- Thread starter IslandDreaming
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Trouble in DR
Dang you're right, I never hear about anyone vacationing in New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, or any other big city in the US. Strange how they spend all that money building tourists attractions in those places for nothing.
The Dominican Republic is not the USA and I don't think it's fair to draw a straight line comparison. Just the fact that catering to foreigners is the largest single source of GDP is bound to draw a certain amount of resentment from that part of the populace which isn't in a position to prosper from it. With drug trafficking and use ever on the rise, fuelling official corruption and national apathy the sensational, if not frequent violence against foreigners could almost be predicted.
I'm not even going to play like I know the answer but I do know where to begin. A national drive to infuse honor and pride in Local and National Law enforcement would be an excellent start. Making official graft so costly to those who are caught red handed that those who aren't can read the handwriting on the wall would also help.
I think that the country can't afford not to properly train and indoctrinate its law enforcement community with the importance of the weight of their responsibility to the citizens over that of their "Patrons". Rooting out known dirty LE officials and their minions and providing adequate training, equipment and pay to those who have proven themselves assets to the communities which they serve is more important than putting more unprepared, underpaid and disinterested Cops out on the streets.
When a law enforcement community takes pride in itself the greater community they serve will follow suit and the communication and trust between the two grows, making them more effective. There's a young Lady named Cathy Lanier who has been the DC Police Chief through two different mayoral administrations and she has turned the DC Metropolitan Police Dept. completely around after rising through the ranks to the leadership role using the approach which I've outlined. The population of DC is less than 700K residents, yet she is the 4th highest paid municipal police chief in the entire nation. If there wasn't a law in this federal district capping her salary below that of Congress she would be the highest paid. The approach works.
Everybody Loves D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier - Washington City Paper
I'm not even going to play like I know the answer but I do know where to begin. A national drive to infuse honor and pride in Local and National Law enforcement would be an excellent start. Making official graft so costly to those who are caught red handed that those who aren't can read the handwriting on the wall would also help.
I think that the country can't afford not to properly train and indoctrinate its law enforcement community with the importance of the weight of their responsibility to the citizens over that of their "Patrons". Rooting out known dirty LE officials and their minions and providing adequate training, equipment and pay to those who have proven themselves assets to the communities which they serve is more important than putting more unprepared, underpaid and disinterested Cops out on the streets.
When a law enforcement community takes pride in itself the greater community they serve will follow suit and the communication and trust between the two grows, making them more effective. There's a young Lady named Cathy Lanier who has been the DC Police Chief through two different mayoral administrations and she has turned the DC Metropolitan Police Dept. completely around after rising through the ranks to the leadership role using the approach which I've outlined. The population of DC is less than 700K residents, yet she is the 4th highest paid municipal police chief in the entire nation. If there wasn't a law in this federal district capping her salary below that of Congress she would be the highest paid. The approach works.
Everybody Loves D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier - Washington City Paper
Bravo Greydread!!!! the above portion of your quote is spot on. I enjoy reading your posts, MOST are well thought out and realistically articulate problems/solutions. However, I enjoy most your posts detailing customs and cultures of various cultures. Especially when they are related to the DR.
My mistake. Based on 2012 stats, it works out to about 42 murders per month. My bad. Still adds up to a lot of killing
you never heard of anyone going to NYC or miami for a vacation? NYC had 43 million visitors last year,miami about 25 million,,what rock are you living under? people save there whole lives to visit these places..well probably not chicago or detroit but come on now,,be serious..lol
I agree. Ever hear the statement "If you stand on the corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue long enough, everyone you've ever known in your life will eventually pass by"?
Comparing the NYC & DR tourists really isn't fair, totally different types. Some people think laying on a sunny beach with a tropical drink is heaven - others find it utterly boring and crave the excitement of a mega metropolis.
When I was young, I traveled everywhere, Europe, Central America, Caribbean, etc., cruised the Greek isles, climbed pyramids, haunted art museums in Madrid, walked the ancient streets of my ancestors in Italy, etc.
These days, that beach and the punch are all that appeal to me. C'est la vie.
Do me a favor go and knock on the mayor of Miami door and ask which city receives more tourist annually Miami or Chicago???? Why would Chicago have MUCH MORE hotels in and around the city if NOBODY comes to visit???
