Emiliano is over 70 years old, but still retains that air of respect, his hands and firm step transmit to one that he is before a man to be reckoned with. His reputation on “the scene” is well-earned: he is a survivor of two deadly showdowns still remembered in the capital’s toughest neighborhoods. Now, he barely goes out; only to run “an errand or at the bodega, or at the greengrocer,” or to visit his grandchildren. And, when he has to leave his home, he never takes his cell phone.

“The streets are dicey, man,” he says. “They’re killing, assaulting and stabbing people over almost nothing. Every week there’s one dead, one missing, one fatal assault, not to mention the women murdered. These are the most dangerous times I’ve ever seen.” Interestingly, Emiliano only reads the independent press, and does not talk about politics “even with family.”

“Under no circumstances, not even during decades of imprisonment, was fear ever part of my mindset, until these last few years. My wife and I keep the gate and the door locked at all times. We go out on the street only when necessary, and never with our cell phones. If we go far, we always go by car, no matter what it costs. I never thought I would have to live like this, with scares, with real fear of walking those streets where they knew my name well,” adds Emiliano, who does not hesitate to compare the violence in his time and the escalation that is currently racking the island.