I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully before the cops beat her again and carry away her CD's.
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