Is it really that bad in The Dominican Republic now?

[bri777]

Not watching the news anymore
not the same,always something more disturbing everyday lol

I feel bad for these young ones nowadays ,trying to have a good time!

it used to be fistfights,now its gunfights

going to work here in Houston,being held up at gunpoint 3 times in 2 years is not a joke either!
I rather be in Dr looking over the ocean ,having my dog bark and reach for the gun(speargun)lol



there is just no place to let your hair down anymore

Manu

 

[mountainannie]

I do have ties to my country. I am Dominican, and very proud of it...
I am simply not naive enough to think nothing is wrong, when everything else points to the contrary.

Again, I am not dissing your adopted coutry. I am merely stating facts and my opinions. I believe this forum lends itself for it.

ok well yes of course things are bad

look at the population stats and the number of children under twenty and you can see for your self

40% of the families have no fathers

that does not bode will for the young men, now does it?

every barrio has a clube de madres

but all the boys have is .. basebal?

we have too many absent fathers

and too little future

we need boys clubs

like 4 h stuff

and big brothers

i do not see any of it

maybe it is there.. but mostly i see women raising children alone

 

[mountainannie]

It is not often I agree with Chris Colon. And anymore, not often I post here on dr1. However, this time I need to post to make some points and say Chris is right. Reread his post.

I live a quiet life. I never ever go out after dark, even though I live in a gated community. I interact with families, not tourists, and not people here living on the edges or engaging in risky behaviors.

Having said that, I personally know two individuals- one, a 22 year resident of the DR, a family man, a business man, the other, an executive engaged in one of the largest business opportunities brought to the DR in recent years, both of whom spoke to the wrong person at the wrong time.

Each somehow lost 1 1/2 days of their lives, have no memory of the ensuing events and found themselves robbed of all the belongings they last had on their person. We assume they were drugged with what in the US we call the "date rape drug." I am told that it is put on paper and simply wafted towards the individual. That is enough to erase their memory and drug them for at least 24 hours.

I am NOT describing- for you old time dr1'ers- an event from two or three years ago. I am NOT describing individuals who come here as single men or vacationers interested in partying. These events happened within the past month to respectable individuals going about the business during the daylight hours.

There is a price to pay for living in our paradise. Sometimes even worldliness, sensibility, and common sense won't protect you.

Risk, financial and personal, is the price. I love it here on the North Coast of the DR. I will continue to live here. But, I know the dangers and risks. I make my decisions accordingly.

I hope you do, too.

Lindsey

WOW Linday this is SCARY

I have never Heard of such a substance.. EVERY substance that I have heard of which can cause this MUST be ingested.

I will investigate...

Would your friends be willing to talk to the international press (dat be me) on the record? If I cannot get it past my editor in NYC, I would file it on my Blog and with Hoy here in the Capital.

 

[nas]

NYC Dad, we are practically neighbors!

If I had small children, I would have reservations about relocating to DR at the moment.

 

[NALs]

We know about muggings, kidnapping, killings not only through the media, but also through word of mouths (many, many mouths).

Yes, and most of the time almost no one knows the victim.

Something happens to one person and 15,000 people hear about it. All 15,000 think they are in as much danger as that one person that was the victim. Often times people make reference to crimes that were committed in a particular place a long time ago, and they talk about it as if it was the other day.

This reminds me of a lady I once talked to, she insisted that things were horrible. When I asked her why, her response was: porque s?.

WTF?

DR residents who feel safe there, are simply on denial.

It's rather odd you would open a thread with a question for which you had an answer all along. Why ask a question for which you would only accept one type of answer? Doesn't makes sense!

Oh well, in the mean time, may everyone do what the wealthiest are doing in these mean and extremely unsafe Dominican streets.

Look at this, unbelievable people have to resort to this type of lifestyle due to the out of control crime:

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pr5wk1OSSOw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WTV8RqNdQVM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Such a shame that even wealthy people have to drive unremarkable cars, especially at night, in this high crime society.

A sign of the times I guess...

 

[mountainannie]

Living in Whitestone Queens,with three small kids,DR doesn't seem that attractive anymore.I was planning to arrive by next summer,but seeing how things are going down there is making have second thoughts

I would only bring my small kids here if I had $7k a MONTH SURE otherwise I would keep them in QUEENS

BUT you should consider buying land near your ancestors campo... so they will have a heritage

 

[nyc dad]

I would only bring my small kids here if I had $7k a MONTH SURE otherwise I would keep them in QUEENS

BUT you should consider buying land near your ancestors campo... so they will have a heritage

What difference would 7k a month make if you can enjoy it,when you gotta be indoors before it gets dark?

 

[mountainannie]

What difference would 7k a month make if you can enjoy it,when you gotta be indoors before it gets dark?

Well I do not have to be indoors before it is dark

I call Apolo Taxi and go everywhere I want

I walk in my neighborhood to five or six of the best restuarants in the city

I go out to the Theater or Concerts as often as I please.

