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No arrests reported so far. Apparently this massacre took place in front of a crowded restaurant called Pica Pollo y PizzerÃa on one of the main streets in Aguas Buenas, which is (of course) not a big town to begin with, and many of those hit were bystanders.
No arrests reported so far. Apparently this massacre took place in front of a crowded restaurant called Pica Pollo y PizzerÃa on one of the main streets in Aguas Buenas, which is (of course) not a big town to begin with, and many of those hit were bystanders.
Without a doubt, this is a sad event affecting innocent people who, most likely, had nothing to do with the perpetrators. It's similar to what the entire world just witnessed in . . . Boston!
The risk of senseless violence is something we live with each day, no matter where we live, shop, and recreate. All one can do is to be as fully aware of one's surroundings at all times and follow one's gut instinct.
I vacationed in Puerto Rico for 8 days in March of this year. For the most, I went about my vacation unconcerned about my safety, simply because I felt safe everywhere I went. However, there was one occasion in which I decided to follow to my instinct and walk away from a particular area. My GF and I went for a walk after a late lunch on a bright sunny afternoon. Upon leaving the restaurant, we walked towards a bridge (Puente Blanco in Quebradillas). On the other side of the bridge, the foliage had grown dense. There was no one around to hear us had something gone wrong. I decided we should turn and walk back to the restaurant.
Sadly, even one's instinct is not enough at times. Nevertheless, life marches on and we are compelled to march along with it, doing the best we can to avert an unfavorable situation.
Drugs are unfortunately everywhere. There has been shootings and murders in my area as well and I live in what is considered, a nice area. It's nerve racking as these shootings have happened in the middle of the day, early in the morning, in the middle of the night. There is no distinction of when the perpetrators will act.
Im sorry but I disagree. Drug-connected violence is NOT everywhere. Drug-connected violence is everywhere....in Puerto Rico. To suggest one could be equally a victim of a drive-by in the CONUS as in Puerto Rico just because children were blown away in Newtown CT, or a pipe bomb went off in Boston MA, is laughable. Google the term 'per capita'. I'll gladly take my chances on the statistical probability that I will be in a vehicle fatality anywhere in the continental US over running the odds of being the victim of collateral drug violence in Puerto Rico.
Look, this isn't cosmic. The reason you can't escape it in Puerto Rico is because even if you buy yourself away from the seedy element real-estate-wise, you still have to socialize and purchase goods from the same one or two common watering holes as where the degenerates that co-mingle among the almost 40% bitter, idle and disaffected unemployed youth of that stagnant island do as well. That dynamic is simply NOT TRUE of Continental living, where you can still price yourself away from violent elements AND obtain goods and services in locations where said element is unable to plant itself onto, by reason of lack of transportation/access (specifically mass transit into suburbs/exurbs). The beauty of the CONUS is you can lose yourself in 15 minutes by picking a cardinal direction and a tank full of gas. Makes me want to take a big liberating and unapologetic slab o' breath just writing about it.
I can also tell you the tragedy highlighted by this article is the number one reason I left that island (#2 was lack of economic opportunity and regressive cost of living for a educated young man like myself). Also the reason I positively do not socialize at night outside the walls of my family home when I visit down there. I wish my old high school classmates the best (the few that remain after 15 years anyways), but no thanks, the opportunity cost is too great for me. The CONUS is orders of magnitude safer for the innocent, especially at night and/or where masses of any magnitude gather for socializing/consuming.
Eight murdered in just 12 hours ... insanity. There has to be a solution to this madness. This requires both a government (federal and territorial) AND a cultural response.
this is an everyday event in PR. i remember the newspaper, Vocero, would always run the front page with bloody pictures. but i guess they got new owners or got told not to run those. But the truth is that we, puerto ricans, are killing eachother out here. every single days there are killings.
last week my mom got into a car accident, she and the other car had to drive their car to the station to file a report. no cops available to come help. sad.
It's not uncommon stateside when in an auto accident that the police can't spare the manpower to come out for a report. If someone is injured they come but if it's just property damage they don't respond. This is usually in the larger metro areas. Same for car burglaries.
I am hopeful something will change soon in regard to the violence in PR. It has to start from within, within the home, within the schools and within the heart of each individual. Public outcry must be heard. It's not enough to stay home in fear and shake ones head.
It's not uncommon stateside when in an auto accident that the police can't spare the manpower to come out for a report. If someone is injured they come but if it's just property damage they don't respond. This is usually in the larger metro areas. Same for car burglaries.
I am hopeful something will change soon in regard to the violence in PR. It has to start from within, within the home, within the schools and within the heart of each individual. Public outcry must be heard. It's not enough to stay home in fear and shake ones head.
