René Villarreal, a Didi driver, disappeared eight days ago. He was last heard from while traveling—via the same platform—to the municipality of Jojutla. Today, his colleagues reported that authorities have taken no action to locate him and that the only searches have been organized by family and friends.
This Friday, dozens of workers from platforms such as Uber and Didi protested and blocked the main access roads to Cuernavaca, Morelos. The blockades occurred in Plan de Ayala, next to the offices of the Attorney General’s Office; in Buenavista, next to Paloma de la Paz; and on the Mexico–Cuernavaca federal highway.
“We have a colleague who has been missing since April 18. He was traveling from Jiutepec to the municipality of Jojutla de Juárez and disappeared. Unfortunately, we don’t know where he is. The family has already filed the corresponding reports, but the search form takes 48 hours to be issued,” explained Roberto Rodríguez, one of the movement’s spokespersons.
Violence Against Drivers
According to their testimony, they requested support from Public Security to conduct a sweep or a thorough search, but “they’re asking us to be the ones to look for him. This is the last straw.”
The protesters pointed out that crimes against drivers are frequent. “Between four and five motorcycles are stolen daily with extreme violence. Car thefts are also reported, mainly from flatbeds; at least three or four a day, at gunpoint. Our fellow drivers have suffered rapes, femicides, and assaults are the order of the day,” Rodríguez added.
The main demand is to strengthen security: “Let the federation intervene now. If patrols are necessary with the Navy, the National Guard, etc., let them be, because this is no longer sustainable.”
10 disappearances so far this year
Background: The workers reported that at least ten disappearances have been recorded so far this year, and that the theft of around ten motorcycles and eight vehicles, both flatbed and private, is reported daily.
Although a roundtable discussion with authorities from the Morelos Prosecutor’s Office was planned, the protesters broke the agreement as a pressure measure. Even so, a committee of drivers agreed to meet with state officials and remains at the Government Palace, while the roadblocks continue.
“We are waiting for a solution not only regarding the search for our colleague, but also regarding the safety conditions for flatbed drivers and all citizens,” Rodríguez concluded.
Source: lasillarota
