2005News

Shop owners take action

Shop owners, organized under the Northern Santo Domingo Chamber of Commerce announced the creation of a legal self-defense unit, in effect creating a private security force aimed at stopping crime in the area. The president of the chamber, Frank Reynaldo Quinones said that they have hired the services of a private security company and will be purchasing arms for delivery to the 2,600 chamber members. “We are not going to continue pleading nor praying. We are going to act because there is no alternative,” he said. He explained that from now on shop vendors will be armed and that “if anyone tries to harm one of our members, we will avenge them”.

He said they did not feel they were adding to the violence, but rather making a statement to the criminals that if they get hit, they will fight back harder.

The shop owner spoke at a press conference in the presence of two widows of murdered shop owners. Both widows said that those responsible for the murders are free.

“Two families are without fathers, and what has the police done? No one has been arrested because we say who they are, but the police can’t arrest them because they do not have proof. We know who killed them, but the police does not have an order from a judge and they will continue to be free,” Quinones told the press.

He said they decided to create the unit after the past four months during which six shop owners have been murdered, over 30 assaults were reported and over 100 have been victims of theft.

The merchants estimate their monetary losses at more than RD$10 million.

Police spokesman Simon Diaz, for his part warned that the National Police would not allow the creation of armed groups of this kind to fight crime. “That they legally obtain arms is not a problem. He who has a gun needs to obey the law. The only authority to persecute and fight crime is the National Police,” he said. He said that attacks on suspected criminals could only be justified in cases of self-defense.