SPEECH Mayor of Bogota Speaks About Terrorism in Colombia, U.S. By Rebecca Regan-Sachs Hoya Staff Writer

Charles Nailen/The Hoya Bogota, Colombia, Mayor Antanas Mockus spoke on campus Monday.

“Terrorist acts provoked a sense of fear and distrust among the populace. There was low attendance to public places, and community and social activities were reduced.”

Antanas Mockus, current mayor of Bogota, Colombia, was describing the situation in his city as terrorism escalated in the early 1990s, but he may well have been speaking about life in the United States since Sept. 11.

His presentation, entitled “How a City Recovers from Terrorism and Violence,” focused primarily on crime prevention strategies in the Colombian capital, strategies that are especially a propos in light of America’s recent experience with terrorism.

Mockus served as mayor of Bogota from 1995 to 1998 and is now serving a second, non-consecutive term that will end in 2003. A middle-aged man with sandy hair and beard, Mockus has an aura of calm that belies the prevalent climate of violence and fear in the troubled South American nation.

Colombia experiences an average of five terrorist acts per day by armed organizations, Mockus said. From 1993 to June 2001, there were 647 acts of terrorism that left 110 dead and 725 injured. Many of these acts may be attributed to Colombia’s two main rebel groups, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the smaller National Liberation Army. However, as the rate of violent incidents increased, he said, it became difficult to distinguish between those committed for a political purpose and the work of common criminals. Furthermore, the terrorist attacks tended to divert police attention from ordinary street crime, which flourished in the tense environment.

Although much of Europe has tended to be more forgiving of crimes committed for political purposes, Colombia has rejected this policy. “We’re not interested in intent, whether political or not,” Mockus said. “[Violence] is a disease that we need to cure . the important thing is to preserve lives.”

Mockus has tried to address the problems of violence on a more social level, implementing alcohol and drug control policies, paying attention to “vulnerable groups” such as indigents, prostitutes and at-risk youth and has focused on “recovery of public space,” aiming to clean and maintain Bogota’s public areas. He has also established “comisarias,” or family stations, in which families can mediate disputes non-violently. One event, in which people were able to talk with psychologists about individuals who had caused violence in their lives, drew 45,000 people the two days it was offered, he said.

These measures go hand-in-hand with what Mockus calls “punitive justice:” strengthening of prison infrastructure, reforms of juvenile detention centers and legislative security reforms. He once sent Bogota policemen to elite universities for technology training, resulting in a few awkward moments in the classroom but eventually a better-trained police force, he said.

The rate of homicides in Colombia has continued a steady decline since 1993, dropping from 4,452 that year to 2,238 in the year 2000, according to Mockus. Although challenges still remain, Mockus said he is optimistic.

“We don’t want to exclude people, we want to change behavior. And we can do that through strengthening and reconciling legal, moral and cultural regulations.”

He admitted the situation in Bogota is different from America’s current terrorism problem, noting Colombia lacked the ability to implement an “immediate, hard-hitting response.”

“One of the greatest effects of terrorism is to impose a narrative,” Mockus said. “It is important to find a better narrative, where the element of justice is key.” He said he hopes the United States will help strengthen international rules against terrorism and “to not respond to hatred with hate.”

In the end, be the violence in Bogota Jerusalem or New York, “we can [fight it] through persuasion, through finding a common meeting ground between cultures,” Mockus said. “The main antidote to terrorism is a democratic culture.”

SPEECH Mayor of Bogota Speaks About Terrorism in Colombia, U.S. By Rebecca Regan-Sachs Hoya Staff Writer

Charles Nailen/The Hoya Bogota, Colombia, Mayor Antanas Mockus spoke on campus Monday.

“Terrorist acts provoked a sense of fear and distrust among the populace. There was low attendance to public places, and community and social activities were reduced.”

Antanas Mockus, current mayor of Bogota, Colombia, was describing the situation in his city as terrorism escalated in the early 1990s, but he may well have been speaking about life in the United States since Sept. 11.

His presentation, entitled “How a City Recovers from Terrorism and Violence,” focused primarily on crime prevention strategies in the Colombian capital, strategies that are especially a propos in light of America’s recent experience with terrorism.

Mockus served as mayor of Bogota from 1995 to 1998 and is now serving a second, non-consecutive term that will end in 2003. A middle-aged man with sandy hair and beard, Mockus has an aura of calm that belies the prevalent climate of violence and fear in the troubled South American nation.

Colombia experiences an average of five terrorist acts per day by armed organizations, Mockus said. From 1993 to June 2001, there were 647 acts of terrorism that left 110 dead and 725 injured. Many of these acts may be attributed to Colombia’s two main rebel groups, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the smaller National Liberation Army. However, as the rate of violent incidents increased, he said, it became difficult to distinguish between those committed for a political purpose and the work of common criminals. Furthermore, the terrorist attacks tended to divert police attention from ordinary street crime, which flourished in the tense environment.

Although much of Europe has tended to be more forgiving of crimes committed for political purposes, Colombia has rejected this policy. “We’re not interested in intent, whether political or not,” Mockus said. “[Violence] is a disease that we need to cure . the important thing is to preserve lives.”

Mockus has tried to address the problems of violence on a more social level, implementing alcohol and drug control policies, paying attention to “vulnerable groups” such as indigents, prostitutes and at-risk youth and has focused on “recovery of public space,” aiming to clean and maintain Bogota’s public areas. He has also established “comisarias,” or family stations, in which families can mediate disputes non-violently. One event, in which people were able to talk with psychologists about individuals who had caused violence in their lives, drew 45,000 people the two days it was offered, he said.

These measures go hand-in-hand with what Mockus calls “punitive justice:” strengthening of prison infrastructure, reforms of juvenile detention centers and legislative security reforms. He once sent Bogota policemen to elite universities for technology training, resulting in a few awkward moments in the classroom but eventually a better-trained police force, he said.

The rate of homicides in Colombia has continued a steady decline since 1993, dropping from 4,452 that year to 2,238 in the year 2000, according to Mockus. Although challenges still remain, Mockus said he is optimistic.

“We don’t want to exclude people, we want to change behavior. And we can do that through strengthening and reconciling legal, moral and cultural regulations.”

He admitted the situation in Bogota is different from America’s current terrorism problem, noting Colombia lacked the ability to implement an “immediate, hard-hitting response.”

“One of the greatest effects of terrorism is to impose a narrative,” Mockus said. “It is important to find a better narrative, where the element of justice is key.” He said he hopes the United States will help strengthen international rules against terrorism and “to not respond to hatred with hate.”

In the end, be the violence in Bogota Jerusalem or New York, “we can [fight it] through persuasion, through finding a common meeting ground between cultures,” Mockus said. “The main antidote to terrorism is a democratic culture.”