Tag: Santiago

Why the US Doesn’t Care About Chile

On By KeithBevacquaIn Chile In Crisis, Photography

Ask the average US citizen where Chile is on a map and they will likely point in South America’s general direction, with the saying that Chile is the “skinny one”. Americans (a painfully vague moniker United States citizens have granted themselves) usually only learn geography when considering who and who not to bomb into submission. Americans can pin point Iraq, describe Afghanistan in general terms, and Americans over the age of 50 can give you a few key aspects of the Vietnam War. American mastery of elementary level geography is largely based on our military hubris.

It is unlikely that the US is going to bomb or invade Chile any time soon, so most Americans are not going to worry themselves with Chile’s current crisis of economics, political power, and identity. For the nearly 19 million Chileans who are questioning what kind of country they want to be, America’s apathy is both a blessing and a curse. God forbid outside meddlers became involved in Chilean politics, but it is truly a shame that more people across the globe don’t know what is going on in the “skinny country”. Why does the apathy towards Chile’s crisis exist in the first place? And why has international press coverage of the on going protests in Chile slowed to a trickle?

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“We Are Not at War”

On By KeithBevacquaIn Chile In Crisis

On Monday, October 21st multiple groups, including CONFECH (the confederation of studunt unions in Chile) called for mass demonstrations and strikes as Santiago de Chile headed into day three of military control. A State of Emergency order has now been called for several Chilean cities, including Concepcion and Valparaiso, which hosts the country’s National Assembly. Roughly half the country’s population is now under some form of emergency order due to the ongoing backlash to growing economic and social inequality.

National news outlets are beginning to publish and broadcast some of the violent actions undertaken by the military during the last 100 hours, such as the killing of a demonstrator along the country’s Route 5 highway, the striking of an interview subject in Valparaiso with a tear-gas canister, and the accidental shooting of a famous actor in Plaza de Italia. Still, much more reporting needs to be done on the brutality of the military and police at the national level in order for the public to understand the intimidation tactics being used against demonstrators and by-standers.

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The Metro is on Fire: Chile in Crisis

On By KeithBevacquaIn Chile In Crisis

In an action dubbed “#EvasionMasive”, students began jumping Metro gates across the city on Monday, October 14th in protest of continued fare increases for the Santiago Metro and bus system. On October 6th, the Metro de Santiago raised the rush hour fare from $800 pesos to $830 pesos, the second fare increase this year, impacting both metro trains and buses. Student groups in the city proposed a week of evading the fare and called on university and secondary school students to jump payment gates on the Metro and refuse to tap “Bip!” cards on city buses; denying the Santiago Metro system revenue from a major constituency.

By Friday, October 18th, the situation spiraled out of control due to forceful police tactics, including the use of tear gas, riot shields and water cannons, and an escalation of violence from protesters, including pulling down Metro station gates, destruction of equipment, and setting fire to locked station entrances. At the height of the evening rush hour the entire Metro system was shut down, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to walk or rely on the city’s already beleaguered bus service to return home from the work and schools.

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Learning in Chile — and the Impact on American Education Reform

On By KeithBevacquaIn Education

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors.” — Terry Pratchett

After spending seven years working at a for-profit education services company I have decided to shift gears and refocus my energy on what I have come to believe is one of the most pressing changes in American (and global) public life — the reform and privatization of public education. My goal is to provide educators, policy makers, students, their parents, and the general public with the information and motivation to make informed decisions on the forms of schooling they want in the US.

My main focus is on the interaction between private companies (especially education media companies) and public schooling systems. To begin this journey I have decided to travel outside the US and provide myself, and hopefully my readers, with some perspective on how things work in other parts of the world. I have come to Santiago, Chile to better understand how the Chilean voucher system works and doesn’t work for families, educators, and other stake holders. More specifically, how private education companies work within and exploit the Chilean national education system.

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