Anyone scared to death, planning to leave?

[carina]

And where have you got the information from that everyone on DR1 lives in a country club or gated community? What a piece of crap.
I live here, and also have many friends of DR1, many of the oldies and regulars. None of them live in a country club or gated community.

 

[planner]

THanks NewUser. I've observed that many of the sellers of tours, excursions etc like to promote a sense of fear. Don't leave the hotel complex it isn't safe........unless of course you buy my excursion!!!

That being said, I have HUGE respect for those individuals who offer great tours, at good prices, do a great job and don't need to fearmonger to do it!

 

[RHM]

Or maybe even gated communities:ermm: I can only think that Dominicans in the island have become so use to there conditions that the minority there, hear no evil, nor see no evil....people down there are obsessed with los ladrones, y atracadores...and if you walk around or act as if everything is normal, the locals will constantly remind you...and oh! those iron bars, and one ton garage doors, glass filled block walls and bob-wire all around the homes is not a constant reminder, then try and focus on all those folks who walk around with those un-concealed loaded guns in the front of there pants, or is that just normal cultural behavior....if that is not a clear and cut sign of a crime issue then what do think it is! "Don't you think":ermm: sociaty there is paranoid and terrified of becoming robbed or mugged on a consistant basis...I believe D.R. can be a low crime island if the police were more visual and legitamently respected!....till then.. D.R. has major crime issues for such a small island!

P.S. for those of you again..who make constant comparisions to the U.S.
remember this country must handle other countries misfits like:
1. Italian mafias
2. Russian mafias
3. Chinese mafias
4. Local terrorist cells
5. Mexican drug lords
6. Mexican Gangs
7. Puerto Rican gangs
8. Dominican Drug lords
9. Jamaican Drug lords
10. African American gangs
11. Colombian dealers
12. Cuban Dealers
Ironically Haitians haven't met this nations high crimes list yet..Hymmm!
but if they had criminals, the country would have to deal with them too.:ermm:

Nice list. Hi, I'm earth. Have we met?

And what the hell is "bob-wire"?

Scandall

 

[aegap]

African American gangs?

 

[Dragonfly32837]

The round wires with spikes that people curl up on top of the walls surrounding their property in order to avoid people climbing over.

 

[MrMike]

The round wires with spikes that people curl up on top of the walls surrounding their property in order to avoid people climbing over.

I think you mean "barbed-wire" (cause it has barbs.)

Now if you want bob-wire, either take some wire and bob it up and down, or else get ahold of Bob, and stick him on a wire.

Unfortunately though you just describe razor wire, not barbed wire.

 

[RHM]

I think you mean "barbed-wire" (cause it has barbs.)

Now if you want bob-wire, either take some wire and bob it up and down, or else get ahold of Bob, and stick him on a wire.

Unfortunately though you just describe razor wire, not barbed wire.

Thank you , MrMike. I didn't have the energy.

Scandall

 

[rafael]

I have never been the victum of a crime in the DR nor have I ever felt threatened. Neither have my friends who have lived there much longer than I.

I walk to streets at night in SD and never feel threatened. Then again, I stay in good neighborhoods.

There is crime in the DR just like anywhere else. Like AZB said, "you look for crime, you find crime."

Larry

Larry if I'm not mistaken. . . .you stay in Gazcue? First of all we have to hang out as I usually hang out in the Gazcue are. . . . lol. . .

Second. . .2 foreigners I know got robbed at gunpoint on the corner of Danae and Independencia just a few hundred feet from Milagros apt that has heavily armed military guards.

They were walking in the street and two motos pulled up from behind and stopped in front of them in a "V" shape which stopped them from continuing forward.

There were two guys on each bike and the guys on the back both jumped off brandishing pistols demanding money, jewelry and cell phones.

Now that is the only incident like that I have heard of in 8 years of travel to SDQ, so I am not too worried, but even my Dominican buddies in Gazcue tell me not to walk around alone at night. I still do but am certainly more alert to my surroundings etc. . . . .

So as others have pointed out, there is an increase but overall it is still a pretty safe country.

 

[bienamor]

I don't know

I think you mean "barbed-wire" (cause it has barbs.)

Now if you want bob-wire, either take some wire and bob it up and down, or else get ahold of Bob, and stick him on a wire.

