People responsible for the evictions in Avenida Ecologica are still unknown

Since last Friday, around 40 families from the Nuevo Atardecer neighborhood (“los Farallones”), along Avenida Ecológica, have been living on the streets after armed and hooded unknown individuals, supported by police, destroyed their homes, stole money, and televisions, grocery store merchandise and other belongings. At dawn, a group of men armed with machetes, daggers, and other objects entered the houses, forcibly removed their occupants, and, using a mechanical shovel, began to tear them down and take everything of value they found.

An alleged lawyer led the action together with a police colonel named Marte, but, so far, no authority has appeared at the scene. Today most of the affected families remain out in the open, others are sheltered by neighbors and there are those who returned to rebuild ranches. For those affected, it is striking that no one has been identified as responsible for the eviction in a cliff that was declared a protected area. The destroyers have not returned to the place and neither have the police commanded by Colonel Marte.

Diario Libre consulted the Ministry of Environment to find out if it was that institution that carried out the eviction, but it was reported that this entity has not done so or authorized it. The Santo Domingo Este Prosecutor’s Office had no knowledge of the eviction, according to information offered to those affected. The Mayor’s Office of Santo Domingo Este also disassociates itself from the action.