Carlos Tena, the mayor of Cuauhtémoc, a town in Mexico’s Chihuahua state, was torn between believing the claims by the persons with disability and the denial by his colleague public servants, hence the decision to turn himself into undercover investigator.
Reports say Tena spent two months putting together a believable disguise, and then visited public servants at both the Mayor’s Office and Social Services posing as a disabled man in need of help.
Wearing a thick turtle-neck sweater that partially covered his face, as well as a grey hat, black eyeglasses and a bandage over his left ear, to fake an injury and avoid being recognized, Carlos Tena rolled into the Directorate of Social Development in a wheelchair, seeking assistance, according to Odditycentral.com.
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The first thing the Mayor did was to ask for a free meal which reports say all disabled and other less privileged persons are entitled to, but not only was he denied the food, he was also discriminated at.
At this time, it started dawning on him that the complaints might not be far from the truth, but for more proof, he moved from the Directorate, to his own office asking to speak with the mayor.
However, apparently because of his fake condition he was told that the mayor was not available.
The determined mayor turned investigator then requested to speak to the Secretary of the City Council, but again, he was rudely told to wait in the hallway, amidst claims that the Secretary would only arrive after one and a half hours.
It is reported that after the two incidents of ill treatment by his own colleague public servants, he was left with no option than to believe the complaints by the persons with disability.
Tena then got out of the wheelchair and took off his disguise, leaving City Hall staff in a state of shock, reports say.
Carlos Tena told news reporters: “The purpose of this experiment was to show the reality that citizens experience every day, the indifference and neglect they face from public servants. I decided to do it because I didn’t know who to believe, the citizens or my co-workers.”
A City Hall spokesperson who confirmed the story is quoted as saying: “This time he didn’t say anything to anyone.”
Having Ascertained the truth, Tena has reportedly warned that he will not spare any public servant who mistreats any person with disability or the less privileged.
He is reportedly known to be a strong advocate for equal treatment for all persons including those with disability and other less privileged in society.