In 2019 it was world news for fifteen days: the fall of Spanish toddler…
True Water Crimes: Mexico – A Dead Man in the Desert
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
An indigenous water activist was murdered in het desert of northern Mexico in 2020, shortly after he was criticizing a water guzzling brewery. But in one of the deadliest countries in the world for environmental activists, murders are almost never solved. An errant cowboy makes one more attempt.
Series Description
The four part series Water Crime delves into the dark world behind drought and links the global water shortage to a crime scene including a victim, an eyewitness, a suspect and a perpetrator. A dead man in the Mexican desert, a Spanish toddler’s fatal fall into a well, a rape in Nairobi and explosions of a pipeline near a Greek island. Each episode in Water Crime shows a different place in the world where water disappears and moral dilemmas arise.
Citation
Main credits
Baard, Jorne (film director)
El Ghazi, Farouk (film producer)
Uyttewaal, Sien (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Jackó van 't Hof, Dennis Kersten; editing, Jurgen Blick, Peter Paul Klaus.
Distributor subjects
Water; Environment; Climate Change; Clean water; Climate and Weather; Crime and CriminialsKeywords
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:0
00:52.240 --> 00:59.920
This story takes place in my birth region:
Mexico, at the border of America.
01:00.920 --> 01:06.320
It\'s about the gruesome murder
of a water activist.
01:07.560 --> 01:14.080
Just before his death, this man
had criticised a Heineken factory.
01:15.640 --> 01:21.360
That was an interesting story, of course,
for Dutch television.
01:22.720 --> 01:25.600
You know? True Crime.
01:25.720 --> 01:29.200
Well, that\'s what we have here.
01:40.240 --> 01:45.440
However, it\'s a difficult genre in Mexico.
01:45.560 --> 01:48.640
Because nothing is what it seems.
01:48.760 --> 01:54.840
This is not a hit man from the narcos.
This is the face of comedy...
01:54.960 --> 01:59.520
in a city where the people
are very nervous.
02:11.320 --> 02:15.360
This clown is named Victor.
And he is harmless.
02:16.360 --> 02:20.400
It\'s a nice man who has to work two jobs
to support his family.
02:20.520 --> 02:24.640
In the evening, he\'s a street clown.
02:25.640 --> 02:28.840
One that even scares the police.
02:54.680 --> 02:56.840
How much is it?
-Thirty pesos.
02:56.960 --> 02:59.160
Thirty pesos?
-Yes.
03:02.320 --> 03:06.120
Are they roasted or just cooked?
-They\'re roasted.
03:06.240 --> 03:09.000
If not, I\'ll come back.
-They\'re very nice.
03:09.120 --> 03:11.240
I won\'t buy anything from you anymore.
-Just taste them.
03:11.360 --> 03:15.120
The ones on top are probably roasted,
but the rest isn\'t.
03:16.720 --> 03:19.120
Thank you.
03:21.920 --> 03:24.520
Maria and Angel are cheerful people.
03:24.640 --> 03:27.840
Everybody smiles
when they enter the neighbourhood...
03:27.960 --> 03:30.600
because they come to bring water.
03:40.120 --> 03:44.840
But now the bad news:
Water is scarce and expensive here.
03:46.000 --> 03:50.840
This has serious consequences
for the people in slum areas.
03:50.960 --> 03:54.960
They spend more money on water
than on rent.
03:56.360 --> 03:59.960
So now you can put the murder
in a proper context.
04:01.520 --> 04:05.240
It was very violent. Thirteen bullets.
04:05.360 --> 04:10.600
That immediately leads you to suspect
drugs in a border town like Tecate.
04:10.720 --> 04:14.880
But the local media
were talking about water.
04:21.240 --> 04:25.880
In Tecate, in Baja California,
an indigenous leader has been killed.
04:26.000 --> 04:30.440
Said Betanzos is there to tell us more:
What\'s the situation?
