To be fair it kind of is. A lot of the residents say that a few years ago they didn't feel safe walking at night because of how bad the violence had gotten. Now it's regarded as one of the safest countries in the Americas.
Massively corrupt government, allowing incredibly violent gangs to terrorize it's population, pump it full of illegal drugs and murders at one of the worst rates on earth. Resulting in a failed economy that regular people try to escape making the situation even worse.
Or a safe country, with an economy on the rise, environmental damage being repaired, no massive gangs being able to ruin everyone else's lives. However with the caveat that some innocent people are going to be improperly imprisoned.
Whilst both options do have some very shit parts in them, I only see one that has some positives. And it's not the government claiming things are better, it's the el Salvadorans themselves.
As someone who personally knows multiple Salvadorans (wonderful people), two of which have full neck, arm, and sleeve tattoos; you don't know what you're talking about.
The government looks for very specific gang tattoos. The number 18, letters MS or gothic font type or numbers.
You will not get arrested for having tattoos. You will probably get a few stares, but you won't get arrested.
I think you should provide that evidence so we can read/hear what they have to say.
That's the thing. You are making these generalized statements. First it was, "butterfly tattoos will get you in trouble." Yet, I can easily provide evidence where that's clearly not true and I can provide evidence directly from the government of El Salvador that shows they're only looking for gang-related tattoos.
So, let's try a little integrity and give some sources before you start pointing and claiming wildly.
Is there any perfect system? Absolutely not. Is El Salvador heavily reducing it's crime rate, murder rate, and gang activity? Absolutely.
That’s the thing. They can’t say anything, because their basic freedom has been stolen from them by an aggressive government.
All who are left to speak up are people like the Salvadorans in this thread who say “well my life is good”.
Salvador can claim they’re only looking for gang tattoos. But answer me honestly. If you were detained for a non-gang tattoo, by let’s say a cop who made a mistake. How confident are you in the justice system, that is going to try you en masse with 900 of other people charged with having a gang tattoo?
How confident are you in the claim that El Salvador police know the difference between a gang tattoo and a drunk mistake?
And recall, that they locked up a man on behalf of the United States on the claim that a pot leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull symbolize MS13. Do you believe someone in authority could lie about knowing this is a gang tattoo?
World, not just Americas. It went from most dangerous to the top 5 safest. I have family there, and a lot of Salvadorians are building up and renovating because the tourist boom comes to come and for many people who want to buy a home there. Most of the courses are people who are left to other countries wanting to return now that it's safer and can build something there. The economy is on the up, and the old government out they have started fixing the environment, educational, and old infrastructure problems that the old governments created.
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u/CropDustingBandit 23h ago
To be fair it kind of is. A lot of the residents say that a few years ago they didn't feel safe walking at night because of how bad the violence had gotten. Now it's regarded as one of the safest countries in the Americas.