THE SUN TRACS

by

Bill Montfort

Some of you may have caught our little disturbance that occurred  Wednesday, February 13, 2008. CNN entitled it “Unrest in Panama” and making it sound like the stuff of coup d’etat.  The pictures were unsettling: rock-throwing crowds, tires being burned, angry protestors milling about, all the makings of full-fledged riot. The disturbances were not limited to Panama City - and, indeed, they were city-wide - they also took place on the Atlantic side in Colon city.

 The protestors were Sun Tracs and they do a lot of protesting here.  In fact, they have it down to a near art form, forming up on the major thoroughfares during rush hour and, though peaceful, create havoc with the traffic.  Sun Tracs are the construction workers laboring on the many high-rises popping up all over.  They are a union, or as they are called here, a syndicate.  Make no mistake about it, their work is hard and it is dangerous.  A friend of ours does payroll for a construction firm and tells us that most Sun Tracs make the princely sum of $280 to $350 a month and receive poor insurance, little or no disability, virtually no protection from greedy developers, let alone government-sponsored safety legislation.  Theirs is a tough lot.

 This protest was different.  The day before, in Colon, they were protesting and, depending on which side is telling the story, one of the Sun Tracs, who just happened to be a local union leader, tried to take the sidearm from a policia national.  The dude wound up dead.  Unfortunately, he had been shot in the back.  Thus, feelings were running high and a protest was called.  It turned nasty very early: rock throwing, tire burning, threats and intimidation.

 Linda and I walk every morning.  Wednesday morning found us near the Atlapa (the convention center a couple of blocks from our house) and, as fate would decree, we rounded a corner and found ourselves in the midst of one of the worst protests in the city: cops in full riot gear and machine guns; protesters surging toward them.  Whoops!!!  This was a serious “Oh S---!”

Perhaps two hundred Sun Tracs working up a head of steam.  The police are to your left (unseen) and the Sheraton is to your right, also unseen.   Also, what you cannot see is the stiff breeze that is blowing right into to our faces.   Bad drama.

 The policia were disciplined and were obviously told not to confront the Sun Tracs head-on.  When they were surged at by the protesters, the police broke ranks and re-formed farther up the street.  This happened again and again. No bean bags guns or rubber bullets or water cannons…just tear gas, of which they used copious amounts.  Just after the above pic was taken, the police unloaded a barrage of tear gas canisters.  It swept over us like a steamy, stinging  blanket of nettles.  We made it to the Sheraton where we were warmly greeted and led to restrooms where we could wash our eyes. 

 We walked the two blocks back to the apartment and I decided I would record some of this for your viewing and reading pleasure.  I went back out.  What I did not realize was that there was an ugly scene brewing even closer to home.

 Marshalling for a rush at the police barrier.  Notice the debris in the street.  “Jimmy’s” is a favorite restaurant of ours two VERY short blocks from our apartment.  The gentleman to the left is trying unsuccessfully to hide the rather large rock he is carrying.  Shame.

Police, in full riot gear, awaiting the inevitable onslaught by the protesters, who knew that the police had orders not to confront.  They showed remarkable constraint.  You can see the rocks and debris around them.

Rock throwers.  The cops are just to your right.  The guy in the white t-shirt has just unloaded and the fun-loving guy in the yellow hat is cranking to throw.  The Yankees could use him: he hit the police car windshield.  Notice the intrepid soul in the blue hat peeking around the corner.  No purple hearts for this boy.

Fun’s over!  The law lays down canisters of tear gas just where our three boys had been playing a minute before.  Shucks.  Vamoose time.

You did not have to be down on the street to participate in the fun and games.  These Sun Tracs joined in the frivolity by dropping bricks and cement blocks on the police cars.  They did NOT like having their picture taken and showed it by giving me the old one-finger salute.

 These were two of perhaps twenty sites of protest in Panama City and hardly the worst. The whole thing was a fascinating scene.  You could feel the roiling anger and the controlled violence; it was a fearful chemistry that could have turned on a dime and gone very bad very quickly.

 Today, the Sun Tracs marched peacefully on the Presidential Palace and, depending on the satisfaction derived; there could be more violence in the near future.

 The adventure continues.

 Photos by Bill Montford