Re: Tenacatita takeover - the video

Posted by Lois Lane on August 5, 2010, 3:32 pm, in reply to "Re: Tenacatita takeover - the video"
187.146.70.117

I just returned from a surreal scene at Tenacatita, including waiting over half an hour for protesters to take down their barricade across Hwy 200 at the crucero so I could get out. The road into Rebalsito is partially blocked by trees felled by residents. Just past the distillery, the road to the beach is lined with vehicles and people waiting to get out to their properties to retrieve their belongings. A truck of La Huerta police is out there, "in case things get ugly." A few meters ahead of them, a huge mound of dirt blocks the road, with space for one vehicle at a time to pass. The third, and I believe final, impediment is a wall of state police -- with guns -- just this side of the bridge, near as I could tell, strategically positioned so I couldn't see around the curve. I didn't cross this line. They're letting one vehicle through at a time, but the driver has to show identification, sign something, and be escorted in by an "official." Everyone is very somber and no one seems to know exactly what's going on at the beach. Everyone knows there are a lots of soldiers out there, and the people with whom I spoke are of the opinion that they're looting the stores and restaurants. I head nothing about buildings being dozed or palapas being burned, but most think that's what will come next. Sorry, I have no definite news for those of you who own property in the zona federal on the ocean side. I heard rumors that property on both the bay and ocean side had been seized. The state police, however, assured me that only those on the bay side are affected. Quien sabe. While dozens of people waited patiently (so far) to get out to their homes, a more militant group was busy blocking Hwy 200 with logs, boulders, broken glass, etc. I pulled to the front of the line of people waiting to get onto the highway, thinking my press pass would get me out as easily as it got me in as far as I got. Nope! Hwy 200 traffic on both sides of the crucero was backed up for several kilometers, and quite some distance on the Tenacatita access road. Then it started to get nasty. Drivers who couldn't get through confronted the protesters, with their hastily drawn anti-government signs, lining the barricade. Tempers flared and escalated into a shouting match. When I heard what sounded like glass bottles being broken, I moved back a few feet. The protesters weren't going to give ground. Then some officious dude (the mayor of Rebalsito, someone said) threatened them with something, and they dismantled the barricade. About 10 minutes into my return trip to La Manzanilla, I saw a dozen state police trucks with their lights flashing tearing toward Tenacatita. It probably really got exciting then, but this gringa is probably better off having been outta there by that time. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

865

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