Violence against foreigners almost always has one of these involved, drugs, underage girls, barrio rat novio/as, flahing cash or shady business dealings with locals or other ex-pats.
I don't buy this. The problem I see here on DR1 is that people try to brush aside what is happening or act like it is not a big deal. 34 gringos dead since 2010 is a big deal. If I were living in a country where 34 Blacks or African Americans had been killed in about 4 years I'd be on the first flight back to the states, as the message would be clear.
It isn't just the violence either, it is also the corruption. Dominicans have been mostly friendly to me but when you're spending money on their product or service why wouldn't they be? This country is all about the money and some of the locals are willing to go to more aggressive extremes to get it.
I also suspect that many here on DR1 are heavily invested in this country with bank account, real estate, investments, etc, and they are in a state of denial because if what is happening is real it will impact them and maybe force them to leave, so they stick their heads in the sand.