Unfortunately though you just describe razor wire, not barbed wire.

If yuall from the mid-west bob wire works jis fine.

 

[RHM]

If yuall from the mid-west bob wire works jis fine.

Bob wire? Isn't that what holds together the Lazy Susan? Or does it hold up yer Daisy Dukes?

Scandall

 

[MrMike]

If yuall from the mid-west bob wire works jis fine.

But you aren't, or else you would use the following spellings: Y'all (your usage of it is wrong anyway, it's a slang English equivelant for "ustedes" since the death of old English robbed us of a plural second-person pronoun, which the Spanish language retains)

"Midwest" without the hyphen, and capitalized since it's a proper noun,

And even if you couldn't spell barbed wire, you wouldn't confuse it with razor wire. Barbed wire is for keeping cattle in, razor wire is for keeping humans in.

As for "jis" I think the salt time I saw that was in a series of children's books about the old south that has been discontinued because they were deemed racist.

 

[Piso Mojado]

Prozac for Mr. Mike? Geez, lighten up. This is the salt time I'm going to tell you.

Oh, and by the way, Bob Wire is that dude from the Grateful Dead. Very talented.

Cuidado...

 

[MrMike]

Prozac for Mr. Mike? Geez, lighten up. This is the salt time I'm going to tell you.

Oh, and by the way, Bob Wire is that dude from the Grateful Dead. Very talented.

Cuidado...

Salt time... does that come before or after pepper time?

Lighten up yourself, you think I actually care about how people spell things? I am the spelling nazi for today, just doing my job. Better dust of that dictionary, I think it's your shift tomorrow.

 

[RHM]

Just don't come during a Holiday...

Holiday Toll
Final reports indicate that an unofficial total of 35 people lost their lives in accidents or violence over the New Year's weekend. Reports carried in Diario Libre say that the National Emergency Commission (CNE) reported 35 deaths and 462 injuries over the weekend. The sad breakdown of the deaths revealed 32 traffic fatalities, and three due to alcohol poisoning. There were also 26 victims of "stray bullets" - as a result of people discharging weapons into the air -and four of these victims perished. In one case, the chief of Police, Bernardo Santana Paez, happened upon two of his officers firing their weapons in the air. Both were arrested and later dismissed from the force, according to El Caribe. The police chief was visiting different police stations around the city over the weekend. According to Hoy, the city's public hospitals were "overrun" with emergency cases resulting from traffic accidents, firearms, knives, drunkenness, stones, fistfights and fireworks.

Sad and embarrassing....or sadly embarrassing...you decide

Scandall

 

[laurapasinifan]

well I have posted on what I have been informed of and what I have actually seen before. I got railed upon!. some people dont want to hear anything bad about their country, and if you come with anything bad to say they just attack YOU. But the truth is " it really depends on where and WHEN you frequent an area." I think it used to be that the police really cracked down on crime against tourist. But it also seems that where the easy money is these days. Last month a friend who lives there and has a jog with the goverment, rented a car in La vega and drove to the capitol on buisness, instead of driving his own car. It had lettering or stickers on it that indentified it as a rental car. On rte 1 four guys in an SUV shot out his front tire, to stop his car. he has a psitol permit, and a shootout ensued. One of the guys in the SUV was killed and two others were wounded, before it ended. It turned out of the four three were off duty police officers, that had been making a habit of robbing on the road. They were targeting rental cars!!!!!! I guess the police dont pay very well!.....now how many will post that what i saw is BS? I expect it. they have their head in the sand. I am careful when I drive around. I use credit cards as much as possible, so if I am robbed I dont loose much. I dont have a means to carry an weapon while there, I say take the car, take the wallet. I go out late at night, and make the drive from the Moca area to Santiago alot. A few times there has been wide spread road blockages. I also posted that two men shot a shotgun blast over the top of my vehicle in an effort to force me to stop. Since they had bandanas over their face I took the risk of assuming they were not going to be friendly.

But in the end I think if you live there long enough and drive around a lot, especially after dark , the time will come when you are the victim of some from of crime. Many here may not go out after dark, or go far from their home if they do...thus they run very little risk. But if you are used to just going someplace in america any time you want...theat may change if you moved to the DR. You may think more about what time and where you plan to go.