04:30.560 --> 04:35.160
Unfortunately, I have to confirm
that he was murdered last night.
04:35.280 --> 04:39.560
He was killed near his home,
according to the authorities.
04:39.680 --> 04:42.880
It involved multiple armed men...
04:43.000 --> 04:46.200
who stopped at his house
and started shooting.
04:46.320 --> 04:52.080
One week ago, this activist stated...
04:52.200 --> 04:55.480
that the water of the region
is being hijacked by a brewery.
04:55.600 --> 05:03.440
And that the water company
has violated the right to water...
05:03.560 --> 05:07.600
of the indigenous Kumiai population
in Baja California.
05:07.720 --> 05:13.120
That\'s what this activist
from the ethnic group Kumiai fought for.
05:13.240 --> 05:15.480
Óscar Eyraud Adams.
05:15.600 --> 05:18.800
Thank you and talk to you soon.
-Good afternoon.
05:42.080 --> 05:47.720
We live by the customs and traditions
of the Kumiai here.
05:47.840 --> 05:52.480
We teach the children the language...
05:52.600 --> 05:58.840
and about medicinal plants, dishes,
holy places, everything we have here.
05:59.840 --> 06:03.440
It\'s important for the children
to know where they came from.
06:03.560 --> 06:08.880
That they have knowledge of our language
and our culture. That they are Kumiai.
06:20.960 --> 06:26.240
What do you tell the children
about Óscar\'s story?
06:26.360 --> 06:30.320
He was a Kumiai activist
who fought for our water.
06:30.440 --> 06:35.200
He took a stand
against the international companies.
06:35.320 --> 06:40.480
And he wanted his community
to have water at their disposal.
06:40.600 --> 06:44.120
That we would get wells
to water our crops.
06:44.240 --> 06:49.160
We didn\'t have water and they should
give back what they stole from us.
06:49.280 --> 06:52.600
Because actually, it\'s all ours.
06:52.720 --> 06:57.240
It\'s ours.
The water comes from our soil.
06:57.360 --> 07:01.640
Our ancestors have left us this land.
07:01.760 --> 07:06.400
It makes me sad sometimes.
07:06.520 --> 07:10.480
He was family, he was my nephew.
07:10.600 --> 07:18.560
He came to visit us
only three weeks before he was killed.
07:18.680 --> 07:21.920
Óscar talked to us
about the water issues then.
07:22.040 --> 07:29.880
I told him it was dangerous
to make such statements in the media.
07:30.000 --> 07:34.680
\'You\'ve experienced a lot of oppression,\'
Óscar said, \'but I haven\'t.\'
07:34.800 --> 07:39.640
\'What\'s coming will come.\'
07:44.880 --> 07:51.840
The Netherlands. Most Mexicans
can\'t find it on a map. But I can.
07:51.960 --> 07:56.880
As a child, I loved
to browse through atlases.
07:57.000 --> 08:01.360
I know that you\'re living
in the delta area of the Rhine.
08:01.480 --> 08:04.800
Well, we also have
a world-famous river here.
08:04.920 --> 08:08.760
Just think of those nature documentaries
on Discovery Channel:
08:08.880 --> 08:12.680
The mighty Colorado river.
08:24.560 --> 08:27.560
I\'m cleaning the boat.
08:27.680 --> 08:30.800
But water is scarce,
so I don\'t want to use water.
08:30.920 --> 08:34.680
If I use water for this,
I won\'t have enough at home.
08:34.800 --> 08:39.720
So I only use a broom...
08:39.840 --> 08:42.800
and I will scrape off the caked dirt.
08:43.960 --> 08:47.360
The water I would use
is better spent on the animals.
08:51.000 --> 08:54.280
I was born here, near the river.
08:54.400 --> 08:58.200
My father said the house used to lie
on a spit of land in the river.
08:58.320 --> 09:00.800
We ate fish every day.
09:02.520 --> 09:05.240
I remember my father taking us...
