Under the auspices of cleaning up 'delinquent violence and crime', which by the governments' admission has apparently over-run the country the government is now doing a show of force mobilizing over 10,000 police and military elements to combat crime...
More cops and troops hit the streets
More than 10,000 police and military elements will hit the streets of the nation's cities and towns in an effort to put an end to the current violence that has shaken every strata of the society. According to the Listin Diario, the Armed Forces, the National Police and members of the National Drug Control Office (DNCD) will take to the streets as of 7 pm as part of the Plan of Immediate Short Term Action that will try and remove illegal weapons, drug trafficking and consumption and late night-early morning sales of alcoholic beverages in 18 targeted cities. Night-time patrolling was previously practically inexistent in the DR. By next Thursday, the program will be extended to the entire country. The mixed patrols will be on the watch for delinquents, they will check vehicles, and do body searches for weapons and drugs. Interior & Police Minister Franklin Almeyda told reporters that the patrols are following the President's action program to put a halt to the violence.
Source: DR1 | http://www.dr1.com
The first I heard about this was literally last night, when I thought someone was pulling some sort of sick prank on me... telling me that new anti-drinking laws had been implemented by Presidential Decree.
Basically the following activities, which where once (two days ago) considered every Dominicans God-Given rights have now been castrated from the acceptable norms:
- Alcohol can no longer be bought/sold after midnight on weekdays.
- Alcohol can no longer be bought/sold after 2am on weekends.
- Drinking and driving is now no longer legal... (this by the way is implemented almost a decade after cell-phone usage while driving was made illegal without the use of a hands-free set.)
- Drive through bars are now considered illegal... which is odd cause these have been around for a damn long time. If anyone has any photos of drive through bars in Santo Domingo, please email a copy so I can post it!!
I will offer a reward for anyone who can supply me with with photographic or (preferably) video evidence of bars or restaurants owned by government officials or relatives who are breaking these new laws, as they always tend to be the first ones to do so.
Lastly, I would like to get everyones' opinions as to what the goverment is most likly to outlaw next in their quest for Ameracanization of the DR... I mean 'cleaning up the streets'.
