How about reclaiming the parking lot for functionaries that sits beside the ruins De Beri on calle Hostos and Luperon in the Zona Colonial .....One of the most beautiful areas in the Zone is defiled by this abomination and privileged to government employees ....Eliminating these 20 spaces and the hideous wall would create one of the most charming public parks and they are needed

Get the poor out, sell to the rich, cash in.
Public administration 101 as taught here.

Takeover Banistan!

I got go move my IKEA cardboard box!

dont move it to where they are building the Metro josean

We need to pass a law to evict illegal squatters?

Having lost appreciable land to squatters, this is a very sensitive topic in my family.

I firmly believe that taking something that's not yours is wrong, and that poverty and ignorance cannot excuse the act. This land had been acquired by my family long ago and legally. The squatters were just opportunistic criminals who took advantage of a non-existent judicial system.
Land was beautiful and productive; now it's just a sea of poor housing, mud walks and latrines. No one should be proud of results.

MJEV.

and get those government hacks out of that space at Hostos and Luperon

One of the reasons that I have stopped doing business in the D.R. is because of the lack of property rights.

This is OK on face value.

However, do not be surprised there is/was a back room deal with a developer that has an eye on prime real estate and the government over private property the present owner will not relinquish to the developer. How can the developer appropriate the property? It is to let the government do it for him under the guise of "Eminent Domain" by identifying the property as "real estate occupied irregularly by individuals". The government takes it, sells it to the developer and then everyone who helped facilitate the process gets their cut.

Monkey see, monkey do! This concept was made famous by a 2005 ruling of the the Supreme Court of Connecticut in favor of the City of New London for use of eminent domain for economic development, among other reasons to revitalize a depressed area. The laws were later modified in many states to exclude the use of eminent domain for economic development under the guise of removing urban blight.

They dont have Squatters in Connecticut

It's about time. In DR any vacant piece of land is a free for all for anyone that wants to install a shack with a tin roof and call it their own. If you move into land illegally, than you should be removed, regardless of how long you've been living there.

Blutarsky

The context of my post is about the use of eminent domain to acquire property and the example of the Connecticutt case was used to relate to the article.

Also, there are squatters in Connecticut, they are people residing on private property who do not pay rent. That is why there are many eviction cases in CT courts.

Zooma You got me !..........I know the case in Conn it was an abuse of the law I agree

As long as they give those "Squatters" a place to live I'm all for it. It would be a crime against humanity to label these poor people and children as criminals when it's not their fault they had to build a little shack in state property because the government is too busy stealing and turning a blind eye to corrupt officials!

Fast eddy it is a double edged sword ....giving in to squatters diminishes the law

a ton of land has been aquired illegally in DR. Hope this works, but we all know that there will be some under the table business going on

There are no laws.

If you’re not a Native American I guess we are all squatters, except the AFRICANS who brought here against their will!

Incredible how it is so hard to get illegal squatters off land. YOU need 12 court orders and DYNOMITE and then you only stand 1/2 a chance.

God forbid you are from another country then you stand NO CHANCE of regaining what is yours. Dominican morality at it's best.

Squatters, a case in point. A dear friend of ours family home in Higuey was rented. After a period of time no rent money came in. It took our friend more than 10 years using the legal system to evict the squatters.

The threat of the use of eminent domain was used for the acquiring lands for the Cap Cana development. The Juanillo pueblo along the beach was displaced to make room for the Hazoury brothers enterprise. A new village, Nuevo Juanillo, was created way back from the beach for the then displaced persons. It was a great marketing tool at first, the village was clean, photo op great. Nowadays, it is run down.

I could hardly make out the first sentence... Poorly written story.

joblitsky,

Are you related to Banistan by any chance?

Zooma, My mother used to have the same problem like ur friend had but it was in the capital. my mother rented her house in Alma Rosa section, and yes the folks used to pay rent but after a few years they stopped paying rent. It took my mom FOREVER to evict these squatters, the lawyers end up getting sold to squatters and little progress was being made but finally it went through, and there is finally someone interested in buying the property. The one interested is a neighbor that has a store around the corner, but can u believe that some neighbors we knew as friends been saying to the store lady that NOt to buy the property? This tell u how the DR society is becoming so low......