09:05.360 --> 09:09.600
to parts of the river where
the water had a beautiful red colour.
09:09.720 --> 09:15.240
We would swim all day
and dive for clams.
09:15.360 --> 09:19.800
We would eat those all day until sunset.
And then we went home.
09:19.920 --> 09:22.560
That\'s what life was like here
with my father.
09:22.680 --> 09:25.640
But the water level
lowered and lowered.
09:25.760 --> 09:27.840
Are you still a fisherman then?
09:27.960 --> 09:31.760
I\'m still a fisherman
and I hold on to my licence.
09:31.880 --> 09:34.920
So you can go fishing again someday?
09:35.040 --> 09:40.400
I keep hoping the river will flow again.
That all branches will fill up again.
09:40.520 --> 09:44.480
I think it\'s possible.
Anything is possible.
09:44.600 --> 09:47.080
That\'s why I still have my gear.
09:47.200 --> 09:52.920
Because I hope that one day,
we\'ll be able to fish in the river again.
09:53.040 --> 09:55.000
Like we used to do.
10:01.040 --> 10:05.920
This is the Colorado river nowadays.
10:07.840 --> 10:12.320
Seriously. The water of the Colorado
is flowing through that pipe.
10:12.440 --> 10:17.440
They pump the water across the mountains
to Tijuana and other coastal cities.
10:17.560 --> 10:20.800
The entire region depends on it.
10:23.040 --> 10:29.080
Óscar\'s family also lives here,
but I don\'t know their exact address.
10:29.200 --> 10:33.960
They gather every Sunday.
His brothers, sister and nieces.
10:34.080 --> 10:39.320
And mother Norma, who wants
to make sure people won\'t forget Óscar.
10:39.440 --> 10:42.520
That\'s why she invited this film crew.
11:03.000 --> 11:06.360
Do you remember
how he loved to buy you crisps?
11:08.200 --> 11:11.520
He would say:
\'Let\'s go buy something at the shop.\'
11:11.640 --> 11:17.040
And then he would buy sweets for you.
And who was the one who ate them?
11:17.160 --> 11:21.080
Him.
-He did, right? Do you remember?
11:21.200 --> 11:26.360
He really had a sweet tooth.
He loved good food.
11:27.800 --> 11:30.680
One day, we were bored...
11:32.040 --> 11:36.120
so we went out
and we bought one of those slimy things.
11:36.240 --> 11:37.640
A jar of slime.
11:37.760 --> 11:42.880
And he asked me to put it on his face,
because it felt so refreshing.
11:44.240 --> 11:50.800
But once we put it on his face,
we couldn\'t get it off anymore...
11:50.920 --> 11:56.440
because it got stuck to his hair.
And we had to cut off his quiff.
12:01.040 --> 12:04.400
We shouldn\'t upset grandma.
Now I\'m crying.
12:04.520 --> 12:08.960
There\'s no need.
-I still have to cry.
12:10.400 --> 12:14.640
You don\'t have to talk about it
if you don\'t want to.
12:16.200 --> 12:21.880
The memories make her sad.
12:22.000 --> 12:29.480
She doesn\'t want to talk about the moment
that she understood what had happened.
12:29.600 --> 12:33.920
I apologise on her behalf.
12:34.040 --> 12:42.000
She\'s sad and she can\'t talk about it.
I\'m very sorry.
12:45.600 --> 12:49.000
I came home from work that day...
12:49.120 --> 12:53.760
when you told me
something had happened to him.
12:53.880 --> 13:01.520
I sent messages to Óscar and tried
to call him, but there was no answer.
13:01.640 --> 13:07.040
So we went to the place where it happened.
13:07.160 --> 13:09.600
A neighbour came and said...
13:12.320 --> 13:17.400
I asked her if she knew who had died...
13:17.520 --> 13:21.320
and she said it was Óscar.
13:21.440 --> 13:24.240
She knew him from when he was little.
