Street crime in Santiago

This item appears on page 15 of the March 2009 issue.

A friend and I really enjoyed ourselves during an 8-day stay in Santiago, Chile, Nov. 20-28, 2008. The country is very nice, traveling through the wineries was educational, and Valparaíso and Viña del Mar were really spectacular. But be aware that Santiago suffers from a serious petty theft problem.

We went to the Bellavista neighborhood in Santiago several times to visit the famous Pablo Neruda home and museum as well as the fantastic restaurants there. After paying our bills at the restaurants, we were told each time by our waiters to allow them to call us a taxi and not to consider walking around the area after dark. Several waiters would flank us on both sides, waiting until our doors were locked and we sped away.

One day in Barrio Bellavista, I was attacked by several teenage boys in broad daylight. Upon arriving at our hotel after my assault, we found out that three other hotel guests had been victims of petty crimes that same day. A backpack was stolen, a purse was ripped off and somebody had their bag of souvenirs taken.

The hotel manager confirmed that Santiago suffers from a lot of such crime. And during our several walks along Providencia Avenue, the main street in Santiago, several times we saw teenage boys being arrested by the police. In fact, on our flight back to the US our flight attendant told us that the pilot had been the victim of an assault in Bellavista around the same time I had.

I sent e-mails to Chilean officials in Santiago as well as in Washington, DC, stating that something needs to be done about this.

I received a letter from the ministry of police in Santiago advising me that they will try to make added precautions. I also received letters from the Consul General in Miami, the Ambassador of Chile in Washington, DC, and several ministries in Chile. They all admitted there is a problem and apologized profusely. Unfortunately, I am still suffering from the injury I got during my assault.

ITN readers, be careful when traveling to Santiago, Chile.

MARCUS MAYA

Atlanta, GA