BREAKING NEWS from JUAN DOLIO!

MommC · Apr 22, 2006

Got an email from Dunhill stating that at approx. 7:30 PM this evening,
Rafael - owner of Il Cappuchino and El Gordo Change bank was shot in the head.
No further news....at this time.
I'm assuming he's dead......

Glad we're outta there and safely back home!!

The gov't needs to get a handle on crime as it's beginning to affect tourism especially among those who journey to the DR year in and year out.

I know several people who wre 'regulars' in juan Dolio who have no plans to come back.

Anyone has any other news please post in this thread!!

mkohn · Apr 22, 2006

Bless his heart.
Besides getting a handle on crime, perhaps they could consider getting a handle on poverty and education.
We don't need people like Rafael to give their lives senslessly.
Or will this be the wake up call?
All my best to his family and friends.
mkohn

uayalceh · Apr 22, 2006

murder in juan dolio

My girlfriend was arriving to her job in the restaurant across the street from the capuchino last night as this was unfolding. I was on the phone when the police and ambulance were arriving. I understand that rafael was well regarded in the community. My girlfriend had worked for him for 6 years and was beside herself.

I was in juan dolio last week and have been there many times and have always thought of it as one of the more tranquil places in the DR. However, between this, and the hold up which happened in one of the restaurants a few months ago I have to reconsider. My girlfriend, I hope will be seeking a job elsewhere.

I have been to the DR 17 times in the last 5 years. I have encountered petty crime and your usual 2 tier pricing. However I was held up at gunpoint last week and was taken for 100 dollars in boca chica. I am very fluent in spanish and can defend myself against anything, except guns and knives.

I have heard anecdotal reports that such violent crime is on the rise with tourist and foreigners as victims. I hope this is not so, as I love the country and the people.

MommC · Apr 22, 2006

Too true!

While we all know that crime happens everywhere in the world it seems that the DR is getting to be more perilous with each passing year.
It is no longer just the large cities where violent crime happens or where robbers lurk in the shadows.
Small towns are increasingly the target of robbers and thiefs and the tourists who were rarely targeted in years gone by are increasing THE target because the perpetrators know they will have money or items of value.
We used to be able to walk anywhere in Juan Dolio safely at any time of the day or night, now we must think twice about where we are going, at what time and how we are going to get there.
Petty crime used to be the norm (necklace/purse snatching) then it became house invasions and car jackings and now it is armed robbery and murder.

uayalceh - I probably know your girlfriend if she's worked in JD for that long and can tell you that there have been more restaurant/bar hold-ups this year than you would care to know about. She needs to find another type of job where she will not be working where there are a lot of tourists gathered in one place! It just isn't safe anymore and in a lot of cases the police are either involved or at the least can do nothing to prevent it from happening, nor do anything to catch those responsible once it does happen.
Only one of the serious crimes in Juan Dolio was 'solved' while we were there and that is because the 'victim' paid several thousand pesos to have the perpetrators brought to justice!

Dios nos protege!

Snuffy · Apr 22, 2006

Ominous turn.......seems lately everything on this board has been about crime. Are these returnees from the states having an impact? If this keeps up and oil continues to climb does the country take a one two punch...tourism and general economy. Is this the other side of a peak? How can such a small country absorb an influx of hardened criminals and return them to their families? It would just seem appropriate they would migrate to tourist areas, where the naive and defenseless can be found.

Be very careful out there.

uayalceh · Apr 22, 2006

thanks for the advise. I will encourage her to do just that.

MrMike · Apr 22, 2006

Snuffy said:
Ominous turn.......seems lately everything on this board has been about crime. Are these returnees from the states having an impact? If this keeps up and oil continues to climb does the country take a one two punch...tourism and general economy. Is this the other side of a peak? How can such a small country absorb an influx of hardened criminals and return them to their families? It would just seem appropriate they would migrate to tourist areas, where the naive and defenseless can be found.

Be very careful out there.