13:24.360 --> 13:30.760
It was very hard to tell mum.
I couldn\'t find the right words.
13:31.760 --> 13:34.240
I picked up mum from work.
13:35.640 --> 13:41.280
And I just kept driving around
until everybody was there to support her.
13:42.280 --> 13:45.760
I kept talking round it...
13:45.880 --> 13:50.440
until, at some point, I just told her.
I had no choice.
13:50.560 --> 13:58.480
But she already had a bad feeling.
She knew before we said anything.
14:02.720 --> 14:05.760
When it\'s time to unload...
14:05.880 --> 14:10.600
beers are brought to the table
and norteño music is turned on.
14:11.600 --> 14:14.280
Time for the Calabaceado.
14:21.120 --> 14:22.520
Isn\'t it wonderful?
14:23.520 --> 14:25.960
They imitate horses at the farm.
14:26.080 --> 14:30.320
It\'s about the dust,
you have to kick up the dust.
14:36.680 --> 14:42.200
Óscar was critical of
the largest factory in the city: Heineken.
14:44.600 --> 14:46.960
They make beer for gringos there.
14:47.080 --> 14:52.120
That\'s the only reason the factory
is here, adjacent to the American border.
14:52.240 --> 14:58.600
Not because the dessert is a logical place
for a factory that uses a lot of water.
14:58.720 --> 15:02.080
What\'s more, millions of people live here.
15:02.200 --> 15:09.120
Sometimes the water in residential areas
is closed off for weeks during the summer.
15:10.360 --> 15:13.760
That\'s very bold.
15:15.360 --> 15:21.120
But an activist must have the guts
to stand up to such a powerful company.
15:21.240 --> 15:24.640
Ordinary people
keep silent about these things.
15:31.200 --> 15:34.880
We talk about football
or a difficult mother in law.
15:35.000 --> 15:36.520
Or why did I move?
15:36.640 --> 15:41.880
And would I dare to walk
about the capital city wearing that hat?
15:44.200 --> 15:49.880
I asked the Dutch people
not to go act tough as journalists.
15:50.000 --> 15:55.240
Never ask who is behind the murder.
Don\'t endanger the family.
15:55.360 --> 15:59.040
We won\'t mention company names
for fear of retaliations.
15:59.160 --> 16:00.680
That\'s what I mean.
16:00.800 --> 16:04.040
Thankfully, I kept talking
over their answers.
16:12.640 --> 16:17.280
You could also take a look
at the other battle for water.
16:17.400 --> 16:21.720
Ninety minutes further on, in Mexicali,
a few years back.
16:22.720 --> 16:27.640
Here too, Óscar was standing
on the front line during the protests.
16:48.360 --> 16:49.760
Good afternoon.
16:51.280 --> 16:55.360
We\'re at my farm
in Mexicali, Baja California...
16:55.480 --> 16:58.560
to look back on the fight...
16:58.680 --> 17:03.040
against the brewery
that they wanted to build here.
17:03.160 --> 17:07.440
The fight to prevent that from happening
was very severe.
17:07.560 --> 17:13.000
Farmers would run into problems first,
because they wanted to use our water.
17:13.120 --> 17:17.320
The government had
given them permission to dig a canal.
17:17.440 --> 17:21.600
Sources that were meant for agriculture...
17:21.720 --> 17:24.560
They wanted to transfer that water
to the new brewery.
17:26.760 --> 17:31.840
We protested with tractors.
17:31.960 --> 17:37.920
And that made
residents of the city realise...
17:38.040 --> 17:40.760
that they had to protect their water.
17:40.880 --> 17:44.520
More than 70,000 people
took to the streets...
17:44.640 --> 17:52.080
to fight against the injustice,
caused by that brewery...
17:52.200 --> 17:56.800
and by a government that intended
to give this company free rein.
17:56.920 --> 18:02.480
Have you been an activist before?
-No, I\'ve always lived a peaceful life.
