Snapshots of Collective Violence

• Dozens of middle-aged men and women, youngsters and children, are gathered in front of a small supermarket somewhere in the province of Buenos Aires. It's hot. Many men have naked torsos, most are wearing shorts. The store's metal gates are broken, and people are holding them up so that others can enter. People are moving in and out of the store quite fast, but not rushing. They look cautious, but not afraid. They come out of the store with their hands full of goods, as much as they can hold. The voice of the reporter says, “Saqueos en el Gran Buenos Aires (Lootings in Greater Buenos Aires).”

• Hundreds of people are gathered in front of El Chivo, a supermarket in the district of Moreno, in the province of Buenos Aires. Most are on foot, some walk around with their bicycles. Some have placed their looted goods on the ground, apparently waiting for others who are still in the store – which can be seen in the background. A group of youngsters put a couple of bottles of beer in a box and chat, seemingly trading goods. Suddenly, everybody begins to run away. Some use the supermarket carts to carry their recently obtained items.

• It's night. The blinds of a butcher shop are torn apart; youngsters are coming out with large cuts of meat. Sirens can be heard in the background. Suddenly the police arrive on the scene. One cop tells people inside the store to leave. People start running out of the store. Those holding pieces of meat are stopped by another police agent; they abandon the meat cuts on the floor and keep running.

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