The Influence of Gangs

A change in US immigration policy brought about a strong change in the architectural urban environment as well as in the behavior of the people in Colonia El Pepeto. The 1997 US immigration reform, which aimed to deport people with criminal backgrounds to their country of origin, led to the rapid rise of the youth gangs MS-13 and Barrio 18 in Central America.

Poorer areas such as Soyapango, including the Colonia El Pepeto neighborhood where the sites-and-services project is located, were particularly affected.

Due to the circumstances and different aspects, one can assume that Colonia El Pepeto is a comparatively safe place for locals without big gang conflicts, but for people from abroad it is not the safest place, especially if one takes into account that the influence of the gangs also aims to control the population living there. They control who is where, and register when strangers enter the area because of their well-connected infrastructure. The influence of gangs is by no means limited to the Soyapango area but is still a major problem in Central America today, affecting many communities.

The presence and control of gangs affects both the use and behavior of residents in public and private spaces. There are times when people are not allowed to leave the house. Even urban spaces such as playgrounds are often empty. Entrances, windows, and balconies that used to be open have often been completely barred over time. In Colonia El Pepeto itself, there are comparatively few reports of criminal activity on the streets, which is strongly related to the fact that all the streets of the neighborhood are lit. According to some reports and news, however, some gang members seem to live mainly in the houses of Colonia El Pepeto. There have also been several attempts to set up a gang base, which have so far been prevented by police intervention. However, it can be assumed that Colonia El Pepeto feels safer than other parts of Soyapango because of the lit streets. This feeling of safety is also supported by the large football fields and the school, which form a large public square where many people gather.

The degree of security of Colonia El Pepeto can be interpreted from the number and positioning of hotels. It can be assumed that larger tourist facilities and hotels especially tend to be located in safer places. In the San Salvador area, there are still many hotels, but this changes abruptly when one looks at the Soyapango district, where suddenly not a single hotel appears on the map, apart from a few located directly on the border with San Salvador or on the main road.

Sources

1. Schmidt-Padilla, Carlos. “Gangs, Labor Mobility, and Development.” Matrix, University of California, Berkeley. 8 Apr. 2020 Link.

2. Quora. “How dangerous is Soyapango in El Salvador and how do I stay safe?” 2016. Link.

3. Hamburger Abendblatt. “Töte, um zu Leben, lebe, um zu Töten,” 21 Jan. 2010. Link.

4. Frankfurter Rundschau. “Im Gefährlichsten Land der Welt,” 10 Jan. 2019.

5. https://www.fr.de/panorama/gefaehrlichsten-land-welt-11111962.html Link.

6. La Noticia SV. “El periodismo necesita inversión, trabajo y esfuerzo. Para compartir esta nota usar nuestro portal de noticias.” Link.

7. “Colonia El Pepeto, Jardines del Pepeto 2y Santos 3 Soyapango…” YouTube, uploaded by Soyacity 2015. Link.

8. “Nuevo hundimiento en Vol. El Pepeto #Soyapango.” YouTube, uploaded by Noticias4VisionTCS, 3 Dec. 2014. Link.

9. “Soyapango El Pepeto 3.” Facebook, uploaded by Case en Venta, 3 May 2021. Link.

Cover Image

Map of hotels in the surroundings of Soyapango. Source: Own work.