QCOSTARICA – Frequently the 911 emergency services receive calls reporting street brawls, “pleitos” in Spanish, and most are made from San José. And many involve two women.
Also, the number of people who record these “los pleitos” (brawls) and then upload them to social networks seems to have grown.
One of the freshest videos is of a brawl that occurred this Tuesday, May 4, at 9 pm in Purral de Goicoechea, two women get into a melee over a can of tuna.
Police reported a group of onlookers had gathered by the time they arrived on the scene in the areas known as Los Cuadros and Fotos Leo.
The two women were between 20 and 25 years old, neither was arrested and the authorities remained at the scene for a reasonable time to avoid a further brawl that could have escalated to something much worse.
Between January and so far in May, 911 has logged between 2,300 and 2,600 calls per month. That only for in the capital. The total number of cases is now around 10,000.
The second province with the most “bochincheros” (melees, skirmishes or scuffles) is Alajuela, which registers 4,760 and then Puntarenas, 2,494 reports.
In El Roble de Puntarenas, an area also affected by deadly attacks recenlty, someone recorded a brawl that included a pregnant woman. In a similar incident, a mother is seen carrying a child of about 3 years sitting on an adult bike; Another woman approaches and hits her and the little boy falls and a brawl ensues.
“I see, I enjoy and I don’t get involved”
Arnoldo Mendoza, vice president of the College of Sociology Professionals, explains that the levels of violence are increasing and some people behave like voyeurs, that is, they enjoy watching what others do, bu never participate.
“The levels of violence are involving us all, not just men. Our society has not worked to reduce violence, but it is obvious that with this pandemic it has not been possible to do it in the best way,” he said.
Mendoza explains that behind the videos of the brawls there are high levels of frustration, sadness, fatigue and concern about what is seen in the news or problems with work. There are those who cannot manage those feelings and they explode easily.
“Our society is sick and that affects us all. We are not solving our problems in an assertive way (talking, looking for solutions), it is easier to hit someone and think ‘I got it out of me’ and it doesn’t matter if I got my hair pulled, because I dished it out too,” Mendoza explained.
And, of course, we cannot put aside the instigators, “carboneros” in Spanish, those who, instead of looking for a way to stop a brawl, heat up the atmosphere so that one occurs.
The result is often a ‘Roman circus’, people rolling on the ground and not solving the underlying problems.
Authorities call for control or emotions because something as simple as a shove or a push could easily end in tragedy.
