1-800 EXTORTION is the number that the state of Ecuador encourages citizens to call if they have been victims of an infamous extortionary method colloquially referred to as “vaccines” (“vacunas” in Spanish). Extortionists collect vaccine payments from local businesses periodically, charging them for the promise of “protection.” Cases of extortion in Ecuador have been steadily […]
Tag: gangs
El Salvador’s New “Mega Prison” and Bukele’s Crackdown on Gang-related Crime
“Our one rule, besides stick together, is don’t get caught.” This simple quote from S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders highlights the struggle between group identity and self-identity, as seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy who believes he is an outsider to society. In his world, there are only two types of people, “Greasers” and […]
The Truth About MS-13, Trump’s Favorite Bogeyman
Foreign, ruthless, violent — all of these words have been used by President Donald Trump to characterize the gang MS-13 as a threat to the United States of America. Trump has used incendiary rhetoric to lambast the Obama administration for its immigration policies that “allowed criminals to enter the country” and to push forward his […]