18:02.600 --> 18:07.040
I\'m just a farmer.
My passion is to work the land.
18:15.840 --> 18:17.760
The fight continued.
18:17.880 --> 18:21.680
We went to the place
where they were digging.
18:21.800 --> 18:27.760
The workmen got angry
because they couldn\'t do their job.
18:27.880 --> 18:31.560
The contractor called in
the security forces.
18:31.680 --> 18:34.000
They called the police
so they could do their work.
18:34.120 --> 18:38.240
But we wouldn\'t let them
and kept on demonstrating.
18:48.640 --> 18:52.240
Windows were broken
and people started fighting.
18:52.360 --> 18:57.720
Stones were flying through the air
and the police took strong action.
18:57.840 --> 19:03.280
Protesters were beaten until they bled.
19:03.400 --> 19:07.400
But ultimately, we managed
to shut down the construction site.
19:07.520 --> 19:10.880
We had it checked
whether it was all legally sound...
19:11.000 --> 19:17.600
in another attempt to prevent
the company from taking our water.
19:21.800 --> 19:26.000
The farmers were involved
with left-wing activists.
19:26.120 --> 19:29.280
They drew the attention
of national media...
19:29.400 --> 19:32.920
to the construction site
of the Corona brewery.
19:38.000 --> 19:41.560
And suddenly there was a referendum.
19:45.040 --> 19:50.240
I never thought
that we would win this fight...
19:50.360 --> 19:54.400
because the company was buying votes.
19:54.520 --> 19:58.040
Buses arrived
filled with people who were bribed...
19:58.160 --> 20:01.840
by companies who would benefit
from the new brewery.
20:01.960 --> 20:05.960
They would just bring these people
to the polling stations.
20:06.080 --> 20:08.400
We weren\'t very hopeful.
20:09.400 --> 20:14.240
It was actually an impossible battle.
20:14.360 --> 20:20.000
Stopping a company like that
is not a small task.
20:20.120 --> 20:23.560
When the results came in,
we cheered and clapped.
20:23.680 --> 20:25.120
We were relieved.
20:25.240 --> 20:28.880
To this very day,
we\'re still happy that we won.
20:35.400 --> 20:40.120
And of course,
we also shouldn\'t forget this guy.
20:40.240 --> 20:41.680
This is Leon.
20:41.800 --> 20:46.520
Who, by the way,
turns off the tap when he\'s using soap.
20:47.520 --> 20:50.920
Leon used to lead the left-wing activists.
20:51.040 --> 20:53.440
He became
a figurehead of the protests.
20:53.560 --> 20:57.000
And that means: Risks.
21:01.760 --> 21:08.200
When they arrested me,
I thought they wanted to kidnap me.
21:08.320 --> 21:12.520
Or that they were hit men
who would make me disappear...
21:12.640 --> 21:15.200
as they wore plain clothes.
21:15.320 --> 21:18.000
But they brought me to prison.
21:18.120 --> 21:23.640
I was very scared,
there is a lot going on there.
21:23.760 --> 21:28.520
It felt like that first day in prison
lasted incredibly long.
21:28.640 --> 21:32.760
There were a lot of violent people.
I had to keep my guard up.
21:32.880 --> 21:37.040
Try to understand
what the code of conduct was.
21:37.160 --> 21:39.600
What you could, or could not say.
21:39.720 --> 21:42.880
But after a while I learned...
21:43.000 --> 21:47.520
that the people in prison,
and also some of the guards...
21:47.640 --> 21:51.600
knew about the conflict over water.
21:51.720 --> 21:57.160
And when they realised I was in there for
that reason, they started to support me.
21:57.280 --> 22:01.800
That calmed me down
and my confidence grew.
22:01.920 --> 22:06.640
They would also protect me
against aggressive inmates.
22:06.760 --> 22:11.040
They would say: \'Leave him alone,
he\'s fighting for our water.\'
22:13.480 --> 22:17.440
Leon had to leave his hometown.
