Yes, it's that time of year again. Easter week. Time to break out the big pots and make the traditional "habichuelas dulces" (sweet beans.)
It's a party week. Lots of alcohol will be drunk this week. There will be loud music at all hours of the day and night, in all the barrios--that is, even more than the norm, which is already a lot.
It's also beach week. All the schools will be out, and lots of families will be getting together either at the beach, or in home towns long forsaken for the bustle of the capital.
Meanwhile, the church will be busy telling everyone that they should not go to the beach.
Happens every year. It's just part of this Dominican Life.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
living with the mafia
If you live in the DR, you live with a transportation system known as "the owners of the country." The transportation system shuts down the country, whenever it chooses, and there is little the government can do at the moment of crisis, but cave into their demands. Nevertheless, the government is doing what it can for the long term, setting up alternate means of transportation such as the metro. The unions were very angry at the inception of the metro, because it broke up their monopoly, and threatens to reduce their ability to control the country.
How am I affected, an expat living here, using public (privately owned) transportation?
Earlier this week, I was going out to do some work. When I reached the corner where I normally catch my public car--similar to catching a bus in the US, but it is a car on a route instead--I found the transportation mafia had two people working there. As a result, where normally two or three people are waiting for transportation, there were nine or ten. The "workers" were there to scare off the competition. One was armed with a stick. It wasn't even as big as a baseball bat, which often is what they have. But the threat behind it was clear. Either you don't compete with us, or we will destroy your car--or you.
In case you think I'm exaggerating, here is a local news bit from close to the same area I was going, and around the same time. killings
Who are they after? Well, primarily they are protecting their routes from "pirates." Pirates are cars or buses that are unlicensed by the unions, and usually unlicensed by the government as well. So technically they are illegal anyway, I guess. But the truth is, the government is well aware of their functioning, and for the most part looks the other way. Occasionally they will go out and begin checking papers, but that is not something strictly enforced, as I said. When the pirates don't function, there simply isn't enough transportation to go around, and that is just how it is. The government knows they are needed. They would have them all licensed if they could manage it.
Enter the mafia, aka unions. When their routes get a little too cluttered with pirates, they put out their workers to intimidate the pirates, and get them off their routes. Basically, the pirates either go to another route, or just lay off for a few days till the mafia agents go away. Make no mistake; the drivers are afraid of the union operatives. Even the union drivers are afraid of them, if they stray into someone else's territory.
In the meantime, while the unions intimidate the pirates, the rest of us have longer waits for transportation.
Why take public cars? Public cars licensed by the government are rumored to be safer than those which aren't. I know that I've been robbed in a green/yellow topped licensed cars before, and one time I foiled a robbery attempt in one. Both times were groups of three, which included the driver himself, that were in on the robbery attempt. This has never happened to me in a "pirate" car, although it certainly could. Several other times I have either been pickpocketed, or an attempt has been made to pickpocket me, on the licensed cars; these were where the driver was not in on the gig. Thus far, I've never had any of these problems in a pirate car, although they certainly could happen.
My point is; neither is especially safe. When you take a pirate, you look for certain things. If the car isn't pretty broken down looking, usually with a cracked windshield and door handles that are dysfunctional, it probably hasn't been used much as a public car. If it is in really nice shape, you'd love the comfort of it, but the chances are somewhat greater that it is a group of thugs out to mug you, or at least pickpocket you. Maybe it's just a newer car? Yeah, maybe. But do you want to take that chance?
At any rate, the transportation mafia has been around for a long time. They have lost some power during the last few years, (but the drug people have gained more).
What could the unions do to protect their routes? Well, the first thing they could do is begin to compete. Have nicer cars. Don't stuff so many people into them. Most of the union cars aren't fit to be on the road, they have so many things wrong with them inside and out. The unions should have their own inspection system. A car designed for three comfortable passengers (plus driver) and four in a pinch, is used for a ridiculous six passengers. Only the driver gets an entire seat to himself.
Go where the people want to go. Sometimes the pirate makes a route where one is needed but not available. I have to take two cars to go to a place that is a five minute drive, but if I take a pirate, it is only one fare. If my best deal is with the licensed cars, I'll always take them.
Intimidation instead of competition is not democracy. But it is part of this Dominican Life.
How am I affected, an expat living here, using public (privately owned) transportation?
Earlier this week, I was going out to do some work. When I reached the corner where I normally catch my public car--similar to catching a bus in the US, but it is a car on a route instead--I found the transportation mafia had two people working there. As a result, where normally two or three people are waiting for transportation, there were nine or ten. The "workers" were there to scare off the competition. One was armed with a stick. It wasn't even as big as a baseball bat, which often is what they have. But the threat behind it was clear. Either you don't compete with us, or we will destroy your car--or you.
In case you think I'm exaggerating, here is a local news bit from close to the same area I was going, and around the same time. killings
Who are they after? Well, primarily they are protecting their routes from "pirates." Pirates are cars or buses that are unlicensed by the unions, and usually unlicensed by the government as well. So technically they are illegal anyway, I guess. But the truth is, the government is well aware of their functioning, and for the most part looks the other way. Occasionally they will go out and begin checking papers, but that is not something strictly enforced, as I said. When the pirates don't function, there simply isn't enough transportation to go around, and that is just how it is. The government knows they are needed. They would have them all licensed if they could manage it.
Enter the mafia, aka unions. When their routes get a little too cluttered with pirates, they put out their workers to intimidate the pirates, and get them off their routes. Basically, the pirates either go to another route, or just lay off for a few days till the mafia agents go away. Make no mistake; the drivers are afraid of the union operatives. Even the union drivers are afraid of them, if they stray into someone else's territory.
In the meantime, while the unions intimidate the pirates, the rest of us have longer waits for transportation.
Why take public cars? Public cars licensed by the government are rumored to be safer than those which aren't. I know that I've been robbed in a green/yellow topped licensed cars before, and one time I foiled a robbery attempt in one. Both times were groups of three, which included the driver himself, that were in on the robbery attempt. This has never happened to me in a "pirate" car, although it certainly could. Several other times I have either been pickpocketed, or an attempt has been made to pickpocket me, on the licensed cars; these were where the driver was not in on the gig. Thus far, I've never had any of these problems in a pirate car, although they certainly could happen.
My point is; neither is especially safe. When you take a pirate, you look for certain things. If the car isn't pretty broken down looking, usually with a cracked windshield and door handles that are dysfunctional, it probably hasn't been used much as a public car. If it is in really nice shape, you'd love the comfort of it, but the chances are somewhat greater that it is a group of thugs out to mug you, or at least pickpocket you. Maybe it's just a newer car? Yeah, maybe. But do you want to take that chance?
At any rate, the transportation mafia has been around for a long time. They have lost some power during the last few years, (but the drug people have gained more).
What could the unions do to protect their routes? Well, the first thing they could do is begin to compete. Have nicer cars. Don't stuff so many people into them. Most of the union cars aren't fit to be on the road, they have so many things wrong with them inside and out. The unions should have their own inspection system. A car designed for three comfortable passengers (plus driver) and four in a pinch, is used for a ridiculous six passengers. Only the driver gets an entire seat to himself.
Go where the people want to go. Sometimes the pirate makes a route where one is needed but not available. I have to take two cars to go to a place that is a five minute drive, but if I take a pirate, it is only one fare. If my best deal is with the licensed cars, I'll always take them.
Intimidation instead of competition is not democracy. But it is part of this Dominican Life.
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