Comuna

For generations, the 12,000 residents of Medellin's tough Comuna 13, which clings to the side of a steep hillside, have had to climb hundreds of large steps authorities say is the same as going up a 28-story building.

Medellin, Colombia: Massive Escalator Inaugurated The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

Five years ago the hillside slum of Comuna 13 was the most brutal urban battleground in Latin America, a bloody microcosm of Colombia's drug-fueled civil war.

Colombia’s City On A Hill 2007

In 2002, the casualty count for Comuna 13 — in chaotic street fights, targeted assassinations and neighborhood-wide "cleansings" — numbered in the hundreds.

Colombia’s City On A Hill 2007

"The mayor understood that you don't get peace from soldiers and police alone," says Carlos Jiménez, a Comuna 13 development worker.

Colombia’s City On A Hill 2007

Fajardo also increased the city's education budget by 65 percent and poured millions more into new schools and five "library parks," like the one in Comuna 13, designed by high-end architects and located in poor neighborhoods.

Colombia’s City On A Hill 2007

So when he took office, Fajardo did not just install new police outposts in Comuna 13.

Colombia’s City On A Hill 2007

In Medellín, soldiers and police stormed Comuna 13 in helicopters and armored vehicles, fighting and winning a series of pitched battles against various armed factions.

Colombia’s City On A Hill 2007

Today Comuna 13 feels like a completely different neighborhood.

Colombia’s City On A Hill 2007

In a short while we will be visiting a district, at Comuna, where we will talk and have dialogue with the citizens.

Remarks By Presidents Clinton And Frei At Signing Ceremony ITY National Archives 1998

Comuna 13 neighborhood, Medellin, Colombia, during All Souls Day.

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