Robbery experience

[mountainfrog]

No Problem

...I believe the statement about the expats becoming rascists is an exaggeration, to say the least. People vent frustration here at this forum becasue they can't do it at the "water fountain" at work.

The opposite may be true.
Nobody would want to out himself as a racist on a message board really (not even with a nick name).
And:
I did not refer to the members of this board either...

On the subject of 'board discipline' I agree.
It is, of course, up to the owners and their moderators to follow a certain policy.
So do I with my board (German) and I am happy that I do not have to please advertisers or business owners.
But then everybody to its own.

m'frog

 

[zak023]

#1--> QUIT SMOKING!
#2--> Get a yappy dog, like a chihuahua or a Cocker or a Dalmation.
#3--> Unless you are very militarily trained, avoid a weapon. I can't see you sleeping with a .380 Auto strapped to your groin and shooting up through the sheets...

What happened was horrible, and leads many to just say "Shoot 'em all!" (Haitians)...

Precaution is the key word.

Veering slightly off topic, we (you and me) were warned about an increase in crime when the Free Zones started closing factories and throwing thousands into the streets.

HB

Good Recommendations HB..especially #1 which was the cause of the OP's problem..The other 2 are a must as I have these measures in place..Especially where I am in the Deep SW..Or the Last Frontier as some like to call it...

 

[Chris]

Thanks all for getting back on track!

 

[vince1956]

I close crime threads when they have nothing to do with DR1 and the DR1 community. And then for all the normal reasons, like off track, non-DR related like we're seeing this thread developing fast and insults amongst the posters. Same reasons as every other thread. The last thing I want to see the living forum develop into, is one whining space for world crime .... I've worked too hard on this forum to see this happen. If your case is germane to a thread and makes sense, it stays. If not, it goes.

Funny, I just realized how, in all my years on DR1, some posters only register and post when they have a crime to report. In all the other years, we hear or see nothing, and then hey bingo .. a crime, so we cry all over DR1. But we never hear the good things from many of those posters. And there are many more good things than bad things.

(Yes, moderators do get cynical over time ...)

Having said that, I do believe that the DR1 is a good place to talk realistically about crime - crime in the DR that affects DR1 members. In fact, crime was a no-no until I opened up the subject on this board - and moderated the first threads heavily, to keep them within bounds. And those that want to tell us about crime in NY or Berlin or Ottowa or Tokyo or Madrid or Beijing or where-ever can find another board.

And the funny thing is Robert may have a shorter and a much more brutal answer than me. A lot of hard work goes into keeping the DR1 forums free of spam and advertising, and keeping the threads to a high standard and mostly interesting. We aim to keep it that way. If that means that some crime threads, or other threads get closed or deleted, so be it. There always is a good reason for that. For all of your information, and to answer Vince, I would rather have a prepared tourist that a dummy tourist. (I'd also rather have a rich tourist that a poor fellow .. but that's another thread!)

Stay on topic ... Talk about the DR, NY does not count, don't insult others and basically all posts are allowed to wander and meander along as they develop.

thank you for your answer chris

 

[ludwik]

I am truly sorry for what happenned to you and I know how it feels.
I have lived in my neighborhood for almost 40 years and was never mugged or assaulted. Until two years ago- when coming back from my disabled brother across the street I was held up at gunpoint inside my building's elevator. I gave them everything, but that was not enough, they decided to waste me cauz' they claimed I saw their faces. They told me to turn around and were going to execute me. All I could do is think of what will happen to my sick brother and my sick wife. I decided to turn around and fight. I have no idea where I got the strength, but I took their gun away and I was beaten to a pulp. Tried to fire the gun at them, but never handled one in my life so the safety switch was on.My hands clutched the gun so tight my fingers were bleeding, but they could not wrestle it out of my hands. Suffered 50% vision loss but I'm still alive. The thugs were captured on video surveillence. They took my cellphone and I waited one week to allow them to make over 50 phone calls so cops could trace them. I gave cops: the video, the gun and the cellphone records. They never did anything and closed the case 6 month later. This happenned not in DR. This happenned in the North Bronx, New York City. Since then I carry: two body alarms, mace, disposable digital camera and I watch over my shoulder all the time. I am 56 and all my friends have moved out. I can't, got a sick family here to take care of and can't afford to pay high rent if I relocate. So the answer is:
either you move out of areas with high crime or rising crime rate or learn to deal with it. I have to learn to deal with it. It takes a year to recover mentally. Best of luck to you and your wife, you are a brave couple, but you will have to learn to deal with it and stay alert and careful.