Nivea Pizani’s 19-year-old nephew Alixon 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.