all those violent youth get those of course you can get always always get the latest news and information on our web site at e.w. dot com i'm terry martin thanks for watching. and you hear me now oh yes we don't need you and i love stance german songs that will bring you i'm glad mantle and you've never had to have surprise yourself with what is possible who is medical really what moves. all some who talk to people who follow along the way maurice and critics alike join us from echols lasagnes.

one of mahler's one of the most dangerous countries in the world. around the capital one of the city gangs of young people known as modest spread fear and terror among the population. it doesn't sound like they sit down behind you pull out a gun and shoot you in the head if you can being a balance on. the games control entire neighborhoods engaging in extortion prostitution and drug trafficking in women they get off they come and demand money when we pay they disappear again. after weeks of negotiations we've been allowed into their world. view of the with shares voice or death can kiss our after the other. with the police failing to

stop the gangs. citizens are taking matters into their own hands. and the money comes off turn around on the fence or. doesn't want to mala faces an ongoing fight against the merciless violence of the models. are all. really true french filmmakers have come to be in the way of life just south of guatemala city to find a way inside the world of the modest. this is a poor area plagued by gang crime. after long negotiations one gang member agrees to meet with us. yet i lay

a hole but the game done by spoke with a colleague yesterday and he told me that they wanted to kill him just because he was getting on their nerves that would trust sort of the. pedro was a husband and father and the local leader of body or a team and one of the most brutal used gangs in the country. paper was his neighborhood with an iron fist. to open up with all the game going to be done mostly i need the money today you have to pay on time it's you i'll send someone to collect the money was simply and no police right. because you know that if something happens to one of my guys it'll be your fault to the fire and that means you die so you know that right film.

but. the local butcher hasn't paid his protection money on time pedro's youngest employee christiane is being sent to collect it it's just 1st assignment. so i go to the shop and put the money in the bag. yeah and you have to go to 3 places today in 1st to the one grocery store then to the other one and finally the butchers and then you come back. we get into a car with tinted windows and follow christiane from a distance as he makes his way through the neighborhood. his 1st stop is one of the stores. they get me to see guns guns in yemen

the storekeeper has been expecting christiane without a word he puts the money in a bag and hands it over. on to the next door. you know i'll have a books of matches so they're going to do. that to the butcher was behind on his payments every day give me a piece of meat and put the money in the same bag. and then it's as. if this piece of meat you sent number yeah i'll have 5 like that and put the money in the bag. each game has its own symbols they nabl members to create a common identity and distinguish themselves from enemy gangs they're proud to show their affiliation.

but those at the same time with a bunch of things these tattoos represent about 18 percent almost about to go to wherever we go we represent our gang. it's not what these dots here mean there's you know that there is this in this biters web is also our. it shows that we're spreading out further and further. and this one is lovely the loca is it's you know the handcuffs i mean you've been to prison. many of the top gang leaders are serving life sentences their status is illustrated by facial tattoos. but prison doesn't put a stop to their life of crime. from their cells the mob bosses order murders throughout the country. want to follow as one of the poorest nations in latin america. the small republic has 17000000 inhabitants.

until january 2020 the country was led by former comedian and t.v. star jimmy morales. his agenda fighting corruption. is the thing to embody. but morales didn't keep his election promises. instead the president himself was accused of illegal campaign financing. 2019 he found himself in the sights of a un anti corruption task force. what are they said the investigators expelled from a country. what amal is riddled with corruption and violence. the murder rate is 20 times higher than in most european countries.

in the way of us and habitants fear the wrath of pedro the local boss of the barrio 18 getting. his lieutenant christiane has returned from the weekly protection money roundup. he collected 9. 100 katsalidis for residence. the equivalent of about $110.00 euro's. christiane receives a 10 euro share. pedro 20 with the remaining 80 going to the senior gang leaders. protection rackets are the main source of income for the modern us ahead of drug dealing and prostitution. is there any every thought here in my neighborhood alone in mind that we collect around $5000.00 a cat sallies per week and that's only in my neighborhood. in the other parts of the favela the gang takes in between 70 and 80000 cats. i mean sometimes more than 150 grand in