22:17.560 --> 22:21.960
He is afraid that one day,
they will come back to retaliate.
22:22.080 --> 22:25.080
Whoever \'they\' may be.
22:25.200 --> 22:28.600
Leon is well aware of
what happened to his friend Óscar.
22:28.720 --> 22:32.560
That\'s why he rents a different house
every four months.
22:55.200 --> 23:00.880
All these changes
are very hard on my son Jonathan.
23:01.000 --> 23:04.440
Especially when it comes to friendships.
23:04.560 --> 23:07.600
He can\'t see
his friends from Mexicali anymore.
23:07.720 --> 23:11.120
But also changing cities
and all our habits.
23:11.240 --> 23:16.440
Now that he joined a football club...
23:16.560 --> 23:20.960
he has more contacts again, thankfully.
23:21.080 --> 23:24.240
He slowly starts to settle in.
23:24.360 --> 23:31.160
He\'s letting go of the stress
and everything we\'ve been through.
23:32.160 --> 23:38.160
It\'s getting better,
but I suffered a lot...
23:38.280 --> 23:44.680
from paranoia.
Persecution mania.
23:44.800 --> 23:49.920
Then I would think that someone...
23:50.040 --> 23:57.200
was a police officer in plain clothes
who wanted to hurt me or my family.
23:57.320 --> 24:01.440
That keeps
going round and round in my mind.
24:01.560 --> 24:04.480
The trauma never goes away.
24:08.560 --> 24:12.720
When the Dutch television rang,
their first question was:
24:12.840 --> 24:15.640
Who is behind the murder of Óscar?
24:16.920 --> 24:19.240
How should I know?
24:21.360 --> 24:28.320
Let\'s say: A large company from Belgium...
24:28.440 --> 24:31.880
wants to open
a confectionery factory here.
24:32.000 --> 24:36.400
They\'re going to sell sweets to Americans
and make a lot of money with it.
24:36.520 --> 24:40.960
Then I expect some people
will want to share in the profits:
24:41.080 --> 24:48.280
At the police, civil service, politicians
and, of course, the drug cartels.
24:51.160 --> 24:54.000
So if you\'re an activist
who spoils that party...
24:54.120 --> 24:57.440
you suddenly have a lot of enemies.
25:04.760 --> 25:09.640
When I interview activists...
25:09.760 --> 25:13.560
I have to think carefully
about what they say...
25:13.680 --> 25:19.880
and who they might harm by what they say.
25:20.000 --> 25:21.680
What I didn\'t know before...
25:21.800 --> 25:28.680
is that somebody who talked about
water distribution in the border region...
25:28.800 --> 25:31.280
would put himself in danger.
25:31.400 --> 25:36.080
I didn\'t realise
that we had already come to that point.
25:36.200 --> 25:41.360
I didn\'t know it was so dangerous.
25:43.240 --> 25:48.880
In my twenty years as a journalist,
I have never felt like this.
25:50.960 --> 25:57.720
I was with my partner and I cried out:
This cannot be true.
25:57.840 --> 26:00.800
He asked: \'What\'s wrong?\'
26:01.800 --> 26:05.200
They say Óscar has been shot dead.
26:05.320 --> 26:09.760
My partner is a photojournalist
and he knows I do a lot of interviews.
26:09.880 --> 26:13.400
He asked: \'What Óscar,
who are you talking about?\'
26:13.520 --> 26:19.120
That one time I went to Tecate on my own
for an interview.
26:21.600 --> 26:26.000
I don\'t wish that feeling
on any journalist.
26:26.120 --> 26:31.040
That one of your sources gets murdered.
26:32.040 --> 26:35.880
I made some phone calls
to find out if it was true.
26:36.000 --> 26:38.520
Everybody told me it was Óscar.
26:38.640 --> 26:40.600
People were talking about it openly.
26:40.720 --> 26:47.680
Everybody in Tecate
knew Óscar was murdered.
