Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – On Monday afternoon, Puerto Vallarta saw the arrival of no less than a dozen State Police patrols, carrying several officers intended to bolster security in the city.
This was in anticipation of potential protests and blockades of routes, which have been announced against the Verificentro, which is the state Vehicle Emissions Center.
The patrols made their entrance around 7:00 p.m., visibly patrolling along the city’s main thoroughfare, later heading towards the verification center situated in the city’s northern region.
The group identified as Peaceful Civil Resistance (RCP) has announced a protest against the verification center scheduled for today. Although they haven’t specifically mentioned plans to blockade routes, past demonstrations by this radical group have resulted in the closure of the avenue, leading to significant traffic disruptions.
The group protests against new laws in Jalisco requiring emissions tests for all vehicles. Previous vehicle inspections were managed by mechanics in the area before the new law transferred the power of inspections to state-run facilities.
The Government of Jalisco has stated the inspections will continue despite protests and has claimed the RCP is made up of mechanics who used the inspections as a way to extort money from car owners for passing inspection and they want to return to that system of corruption.
On Monday, RCP used social media to call for more protests to begin today, Tuesday, May 16, 2023, to begin at 1:00 PM local time.