a week when i mean same. in 21000 extortion rose by almost 40 percent across the country. the victims are mostly the poorest citizens who have no choice but to give in to the gangs. if people don't pay you kill them yes i was. literally grew up in poverty the 4th child in a family of 13 when he was just a boy he left home and moved to the capital in search of a better life. he quickly found himself part of barrio 18 and he spent 20 years fighting his way up the game's hierarchy. hello then you simply say i started when i was 12 years is doing small jobs like being a lookout and. yet i spent more time with the gang

and then they made me a soldier. from there i became what i am today. i did my 1st mission when i was 14. that's good news for newcomers. how many people do you remember killing. i've lost count. i honestly i don't know. i stopped counting after a team. i think after 18 murders a gang member is given the title speak out of your hitman. 3 and peter shows no remorse in front of the camera he may be a father of 4 but remains committed to the task. of going to school because how do you feel when you kill someone who has a family because this is. the case. but

we don't have any other option. of course we feel for the family but it's our duty. we can't refuse to do it even if there's a family needed even if i have a family myself orders are orders or. if pedro refused an order he'd be killed himself it's a life of constant fear including for his wife. who is hoarse omar has a wife and a mom what do you think of your husband's work you know. when money well it's very bad it's horrible who are we to take away someone else's life. but it's his work i can only watch listen and keep my mouth shut. that's just how it is. neil as his wife i'm afraid something will happen to him and i'll end up

alone. pedro is 32 years old which is not far short of a miracle. rarely 2 gang members survive past the age of 25. the moderates have their roots in the united states in the 1970 s. and eighty's with civil wars raging in honduras el salvador and guatemala young people there have very few prospects. many fled north to california where criminal gangs were at the peak of their powers. and they were happy to recruit these new migrants into their ranks. at the end of the 1990 s. when the situation in central america had become more stable the us government sent back criminals undocumented immigrants. some of those deported then imported l.a.

style gang life into their home countries. well. and in many places in guatemala it is they who now control the streets. here in 29000 the country saw more than 3500 homicides with the police and the judicial system unable to contain gang related violence. at the entrance to the below us by below is a makeshift fortified building the local police headquarters. 54 officers work shifts here day and night to protect 75000 residents it's an impossible task. the men live sleep and work in 3 shipping container shacks.

marco antonio has been stationed here for 6 years. in business these houses for us policeman. printed terms you know how much time do you spend here. we work 11 full days and then have 6 days off so we spend more time here than we do with our families. i mean yes. every time we go home we thank god because some of us don't make it home when they go to work and they never come back. you know. it's hard to deal with but that's the way it goes the feeling is that even though. the guatemalan fight against game crime has a high price in 20 or teen alone 78 police officers were killed. a high risk comes with a good salary the equivalent of $565.00 euros per month twice the average salary

guatemala. and it's the money the officers desperately need for equipment. you've got $125.00 for the want you easy going to go and $94.00 nights. later. you tune in at the end of the month the police station becomes a marketplace for weapons and other accessories. a former arms dealer sells the officers everything that isn't provided by the authorities on the edge of their job well according to careful. are not called who don't make the money only. use combatants they buy over again for me proof fasts belts holsters for their guns. includes ammunition to order was busy no more use it with their own money yes. even for their uniforms would you put a mask. the main thing is. the policeman lack vital safety equipment

when preparing for a mission only one of the males fully kitted out. of. this is a bullet proof fast. but if he gives me protection but. is it important sure it's very important places. but not everyone gets one name and. you're the only one who has one yeah. normally the 54 officers have one bullet proof vest in one machine gun to go around . this off road vehicle has been waiting to be repaired for 2 years. the unit has only one functioning vehicle. thinking will

you. be alone this is expect to carlos i'm on my way to the bus terminal and there was a little girl that dangled along. inspector carlos is in charge today. of the you know the giver of a good but i was let's me by lima ok at the location ok florian. what's happening you may know that. we've been informed that the 14 year old has a firearm. ever was but apparently he's already fired this morning that. could kill someone so we're looking for him and. like many criminals in the city the shooter a still a minor inspector carlos receives a tip off about the boy's address. it's in an area the locals call like the slum in

the heart of the popular. it's an extremely rundown area controlled by the body of 18 gang. brought up in that the 3rd house. which won this one here. get over here you know here. coming up. the house is a half collapsed corrugated iron hut with clear signs that people live here. there's no trace of the armed boy. the police call off the operation.