Chris stays in

I do not

I do not go WALKING about at night

outside of my 7 block radius.. which bounded as it is by the Melia, and the Jaragua, and the PLD HQ is about as heavily patrolled and safe an area as exists in SD.

And there are other neighborhoods which are equally safe and secure.

You drive..

And you take your children to their events etc etc

But in order to EDUCATE your chilldren properlly here you must pay for the BEST schools.. and there are only a handful.

AND you must live in the BEST neighborhoods... Mine is great but does not have the best high school.

so you have to pick...

and you CANNOT run out of money..

Not if you are pulling your kids out of a decent public school system,.

 

[nas]

Yes, and most of the time almost no one knows the victim.

Something happens to one person and 15,000 people hear about it. All 15,000 think they are in as much danger as that one person that was the victim. Often times people make reference to crimes that were committed in a particular place a long time ago, and they talk about it as if it was the other day.

This reminds me of a lady I once talked to, she insisted that things were horrible. When I asked her why, her response was: porque s?.

WTF?


It's rather odd you would open a thread with a question for which you had an answer all along. Why ask a question for which you would only accept one type of answer? Doesn't makes sense!

Oh well, in the mean time, may everyone do what the wealthiest are doing in these mean and extremely unsafe Dominican streets.

Look at this, unbelievable people have to resort to this type of lifestyle due to the out of control crime:

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pr5wk1OSSOw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WTV8RqNdQVM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Such a shame that even wealthy people have to drive unremarkable cars, especially at night, in this high crime society.

A sign of the times I guess...

NALs, As interesting as this thread is, I did not open it.
Although I am not currently living there, I have many families and friends there. I also do visit frequently.

I am having problems understanding why opinions and views are taken as personal attacks...
I am not affiliated to the press. I am neither hyping anything nor trying to disrupt nobody's comfort level.

I had two family members carjacked. Later they were both released unharmed.
I had an uncle mugged
I had a cousin mugged and almost raped
A few other cousins lost their cell phones while making calls.

When I am there visiting the family, before the sun sets, they tell me to go home.

I have a nephew in the NPD, who tells me it is time to go home... they (the police) is making rades ....

Whenever I am about to pay for something.... I am told not to take the money out like that ....

So, I have lived this....

 

[Acira]

Walking in the dark is not something we do here either, at least not in our neighborhood with some wacko 'guard' dogs running loose on the street.
Although reluctant to drive in the dark due to reasons explained by my partner, we do it anyway but its actually not a bad idea from you MA...maybe in the future we will take a taxi more often then drive ourselves.

 

[bob saunders]

ok well yes of course things are bad

look at the population stats and the number of children under twenty and you can see for your self

40% of the families have no fathers

that does not bode will for the young men, now does it?

every barrio has a clube de madres

but all the boys have is .. basebal?

we have too many absent fathers

and too little future

we need boys clubs

like 4 h stuff

and big brothers

i do not see any of it

maybe it is there.. but mostly i see women raising children alone

True, but here in Jarabacoa the Catholic school has great big fields with soccer and baseball leagues. Basketball and volleyball are also alive and well. Street ball is of course everywhere.

 

[NALs]

NALs, As interesting as this thread is, I did not open it.

Sorry for that confusion.

Although I am not currently living there, I have many families and friends there. I also do visit frequently.

I am having problems understanding why opinions and views are taken as personal attacks...
I am not affiliated to the press. I am neither hyping anything nor trying to disrupt nobody's comfort level.

I had two family members carjacked. Later they were both released unharmed.
I had an uncle mugged
I had a cousin mugged and almost raped
A few other cousins lost their cell phones while making calls.

When I am there visiting the family, before the sun sets, they tell me to go home.

I have a nephew in the NPD, who tells me it is time to go home... they (the police) is making rades ....

Whenever I am about to pay for something.... I am told not to take the money out like that ....

So, I have lived this....

I think your family has been unlucky and, as a result, are paranoid.

I have an extensive family that lives scattered and except for one woman who was mugged in 2006 in Santiago, nothing else has happened to anyone I know, not even to friends or acquaintances.

Sure, everyone knows of someone that knows of someone that knows of someone that was a victim of crime, but that's not reliable. There are a few paranoid ones that fear being a victim of crime but don't think twice about getting in a car to go somewhere (with the high accident rates here, people should be extremely afraid of being on the roads.)

Of course, as far as I know, no one related to me (nor myself) mix with people of dubious backgrounds nor do we go into poor neighborhoods. That probably does makes a difference.

 

[Anastacio]

I feel bad for these young ones nowadays ,trying to have a good time!

Manu

Interesting, I feel for the older generations having to witness the world around them turning into such a violent and unpleasant place. Young ones grow up around it, they are a part of it, learn to live in it and accept it as just how life is, they know no different. To have to see the world around you change so drastically in such a relatively short period must be depressing, mind blowing, very sad.

