Lima is reeling from a surge in gang violence after a teacher, Julio César Pacheco, was shot dead in front of his students outside a school in the capital's working-class Ate Vitarte district. The tragic killing, captured on CCTV, shows terrified children fleeing as Pacheco's body lay slumped near the school gates. The shooter had posed as a legal notice delivery person to carry out the assassination.
This incident marks a new low in a crime wave that has gripped Lima, despite a two-month state of emergency in 14 districts aimed at curbing rampant extortion and violence. Within just 12 hours on October 8, seven murders took place in Lima, underlining the growing lawlessness.
The escalating violence has sparked widespread strikes, with bus operators, taxi drivers, shopkeepers, street vendors, and even soup kitchen workers protesting the government's failure to address the crisis. These groups have become frequent targets of protection rackets, forced to pay gangs daily or weekly sums or face the threat of grenade attacks or death.
Protesters have expressed their frustrations with the slogan, "They are killing us," highlighting both the physical and economic toll of extortion on everyday citizens, especially informal workers. According to crime specialist Erika Solis, the extortion mainly affects the most vulnerable sectors of society, where law enforcement has little presence.
President Dina Boluarte's response has been criticized as insufficient, with Solis describing it as "primitive and populist," focusing on sending a message rather than addressing the root causes of crime. Boluarte has proposed increasing prison sentences and deploying soldiers on the streets to combat what she calls "urban terrorism," but these measures have been dismissed as short-term solutions.
Extortion has become a crippling problem for Peru's economy. An estimated half of Lima's 23,000 shopkeepers are extorted, paying between $25 and $1,000 monthly, while seven out of ten transport companies are forced to make monthly extortion payments averaging $4,000. The Lima Chamber of Commerce estimates that extortion costs Peru over $1.6 billion annually, with the broader impact of insecurity amounting to $9.28 billion.
Peru's Congress is under increasing pressure to repeal the so-called "pro-organized crime" law, which critics argue has weakened efforts to combat extortion and gang-related murders. The law makes it harder for police to conduct raids by requiring the presence of a suspect’s legal representative, often delaying operations and allowing suspects to destroy evidence.
Boluarte's approval ratings have plummeted to a record low of 92%, with her leadership increasingly questioned amid the ongoing violence.
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