was shot and killed while protesting just minutes

away from their home.

It was just a day before

mass anti-government demonstrations

in Venezuela.

Alixon was killed while protesting against

President Nicolás Maduro

in Catia, a poor area west of Caracas.

It was once a Maduro stronghold.

But not anymore.

Under former President Hugo Chavez,

lower-income Venezuelans thrived, mostly thanks to

government support and subsidies.

But in recent years under Maduro,

their living standards have declined along

with the country’s economy.

Since early January,

a growing number of people started

to rally behind the new opposition figure,

Juan Guaidó.

Maduro’s support has dwindled in Venezuela.

But not everyone in these poor areas

has come around to Guaidó.

Still, those protesting in neighborhoods like Catia

say they’re facing a swift government crackdown.

Witnesses told Nivea that a specific group was

behind her nephew’s death:

the Special Actions Force, or FAES.

It’s an elite police unit Maduro created

in 2017 to fight crime.

Human rights groups inside Venezuela

accuse FAES of carrying out

extrajudicial killings to silence

the political opposition in this year’s protest.

Marino’s group has been tracking the deaths

and says at least 35 people have been killed

since Jan. 22, when mass protests began.

He says FAES mostly targets poor young men.

When asked about FAES, Maduro’s government

tried to skirt the issue.

Residents in El Junquito,

another poor area west of Caracas,

also say FAES showed up to their demonstrations.

This person asked not to be identified.

He says FAES shot and killed his friend

at a protest on Jan. 23.

Despite the risks,

he says he’ll keep protesting against Maduro’s government.

For some, the reported FAES crackdown

was the final straw to push them away from Maduro.

But people are also fed up with

the mounting economic crisis.

Leonardo Guerrero lives in Antímano,

another Maduro stronghold in the west of Caracas,

with his family.

In February, Leonardo went out to protest

against the government for the first time.

Since the protests started, at least 800 people

have been arrested across the country.

And it’s in these poor neighborhoods

where it’s the most dangerous to oppose

the government, especially with security

forces cracking down on these communities.