[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H6103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE: HOPE IN MEDELLIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at the end of August, I was part of a 
weeklong fact-finding delegation to Colombia coordinated by the 
Washington Office on Latin America.
  Our first stop was in Medellin. Hailed during 2005 to 2008 as the so-
called ``Medellin Miracle,'' we now know that the miracle was more 
illusion than reality, created by the iron fist of paramilitary leader 
Diego Murillo, alias Don Berna. He controlled all criminal activity in 
the poorest districts, or comunas, as they're known, that surround 
central Medellin. Since his 2008 extradition to the United States, hell 
has returned to the comunas, as neo-paramilitary drug lords fight for 
control of drug trafficking, extortion, and other criminal activity.
  But the ``miracle'' wasn't a total illusion. During those years of 
relative calm, the municipal government, under Mayor Sergio Fajardo, 
and his successor, current Mayor Alonso Salazar, made significant 
investments in youth organizations, education, and basic human services 
in the poorest neighborhoods. In greater Medellin, investments resulted 
in public parks, recreational spaces, culture, and a new public transit 
system. These changes, large and small, have helped civil society to 
better weather and confront the current explosion of violence that 
keeps Medellin in the ranks of Latin America's most violent cities.
  There are an estimated 3,800 or more gang members in Medellin. And 
about 70 percent of their ranks are made up of young people between the 
ages of 11 and 17. In the past 2 years, nearly 2,000 young people 
between the ages of 11 and 25 have been killed.
  We spent an entire day meeting with people and youth organizations in 
three of the city's most violent districts, Comunas 13, 8, and 5. Our 
guides were the dedicated staff of Fundacion Mi Sangre. They introduced 
us to John Jaime Sanchez, the director of Son Bata, an Afro-Colombian 
group that has achieved international fame by using music to help 
Comuna 13's young people find alternatives to violence.
  We visited a local YMCA and its director, Alexandra Castillon. The 
YMCA has long served as an anchor and neutral space in Comuna 13. There 
we met leaders from Hip Hop Red Elite, Hip Hoppers for Peace, and the 
Kolacho School, a music training school named in memory of a young boy 
killed in Comuna 13. The groups reach young people through the use of 
music and dance, helping them become leaders. These youth then use 
their art to reach others in their schools and on the streets with the 
message of nonviolence.
  We went across town to Casa de la Cultura, one of the few neutral 
spaces in Comuna 8.

                              {time}  1020

  We met students in youth groups called Diafora, La Villa, AK-47, New 
Dance and others. Their determination and enthusiasm to create a better 
future were undeniable. Rap group AK-47 joined with students playing 
classical music. They put on a stunning rap program against gang 
violence. I could have listened to their powerful words and music all 
day.
  We ended the day sitting on the ground above a small park in Comuna 5 
talking with more than 20 youth leaders about their daily lives and how 
they use art to promote human rights, recapture historic memory, and 
create a better community. I told them they should run for office 
because Medellin's future depended on their leadership.
  The next day, our delegation returned to Comuna 5, this time with the 
Catholic Church and the mayor's adviser on peace and reconciliation. We 
met former and current gang members. We heard impassioned stories about 
how they want to leave the gangs and the endless violence. It's not an 
easy choice. They fear retaliation and not being able to support their 
families.
  Many people in Medellin are helping them lay down their arms, but 
their futures are dangerous and limited. They also lack confidence in 
the police, some of whom are allied with one faction or another in the 
gang wars.
  These youth put themselves at risk for advocating alternatives to 
violence and envisioning a future far different from the reality that 
surrounds them. They deserve our respect and our support--not just with 
funding but by increasing their visibility and their legitimacy.
  Rarely on my trips to Colombia have I left the place with such strong 
and positive feelings; and after spending time in the most dangerous 
areas of the city, I came away with a sense of hope.
  I often speak of what's going wrong in Colombia and the many problems 
that need to be addressed. In Medellin I found many examples of what is 
going right.

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