But the source of that violence is the lack of gainful employment, just like in Third World Countries. It's not some inherent moral deficit amongst the population of Puerto Ricans that dwell in the island. You simply can't click your heels and wish it away by making up a sign and marching down to El Capitolio. No buck, no Buck Rogers I'm afraid.
JOBS. But you can't. It's an island with an anti-business mentality that values folklore over economic progress and the people suffer for it. It would be one thing if the land was continental in expanse and there was more options for trade and employment. But there aren't. Which means the PR government has to allow the expansion and allocation of competitive economic engines to establish in the island at the expense of some of the land and flora. Otherwise they can all watch the beautiful mountainside while they kill each other, drug dealers and innocent bystanders alike. At least islands like the Bahamas accept the economic limitation presented to them, and their people choose to emigrate in order to seek their future. But they don't make the argument they're something they're not, i.e. a first world society with economic opportunity to that level. PR needs to get real.
I've said it now and I'll say it again. Folklore over progress is insolvency for the prole. The PR false sense of nationality is the most literal exemplification of eating crow I've ever witnessed. To die for it as a bystander is even more obtuse. Which is why I left. Statehood would go ways towards opening the business climate and willingness to let go of that provincial nonsense those in power push forth for their elitist benefit. They could care less about La Borinqueña or a State Flag that hasn't historically fired a shot in anger in order to fight to exist in the first place. They just push that crap on the proles to keep them down. Olympic team representation doesn't put food on the table. Economic activity creates rational motivators and distracts an otherwise idle population, which in turns starves off the despair that fuels the black market criminal enterprise that rules the streets of PR day or night. Again, all of this is basic governance. But they gotta let go of that arroz con gandules provincial false sense of Nationality if they wish to move forward and live in the First World. The educated and motivated and unafraid Puerto Ricans, those the island should be most proud to call their own, will continue to flock to lands of opportunity and vision. The world is only a transcon flight away these days, anyways.... The loudest screamers of La Borinqueña are quite literally the worst enemies to the welfare, equity and potential of the Puerto Rican people.
But the source of that violence is the lack of gainful employment, just like in Third World Countries. It's not some inherent moral deficit amongst the population of Puerto Ricans that dwell in the island. You simply can't click your heels and wish it away by making up a sign and marching down to El Capitolio. No buck, no Buck Rogers I'm afraid.
JOBS. But you can't. It's an island with an anti-business mentality that values folklore over economic progress and the people suffer for it. It would be one thing if the land was continental in expanse and there was more options for trade and employment. But there aren't. Which means the PR government has to allow the expansion and allocation of competitive economic engines to establish in the island at the expense of some of the land and flora. Otherwise they can all watch the beautiful mountainside while they kill each other, drug dealers and innocent bystanders alike. At least islands like the Bahamas accept the economic limitation presented to them, and their people choose to emigrate in order to seek their future. But they don't make the argument they're something they're not, i.e. a first world society with economic opportunity to that level. PR needs to get real.
I've said it now and I'll say it again. Folklore over progress is insolvency for the prole. The PR false sense of nationality is the most literal exemplification of eating crow I've ever witnessed. To die for it as a bystander is even more obtuse. Which is why I left. Statehood would go ways towards opening the business climate and willingness to let go of that provincial nonsense those in power push forth for their elitist benefit. They could care less about La Borinqueña or a State Flag that hasn't historically fired a shot in anger in order to fight to exist in the first place. They just push that crap on the proles to keep them down. Olympic team representation doesn't put food on the table. Economic activity creates rational motivators and distracts an otherwise idle population, which in turns starves off the despair that fuels the black market criminal enterprise that rules the streets of PR day or night. Again, all of this is basic governance. But they gotta let go of that arroz con gandules provincial false sense of Nationality if they wish to move forward and live in the First World. The educated and motivated and unafraid Puerto Ricans, those the island should be most proud to call their own, will continue to flock to lands of opportunity and vision. The world is only a transcon flight away these days, anyways.... The loudest screamers of La Borinqueña are quite literally the worst enemies to the welfare, equity and potential of the Puerto Rican people.
One of the best posts I have ever seen on here
I agree that the ridiculously exaggerated false nationalism is a big problem for Puerto Rico. Ironically it is the PPD that pushes this while at the same time also defending the colonial "commonwealth" status. Like you said though, it's not about Puerto Rico ... it's about the likes of Garcia Padilla, Hector & Eduardo Ferrer, and Hernandez Colon/Hernandez Mayoral brothers staying in power.
Another thing that riles me is the PPD's stance on bilingual education in the PR public schools while at the same time Garcia Padilla's children will be educated in the best private schools, learn to speak perfect English, and get to go on to some Ivy League college on the mainland and have great opportunities in life ... not so for the average Puerto Rican. Bilingualism is a MUST for all Puerto Ricans. It has nothing to do with statehood but rather with opportunities.
Un Puerto Rico mejor es posible!
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