Yesterday the nation witnessed a national protest day. Those who didn’t have to go to work didn’t. The rest did without facing problems. The Dominican Free Zone Association and Santo Domingo industrial park spokesmen said workers showed up as usual. Many shops in the barrios and towns remained closed for the day. Most street vendors and taxi drivers also took the day off. Otherwise, it was a normal work day for most of Santo Domingo. It was also a day when the military-minded Mejia administration showed off the millions it has invested in new military equipment which was sent to patrol civilian areas. Early in the morning, police arrested over 100 people in the capital to prevent rioting that never occurred. Most were released in the evening. The protest that organizers had scheduled for two days was called off in the evening of the first day, due to an apparent lack of support. One day was enough to make a statement. The Coordinadora de Organizaciones Populares promoted the event to protest economic measures which have increased the cost of living in the DR. Topping the protesters’ hit list was the 20% increase in power bills that would have gone into effect 1 July but was retracted the day before the protest.