26:53.480 --> 26:56.080
It\'s remarkable, of course.
26:56.200 --> 27:00.120
Aline interviews Óscar
about a sensitive subject...
27:00.240 --> 27:03.840
and shortly after that, he is murdered.
27:03.960 --> 27:10.440
We have a saying: You don\'t
have to be a scientist to understand it.
27:10.560 --> 27:12.760
Well, this time you might.
27:15.560 --> 27:20.440
There are mountain ranges
in Baja California...
27:20.560 --> 27:28.280
where you\'ll find a lot of drug traffickers
who grow weed, for example.
27:28.400 --> 27:34.640
Water is being drained off
on an industrial scale there.
27:34.760 --> 27:40.200
They really don\'t want
anyone looking over their shoulder.
27:40.320 --> 27:44.080
Whether it\'s a journalist, an activist
or someone from the community.
27:44.200 --> 27:46.120
Nobody likes prying eyes there.
27:51.360 --> 27:54.960
Have you ever thought
about writing a feature...
27:55.080 --> 27:59.960
about who\'s behind the murder
and what their motive was?
28:00.960 --> 28:06.720
I tried that a year after he was killed.
And again, another year later.
28:06.840 --> 28:11.040
But the authorities
couldn\'t tell me anything specific.
28:12.480 --> 28:19.120
They only knew that the guns
that were used to kill Óscar...
28:19.240 --> 28:23.600
were also used for other crimes.
28:23.720 --> 28:31.440
But they didn\'t want to tell me anything
about the owner of those guns.
28:31.560 --> 28:33.960
Which criminal organisation it was.
28:35.520 --> 28:41.920
In Baja California various
political parties have been in power...
28:42.040 --> 28:45.800
PAN, PRI and Morena.
But no government...
28:45.920 --> 28:50.200
has ever solved the murder
of a journalist or an activist...
28:50.320 --> 28:55.240
by identifying
the person who ordered the murder.
28:55.360 --> 29:03.320
Unfortunately, Óscar\'s family,
just like all those other families...
29:03.440 --> 29:10.760
will never get
an official and plausible answer.
29:10.880 --> 29:13.800
That\'s just how it is
with cases like these.
29:34.800 --> 29:37.920
Had this been an American story...
29:38.040 --> 29:43.800
we would be working
towards a happy ending now.
29:45.360 --> 29:49.280
I would love to give you one.
29:50.280 --> 29:57.200
Surely, you will find optimism here
and a lot of joy.
30:12.880 --> 30:17.200
But this is not Hollywood California.
30:18.480 --> 30:25.000
This is Baja California,
where literally anything can happen.
30:25.120 --> 30:28.920
Where the narco state ensures...
30:29.040 --> 30:32.680
that the most important questions
will never be answered.
30:33.680 --> 30:38.960
This used to be my son\'s house.
30:39.080 --> 30:43.760
But after he passed,
the house stayed empty.
30:49.200 --> 30:55.400
If you visit the home of a deceased,
you are their guest...
30:55.520 --> 30:57.680
according to our traditions.
30:57.800 --> 31:02.760
We can\'t see him, but he\'s here with us.
31:12.400 --> 31:17.560
We will keep dancing,
drink beer...
31:17.680 --> 31:22.960
and kick up the dust of the desert
like a wild horse.
31:23.080 --> 31:28.360
But I wouldn\'t
want to call that a happy ending.
31:53.560 --> 31:58.680
There are cartels. And they are
really strong. And they are ruthless.
31:58.800 --> 32:03.080
They\'re ready to do anything
to achieve what they want...
32:03.200 --> 32:07.240
without paying a dime.
That is the work of the cartels.
32:10.640 --> 32:15.200
I tell these women:
If you tell the police, I will kill you.
Distributor: Dutch CORE
Length: 33 minutes
Date: 2024
Genre: Expository
Language: Spanish; English
Grade: College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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