Like most of San Miguel, the Colonia Guadalupe was a very traditional neighbourhood centered around the church and the many orchards until recently. A few years ago, the neighbourhood began to grow due to its safety, proximity to centro and popularity with foreigners. Older buildings were knocked down to make way for spec houses. The orchards were gradually consumed by new stores and restaurants. In 2012, an American named Colleen Sorenson, started the Muros en Blanco project to coincide with the Calaca Festival. She brought graffiti artists from all over Mexico to express themselves on the walls of the colonia. The first festival was well-supported and well-attended. The atmosphere was exciting, creative and fun. At that time, it appears that everyone was in favor of the project. In recent months and years though the general attitude has changed. It seems that much of this change is due to a lack of communication between newcomers and those that have made their homes in the Guadalupe for generations. Whereas many newcomers love the idea of a funky art district, some of the older residents are uncomfortable with the murals and what they represent. Moreover, many are offended by Muros en Blanco’s publicity which states that the Colonia was “high risk” and characterized by “theft, vandalism, drug addiction and abandonment” until they moved in, creating further divisions within the community. All this has been brewing under the surface for some time.

Earlier this year, due to the security crisis, many neighbourhoods in San Miguel organized Whatsapp groups and neighborhood committees to keep each other informed and help each other out. Guadalupe was probably the most effective colonia in the city at organizing block by block. As neighbours connected, the murals came up as a topic of concern and conversation began amongst residents about the future of the project. Everything really came to a head a few months ago when the government offered to re-plaster and paint 200 houses. Many who applied had murals that they either didn’t like or that had deteriorated. This caused the panic on social media amongst those with the mistaken impression that the mural project was under attack. But again, no one wants to end the project. Muros en Blanco is justifiably protective of what they have begun but he neighborhood committee believes all residents should have a say in the project. There are really only two concerns they would like to address: maintenance and subject matter.

As far as anyone can tell, there was never a plan for long term maintenance. Murals are by nature temporary; peeling and fading are inevitable with exposure to the elements. Should they be touched-up and restored regularly? Allowed to fade away? Painted over after a certain amount of time? The issue is complicated by the question of ownership. It seems logical that a mural on private property belongs to the owner of the property. But paint is expensive. Are property owners responsible for painting over a work that has deteriorated or that they don’t like? Do the artists have a say in what happens to their work? Does Muros en Blanco? These are questions that the neighbourhood committee is looking at.

The issue of subject matter and aesthetics is more complicated. A lot of Guadalupe residents simply do not like many of the murals. Others find them confusing. Some say that there are too many. We heard the term “visual pollution” used many times Art is highly subjective and good art should be provocative. But while we love the idea of artists having free reign to express themselves, and we find the idea of placing limits on art worrying, perhaps there do need to be some guidelines when it comes to public art. The neighborhood committee is looking at the idea of a unified theme, as broad or narrow as residents choose, much like they use in cities like Tepoztlán. One theme could be the history of San Miguel, or, more specifically, the history of the Guadalupe and the Aurora. Another idea was to follow the theme of the street names. They are also looking at a possible colour scheme. They have submitted many of their ideas to Muros en Blanco and hope to come to a shared vision of the future together soon.

San Miguel has grown so quickly, and change is hard for all of us. The population a hundred years ago was less than 7000 people. Those who have arrived in the last few years and decades come from all over Mexico and the world. They bring with them differing visions of culture and community. We at the Observatorio believe that through open, honest, discussion and good-willed negotiation, residents, independent artists, the neighbourhood committee, and Muros en Blanco, can come up with a plan to maintain the tradition of public art that will continue to inspire us all.

We held several meetings with the general public to explain the process and invited all citizens to submit suggestions and concerns. We then forwarded their input, along with our own, to the Instituto Estatal de Planeación del Estado de Guanajuato. We are now waiting for a response. 

Fluoride is generally believed to be beneficial in very small doses for the prevention of tooth decay. However, high levels can be extremely dangerous. We have all seen the staining and discoloration of the teeth that indicate dental fluorosis or skeletal fluorosis around the municipality. But the damage is much more serious than aesthetics. Studies correlate in utero exposure with intellectual impairment and behavioral problems such as ADD. Joint pain is common, as are cardiovascular problems. Renal failure and some types of cancer may also be connected to fluoride.

The effects of arsenic are less visible that those of fluoride but equally concerning. Arsenic is a neurotoxin and potentially hazardous to children’s physical and mental development. Arsenicosis causes skin problems, pain and vomiting. It also can lead to kidney failure and cancers.

Both arsenic and fluoride are odorless, colorless and completely undetectable to the eye so there is no way to know what we are drinking. Most of us living in the urban area drink bottled water, raising the issue of plastics. Some have the resources to install expensive and wasteful reverse osmosis systems. For those living in the rural communities, the only option is often drinking well water.

All local experts agree that the only way to stem this massive public health crisis is rain water catchment. A few months ago, a group of 14 NGO’s came together, along with SAPASMA and the municipal government, to form the Agua Vida coalition. The coalition is focused on education and conservation along with the promotion and installation of rain water catchment systems. One member, Caminos de Agua, has installed hundreds of cisterns, with plans for thousands more, and is developing inexpensive filters. Another member, The Rotary Club, has installed approximately 1400 cisterns. Their work has just begun.

If you are concerned about what is in your water, Caminos de Agua offers water testing through their website www.caminosdeagua.org. if you want to reduce your use of the aquifer, most houses can be retro-fitted for rainwater catchment, even in the urban area. Caminos del Agua will be offering an information session on how to do so soon. Check their website for dates.

We at the Observatorio applaud the efforts of the Agua Vida coalition. Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right. We hope that SAPASMA will do their part to ensure that every member of the municipality can enjoy this right.

Organizations like the UN and the IRC have a range of recommendations but, ideally, the police to civilian ratio in any city with a population of over 100,000 should be approximately 180 to 225 police officers for every 100,000 people. 

The population of the municipality of San Miguel de Allende is estimated at 180,000 which means that we should have between 324 and 405 officers. 

The government will not release exact numbers, but our sources within the Presidencia tell us that we have roughly 100 to 120 officers. It should be noted that these numbers do not account for the tragic and unnecessary loss of the two officers on Tuesday and the subsequent resignation of several officers on Friday. 

At any given time, 25% of those officers are working on administrative tasks which leaves only 75% – or 75 to 90 police officers – on active duty for the entire municipality, including the urban area and over 500 rural communities. 

So, we are confronting the greatest security crises in over 400 years of history with a quarter to a third of the recommended number of police officers. Every city is unique but for comparison, Pamplona, Spain, an extremely popular tourist destination with a similar population size, has approximately 408 active-duty officers. It goes without saying, they also have a much lower crime rate.

At a Town Hall meeting in April, the mayor acknowledged that our police department is sorely understaffed but put the blame on the citizenry. He claimed that no one wanted to join. 

All of us are tired of living in fear; not just of crime but of the total impunity. We at the Observatorio Ciudadano. would like to take this opportunity to thank those officers who have acted honestly and heroically to protect the rest of us. 

We call upon this administration to show a true commitment to resolving this situation by immediately recruiting an adequate number of officers with appropriate training and equipment.