A lot of businesses closed in Sosua

[jd426]

Oh my, has this thread been busy. I have a few things I would like to add but unfortunately very little time.

Suffice to say, apart from the incessant speculation as to Sos?a's future, there are a few inaccurate representations being posted regarding the closing of certain businesses, the "new" hours of operation and certain laws.

But since this seems to be somehow addressed to me . . .





Obviously they didn't do good yesterday, they were closed. What is your point?

I think his very valid Point is that although your Connections and Info are pretty SOLID.
even YOU do not have a Crystal ball, nor can predict what will happen next week or the week after that.
This bar went from doing so good, to being Shut down.
Do your connections have any idea why they were shut down, and WHEN they may be Re Opening ?
And we all know why we are asking this question..

We Suspected this exact bar would be targeted again, Unjustly, and the suspicions came true.
just a lot faster than expected.
What is your prediction based on your connections.

 

[windeguy]

Good points made about something as simple but lacking as running water in much of Sosua.

The world has a vast population. An ageing one with needs of options for retirement options outside of Florida for US Citizens.

I doubt the powers that be have enough foresight to have that in mind for Sosua, but you never know, it could continue as it has slowly been happening on other streets besides Pedro Clisante.

 

[windeguy]

i agree with you, one hundred percent. i fail to understand why some folks don?t just stay where they come from.

I hated where I was originally from (NY State). If I had triple the amount of money at the time of the tech bust, I could have remained and retired in place in California. The DR was a less expensive alternative that allowed me to retire at the age of 48. At the time I arrived in the DR, I never would have considered Sosua because of its reputation as portrayed on the Internet.

But wait, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO CHANGE....!!!

What a concept.

 

[Garyexpat]

With Rumba's closure, does anyone know where a person can watch the UFC fights tonight in Sosua?

 

[Lobo Tropical]

I don't agree with you. How can you only target one town and enforce the by-law? Yet, 10 miles down the road is Cabarete, not affected. Double standards and unfair play.

And anyone who knows his way around Cabarete knows where the prostitues in Cabarete are.

 

[Lobo Tropical]

They will enforce the law as it exists. If they identify a business in Cabarete that caters to the whore monger crowd, they could do the same thing they are doing to Sosua businesses. If they find the business in Cabarete (or anywhere else for that matter) is not a problem with regards to prostitution, they will allow them to keep their exemption the let them remain open late.

That is according to the law that was posted above, so while it may be a mental double standard, it is not a legal double standard. Sosua and as reported above, other select areas of the DR, that cater to prostitutes are facing such restrictions.

Surely you are aware that Cabarete is included as one of the select areas.
Cabarete has been identified several times by the government in the past as an area of prostitution, catering to foreigners.

 

[Lobo Tropical]

Not troubled is right.... keeping up appearances

The majority of Dominicans think Sosua is uninhabitable as it is. They will not be troubled by this.

Yes,
The Dominican sophisticated country club crowd knows exactly where to find their crumpet, in Punta Cana or elsewhere. Most convenient will be the apartment rental right in Santo Domingo, less travel.
Their wives know well what the husbands are up to.
There is the public puritan face, then the private Dominican life style by men and women alike.
No-one is fooled by the pretence.

 

[Harleysrock]

With Rumba's closure, does anyone know where a person can watch the UFC fights tonight in Sosua?

Fraggle Rock usually shows it, I am sure they will tonight as well.

 

[Seamonkey]

The majority of Dominicans think Sosua is uninhabitable as it is. They will not be troubled by this.

This is absolutely true. The people in Santo Domingo look at the people living in Sosua as wild uneducated people. Like what we in North America call Indians which live on reserves. This is how we are portrayed here on the north coast.

 

[windeguy]

Surely you are aware that Cabarete is included as one of the select areas.
Cabarete has been identified several times by the government in the past as an area of prostitution, catering to foreigners.

Surely. All it takes is for the Police to decide upon which places to restrict their hours wherever there is a tourist area identified by the Minister of Tourism in the DR.

If that ever happens, it won't make nearly the rumble as to what is going on in Sosua. That is because Cabarete is not thought of in the same way as Sosua by Dominicans.

 

[windeguy]

Yes,
The Dominican sophisticated country club crowd knows exactly where to find their crumpet, in Punta Cana or elsewhere. Most convenient will be the apartment rental right in Santo Domingo, less travel.
Their wives know well what the husbands are up to.
There is the public puritan face, then the private Dominican life style by men and women alike.
No-one is fooled by the pretence.

Correct. But there is a big difference in that the prostitution in Sosua is very public and draws a bad reputation to the entire country. It makes no difference how much hypocrisy is at work here.

 

[NY-DR Commuter]

I think his very valid Point is that although your Connections and Info are pretty SOLID.
even YOU do not have a Crystal ball, nor can predict what will happen next week or the week after that.
This bar went from doing so good, to being Shut down.

I don't claim to have a Crystal ball or to be able to predict the future of any individual establishments on Pedro Clisante. Someone asked how was Rumba doing and if the owner Bobby was coming back. I just reported what I knew, Rumba was doing well and for now, Bobby was not coming back. Nothing more, nothing less. And certainly no inference about the future.

I made certain assertions that some changes were coming to Sos?a soon. I mentioned that the incident involving the filming of the scantily clad "model" in front of "La Roca" a couple of weeks ago was in my opinion the tipping point for Sos?a.

On July 5 I posted this in post #187:

Pedro Clisante WILL AGAIN BE CLOSED to vehicular traffic in the evenings. When it will actually be implemented and what days and hours, I don't know. But it will be closed at some point.

There is discussion of regulating the hours of operation of the businesses on PC. Again, nothing has been finalized. Part of the problem is how certain businesses will be categorized. Whether they will be designated as a "bar", "disco" or "restaurant" will determine their opening and closing times.

