One less thief in Santo Domingo

[AlterEgo]

My mother-in-law's neighborhood in Santo Domingo has been plagued with robberies/break-ins for some time now. It's called Ensanche La Paz, which is quite the misnomer. Yesterday [Sunday] morning the thief struck again, entering a home at 5 a.m. This time he wasn't so lucky, he was seen and chased down the street by a bunch of people who were fed up with the robberies. They carried bats and even machetes as they chased him down, and caught him near my suegra's house, beating him until the police showed up. At the police station he tried to escape, and they shot him dead. I don't know if anything showed up in the papers.

I've been reading here on DR1 about all the horror stories of break-ins, which seemed to target non-Dominicans. Apparently they also target their own. This guy was Dominican and a lot of people knew him in the neighborhood. I guess you truly never know - "trust no one" is the best motto, it seems.

[Adrian Bye]

he "tried to escape", yet a lot of people knew him?

vigilante justice is never good

[badpiece33]

Originally Posted by adrianb

he "tried to escape", yet a lot of people knew him?

vigilante justice is never good

Sometimes vigilante justice is the best thing you can have.

[AlterEgo]

He was known in the neighborhood, but they didn't know he was the one doing all the breaking in. He tried to escape at the police station, not from the mob..... The police shot him, not the 'vigilantes'.

Personally, I think that most Dominicans have had just about enough of this crime spree, and if it takes vigilantes to cut the crime, than I say go for it....

We have to leave Palenque or Najayo Beach before dark, because it's not safe to drive back to Santo Domingo otherwise. That's no way to live.

[donP]

Originally Posted by AlterEgo

I don't know if anything showed up in the papers.

A similar one (so far):
La República - Multitud lincha presunto delincuente en sector La Julia

[zoomzx11]

Countries that deal very harshly and swiftly with crime have less of it. In some of the Arab countries thieves lose the hand. If that does not discourage them it certainly will slow them up. Can there be any doubt about this guy being a thief ? Good, one less problem.

[AlterEgo]

Originally Posted by donP

A similar one (so far):
La República - Multitud lincha presunto delincuente en sector La Julia

That's the one [first half of the story] - Jose Contreras & Winston Churchill [Jimenez Moya down that end though]. The 'sector La Julia' puzzles me, because it's Ensanche La Paz as far as we know!

[Berzin]

Originally Posted by zoomzx11

Countries that deal very harshly and swiftly with crime have less of it. In some of the Arab countries thieves lose the hand. If that does not discourage them it certainly will slow them up.

How would you reconcile your example with the recent death by stoning, punching and kicking of a beautiful Iraqi young lady(17 years old) for allegedly having some type of relationship with someone of another religious sect?

All why the so-called "authorities" looked on?

Or how in Arab countries beheadings for alleged adultery(always tried in a kangaroo court-take a wild guess who winds up being the kangaroo) are a spectator sport held in arenas?

I guess my examples aren't apropos to the subject because they are considered "honor killings".

Vigilante justice is no substitute for a poorly-run police force and a judicial system that's a complete farce. You may find it titillating, but in the end it degrades perpetrator and victim alike.

For every "delinquente" that is taken care of in this manner, there are 100 more who continue to act with impunity because they are protected by the police.