Makeshift “university” unleashes chaos, deaths

SANTO DOMINGO. – A protest by students of the university Unicaribe led to chaos and a major traffic jam Wednesday, when demonstrators shouted demands that the authorities install a pedestrian bridge and concrete dividers for their protection.

The Unicaribe “campus,” which was built without planning right on the seaside highway (Malecon) and within residential neighborhoods, has grown without providing parking lots for its now tens of thousand of students.

The protest, with chants of "no more deaths, we want a bridge," comes after months of accidents including two fatalities, of students trying to cross the road, defying the vehicles driving at high speeds.

Santo Domingo mayor Roberto Salcedo has rejected the request, noting that Unicaribe is in fact trying to illegally obtain a parking long on the shoreline, which is part of a protected area.

Adding to the woes, the residents around the facility have been often forced to sell their homes to Unicaribe, after the morass has led to lower property values.