Two days later CESTUR came in and told all businesses that their closing times were now to be 12:00am weekdays, 2:00am weekends.

The following evening Pedro Clisante was closed once again to vehicular traffic.

Do your connections have any idea why they were shut down, and WHEN they may be Re Opening ?
And we all know why we are asking this question..

We Suspected this exact bar would be targeted again, Unjustly, and the suspicions came true.
just a lot faster than expected.
What is your prediction based on your connections.

Rumba was shut down because they did not have a license to serve alcoholic beverages.

As far as when it might be re-opening? as of now I have no idea, I have not spoken to either Bobby, Freddy or Ruben.

 

[Garyexpat]

Thanks Harley!!

 

[Manzana]

I'd like to clear up on what is happening in Sosua.

In 2006 Lionel Fernandez, the president at that time, pasted a by-law stating that alcohol cannot be sold after midnight Sunday-Thursday and after 2am Fridays and Saturdays. This is a national law. It was never really enforced. Yesterday, a copy of the law was passed around to all restaurants and bars in Sosua. Owners were verbally told that the law was now going to be enforced. It seems that those bars such as Las Flores, Rumba, Hermans and Rancho Tipico were closed down this morning because they did not stop selling alcohol at midnight.

So, here's the thing. Tourist areas are excluded from the law and are allowed to sell until 3:30am. What the authorities are doing is illegal and will have to be challenged in court. The authorities have only target Sosua at this point. Cabarete is not affected. However, my sources in Santo Domingo are telling me that this is the start of a National crack down because of the increase in crime, prostitution and drugs and also that the news channels are reporting on it today.

The bright side??? it's low season. It will be interesting to see how long this is enforced.

I seem to recall it being enforced back in 2006 in Sosua and elsewhere pretty much like reports now, erratically. There were gradual exceptions and loosening. After the Great Recession started when everybody had other things to worry about it seems to have been forgotten.

My exposure to the North Coast only goes back about 15 years but back in 2001 there had been a similar crack down on prostitution and hopes of a new reputation as a family tourist destination. This seems like a pretty well established cycle.

 

[Wrx2005]

I have a question/concern, if any one cares to offer some insight or feedback on. Most of the chatter in these forums is regarding closures, business curfews, and prostitution. What I do not understand, is why arent the authorities doing anything about the children that are out and about in Sosua day and night? If the powers that be care so much about the image of Sosua, then what are they doing about the children, that should be home and off the street? Some of those kids hang out in the streets later than adults. And yet its mostly women that are the focus and getting picked up by police..

It would make a whole lotta sense to do something about getting those kids off the street. IMO seeing those kids is more of a disgust and an eyesore than women out in the street.

 

[ramesses]

What they think is they want to get rid of prostitution, or reduce it to a minimum. Whatever else happens is not part of the thought process.

Dominican men are involved with these girls as much or more than the tourists. This is government pandering to certain interests....it's about lining pockets, it always is.

 

[ramesses]

I think we need to batten down the hatches....crime is going to increase.

 

[Lobo Tropical]

Clean it up.......good to go

Correct. But there is a big difference in that the prostitution in Sosua is very public and draws a bad reputation to the entire country. It makes no difference how much hypocrisy is at work here.

I stay in Sosua because I like the feeling of a small beach town, where everything is in walking distance.

Less in your face prostitution in Sosua is just fine. The closing hours don't affect me as I'm not out past 12PM.
It would be nice if the municipality could have decent street lighting, sidewalks, electricity, potable tap water and competent policing.
Tourism in Sosua has always has been a low end, to at best middle class destination.
If I desire more sophistication I know where to go.
Ultimately Sosua is Dominican and Dominicans need to make a living, have access to decent education and medical care. Public safety and trustworthy policing for Dominicans is a dream. These are the necessities that have not been met by gov.do, regardless of the political noise.
The small percentage of gringos and their concerns are not high on the list of priorities of the politicos.
Personal interest and financial gain is the game.

 

[wrecksum]

I have a question/concern, if any one cares to offer some insight or feedback on. Most of the chatter in these forums is regarding closures, business curfews, and prostitution. What I do not understand, is why arent the authorities doing anything about the children that are out and about in Sosua day and night? If the powers that be care so much about the image of Sosua, then what are they doing about the children, that should be home and off the street? Some of those kids hang out in the streets later than adults. And yet its mostly women that are the focus and getting picked up by police..

It would make a whole lotta sense to do something about getting those kids off the street. IMO seeing those kids is more of a disgust and an eyesore than women out in the street.

If you have decided to live here,which is not apparent from your posts, then you must be able to adjust to the local culture.
For Dominicans as far as I know,children are not out of sight and out of mind or poor fragile things to be shielded and protected from the realities of life.

This is not their way.
Kids go out with the parents, walk the streets to school or baseball,ride bikes and are just like I was 50 odd years ago in Europe.
Dominicans are some of the best parents I have seen, not always as a nuclear togetherness unit but the attitude to kids is fantastic and I would have loved to have grown up in such an environment.
If you mean the few kids that pull wheelies on their bikes for a couple of pesos or run and get a packet of cigs for the gringo and get a candy it's hardly a kindergeddon for them.

I am leaving out child sex etc..
I shall leave that to the Catholic priests in "civilization"

 

[CristoRey]

Crime, late drinking, drugs, delinquency and prostitution are under the spotlight like never before I suspect.
Sosua folks who want their mongering can thank the recent Canadian porno shoot for their spotlight.

Lets not forget the first prostitute-turned deputy has been receiving a lot of
attention in national media as well.
http://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/...d-deputy-makes-Dominican-history-starting-Aug