Reactions, around the world to the news of Fidel Castro's death. Flowers and candles left outside the Cuban embassies in Mexico and Russia to honor his life. In Spain, some Cubans living abroad are saddened by the news. Back at home, in Tucson, KGUN Nine nine spoke with a Cuban living in Tucson, who shared the story of his life under Castro's regime.
Arnold Mendez Sr. left Cuba in 1961, fleeing the country from Fidel Castro's regime."My life was good at the beginning, when I was studying and I was growing, but when Castro took over the whole things changed," Mendez Sr. said. He left the country with his wife and two young children after he was released from prison, where he spent a month of what he says, were the worse days of his life. "I was against the government from the beginning, I was very outspoken, telling people how I felt and of course, they didn't like that," he added.
He now lives in Tucson and where he's owned a gas station for more than 40 years, where his life is a contrast of what is was back in Cuba. He says although it may sound inhumane, he agrees with the thousands of Cubans who are now celebrating Castro's death. "He was an evil man, a guy with no heart, a guy that had all that he wanted and was selfish, he killed a lot of people to accomplish what he wanted," Mendez Sr. told KGUN Nine.
But, what does Castro's passing really mean for Cubans? For many it symbolizes the beginning of a new era, of change. However, Mendez Sr. thinks otherwise. "We have to be realistic about things, we would like to see this, but with the communists, you never know," he added.
