DETROIT – Jose Gutierrez has been in the city of Detroit for 30 years. He came to this country from Venezuela in search of a better life and has found it.
“I got hope,” Gutierrez said. “I think every Venezuelan – outside and inside the country – hope everything’s going to be in the right direction.”
Jose, along with his son, own El Rey de las Arepas, a Venezuelan restaurant that has sat at the corner of McGraw and Central in Southwest Detroit since 2015.
The restaurant is adorned with Venezuelan flags, and the smells of beef empanadas, along with the sounds of salsa and reggaeton, bounced through the place on Sunday.
Legendary Detroit Tiger Miguel Cabrera was a regular here and a number of his Venezuelan teammates regularly came through after games.
“My kids, my grandsons, my grandchildren, everybody here in Detroit,” Gutierrez said. “Of course, I got brothers, family, cousins, friends in Venezuela. My childhood is in Venezuela. My heart is in Venezuela.”
“We’re building our name here in the USA. I know many, many Venezuelans love our country. When you love the country, we never forget our roots.”
Those roots are why Jose and his family were thrilled to see longtime president Nicolas Maduro led out of the country in handcuffs on Saturday following the American raid of his home in Caracas.
It set off wild celebrations around the country and across the globe – including here in Detroit.
El Rey de las Arepas was the site of celebrations on Saturday and Sunday nights.
And while the method with which Maduro was removed raised a number of legal questions here and abroad, his ouster is seen as a beacon of hope for Venezuelans who have suffered under the regime, regardless of how he was removed.
Maduro has been Venezuela’s President since 2013, taking over after the death of Hugo Chavez.
The country, which has one of the world’s largest oil reserves, has spiraled into deep poverty under the reign of Chavez and Maduro and set off a humanitarian crisis.
“We have no food, we have no medicine, the kids have no education,” Gutierrez said. “That is a crazy situation in Venezuela. That’s why we are tired and have dealt with the same people in the government for more than 20 years.”
Jose says that he loves this country and what America has done for him, but he also loves Venezuela and is ready to see real change come to the country.
The physical removal of Maduro, no matter the means, is a massive first step.
“We’re going to be good in the future,” Gutierrez said. “I know that. I’m trusting God, trusting my people and trusting America.”