Perez & Zooma,

I could write volumes about this issue. I have a retired judge on retainer for my rental properties in Santo Domingo and I still have problems every now and again. Evicting tennants is nearly impossible. I have had mahogany doors and cabinetry stolen and toilets, not to mention cistern pump. I have been saddled with expensive electric bills and such. I have also had to buy tennants out to get them to leave, after they hadn't made payments in years. You have got to see how good they are at negotiating!

My best advice to anyone is not to buy property in DR that you do not intend to occupy. It is simply not worth the aggravation or risk.

Were it not because of parent's emotional attachment to certain properties, I would sell it tomorrow-if not sooner.

MJEV.

I retired to Santo Domingo from San Francisco in 2004. I once wanted to buy rental property in this city/country but quickly learned of the Corrupted Risk. I was fortunate enough to learn and obeserve from other friends that did buy rental property IN THE LATE 70's & 80's and most of them all have had their own nightmare stories with squatters.

I totally disagree with the writer about giving the squatters a place stay and its a crime against humanity, this is just a bunch of Bull. I don't feel sorry for anyone poor are rich, that takes over someone else's property. What about, what the owners have to go through, GIVE THEM A BREAK. IT'S TIME FOR THE TABLES TO TURN.

Further more, a lot of these SQUATTERS HAVE MONEY TO PAY RENT ETC.. THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM, BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT.

I'm sorry I'm on the late freight again you know California time and all ......has any home / land owner thought of surprise midnight visits with masked men ? LOL

I see this as a tool for the Government and private enterprise to steal peoples lands..... have of the people in DR have no title to the lands in DR..... so you know what that means.... sticker finger city ...
No one owns nothing , We stoled this from the Natives an now they steal it from us......
YOU GUYS DID NOT WANT TO HEAR MY CALL FOR A BOYCOTT ON TOURISM.....
YOUR CALLS OF INJUSTICE WILL FALL ON DEAF EARS....

My dad has had properties all over la capital and he has had too evict illegal squatters from them all the time. On one occassion he got a court order and told the people that they had to leave or else, the squatters started jumping up and down and haciendo bulto. He brought four raso's from la policia and my uncle a major. They had mandarrias and without a word began to knock down the houses or hovels, shantys, shacks whatever. Of course a cabo was standing there with his rifle at the ready. Sometimes that's how you enforce your rights in this country. At gunpoint. I don't mind. It's not for everybody but my family can't trace it's lineage to anyone or anywhere. We are black, white and indio, you put us next to a native american and we are called red men all the time. So historically speaking. This land is mine, my peeps have been here for at least 500 years (1492 baby) and if that isn't enough for you squatters, pa la porra!

Am I missing something.........

What ever happened to a detailed written contract, with time limits ?

IDEA !

How about......

1. Know who you rent to, how about Family or close friends for starters.
2. Ask for 1st and last months rent.
3. Ask for a cash deposit on property.
4. Build a power and water shut-off valve, with locks.
5. Pay a small fee to have Neighbors keep an eye on the rental property.
6. Hire property managers.
7. Surprise them with 8 hr. monthly visits to check-up on the property.
8. Check renters employment prior to rental.
9. Ask for a renters last rental address, speak to last landlord.
10. Treat rentals as a business not a friendly gesture.
Oh ! it's also not a bad idea to live near your rental, and It's not a bad idea to hire secret private squatter removers who are willing to do those surprise masked mid-night visits.
I wish the best for those effected......
AND YOUR ALL RIGHT ! ..........I DON'T LIVE IN THE DR.

"Am I missing something.........'

You don't want us to really answer that do ya!

JoseanDAChosen,
Your back !!! good thing your not missing nothing ! for a minute there I thought you were stuck in Cuba with Belial, VivaCuba and the wild bunch with there very own 5 point plus Cuban style earth quake.

Good thing Cuba has world class medical expertise so they don't have to count on the US for relief or support just good ol Caca, Venezuela I'm sure they'll show the world how its done.

Doe's......"Don't bite the hand that feeds ya" ring a bell ?