"At Pica Pica, a Venezuelan restaurant in San Francisco where expatriates have gathered in recent days to make sense of the U.S. military attack on Saturday that removed Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, an employee named Alejandro was taking orders for arepas at the counter and thinking about the news. Venezuelans in the Bay Area have been experiencing a wide range of feelings; some rejoiced, others felt outrage, and all had a lot of questions about the future."
"Alejandro, who didn't want his last name used because he fears jeopardizing his effort to solidify his temporary immigration status, said he was forced to give up his university studies and leave Venezuela two years ago by the lack of political space and an economic situation so dire he sometimes had to choose between eating and paying the bus fare to campus."
Expatriate Venezuelans in San Francisco reacted with mixed emotions after a U.S. military attack removed President Nicolás Maduro. Community gatherings at a Venezuelan restaurant saw people processing shock, hope and anger. Nearly eight million Venezuelans live in exile after two decades of economic collapse and political repression under Maduro and Hugo Chávez. Alejandro left Venezuela two years ago, abandoned university and sometimes chose between food and bus fare while fearing that using his last name could jeopardize temporary immigration status. Carolina Morales, a long-term California resident and U.S. citizen who works to end domestic violence, expressed horror and uncertainty. Many community members voiced surprise, anxiety and fear about the future.
Read at Kqed
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]