it seems the boy go to way we think he was in the house with a ditch running alongside it. that's where he must have fled. but whatever happens we'll keep searching for him and we'll get him eventually. despite the unit being undermanned and under equipped inspector carlos remains optimistic. better be in a cemetery in guatemala city the scene of a never ending series of funerals. i. lease works here for him the somber perceptions are just a part of the day to day routine. what is. there are 20 or 25 funerals every day.

one burial directly follows the next most of the deceased were minors as evidenced by the young faces adorning the gravestones. there young 14161819 year old boy charlie is in there yeah yeah. he's rarely barry old people here. these are young people just kids get lead lives. every year several 100 murders are committed by young gang members in guatemala. the victims are mostly rivals from other groups. but ordinary citizens are also killed if they refuse to

pay protection money. one group particularly at risk are bus drivers. i. got up i. got to work saying what i'm all a city. for 12 years he's been driving the bus route from the last 49 neighborhoods to the center of the city. the buses on time. every time he gets behind the wheel he's afraid. that when we leave the house in the morning we pray it's a very dangerous job of all. this believe us that. it's ok he turned off. to save me that part of this bill we look in the wing mirror whenever a motorbike gets close they ride up to the front of the bus and then bang. will

shoot from the front through the window or the door as 9 a whole they come in a pair a guy and a girl sit in the back they take out a gun and shoot you in the head. to read it that's your you being being like i was . 2900 member shot dead 73 boston taxi drivers in one of marked. himself narrowly escaped that fate. in 2015 he was targeted on his way to the bus depot. there was no i mean i goes out and was walking around the house. when i got to the corner of my store just. i was right here. i saw this guy pull out a gun. he looked at me and then boom shot me 6 times in the young

he shot me another 5 times in the back. i was able to shield my head. then i collapsed tiger. 11 shots in total. miraculously he survived but not everyone is so lucky. this way they shot me on a saturday and the following. monday they shot another driver out the door whether he didn't make it he died on his way to work in the movie. time and time again bus companies find themselves in a modest sites. if the firms refused to pay protection money it's not long before the gangs take action. or scott was attacked because his boss refused to be blackmailed. back up how's it going.

i'm not done yet. you have to take care here ok they let you do whatever it takes to have it back on the street today it is it's only the buses have to be up and running and going oh no you're going to be in the meantime you were goes beyond l.b.s. runs this bus company which has a fleet of 14 vehicles she took over the business after her husband was murder. but he too was killed because he didn't pay the gangs on time. the mandelamine 5 years ago my husband lost his life in an attack. the message the situation in guatemala is really very serious he come we do what i love you lisette going to the violence is getting extreme it's sort of the. beast now does pay the protection money to keep our driver safe every month it's the same for the look of the wouldn't you.

say look at this is how it works a person we've never seen before comes and hands over a piece of paper with the price that's it we're not the most in the boy it is one month we pay 10 euros then 20 and then 30 it changes all the time and buy up a symbol of the no i do not because if we don't pay it gets complicated very complicated they ask where their money is. or. what is complicated mean. death. c n n we're not yet an ambush and in some cases a death i want the. legal gun sales in guatemala have increased by about 20 percent in one year. there's often a line outside the local arms control office people of all ages stand in wait to apply for a permit. the requirements are lax. it's

a good resolution out of radio way by law to be able to buy a new gun but you need a receipt for the gun and i deal with that clear on the criminal record and electricity bill as proof of address bills but i get it that except that men feel that they see this a little bit you know. people take advantage of the flexible regulations with one in a quantum all it's now carrying a gun. some take things a step further forming vigilante groups to enforce law and order. this is the bottom of the neighborhood to be in the way of not far from the capital. in the local soccer stadium allen's whistle has the final say on his turf. he's a referee responsible for the regional championship.

