March Nonfiction Blog Post

            The overall main idea of “Puerto Rico hopes military can put dent in crime” by Arthur Brice, is that Puerto Rico has so much crime that they need to bring in the military to hopefully stop the crime. The article discussed why the military was being brought in, what the military is going to do, and what some locals thought about the crime. There were 807 homicides, which is a 10.5 percent increase since 2007. There are also very strong ties between the crimes and drug trafficking. Crimes have been committed for so long because the public doesn’t have much faith in the police department because of corruption with the department. These details discuss things that are happening in Puerto Rico that encourage crimes, and why military action needs to be brought in.

            The author wants readers to think that Puerto Rico is a very dangerous place where crime occurs very frequently. They also want readers to feel pity for innocent citizens in Puerto Rico who are in danger from all the relentless crime going around. The author uses quotes from people who live in Puerto Rico to make readers see what life is really like for people who live there. For example, ‘"It might help," said Tony Santiago, owner of Rent the Bike in Old San Juan. He questioned whether some of the Guard members are up to the task. "What do they do for a living," he asked. "Maybe they don't have the knowledge to handle the situation like a policeman would." No one seems to question that there's a problem and that something needs to be done about it.’

            From this article, I will take away the fact that crime is already alarmingly high in Puerto Rico, but that it seems to increase every year. I also learned that Puerto Rico’s location has a lot to do with the crime going on. My thinking has been shaped, because I feel bad for the innocent citizens of Puerto Rico who are in danger, but I also feel bad for the people committing the crimes because sometimes, the amount of crime is related to the location of Puerto Rico. My thinking has been changed, because now that I know that many crimes are related to drug trafficking, I think they can be avoided, and that people can know better. I’d like to if there’s more crime in cities than in the countryside, because they interviewed someone who lived in the countryside who said they weren’t really affected by it, yet they’re forming a neighborhood watch. Those things seem contradictory, and I’d like to find out more about that.