The talk of the town over the long weekend was the Thursday, 27 April 2017 video that went viral showing an army colonel Edison Taveras Rodríguez a legislator who entered the Mirador del Sur Avenue when the later was cordoned off for runners. The Mirador del Sur Avenue for years has been restricted to vehicular use as it is used by runners and walkers in the morning, and is also known as La Avenida de la Salud.
In the video, the colonel reprimands a lieutenant body guard of legislator Pedro Leonidas Abreu (PRD-San Cristobal) saying he should have apologized instead for entering the restricted area. The colonel said he was on service from 4am protecting the lives of those who go running on the avenue.
As reported, the Chevrolet Tahoe black SUV of the legislator entered the restricted area of the Mirador del Sur avenue at high speed and was stopped by the colonel.
On a TV interview with NCDN, Channel 37, Taveras Rodríguez called in to explain that as a military he was just following the rules. He said it is well known that the park is closed to vehicular traffic from 4am to 9am, and from 4pm to 9pm and on weekends all day. “Even my five year old daughter knows that,” he said.
The PRD legislator accused the military of being drunk. He said the colonel impeded his passing utilizing a vehicle of the Ministry of Defense.
Diario Libre dedicated its editorial to back the colonel and linked the situation to the impunity enjoyed by legislators that has lead citizens to enthusiastically back the Green Movement marches. “What Taveras cried out, even when he did not say so, is what many are calling out: “I am fed up of working from 4am so that you can get rich at our expense!”
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
7 Dias
Diario Libre
2 May 2017
