The removal of Mayor General Pedro de Jesus Candelier as chief of the Police tops the wish list of Capotillo barrio in Santo Domingo. The slum has been described as no-man’s land, a hide out for delinquents and the city’s principal center for the sale of drugs. It made headlines after reportedly Police agents killed three residents in unexplained circumstances. President Hipolito Mejia appointed a commission to investigate the recent deaths. The chief of Police was on the commission, but declined to participate. Abel Rojas, community leader, said Candelier decided not to be part of the commission due to the pressure of the barrio. He said Candelier is aware he cannot be part of the investigatory board when his force is the one under investigation. Rojas say the barrio wants Candelier to be fired. “We understand that he has provoked all this bitterness in our community.” President Hipolito Mejia told the press that he alone would decide when to remove Candelier. Yesterday, members of the commission, the Minister of the Armed Forces, the director of the National Department of Investigations and the Minister of Interior and Police visited the barrio to start the investigations. The Minister of Interior and Police, Rafael Subervi Bonilla, was very critical of Candelier, who is under his jurisdiction but who in practice only answers to the President. Subervi said that what has happened in Capotillo is a clear indication that the only way the Police know how to control delinquency is by killing. “I think this is the time to insist on a major reform of the Police. We do not want a police force that murders, we want a police force that avoids murder and protects citizens,” he said. For the second consecutive day, there were violent confrontations between Police and demonstrators. Four persons were injured, five cars were burned as per press reports. The Commission offered the construction of a grade school, a sewage system, to fix the streets, finish the vocational school, medical dispensary and other local demands. The community accepted a truce until today but insists on the removal of Candelier.
