CHANGE IS COMING

[ROVER]

From Sosua news


10 June 2010

La Piedra must move

It is about to happen. It was already published in the newspapers. Soon, La Piedra, a neighborhood in Charamicos, will have to move. For the residents, near the neighborhood La Liberación 600 flats will be built. The flats will be somewhat larger than the houses in La Liberación. The residents of La Liberación bitterly complain about the small and very noisy flats. The government has taken these complaints seriously and has already promised that the new apartments will be larger and farther away from each other. The nearby village La Maranata will also be evacuated.

La Piedra must move


La Piedra

The intention is to clean the river Sosúa. The river is used by the village of Maranata as an open sewer. All the houses along the river site will be cleared out. These residents of Maranata will also have to move to the new neighborhood. The rest of Charamicos will eventually disappear. This part of town will eventually be transformed into a tourist complex with a marina. The residents of La Piedra are furious about the announcement of a forced relocation and already indicated that they will not move to those flats. They point at the high cost of transport to get to work because most of them work at the beach. Furthermore they point to the bad experiences that the residents of the apartments in La Liberación have with their new accommodation. Many of the residents of La Piedra have a beautiful home. The money they invested in these homes will not or only partly be compensated.



I for one don't like changes like this as I like the flavor that the traditional Dominican waterfront communities now have but it unfortunately will happen and the communities as are will soon be but a memory.

It's always amused me how the people making money off of projects such as this (both in and out of government) use phrases like progress and modernization to describe what they are doing, when in my mind the only words that comes to me are : ruined and gone forever.

[gdogg]

This should get interesting. Keep in mind that they've been trying to clear everyone out the beach area for seven years!

[mikelodge]

From Sosua news


10 June 2010

La Piedra must move

It is about to happen. It was already published in the newspapers. Soon, La Piedra, a neighborhood in Charamicos, will have to move. For the residents, near the neighborhood La Liberación 600 flats will be built. The flats will be somewhat larger than the houses in La Liberación. The residents of La Liberación bitterly complain about the small and very noisy flats. The government has taken these complaints seriously and has already promised that the new apartments will be larger and farther away from each other. The nearby village La Maranata will also be evacuated.

Click to see pic La Piedra must move


Click to see pic La Piedra

The intention is to clean the river Sosúa. The river is used by the village of Maranata as an open sewer. All the houses along the river site will be cleared out. These residents of Maranata will also have to move to the new neighborhood. The rest of Charamicos will eventually disappear. This part of town will eventually be transformed into a tourist complex with a marina. The residents of La Piedra are furious about the announcement of a forced relocation and already indicated that they will not move to those flats. They point at the high cost of transport to get to work because most of them work at the beach. Furthermore they point to the bad experiences that the residents of the apartments in La Liberación have with their new accommodation. Many of the residents of La Piedra have a beautiful home. The money they invested in these homes will not or only partly be compensated.



I for one don't like changes like this as I like the flavor that the traditional Dominican waterfront communities now have but it unfortunately will happen and the communities as are will soon be but a memory.

It's always amused me how the people making money off of projects such as this (both in and out of government) use phrases like progress and modernization to describe what they are doing, when in my mind the only words that comes to me are : ruined and forever gone.

I get your point but getting rid of an open sewer an possibly creating a resort area with marina will help everyone in the area and community in the long run if it increases tourism. Jobs to Build, maintain, service and run all of it would be a huge for those people not to mention the additional millions of tourist dollars coming in.

Hell wasn't some of New York City built on layers of garbage that kept getting filled in to create more land. They used to have raw sewage in our cities too. It is time to eliminate that anywhere the world can in my opinion.

[weyland]

Is La Liberación the development they built behind La Unión?

[balcoach]

Is La Liberación the development they built behind La Unión?

Si Senor.

[naptime]

the idea that the resort will bring in so much money is silly though.

typically, the resorts are off shore owned. and the profits do not come into the community, they go off shore to the foreign owners.

and remember that the ai's do everything they can to keep people within thier walls.

while it will bring some money to the area, i dont think its really goign to bring in THAT much.

and imo it's shitty.. one of the things i like about sosua is that its "real" now granted, i know its different than any other part of the dr. but i could care less about seeing a bunch of ai's. i like seeing bars like we have on pedro. neighborhoods like charamicos.

reminds me that im in a different world.


now, cleaning up a river of shit... well, you just cant argue with that.

