After President Leonel Fernandez received families from the impoverished areas known as Los Guandules and La Cienaga, and promised to improve their living conditions, the National Palace and its surroundings have turned into a place of protest for others in similar predicaments. Two days after the families from La Cienaga and Los Guandules were received, victims of hurricane David in 1979, who have still not been found adequate housing, and street traders who operate near government buildings protested outside the Palace. The fear is that the precedent set by President Fernandez will turn the National Palace into the favorite place of citizens, no matter what their complaint or plight, to protest and ask for help without going through the proper channels.