"Some emails were only a few lines long, others were carefully written as if every word carried risk, and some felt hesitant, almost apologetic, as if the person writing was still deciding whether it was safe to speak at all. I read every one of the 236 messages I received and answered them one by one, because behind each email, there was someone trying to make sense of fear."
""I am afraid," she wrote, and then added, "I am afraid of everything now." I will call her María. What she described was simple, almost restrained, and perhaps that is what made it so heavy. She spoke about seeing young boys carrying guns, shooting at each other, people running, and hiding, and confusion entering a place that had never lived like this before."
Messages from San Andrés Island describe how overpopulation, cultural erosion, and growing violence have transformed daily life for the Raizal community. Residents report seeing youths with guns, shootings, and sudden chaos that made leaving home feel unsafe. Many writers conveyed fear, breathlessness, chest pain, and a persistent sense of hopelessness as fear reorganizes routines and removes previous protections. One woman's concise, restrained account mirrored common experiences across 236 messages. Writers varied in length and tone—brief, cautious, hesitant, apologetic—reflecting risk in speaking. The volume and consistency of testimonies reveal widespread trauma and an urgent need for acknowledgement and protection.
Read at Psychology Today
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