My personal theory is that it is not so much the deportees behind the rise in crime, since they do not have the connections or even an understanding of the lay of the land required to be successful in this kind of criminal enterprise.

I would think more along the lines of people who enjoyed certain privileges in the former administration who are no longer connected the way they used to be, and getting desperate to maintain a lifestyle that is no longer viable given the current political situation.

uayalceh · Apr 22, 2006

We as of yet don't no the particular details or motivation of this particular event.

I personally believe that because of the hard times petty a previously dominican on dominican criminals are graduating to violent and dominican on foreigner crime because of hard times. Que la calle esta dura.

Some police elements may have found that their old shakedowns have dried up or are not paying off as before also.

Hillbilly · Apr 22, 2006

ALL OF THE ABOVE!

A guy was snatched by people porporting to be members of the DNI (Local FBI?

) and they put him in the trunk and he has not been seen since. On the next street over from mine!

In do?a Esperanza's neighborhood, El Ejido, her local colmado owner was opening the place one morning over the weekend and a guy came up and asked to buy a bottle of rum-he stunk of rum- But when the door was open, he pulls a gun and takes all the phone cards and cash!

Be aware. Don't believe anyone who says that there is a complaint out on this vehicle or some other bull schitt story...don't go anywhere with anyone you don't know. Don't believe any phone calls that so-and-so was hurt and needs to see you, Bring Money!

Lots of ways to take your hard earned.

HB

Mirador · Apr 22, 2006

Hillbilly said:
ALL OF THE ABOVE!...

...Be aware. Don't believe anyone who says that there is a complaint out on this vehicle or some other bull schitt story...don't go anywhere with anyone you don't know. Don't believe any phone calls that so-and-so was hurt and needs to see you, Bring Money!
Lots of ways to take your hard earned.

HB

I would also add... be particularly distrustful of persons wearing military- or police-looking uniforms. A few days ago, the car in front of me, at the red stoplight on the corner of Romulo Betancourt Ave. and Defill? Ave., was being shaken down by a feller dressed in black, including cap, holster on his side, pair of handcuffs, etc., all made to look like some sort of police authority. I noticed he was signaling the driver to step out and open his car trunk. At one point the feller looked at the car behind and through the windshield was able to see a person wearing a black beret, aviator glasses, olive-green shirt under a kaki-colored hunter's vest with black trimmings. He immediately fled, crossed to the other side of the street and hid behind a telephone booth.

-

AZB · Apr 22, 2006

I still feel more safer here than in many countries in the globe. If you don't mix in with putas, low life jobless street studs and don't bring home cheap barrio whore and don't live in some callejon in some barrio, then you will cut down your chances of being a victim by 90%. Unexpected trouble can come to anyone but many people also invite trouble. If I will be walking around in a 7 thousand dollar gold watch, I bet you some tigre will be watching my wrist. If I act like some real estate tycoon and flash a huge roll of thousand peso bill in every bar to look important, I bet some one will try to relieve you of this huge roll in your pocket.
I live in a decent neighborhood and stay away from all uneducated tigres and barrio chicas. I keep a low profile and mind my own business in my area. I don't offend people and businesses where I live (unlike someone we know), thus, I have been able to stay away from trouble for 8 years. Once, I was in the wrong area at the wrong time of the night and I got mugged. Looking back in time, I know I could have avoided this situation very easily. I simply didn't follow my own rule. Now I am more carefull and all is fine.
AZB

HOWMAR · Apr 22, 2006

Mirador said:
I would also add... be particularly distrustful of persons wearing military- or police-looking uniforms. A few days ago, the car in front of me, at the red stoplight on the corner of Romulo Betancourt Ave. and Defill? Ave., was being shaken down by a feller dressed in black, including cap, holster on his side, pair of handcuffs, etc., all made to look like some sort of police authority. I noticed he was signaling the driver to step out and open his car trunk. At one point the feller looked at the car behind and through the windshield was able to see a person wearing a black beret, aviator glasses, olive-green shirt under a kaki-colored hunter's vest with black trimmings. He immediately fled, crossed to the other side of the street and hid behind a telephone booth.

