The Taco Wars

Acouple of weeks ago an embarrassing incident occurred and was widely spread in social media on both sides of our border.

In the scenes, a group of ladies — around five — took part in a melee inside Acatlán taco restaurant. The eatery, located at the corner of Independencia Avenue and Villahermosa Street in Mexicali Colonia Esperanza neighborhood, is regularly visited by party-goers after having a good time in city bars.

In the video, the group of ladies began fighting each other. Those present in the restaurant recorded the fight. Dressed with high heels and short dresses that left almost nothing to the imagination, the group of women pulled and screamed at each other, and some even punched their rivals while witnesses were incapable of avoiding their food from falling to the floor.

More real than WWE, the fight was recorded by at least two people at the scene. One of the fighters was able to pull part of a hair extension from one of the women. In the video, one can see tacos flying like missiles while the floor was covered in guacamole and salsa. The women’s male companions struggled to separate the females. Apparently, the ladies are American, as all of them yelled at each other in English.

Moments later, a police officer arrived. But instead of arresting the ladies under charges of battery, disorderly conduct and property damages (without forgetting possible public intoxication), the law enforcement agents were able to make the parties involved reach an agreement and force them to pay the damages caused to the manager/owner to avoid getting arrested. For the women involved in the matter, the police did not record their names. Otherwise, the media would have released their identities.

Jokingly, Mexicali sarcastic, fake news website La Irónica said the restaurant would no longer accept food stamps as a way to pay for service after the incident.

This is not the first time episodes like this have happened. In the past, Imperial Valley gang members used to cross the border to fight their Mexicali rivals.

Unfortunately, the conduct seems to begin spreading to our cities. Minutes after 4 a.m. Saturday, a woman punched another lady in the face just across the downtown port of entry. Police officers arrived at the scene and were told by the victim that another woman punched her after being intimidated by a group of females. The suspect admitted having hit the victim in response to a verbal attack.

So next time before jumping into a brawl, think about what your mothers and aunts and grandmothers will feel by seeing their beloved ones becoming a “star” in the worse sense of the word. And that, without considering the possibility of spending a few days in the overcrowded, insecure Mexicali Jail.

And beyond that, we must recall that we are at the same time ambassadors of our families, communities and even workplaces. Can you imagine getting pink-slipped after an altercation like the ones pointed above is disseminated on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram?

Regardless of what might ignite an altercation, the best way to stay away from trouble is by calmly ignoring the aggression.