Sitting Tight

So good to hear from a number of you yesterday. Things seem to have quieted down here a bit, but when the national news says one thing ("Things are running as usual in Quito this morning, traffic is fairly heavy...") and the international press says another ("Is this a coup?" "Correa says it's a coup." "Maybe it's a coup!"), it's hard to know what to dismiss as rumor and where to give credence. There has been speculation as to the nature of the police strike (since yesterday, officers have been protesting a new law that cuts their pay and benefits) and whether it is an attempt to gain control of the government.

I didn't know the details of what was happening yesterday and wondered as I caught the bus home midmorning where the police were; if the bus drivers are afraid to head north towards downtown, shouldn't the police be out attempting to control whatever strikes and demonstrations were going on? Come to find it's the police themselves who are stirring things up. That would explain a lot, like the people I saw looting a convenience store on the way home. And all the closing gates, shutting doors, and turning keys.

Hopefully things will remain calm today, and somehow be resolved.

New York Times - today's article

WSJ pics & article