-

As you stated that you were in the car behind, you really have to stop intimidating people

Snuffy · Apr 22, 2006

If what appears to be the police try to pull you over...and you are at all suspicious.......drive to the nearest police station....do not stop. Make yourself familiar with where the police stations are.

Don't take anything for granted. Always be watching your back and your sides. When you go to get in your vehicle...look around, stop, listen.

Of course, you don't want to be wearing a lot of gold and strutting down the street.

Snuffy · Apr 22, 2006

Friend of ours went to Carnival in La Vega last year and wore a beautiful and quiet large gold bracelet. There was point where she went through a large group of people bunched together. When she came out on the other side the bracelet was gone. Probably worth $1000USD at the time. Of course...that is just a case of STUPID!

mountainfrog · Apr 22, 2006

Looking at Mirador

Mirador said:
... the car in front of me... by a feller... signaling the driver to step out .... the feller looked at the car behind and... was able to see a person...

who must have been you then...?

m'frog

macocael · Apr 22, 2006

MrMike said:
My personal theory is that it is not so much the deportees behind the rise in crime, since they do not have the connections or even an understanding of the lay of the land required to be successful in this kind of criminal enterprise.

I would think more along the lines of people who enjoyed certain privileges in the former administration who are no longer connected the way they used to be, and getting desperate to maintain a lifestyle that is no longer viable given the current political situation.

MrMike is very right on this one The deportees, some of whom do indeed turn to crime when they are back here, in terms of overall numbers have very little effect and the current spike in crime is more related to the fallout from the outgoing PRD party,which practically issued a carte blanche license to people indulging in corruption and crime.

Ironically, too, development of the infrastructure leads to more crime. Better highways make it easier for crooks from the capital or the outlying barrios to make a quick trip to Juan Dolio or Boca Chica. The guys who robbed those tourists in Las Terrenas were found in the capital eventually if I recall. I know lots of bancas too that are located on the autopista, for example, and they are constantly robbed by guys on mot?s who can make a quick getaway on the highway.

AZB is right, if you take proper precautions you are unlikely to have much trouble here, and relatively speaking the crime is probably low in comparison with other Latin American big cities (Caracas,for example, at the moment is out of control). But I am seeing incidents now daily where I live (gazcue/colonial zone/ciudad nueva), and the increase is undeniable. Despite the precautions one takes, I think that crime is encroaching on places where it was very rare in the past. Moreover it is more violent than in the past. Unfortunately this means that any government crackdown will involve strongarm techniques a la Johnny Abbas's boys, that get out of control and not only abuse people's rights but end up killing lots of innocent people, as has just happened in Santiago and San Francisco de Macoris.

mountainfrog · Apr 22, 2006

Taciturn Gold

Snuffy said:
... and wore a beautiful and quiet large gold bracelet....

Well, why did the thing keep quiet when it was snatched?

m'frog

mountainfrog · Apr 22, 2006

Locals on the Run

macocael said:
... The guys who robbed those tourists in Las Terrenas were found in the capital eventually...

Correct, they were very well known local criminals, however.

m'frog

MommC · Apr 22, 2006

Gotta give a thumbs up to this one!

MrMike said:
My personal theory is that it is not so much the deportees behind the rise in crime, since they do not have the connections or even an understanding of the lay of the land required to be successful in this kind of criminal enterprise.

I would think more along the lines of people who enjoyed certain privileges in the former administration who are no longer connected the way they used to be, and getting desperate to maintain a lifestyle that is no longer viable given the current political situation.

I think you've pegged a big factor in the rise of crime!
Seems the police aren't too interested in doing their jobs and half the time don't even answer the phone!!

AnnaC · Apr 22, 2006

Is this our Rafael that posts here and is good with computers?

Sad, my condolences to the family

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