I really think the issue of dominican ex cons coming back into the population is very bad. they have little chance of getting a job, THEY DONT WANT A JOB!!! they have an attitude, they have experience, they may not kill, because i think the dominican police dont give miranda warnings, and sometimes are the judge and jury for certain crimes.....but they will rob and steal when ever they see a good chance.

that said i watched the news a few days ago about a general( or officer) being killed. they showed several people that had been shot, and a funeral, and interviewed the wife and the wifes mother. Who was that? and what were the cercumstances of it?

bob

 

[Campesina]

Victim in DR

I have been a "lurker" for years on this forum, but this is such an important topic I am compelled to post my first reply.

I came to the Dominican Republic because I dearly loved the peace and solitude the mountainous countryside offered. I enjoyed many years of friendly Dominican hospitality. Suddenly, and without warning, things changed. I was the victim of a home invasion. It was half an hour of the worst terror one could ever imagine.

Could I have been better prepared? Of course. There are always extra precautions one can take, but the most important thing is to not dwell on what I could have done, and concentrate on what I will do from now on.

Am I going to leave the country? NO WAY! This is my home. I have a network of wonderful friends who have given me the strength to move forward, not dwell on the past.

Yes, violent crime happens everywhere...not just the Dominican Republic. I still love it here. The majority of people, like everywhere else, are good, happy, respectable people.

I will use this opportunity to caution others to stay alert and know your surroundings. Network with local expats and listen to their suggestions and advise. Above all, enjoy the beauty of this interesting island and don't ever turn tail and run. I plan to be here a long, long time.

 

[greggarage@hotmail.com]

There Has Always Been Crime Here In The Dom Rep, I've Been Here For 14 Years , And I Would Not Say It Getting Worse By The Day But The News Is Getting More And More Info, The News Reporters Are More Than 500% Bigger Than They Were, The Police Are Giving More Info Out Than They Used To,the Media Are Hearing More Now Due To More And Better Dom Tv Stations ,local Radio Stations. You Hear More Than You Used To That All. If Anything 4 Years Ago Was A Hell Lot Worse Than Today

 

[Larry]

I have been a "lurker" for years on this forum, but this is such an important topic I am compelled to post my first reply.

I came to the Dominican Republic because I dearly loved the peace and solitude the mountainous countryside offered. I enjoyed many years of friendly Dominican hospitality. Suddenly, and without warning, things changed. I was the victim of a home invasion. It was half an hour of the worst terror one could ever imagine.

Could I have been better prepared? Of course. There are always extra precautions one can take, but the most important thing is to not dwell on what I could have done, and concentrate on what I will do from now on.

Am I going to leave the country? NO WAY! This is my home. I have a network of wonderful friends who have given me the strength to move forward, not dwell on the past.

Yes, violent crime happens everywhere...not just the Dominican Republic. I still love it here. The majority of people, like everywhere else, are good, happy, respectable people.

I will use this opportunity to caution others to stay alert and know your surroundings. Network with local expats and listen to their suggestions and advise. Above all, enjoy the beauty of this interesting island and don't ever turn tail and run. I plan to be here a long, long time.

Great post campesina. I am happy to hear you are doing well.

Larry

 

[daddy1]

And where have you got the information from that everyone on DR1 lives in a country club or gated community? What a piece of crap.
I live here, and also have many friends of DR1, many of the oldies and regulars. None of them live in a country club or gated community.

I can't believe you took that comment literally Carina:ermm: it's just when some new posters bring up certain real issues I wonder which D.R. due some of these dudes live in, that's like asking me if the city of Compton in Los Angeles is a violent city, and I say Nah...just watch where you go at night:ermm: by denying and coming to terms with a lifestyle does not mean it O.K. some people need to keep things real around here that's all!

 

[daddy1]

Thank you , MrMike. I didn't have the energy.

Scandall

Yeay I spilled they ward wroang, tanks fur currectin me Myike, I giss tha onlie thin Missa Scandel cane say to ma is tah I mispeled bubwire...wow wha a debatter!!

Oh! my God... what would he say about my spelling next!:cross-eye

No...NO...wait I got one you can't spell...

Supercallafragiolisticespialladocious!:surprised