i was. over on the touchline as this trusted companion a 9 millimeter pistol. the 34 year old doesn't leave home without it. he has the gun to protect his family. and. for 16 years alan has been fighting the threat from the city's gangs. the father of ford leads a vigilante group in his neighborhood. so it was one of them he said as we got together when the mass started extorting children i get it but every child starting at school was threatened was going to open it was it overnight bers agreed that if

we saw any mass we'd kill them it always the idea whether or. today we're not just 40 or 50 people in this neighborhood there are 500 of us so there. are moderates have been terrorizing the streets of bias in our streets for years but since the vigilantes mobilized the gangs have barely ventured into the neighborhood. allen's wife jonna is relieved. it was done now in other areas they even large poor people but not here thank god there are lots of stores everything's safe oh son will you tell you where like the kids often play outside. and they go to school and come home without us having to worry simply like if they are sad. to keep us children safe alan goes out of control every evening 'd. i'm going to

put on your mosques 'd. twice a week he takes his sons with him alan junior is 13 and yorick 15. ringback ready. for their armed and masked in order to prevent reprisals. they then set out on their 4 hour patrol. shop i don't know. it's 9 o'clock in the evening they meet fellow vigilantes from the neighborhood. are. not. the group is made up of shopkeepers office workers and even school children. you try out the walkie talkie i tell you where you go you show you tell you.

i don't think i'm what i say we're going to patrol on the other side. some of the men carry guns. after 5 minutes they reach a central square. don't because i was already doing over there in london along with a lot of hands up turn around there's another time for we're rooting for the very reason. this is. going to get out and someone has got to go search their pockets. check their shoes or look at them. some of the problems are on your own brother going to. the boys have drugs on the other. it's part of the one. where did you get drugs for. who gave it to you. to put on top don't smoke that crap around here from iraq even

from the government would your little. story to force the same idiocy. we won't do it again. get out of here in the heart of. cannabis is a banned substance in guatemala. el and confiscate the drugs and sends the 3 boys home. half an hour later they spot 2 more suspects. no. we don't want to see you with his crap again get out of here i'm going to look at the 2 teenagers were smoking joints . they quickly disappearing. at the edge of the neighborhood ellen's group meets another patrol.

at this checkpoint anyone who wants to enter budesonide night has to identify themselves. with everything ok. the local residents have installed 5 checkpoints like this one they control who enters the neighborhood. the strategy seems to be working as the area has become safer. but sometimes the gangs do find a way and. in july 2803 men attacked a delivery van leaving 3 people injured as a the attack was filmed by a surveillance camera. one of the attackers sent a message to alan vigilante group. having a safe neighborhood comes at a cost. in just 3

years 5 members of the vigilante groups have been murdered by the moderates. on the day of one funeral the other members fire their weapons in honor of the dead. tom. thanks to the nighttime patrols peace has returned to the neighborhood. while the streets of the capital empty in the evening no one in. the stores they open after dark and residents walk the streets without fear. of. such a welcome development for business owners to prove that. they keep the criminals

away. either and because it is everyone here happy about it and it was a good day yes everyone's happy when we'll stick together there aren't any problems . but the security guarantee isn't free. business owners have to pay around $4.00 heroes per week to have their stores protected. and some accuse the vigilantes themselves of running a protection racket. but the amount is only a fraction of what the modest demand plus there is no peace. because the state is incapable of protecting its citizens they've taken the law into their own hands. and it's likely to stay that way for a long time to come. a modest continue to recruit members not difficult in a country where more than half of the population lives in poverty. young people

with no prospects find a new family in the form of the gangs. and they're happy to embrace the notorious lobby of the continent the crazy life of violence robbery and murder. who are these young people. we meet with mario our intermediary. he describes himself as a former gang member. he still maintains close contact with some members of baggio 18. yeah that's me i'm by the corner down the very up it's getting late. and yes i'll wait for you in . this. 15 minutes after the call 4 young men pull up in a car. with

a loyalist on their 1st they're suspicious and i don't know but after a half hour or intermediary is able to convince them to talk to us for the interview we follow them to a nearby squat. 2 women and 4 men live here in a simple dwelling in a back yard. they're all around 20 years old. he says. because a lot of those years boy's death when your kids are at. this. for these 4 becoming a gang member is a childhood dream come true. so that oh it was going to be a good omen for us if you got it well let me tell you when you join the gang things are good they give you clothes food and lots of money to do anything is possible

