Hundreds of people protested gentrification in Mexico City’s Condesa and Roma neighborhoods last week, largely singling out Americans. Protesters cited anger over rising rents and the displacement of Mexicans, which they attribute to an influx of foreign residents, many earning U.S. dollar salaries and using platforms like Airbnb for short-term rentals. Slogans such as “Free us from American gentrification,” “You’re not an expat, you’re an invader,” and “Dispossession comes disguised as Airbnb” were displayed. C
hants of “fuera gringos” and “gringos, go home” also rang out. Resentment was also fueled by perceptions that some foreigners do not assimilate, learn Spanish, or significantly contribute to local tax collection, underscoring economic inequality where Mexicans struggle to afford housing in desirable areas.
While many demonstrations were peaceful, a smaller group engaged in acts of vandalism and violence, damaging businesses, defacing monuments, and attacking individuals. The Mexico City government, led by Mayor Clara Brugada, issued a statement denouncing gentrification and affirming a commitment to “the right to decent housing” through public policies.
This week, our subscriber-exclusive podcast takes a look at the protests, the reasons behind them and whether or not protestors are right to blame digital nomads for the cost of living crisis in Mexico City.
This podcast was produced using AI tools. All information collected and discussed in this episode was investigated, written, and edited by human journalists. Compiled from Mexico News Daily articles by Peter Davies and Sarah DeVries. Edited by Chris Havler-Barrett and Caitlin Cooper. Podcast produced by Chris Havler-Barrett.
Covid, Airbnb and digital nomads all combined to harm Mexicans. The Mexican government should have been more proactive. Limit number of Airbnb’s, limit number of residency applications, cap annual rent increases. A lot could have and should have been done. Now permanent damage has been done.
interesting conversation during the linked PodCast . . . the statements from the Mayor of la Ciudad de Mexico, classic, “very clearly, unequivocally, 2 pronged approach . . . we reject” . . . “very firm, we reject, no way we endorse violence . . . categorically reject any xenophobia” . . . the proverbial “strongly worded letter” with no bite, no solutions, no clear idea of what to do EXCEPT offer loans and rental subsidies . . . perhaps New York City and CDMX have more incommon with each other after all . . . “We’ll see what happens . . . ”
((( just my dos pesos . . . )))
technology facilitates globalism. Globalism rejects the idea of the nation state. They want a borderless world because that allows them to create a one world government. I think nations and borders are a good thing. They allow different cultures to exist where the peoples can be amongst their own kind. Fight to keep your countries, their customs and cultures… or lose them.
Communication, commerce, entertainment…..the globalization of the world has been facilitated and made inevitable by technology. We are not going to reverse that. We should be more concerned about human bodies, people, being replaced by AI than by what neighborhood one can afford to live in. Neighborhoods, cities, countries will continue to evolve. Controlling how that happens is much more important than distressing over the inevitable changes in all of our lives. People being priced out of la condesa and Polanco is not something that CDMX politicians should be wringing their hands over. And yes…gringo here…living in la condesa, since I have been priced out of Polanco and the Lomas. Pero…hablo español. Truth, of course, is that I have NO desire to live anywhere else. Fortunate.