Steeling electricity in Costambar

hi all, i'm new. i've been reading news and posts on the site for a while, but i'm just now joining b/c i need help. i live part time in costambar, 10 minutes away from puerto plata.

for a long time now i have observed a particular building in my area steeling electricity, and taking part in different other types of illegal activities (theft & drugs). my building is close by and i don't feel safe walking down the street. i feel like it's just a matter of time before me or one of my neighbors is the next target.

My question to you all is, is it ok to steel the electricity? can any of this activity be reported? will the APC turn a blind eye? (Note: the APC is the association in costambar)

Is there anything i can do?

thanks, the problem is that these people intimidate everyone in the area b/c the property manager walks around with a gun at his waist all the time. nobody wants to cross him b/c they are afraid of the backlash. i thought the days of the mafia were gone, but now i find them right here next to my home.

forgot to ask, can i report them to ede norte?

Lambada said:

Same people as this?
http://www.dr1.com/forums/living/61353-costambar-illegal-drugs-punto-de-droga-la-laguna-costambar-puerto-plata.html

Click to expand...

no, not the same area. this is closer to black beards, but in no way related to black beards, although i think for some time they were steeling electricity from them, perhaps still are - who knows.

the fact of the matter is that i would like to remain annonymous b/c i still have to live there and walk there, and shop there, and sleep there. the last thing i want is a home invasion.

i really wish there wasn't so much corruption at all levels. if i could just write a letter to the apc i would, but i think they would most likely just toss it.

Rocky said:

There could hardly be a more polluted area of water, than the POP port.
You just have to stand next to it and the smell can turn your stomach.
The ocean waters move from East to West, and the very first thing the putrid port waters hit on the way out, is Costambar.
That being said, if logic is not enough to substantiate it, I was having coffee with the ex-Mayor of POP last week, and we were talking about the water pollution in that area, and the progress made in the 8 years he was Mayor.
He estimates that if POP continues to progress at the same rate, with regards to resolving polluting the ocean, that in 20 years or so, it may be safe to swim in.

Click to expand...

at this point i'll take the lesser of the two evils - polutions sounds like a better option to me.

yes, i've always heard that the waters are polluted, but then again, i've heard that of the entire shore line. since there is not formal sewer system everything gets dumped in the ocean.

the way i see it, i have a better chance of getting an infection from the water i shower with, than i do from the water in the ocean. MOst people don't shower with "botellones de agua", they use the water that gets pumped from the street and cisternas.

I heard somewhere that the united states had gifted puerto plata $1mm towards the new sewer project. don't know how true it is, but i'm sure most of that money will be in cayman/swiss bank a/c's before the project even begins.

wow, i really do sound like i'm loosing hope - jeez!:ermm:

Lambada said:

A couple of questions, loosinghope. 1) What is it that makes you feel unsafe? The stealing of electricity or the drug activity? Or are you really telling us that the occupants are a group of law breaking delinquents who have very shady types calling round & there is all manner of crime going down there? 2) Is the property manager (the one with the obvious gun) a foreigner or a Dominican?

You could drop an anonymous letter off to APC (get someone else to deliver) but do the APC have a track record of dealing with these sorts of issues? I'd add to Rocky's advice you could also email the 2 local papers - El Faro or Puerto Plata Digital (latter is online so you could find the address there, former is print & online). PPDigital has a fluent English speaker (send for attention of Xiomara Brugal), El Faro could probably rustle up an English speaker but you might be better writing in Spanish to start with.

Click to expand...

Lambada, thanks for your post, i will try to answer your questions the best i can. what makes me feel unsafe is that they are involved in all types of illegal activity and people like that attract other shady characters, which is why there is always a bunch of people sitting around doing nothing but drinking and loitering. the constant transient traffic adds to my concern that people can easily just get in and out after commiting crimes. it is no secret the these are crimes waiting to happen. there have been various breakins in the area lately. most of the items taken are things that can easily be pawned for some cash. drug addicts will do anything to get hands on cash to buy drugs. (but that's a whole other story)

yes, the property manager is dominican. and yes, he loves to carry his gun around at all time.

as for the paper, not a bad idea, but i'm still scared. i would not want them to know i'm doing this.

and as far as the language, i speak and write fluent spanish so that would not be an issue.

i would drop off a letter at the apc if i knew it would make it to the right hands. i suspect they already know what goes on and they just choose to ignore b/c the people that live there are dominican. if they were foreigners they would have already fined them and set them straight. they can't fine dominicans or do anything else it appears.

I'm starting to think that rocky is right and i should just stay put and not do anything. in an ideal world i could just call the cops and things would be dealt with accordingly - especially in a nice neighborhood. unfortunately, i don't know any politicians, i don't have any connections, and i don't have tons of money to bribe people with so i might just have to grin and bear it.