About being ‘villero’

“Being poor doesn’t mean being ‘villero’. In Fuerte Apache, in the Villa 21, there are many working people that get up at 4 a.m., and they are workers as anyone. Like you, like him, and like me. It is like everywhere, you will find people who do bad things everywhere. We are all human beings. Villero is a word that doesn’t exist for me. This is a settlement. This is not a villero village. This is a settlement for people without a roof; humble people, working people. I don’t know why they call us villeros. There are many people who want to progress, to have a business. People who want to go to work every morning, and want to come back, and being safe. You do not want to be shot, and die just for a pair of sneakers while you are waiting for the bus.”