Miami is a very HUMID RAINY city with a bunch of people trying to act the part. Why in the hell with a family of four got to Miami?? If you ever had a chance to go to Miami you will see it is NOT a family destination, it mostly caters to the single crowd.
I can tell you are a person that DOES NOT travel often, if you think Miami receives more tourists then Chicago. We get a BOAT load of people coming here just because of the" Art Institute of Chicago" from all over the planet.
It is NOT about which city is safer or dangerous. I tell many of my customers thinking about buying in Costa Rica that if you become an expat you will be in a place caught between two worlds. The USA will consider you an expat of Dominican Republic or Costa Rica and CR and DR will consider you American with unlimited resources. The USA embassy job is NOT to protect and see that expats are safe and not harmed no matter what you hear. Once you move to a country you are pretty much off the grid as far as the USA is concerned. If two expats are murder in Santo Domingo very little people would care once they read they had been living in DR for 10 plus years, BUT if a family is murder vacationing in DR then that is a WHOLE NEW BALL GAME.
Once it hit main stream media that an American family died in DR vacationing it will be HUGE as far a people thinking of vacationing in DR.
If you remove all expats from DR it will not decline or improve their economy, but if 50% of tourist stop using DR as a place to recharge their batteries you will see it very clear and CRIME will go through the roof.
The most IMPORTANT people outside of Dominicans in DR are TOURISTS TOURISTS TOURISTS and this is why they do a GREAT job if protecting tourists in the DR for the most part, but expats are really not the CASH CROPS in DR.
You CAN'T compare what and expat bring to the table to what a tourist bring to the table. One cannot be lost, but the other will be no big deal. Safety for expats in DR and safety for tourists is treated as NIGHT and DAY.
Calm down! I think the poster was being ironic - that's why he says they build all the tourist attractions for nothing!
Der Fish you did a real good job of stating the data, but somehow you forgot to mention a lot of the murders are a result of gang violence and drug violence. In no way does this reflect the people of Chicago because gang violence is the same no matter where you.
Now PARA TI: What if JMB773 went your hood or city and spread a rumor that Der Fish is holding about 15 grand in American currency. Give me a an accurate time frame when TROUBLE come knocking on your door LOL!!!!
Now when this NON violent Dominicans come looking for the loot and you do not have it will they leave shouting CONO!!!! and no harm will come to you or it is a good chance harm when come to you???
Now if they told you they will give you 2 days to come up with the scratch who will DER FISH call to save him??? The police LOL!!! you are better off calling taxi drivers with guns.
You see fish man every country city, barrio has its share of trouble, but NOT every city, country barrio has people to protect and save you from trouble.
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I forgot once the criminals tell the police the money you are holding or may have DAMN!! You will be all messed up LOL!! You would have to leave the country.
Now do you see how DANGEROUS places like DR can become??
The fact people may think you have money is matter of life and death in DR!!
Also the DR is not a safe place because of what it brings to the table, it is a safe place because of what expats DO NOT bring to the table. If you drove a 96 Toyota Corolla and dressed down CROCS, shorts, and Hawaiian shirts etc you can be very safe if you keep your nose clean, but if you drove around in a blk 2013 infamous Dominican Lexus LX 570 and owned a 475,000USD home in Santo Domingo GOOD LUCK!!! with that.
Now do you see how DANGEROUS places like DR can become??
The fact people may think you have money is matter of life and death in DR!!
Also the DR is not a safe place because of what it brings to the table, it is a safe place because of what expats DO NOT bring to the table. If you drove a 96 Toyota Corolla and dressed down CROCS, shorts, and Hawaiian shirts etc you can be very safe if you keep your nose clean, but if you drove around in a blk 2013 infamous Dominican Lexus LX 570 and owned a 475,000USD home in Santo Domingo GOOD LUCK!!! with that.
crime statistics regarding gun deaths anywhere don't take into account the amazing advances in trauma care in the last 20 years. We social do-gooders need to remember that murder rates per capita offer limited information. Where you get shot(geographically, not anatomically) is a reliable predictor of survivability.
Absolutely!
Pancreatic cancer...take me to George Washington University Hospital Center. Gunshot wound? Howard University Hospital Center.
I go into a Hospital in the D.R. I figure I'll have a better chance with a gunshot wound than a kidney infection.