12 dead in bar raid… be careful what you wish for

Alberto Fajardo

MEXICO CITY, June 20 (Reuters – NOT the Associated Press)At least 12 people died and 18 were injured on Friday when hundreds of young party-goers rushed to get out of a crowded nightclub in the Mexican capital during a raid on under-age drinkers, police said.

Nine youths, including several minors, and three police officers were asphyxiated in a scramble to leave the News Divine disco after a tip-off from its owner that police were in the building, police and the city’s top prosecutor said.

“More than 1,000 people left in a stampede … for the emergency exit. The exit is very small … and that’s why people were asphyxiated,” Mexico City police chief Joel Ortega told the Televisa network.

It’s a little early to say exactly what went wrong. This was simply a raid on a bar that was serving minors, and — apparently, the place was packed.  As in the Lombohombo Fire disaster the deaths are being attributed to blocked emergency exits. That tragedy occurred in Delegacion Cuauhtemoc (central Mexico City, including the Zona Rosa and Centro Historico — where most tourists go clubbing) and the Delegacion has been accused of being “over-vigilent” when it comes to prosecuting code violations.

Human Rights groups are wondering why there was such a huge police presence (and some reports say tear gas was fired into the club) to close down a public nuisance.  If it required a huge police presence, why was it so badly organized?

While there are promises that investigations will be forthcoming, and heads will roll (not literally, one hopes), there are two very troubling trends.  First, the club, on Eduardo Molina in Delegation Gustavo A. Madero is well off the tourist track.  I lived in the neighborhood for about six months… the only tourist attraction in the Delegacion is the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadelupe… which doesn’t attract the kind of folks going to local discos.  And, it’s not the kind of neighborhood where rich kids are going to go to party.  These were neighborhood kids… from middle-class and blue-collar families.  At least one hopes that a similar raid in the Zona Rosa would have had kids running out unblocked emergency exits (and the police waiting outside). Obviously, the owners should be held responsible (and have already been detained), but whomever was responsible for safety inspection in the Delegacion needs to be identified.

The second troubling aspect is the police raid itself.  What has always bothered me about Mexican police operations is the need for overwhelming force.  Partially because the police are poorly trained, and not well thought of, they do need to overwhelm the “opposition” even when it’s just underage kids drinking.  This was a Unipol (the unified Federal District police command) operation, and more than just a black eye … if there is any saving grace, it is that Mexico City has resisted the temptation ot militarize their police (or use the Army) in which case — as happens here in Mazatlan — even ID checks become full scale assaults on the enemy… who are the citizens of this country.