We filmed a Venezuelan food line, here’s what happened

On an early May morning, the Fault Lines crew working on our new episode “Venezuela Divided”— which examines the country’s problems and polarization among its population after the death of Hugo Chávez—filmed at a supermarket in a downtown Caracas mall. Because of inflation, the government’s monetary policy and the fact that Venezuela imports many staples, supermarket inventories are constantly running out of supplies. And when they do have new shipments of goods like oil or corn flour in stock, news travels fast.

When the team arrived, they found a line that wound around a plaza in front of the store. Despite having the market manager’s permission to film both inside and outside the store, they were accosted by several men claiming to be security guards for the mall complex. They demanded that our crew turn off its camera.