Berlin, Usulutan holds Salvadoran gangs at bay

El Faro's Roberto Valencia recently investigated how one city in El Salvador seems have avoided the insecurity problems that prevail in much of the rest of the country with his reporting into Berlin in the department of Usulutan. Insight Crime translated the story (the PanAmPost picked up on it as well).

"Small stuff happens, but you could say that it is peaceful," says Salvador Peña, a business administrator in Berlin for the last four years. He knows of businesses that have been extorted, but in Berlin these abuses are generally reported to the authorities. "All the inhabitants are watchful, for the most part we all know each other, and the police act rapidly," he says.

Peña is convincing when he denies the presence of gangs, but we must not be too naive: if there was a threat put forth by the gangs, no one would trust a journalist with his tape recorder on.

Extortion is the principal source of income for Salvadoran gangs, but Berlin appears to be liberated territory. There have been some cases of established cliques from neighboring municipalities that make threats, or even criminals that try to pass themselves off as gang members, but it appears the extortion payment system doesn't exist here.

As I said: Berlin doesn't seem like El Salvador.

Preventing the emergence of gangs is obviously different from retaking entire communities that have been overrun by gangs, but there do seem to be lessons nonetheless. Strong community ties, investments in education and after school activities, and good policing can be pretty effective. 

Here are some photos of Berlin from when I volunteered as an election observer in 2004.