[DR1] Limiting the sale of alcohol

[NewsWhore]

A proposal by the National District City Council seeks to limit the sale of alcoholic beverages in entertainment centers, including colmados, after 1:00am. From Monday to Thursday, bars and discotheques could remain open for one more hour but without selling alcohol. From Friday to Sunday, closing time would be 3am, with the same prohibition of sale, according to Diario Libre. The objective of these restrictions, according to one of the initiative's authors, is to reduce crime in the late hours of the night and to give law enforcement authorities a mechanism for improved control of the city. City Hall inspectors would be in charge of enforcing the rule and municipal courts of applying sanctions for violations.

Link To Original Article

[Don Tomas]

WTF! Well if this movement grows, I doubt I would ever return to the DR!

Sure I like chicas, but the party scene is also a huge draw for me. Plus my clock works on those hours.

Hell how would they have concerts? Many times during the holidays the artists do 3-4 shows a night, I remember one time Aguakate didn't even SHOW until 6am because they got stuck in traffic!

[blacksultan]

A proposal by the National District City Council seeks to limit the sale of alcoholic beverages in entertainment centers, including colmados, after 1:00am. From Monday to Thursday, bars and discotheques could remain open for one more hour but without selling alcohol. From Friday to Sunday, closing time would be 3am, with the same prohibition of sale, according to Diario Libre. The objective of these restrictions, according to one of the initiative's authors, is to reduce crime in the late hours of the night and to give law enforcement authorities a mechanism for improved control of the city. City Hall inspectors would be in charge of enforcing the rule and municipal courts of applying sanctions for violations.

Link To Original Article

Yeah and then you will see a bunch of crazy ass afterhours joints opening up there. If muthafuckas want to drink, they will drink. Plus police and officials down there can be paid off with the right amount of pesos to look the other way. Money talks.

[DEPUTY DAWG]

Yeah and then you will see a bunch of crazy ass afterhours joints opening up there. If muthafuckas want to drink, they will drink. Plus police and officials down there can be paid off with the right amount of pesos to look the other way. Money talks.

Amen!!!!!!!!!11

[knotty]

what's with this bullshit....all of sudden their passing these frivolous laws. But I can still drive while drinking.

[MrHappy]

It won't happen.. Who would enforce it. Hell, Most colmadons and bars were open during the Elections when they were supposed to be closed.
If they can't enforce the law for one day, how will they do it everyday.
It's just like most of the laws here that get irregular and lax enforcement. Just like the seatbelt law. The cel phone law, the helmet law... Should I go on??

[Don Tomas]

It won't happen.. Who would enforce it. Hell, Most colmadons and bars were open during the Elections when they were supposed to be closed.
If they can't enforce the law for one day, how will they do it everyday.
It's just like most of the laws here that get irregular and lax enforcement. Just like the seatbelt law. The cel phone law, the helmet law... Should I go on??

AMET are the only ones who are suppose to enforce the cell phone/helmet/seat belt law and trust me they do enforce it, but since they only work during daylight hours it's cool.

As for bars closing during elections, are you sure you are not confusing the DR with Colombia? I don't recall seeing anything about the DR closing them for elections, but Colombia does for sure, though I could be wrong about the DR.

[MrHappy]

I don't gotta trust ya, I know for a fact. Remember, I live here.
I get pretty frustrated watching the AMET guys selectively enforce the laws.
On more occasions than I care to remember, I have watched them pull over select cars(usually middle class) because of seat belt infractions(bus drivers, taxi drivers, conchos and truck drivers are exempt, BTW), while motoconchos go by with 4 passengers, no helmets, no tags, cars with no lights, drivers without licenses, etc. etc.
During the elections, sale of alcoholic beverages were indeed prohibited, but it was tough to find a colmado or bar that WASN'T open. There simple isn't enough manpower (or desire) to enforce the law.
There was an article in Listin Diario on Thursday that described the problems AMET has with controlling traffic. They are hundreds of officers short, but instead of putting the ones they have at busy intersections, they stick them in areas where there are bottlenecks, not to break up the traffic jam, but to give tickets to the ones that don't have seatbelts on, talking on celphones, etc. I watch it almost every day on the street in front of my house.

[Don Tomas]

I seem to read in the papers all of the time that the crackdowns on traffic laws are in stages, they will go hard for a week and then slack off. I remember seeing plenty of pictures of motos being towed away.

In Santiago I don't see the selectiveness you talk about, but again I am not there 100% of the time.

I say abandon the laws and let the process of natural selection work itself out!

[snowtreader]

From DRsol 8/16/06

Santo Domingo, Wednesday - Would be criminals in night spots across the country will be allowed to buy alcohol between midnight and dawn tonight through tomorrow morning, so said the country's Secretary of Interior and Police, Franklin Almeyda Rancier, otherwise known to DRSol news readers from his recent recreation of the role of Batman's "Comissioner Gordon" in his comic public disagreements with chief Dominican gumshoe, General Santana Paez, playing "Police Chief O'Hara". Both are members of the not-so-aptly named "Democratic" security plan. Rancier, aka Gordon, explained that Resoration Day, August 16th, is exempted from sales restrictions included in decrees 308-06 and 316-06 signed by president Leonel Fernandez on July 24, along with other holidays like Christmas and New Years. Since attempting to convince the world that drinking after midninght, including tourists in bars and discos in resorts and resort cities, leads directly to violence and criminal behavior such as people being murdered for cell phones in Santiagp, DRSol wonders if these exceptions in fact constitute tacit official approval of such behavior on days of special celebration. DRSol wishes all of our readers a happy Restoration Day today and asks that if you drink, and then burgle, please burgle responsibly! Read more in Spanish in Listin Diario.

[agua chico]

This may be my last trip to the DR. I will switch to the major league, BRAZIL

[BrooklynBeas]

Snowtreader... NICE AVATAR!

[Cheeno]

This new law sucks because the massage palors in Santo Domingo usually close when they no longer can sell alcohol.

For example, at massage parlos such as "The Girl's House" or "Lapsus", they close at midnight (in the weekdays) and 2am in the weekends.

[Beads]

I wonder how much longer this is going to last. I spoke to a few people in past 2 days telling me that the late night bars are starting to feel the loss of revenue and cutting their staffs. Anyone else heard anything like this yet?

[Cheeno]

I wonder how much longer this is going to last. I spoke to a few people in past 2 days telling me that the late night bars are starting to feel the loss of revenue and cutting their staffs. Anyone else heard anything like this yet?

Kirsy Bar is one bar that had to close (for now) because of the new alcohol law.

My cab driver just told me that this bar had to close for the time being (business being too slow).

This bar is located right next to the Napolitano Hotel.

[Tigerr]

R these new laws about alcohol being applied in Sousa? If so, when's the latest I can have a drink?

[MrHappy]

You can drink all night if you wish, but you're going to need to have it in your room or apt., not in the streets.

If you're talking about bars, until 12 on Sun through Thur., and 2 on Fri & Sat. nights.

[Beads]

I believe its 1am Sun-Thur and 3am on Fri & Sat for Sosua last time I was there (October 2006).

[MrHappy]

Beads, I don't think so, we were in D'Classicos the weekend before last, and we were shushed out the door at 2 am on the dot.
We tried to get a beer at the downstairs bar, and got nixed on that too.
We'll be there this weekend again, so I'll let everyone know what's up.