911

Today, 9/11/13, is the 40th anniversary of the Pinochet military coup in Chile.  There is something about anniversaries that end in a zero or a five to bring about extra focus.  It has been pretty clear that there has been tension in Santiago recently.  Simply look at the massive student demonstrations that significantly delayed the academic calendar at many universities, the strikes at the postal service, civil registry, copper industry...   To top it off, it is an election year with elections in November and the leading two candidates have extensive experience on their respective sides of the Pinochet/Allende issue.

There are many different aspects of the whole situation.  Allende was elected, but only by 36% of the population.  He was a socialist, and clearly the US was not interested in more Soviet extensions in the Western Hemisphere.  The US certainly helped enable the coup and the conditions to help set it in motion.  Inflation in Chile at the time has been reported as high as 500%.  The coup was not a surprise and was for the most part expected.  What wasn't expected was the ruthlessness with which Pinochet operated.  More people were killed in Chile's 911 than in the 911 in the United States.  There were also about 40,000 people in Chile that were tortured.  Well over 1,000 people simply disappeared.  It took 17 years for Pinochet's rein of terror to end, but ironically he remained in the government for several more years.  As a close friend of Margaret Thatcher, for the most part he lived out his life securely in Britain and was never brought to trial before he died in Chile in 2006.

The feelings in Chile are quite mixed, and it depends on who you talk to as to how they feel about Pinochet.  From an economic standpoint, what was done set things in motion for the incredible Chilean economic engine that continues to run as the best in Latin America - with an unemployment rate nearly 50% lower than the unemployment rate in the United States.  On the other hand, his human rights abuses don't set well with anyone.  I have seen first hand some of the prison and torture facilities - some of which are off limits to the public.  They reminded me of the Gestapo prisons in Germany and I was told they in fact were designed after them.  Many Germans fled Germany as it was falling at the end of WWII for Chile.

Today we were told to be home by mid afternoon and not to go out at night.  There have been riots recently and tonight is supposed to be the flash point.  A map was published of expected trouble places, but even I can see obvious omissions such as Plaza de Italia. (red dot is potential flash point area)

I had class at 10:15am, so decided to go in about 9am.  Usually this is heavy rush hour and the subway is packed tight.  Not today.

On my walk from the subway to the Universidad de Chile there are many other universities.  Perhaps some day I'll make a blog of University Row.  It is typically packed with students similar to a shopping mall at Christmas.  Not today.

This is where it starts to get erie.  Should I turn around and go back?

The other universities clearly had canceled classes.  As I approached closer to the University of Chile there were papers stuck to the sidewalk with names and messages.

This went on for a few blocks.

These were difficult times (above)

I won't see you return (above).

I made it to class and 3 of my 18 students showed up.  Next week is the Independence holiday (from Spain) and I think a lot of people are ready for a change in focus.  It seems most of the violence and demonstrations are for the most part by young people that either weren't born or don't remember what happened.  The people that were directly impacted seem to have more somber and quiet events.  Sure, people want answers as to what happened and why, but to an extent it reminds me some of Vietnam.  For the most part the soldiers that returned rarely spoke of it.  Those that weren't there had more to say, but perhaps were ignorant.

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