[ROVER]

the idea that the resort will bring in so much money is silly though.

typically, the resorts are off shore owned. and the profits do not come into the community, they go off shore to the foreign owners.

and remember that the ai's do everything they can to keep people within thier walls.

while it will bring some money to the area, i dont think its really goign to bring in THAT much.

and imo it's shitty.. one of the things i like about sosua is that its "real" now granted, i know its different than any other part of the dr. but i could care less about seeing a bunch of ai's. i like seeing bars like we have on pedro. neighborhoods like charamicos.

reminds me that im in a different world.


now, cleaning up a river of shit... well, you just cant argue with that.

Couldn't of said it better


I really think it has nothing to do with cleaning up the river if it was they could of done that long ago and am willing to bet the fertilizer run off from the new manicured grounds that are coming will be just as bad for the river.

IMHO that's just politician talk to make it more palatable for when the wealthy and well connected make their land grab from people that held title there for generations so that they can make a buck and after they get their money believe me they won't give a damn if the place gets washed out to sea.


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[DMV]

the idea that the resort will bring in so much money is silly though.

typically, the resorts are off shore owned. and the profits do not come into the community, they go off shore to the foreign owners.

and remember that the ai's do everything they can to keep people within thier walls.

while it will bring some money to the area, i dont think its really goign to bring in THAT much.

and imo it's shitty.. one of the things i like about sosua is that its "real" now granted, i know its different than any other part of the dr. but i could care less about seeing a bunch of ai's. i like seeing bars like we have on pedro. neighborhoods like charamicos.

reminds me that im in a different world.


now, cleaning up a river of shit... well, you just cant argue with that.

I hear ya Nap. When I'm in a foreign country I want to feel like I'm in a different world. I want to hear a different language, different music just a different vibe.

I don't live there, so bringing in jobs is a good thing, but at who's expense?

[nnjdave]

Most of the truly inhumane events in world history revolve around forced exile, everything from the American Indian reservations to the Polish ghettoes of WWII. And it ALWAYS comes down to the same thing: Those in power want what those not in power have. Power and/or money is always at the root of it. Rover is dead on, the sewage issue could be resolved with some expenditure, there's just more to profit in a land grab.

[JD426]

Its the Dominican version of Eminent Domain.

[continentalmike]

make their land grab from people that held title there for generations so that they can make a buck and after they get their money believe me they won't give a damn if the place gets washed out to sea.


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Sosua is not that old, founded in 1938, so there might be a few families of 4th generation but not much more. This area was were the workers on the plantations (no slavery connotation) were housed.

[naptime]

Sosua is not that old, founded in 1938, so there might be a few families of 4th generation but not much more. This area was were the workers on the plantations (no slavery connotation) were housed.

and i know that charamicos and abajo are NEWER than el batey..

alot of people incorrectly assume that charamicos is the older part of sosua because its where the locals live. but el batey was built first, and charamicos and abajo built years later.... (IF i am remembering everything i read correctly)

[Mr. Smooth]

Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens all over the world. People from developed nations come to a place much different from their own to get away from it all. They like it so much they return time and time again unwittingly bringing "it" with them.

What many people see as a sleepy, carefree, kickback beach town, others with deep pockets see as a business opportunity. They grease the pockets of whoever the local movers and shakers are, make a lot of noise about bringing progress to the undeveloped area, build another artificial world for the western tourist to feel safe and comfortable and the only contact with the locals they have is the maid who makes their bed in the morning or the bartender who makes their rum punch during the afternoon happy hour.

With the world in it's current economic slump, I think whoever the developers are for whatever massive project they are planning that would forcibly move hundreds of people from their homes that they have lived in for years, could wind up turning into a giant white elephant.

[MrHappy]

That whole area is not much more than a shanty town, built by squatters that do not contribute anything to the town of Sosua.

I'll bet not one of them pay for electricity either.

I call it progress too.