14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 11 February 2022 — A wall with photos, messages, flowers and candles draws attention this Friday on San Lázaro street, between Marina and Soledad, in the Havana neighborhood of Cayo Hueso. The improvised altar is dedicated to the young Malcolm Álvarez Espinosa, alias Markito, stabbed to death at the very door of his house last Wednesday night.
According to the residents of that area of Central Havana, the homicide was a “settling of scores.” “There was a previous discussion and then he was stabbed,” says a resident of the street who prefers anonymity. The victim’s friends lament his death on social networks and do not hesitate to post the nicknames of the two alleged murderers, who, according to a source close to the victim, were arrested by the police a few hours later.
Malcolm’s violent death has surprised his numerous friends, whose messages seem to indicate his belonging to the durakos or duräkitos, a peaceful urban tribe that meets in teams (groups), dresses in a peculiar way, dances to the rhythm of reggaeton and has a lot of presence on social networks. They consume more gigabytes than drugs.
“I will miss you,” “I will always keep you in mind,” “sorry for my selfishness, but knowing that you are with God, I prefer that you be with us,” were some of the words painted around various images of Malcolm, taken at different ages. The young man was 24 years old.
The press has not reported this murder, but the messages have multiplied on social networks.
The warmth of all of them show that he was a boy appreciated in the neighborhood. His mother, Catalina Espinosa, is a worker at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Surgical Clinical Hospital, and on her Facebook wall dozens of friends left numerous condolences for the young man’s death.
“We feel a lot of consternation,” another neighbor who stopped at the wall to leave his tribute told this newspaper.
“A mother suffering, friends wondering what happened, how it happened, who caused it, but that’s worth nothing, my soul brother,” writes user Torito Jalapeño on Facebook , who addresses “the causes”: “Karma exists and they will be able to run but not hide. They are going to die with a guilt inside that is not going to let them live,” because, he argues, “they killed a young boy who did not mess with anyone and did not owe anything to anyone.”
Despite the fact that the Government recently declared that the wave of violent events reported in networks and independent media are “fake news”, the violence is growing. Aggressions between young people, many of them belonging to gangs, have also grown in Havana in recent years.
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