when barrio 18 supports him but for the night it was well it was a on a mortal for sure we love the gang that's why we do everything the ball sunsets and . if i move to the good man i'm away with. just a few years they've risen through the ranks of their gang from mere helpers to contract killers. to. the dozen but. we always carry a gun for protection thinking about it but i get out we can shoot anyone the minute we get the order. we don't ask why. it was one of you know my friend i have a lot of guns i have one of them here. or just one type of gun as it. is on the 9 millimeter. and. that's

the deal here. that. the young men seem happy with their gangster lifestyle of them by. using that. there's more than a little fatalism in their voices for one that isn't how do you see your future. your nose to be honest i don't believe in having a future in the quarter that is going i know that i risk my life every day i live in the here and now that's what matters. to. sucky snorts. it's almost like a so that life will suffer more because life of risk and adventure club you know look. for most young men like them one of 2 fates awaits the prison or premature death. hardly any one manages to escape the clutches of the gangs. one person who did it in love he will not. it's one of the most violent 5

a loss in guatemala city. here we meet x. gang member christiane. the 28 year old is a paraplegic and lives with his parents. one day in 2010 christiane's love yoko came to an abrupt end. he was robbing a bus when he was shot in the spine. being in a gang has taken everything from him except his life. maybe i was seeking refuge with them. i like the way they dressed and. i wanted to be like them. i never imagined a joining a gang would bring me some many problems in my. life and.

bring one for your wife to. christiane has left barrio 18 he now works as a tattoo artist a skilled profession that had earned him respect in the past. yet looking at these colors i couldn't quite get the same result for you it will be darker here and completely black than. some of his customers are also former modest members who now want to get rid of their gang affiliation tattoos. i used to have diamonds and stars the diamonds formed a figure right i covered them up with roses. i had to cover up the tattoo so that people would no longer identify me with the gang. you know represent that is some

people change their tattoos. some even burn the young girls. so christiane's tattoos are a way to overwrite one part of a brutal past. and that's not the only thing he does to challenge the gangs so. every sunday he joins us father and the rest of the family in the kitchen. to make lunch for children in the neighborhood. on the menu today. fried chicken with potatoes and sour. christiane and his father want to offer the children an alternative a few hours respite from the violence on the streets.

they're still waiting for 2 of the children to arrive because. it's a moment of humanity the teachers the children something important they don't have to be a gang member to have friends. or the funny get them was that. one of the children here is hot he told people i know his father from the old days. he died when hockey at all was very young. one day hot utah came up to me and said . i want to be a killer like my dad. always a look at that's exactly what we want to avoid that evil neolithic the children follow the bad example of their fathers i love you look at the you know males we want to foster the good in them. this embody out of. efforts by citizens in the state to secure peace. seem to be bearing fruit. the

murder rate in guatemala has been steadily falling over the last few years. $29000.00 it dropped by almost 10 percent. at the very least it's a glimmer of hope. to the point the strong opinion is clear positions international perspectives clear . the us has a new president who's promising to heal the country's divisions while simultaneously moving up pace to reverse the policies of his predecessor after trump's wrecking ball the joe biden fix america find out on its way to the point cut the pace of an economic stimulus on d w. it's about billions. it's about

how work. gets about the foundation of the new world order the new silk road. china wants to expand its influence with this trade network and so even europe conflicts are inevitable the consequences unpredictable the guinness book of the say hey if the chinese state has a lot of money that is disposal of the shipment and that's how it's expanding that can asserting its status and position in the world to fish a good job of course making china is promising its partners rich profits but in europe there's a sharp morning you could never accept money from the new super power will become dependent on a. chinese gateway to euro. starts feb 19th on the dole.

player. player play. this is g.w. news live from berlin a grim milestone in germany as the country records more than 50000 deaths from coaches 19 but the government tells people there is reason for hope and asks them not to let their guard down in britain meanwhile harrowing scenes are playing out in intensive care units across the country as authorities failed.