Justice
Running to Safety in Caracas
The popular jogging group Runners Venezuela wants to reclaim the streets after dark.
Nighttime curfews are the norm in Caracas, Venezuela's capital. Public parks close before sunset. Most universities have stopped offering evening courses. Open-air bars operate only inside malls, with heavily armed guards at the entrance. Armored cars can be hired for a night out. It is rare to spot anyone walking after 9 PM.
Caracas is the second most violent city in the world after San Pedro Sula in Honduras, according to a Mexican NGO, the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. In its most recent annual study, the Council found that Caracas has a murder rate of 134 per 100,000 citizens. By comparison, Detroit, with one of the highest rates of violent crime in the United States, has 47.5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.