 

[TomSimpson]

I usually keep abreast of what's going on in Santo Domingo from the states,but it seems that now more than before,all you see in the news is this wave of crime,that gets worst by the day.I was down there back in june this year,and never at any time felt unsafe.I used to think that Santiago and Bani were relatively safe,but now all you heard about it's how some international drug cartels are trying to set base in Santiago and,recently in Bani,three minors were injured on their way to school secondary to a rival gangs shoot out.It's hard for me to imagine this crime wave spreading to places like Naco,Piantini,Gazcue,etcetera,but then again,I'm not down there like some of you guys.Common sense dictates that,most crimes would occur at the barrio level regardless of where in the world you are.So with that said,how bad is it really? The media tends to over exaggerate sometimes.The say the same thing about Caracas,I was there not too long ago and it wasn't half as bad as they made it seem or sound.Sometimes I feel that these statements are made by some guy that has never been out of his Lil cubicle and just typing away and making those statements based on figures and charts

The crime picture is very serious now. Try to stay away from tourists areas - Sosua, BC, Cabarete, Bavaro, Santo Domingo. In campo there is less crime. Do not get too close with Dominicans so that they would visit your home. You NEVER KNOW who is your current visitor and what he has in mind.

 

[Africaida]

Somehow I feel sad for some of the posters here. They claim they live in paradise, but they do not risk to leave their gated community after dark. They apparently do not even risk to walk around their gated communities after dark.

I wonder why. I do not live in a gated community, I interact with the locals, and I never had a problem... Mind you, I do not drive a hummer. I do not like driving in the dark here, but for the reason it is simply madness to do so. Moto's without lights, people dancing on the streets in the dark, cars parked where they should not be... etc...

I would love to go to some of the local carwash discos here... but I would have to drive there...

Honestly, some of the posts makes me wonder ....

There is a 8 pm curfew, you have to live with security and even an innocent looking piece of paper could lead to being found naked a few days later !!!! Shoot, I am glad Dr is just a vacation spot because it sounds like a boring and dangerous place.

 

[Chip]

and even an innocent looking piece of paper could lead to being found naked a few days later !!!!

Honestly, that sounds really suspicious. After all wouldn't the paper have the same effect on the one who is using it? Of course it would. More than likely this guy was slipped something in his drink. Word to the wise, don't drink with strangers.

While I generally don't go out at night like in the States, we do on occasion travel across town from a family member's house or come back from the movies lat with little problem. Just like in the States you need to learn which areas not to go into at night. Finally I think it is telling that here it is very common to see students getting out of class even at 10pm at night and wandering around the streets.

 

[Anastacio]

Do not get too close with Dominicans so that they would visit your home. You NEVER KNOW who is your current visitor and what he has in mind.

Well,,,,, I do, we have very good respectable friends who visit our home every day, baby sit as we do for them (in our home while we are out). You really need to change your friends or your taste in company if this is how paranoid you are about friends visiting your home.

 

[Anastacio]

Honestly, some of the posts makes me wonder ....

There is a 8 pm curfew, you have to live with security and even an innocent looking piece of paper could lead to being found naked a few days later !!!! Shoot, I am glad Dr is just a vacation spot because it sounds like a boring and dangerous place.

You know better than that, people are terrible worriers on here sometimes. I still really believe if you carry yourself with confidence and a sound mind then you are unlikely to get into strife.
I was drugged in Barcelona several years ago while sat outside the train station early morning. I got chatting to a guy and we ended up having a cigarette, I remember him offering me the cigarette lighting it and then waking up with all my belongings gone. It is anywhere, but I have always said Spain is 10 times more dangerous than anywhere I know here, following close behind London and Manchester.

 

[ccarabella]

Whenever we visit we are constantly warned about the dangers.
We have never been victims of (true) crime but rather our fair share of what I would best describe as a few injustices.
Sadly though, just last week in Moca, my best friends grandparents (102 & 98 years old!) along with the maid were robbed, beaten and tied inside their home. The neighbors called police several times as they heard the commotion and were told that they could not find the keys to the jeep. The grand daughter drove over to the Palace and picked up two cops. A few minutes later two of the robbers were shot and killed and one is still at large.All three are recovering and very scared.
I know times are tough but this is only the beginning of what is to come. The combination of corrupt government, lack of education, single mothers, poor family values and all this self destruction in the general population is just the right mixture for the perfect storm. How do you think it started elsewhere?
It's disheartening to hear these stories along with the many stories posted here about people being taken advantage of by lovers, attorneys, doctors and others from all walks of life. Yes, it happens everywhere but with the frequency seen here it makes you think twice about ever returning.
The thought of never returning has crossed my mind more than once and I ache for the place that once made me so happy and is part of what I am today.
There is no Utopia but for now I'll stick to my boring suburban McMansions, PTA, soccer moms, malls & chain restaurants.

 

[pelaut]

It's election year. The opposition has to promote a crime wave due to the incumbents, the incumbents promote it too so they can "solve it" just in time. Crime waves in the DR have a 4 year cycle ? though the move of the drug bridge from Col-Haiti-US to Ven-DR-US makes the peaks higher.

You want a crazy crime wave, wait for 2013-2014 when the longest solar minimum in recorded history ends with a wallop.