Impunity reigns once again, and merchants are forced to pay to continue their journey.
Today we are not here to tell a story; we are here to denounce a reality that can no longer be hidden.
On the stretch of highway that runs from Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, toward the border of Tamaulipas—which remains Potosí territory—fear has become part of the journey.
Merchants from the Huasteca Potosina region, hardworking people who travel week after week to Monterrey, Nuevo León, to sell their products, are being stopped right on the highway, to name a few:
-Xilitla
-Axtla
-Aquismón
-Tanlajás
-Tancanhuitz
-Matlapa
-Tanquian
-Tamazunchale
All those leaving the Huasteca Potosina region.
This is not a toll booth.
This is not a privately operated highway.
These are extortion payments right on the highway. A checkpoint brazenly set up by hooded and armed civilians.
They carry out their criminal acts without any fear.
No public security presence.
People with long guns, for the exclusive use of the military, have turned this stretch of road into an extortion racket. They demand money to let people pass. They charge them for working. They charge them for trying to get ahead.
And those who don’t pay, don’t get through.
This is not an isolated incident. It’s a recurring practice, one that’s growing and is already affecting dozens of families who depend on this weekly income for their livelihood.
And yes, it must be said as it is:
This is already a political scandal.
A scandal that falls squarely on the responsibility of the governor of San Luis Potosí, Ricardo Gallardo Cardona. Because when a highway becomes a territory of fear, when citizens have to pay to travel within their own state, something is seriously wrong.
The complaints exist. Voices have been raised. But today, they seem to be relegated to the forgotten mailbox of complaints and suggestions from a government that doesn’t respond.
It’s impossible to hide the sun with a finger, much less with a food basket.
How much longer will this be allowed to continue?
How many more people have to fall victim before action is taken?
Today we raise our voices for all those shopkeepers who go out in fear and return with uncertainty. For those who cannot remain silent, even though the risk exists.
It is up to us as citizens to make noise.
It is up to us to raise our voices.
It is up to us to remember who we are as a people.
“No one can impose their will by force, because there is no law when it is built on abuse.”
Because the strength of this country is not in fear, it is in its people.
Today we are not talking about war, we are talking about dignity.
About unity.
About not remaining silent in the face of those who harm us.
Because when the people unite, they cease to be afraid.
We want security!!!
We want justice!!!
We want zero impunity!!!
We demand immediate attention.
We demand real security on the roads.
We demand guarantees so we can work without being extorted.
And to the public: let’s not look the other way, support us by sharing this. We need to be seen, not to be intimidated, but to be heard. Sharing is also a way to protect ourselves.
Because silence is already a heavy burden.
Source: sanwichotimes
