SEGURIDAD | What everyone is talking about behind closed doors and offline.
In our small fishing and farming village—turned gringo hotspot—beyond the fight for water, the exponentially rising costs of living, and Ticos getting pushed out by foreigners, crime is a very real and growing side effect of its gentrification, or what more and more are referring to as neo-colonization (1) (2).
Yesterday morning, Tuesday the 5th of November, the OIJ (the primary law enforcement agency of Costa Rica) carried out several raids in San Jose and Guanacaste. These raids resulted in the arrest of six suspects of a criminal group dedicated to house robberies, with “what is believed to be up to an economic loss of ₡1,000 million” (3) (just under USD$2 million).
Specifically, in one of the raids, the suspects were apprehended from an AirBnB they were renting in the neighborhood of Surfside, Potrero (4). According to US Embassy officials, it is not unknown that areas with a concentration of AirBnBs and short-term rentals, like Surfside, are incredibly vulnerable to this type of crime, especially when it’s easy to discover what items are—and potentially are—inside for the taking (5).
LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE
While the unprecedented growth in our region (6) has made it clear there has been a huge injection of money to our beach town and neighboring poblados, it is arguable if the flood of new money has actually brought better infrastructure, diverse culture, and (as we are talking about it) reduced crime—the core “pros” of gentrification, as many champion.
Our unregulated roads, although now paved because of growth, are too narrow and unsafe (7) for the large population of those without the luxury of vehicles, among other factors like poor planning for drainage, resulting in the floods we are experiencing today.
The threat of the irreversible salinization of our aquifer becomes more real (8) (9) with more green lights given for continued development, all the while water shut offs are still real when the rain stops in dry season.
More historical locations and local identity is actively being torn down (10), in the same breath as new laws are proposed to allow fresh businesses in their place (11), and furthermore, those in local seats denouncing these acts are stripped of their titles (12) .
Locals are being outpriced and displaced from their community (13), replaced with 2nd homes used for financial gain by foreigners.
Our local police do not have the money for their own station, let alone could justify asking for more reinforcements, as their pleads to get support and real documentation on crime (14), like denuncias, are swept under the rug.
It seems like what we used to experience as local petty theft in hard times is turning into a social desperation and crime epidemic. Not to mention, right or wrong, the palpable animosity towards the foreigner influx and domination of these targeted regions, seems intrinsic to this growing problem.
HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD? HOW DO WE STAY SAFE?
It is critical, more so than ever, that everyone in our community not only be aware of these issues and take them into consideration, but also have open and transparent communications with a shared goal of preserving the safety of the people, land, and wildlife of our beloved poblados: A concerted effort by everyone, old and new, together.
This includes making sure to integrate with your community and hopefully full-heartedly. We offer the following suggestions:
Know your neighbors. A friendly “Upe” can bypass the lack of doorbells, and allow for an introduction to a relationship along the lines of a Gump to your Forest. Small towns are incredibly conducive for neighbors looking out for you in times of need, and vice versa, even if you don’t like each other.
Connect with your community. Join your local ADI (Associacion Desarrollo Integral de [insert town]). They are the only legally recognized, government sanctioned organization at the community level (in accordance with Law 3859 (15)). Each town has different projects and priorities, therefore it’s important to join in the local conversation; so you not only know what’s going on, but can be a part of the solution with suggestions, attending important town halls, volunteering, voting for your representatives, etc.
If you don’t see your town listed, give ‘em a google, or reach out to us. We are connected with the Unión Costera, the association of ADIs from Potrero down to Junquillal (currently).
Speak Spanish, or at least try. It can be challenging to learn a new language, but not only is it the national language, it is the language of your neighbors. Trying to speak Spanish, shows respect and good faith to the community you are a part of, and goes noted.
Know your surroundings. We covered neighbors, but do you know where your local police are? Do you know their limitations, needs, asks…you name it? Please read some outlined points from one of the important meetings with government representatives, OIJ, local police (Fuerza), local organizations and the community back in February, when a resident of the area was critically injured from a brutal robbery walking on the streets of Surfside.
Most importantly, in cases of emergency, call 9-1-1 first. All calls are recorded and can be used as data points. The operator will connect you with the appropriate party. For local office numbers, see the following:
Fuerza Flamingo: 2654-5086 | 2654-6136
Coast Guard Flamingo: 2654-5033 | 2654-6193 | Canal 16
Fuerza Brasilito: 2600-2086
OIJ Santa Cruz: 2681-4062, 2681-4099
For more local authorities, Upe is a great one stop resource for our and surrounding communities (see the bottom of their homepage for Police, Fire, Medical, etc).
Network online for safety. ADI Tamarindo, one of the highest performing ADIs in CR, has been able to vet and impressively connect their community to the local police on the ground with an app called SoSafe. It costs them $1 per year, per user. While Potrero has not been able to make the direct connection yet, the app is free. As a user, you can receive/make notifications on robberies, suspicious activities, water breaks, even lost dogs. While of course it is not optimal for the community that the police in Flamingo/Potrero/Brasilito are not directly connected and held responsible to reports on the app yet, it is worth noting SoSafe is a useful data source with metadata attached, especially since there is a tendency to refrain from filing (desperately needed) official police reports, denuncias.
We whole-heartedly love our community and want to move forward safely, and in peace with all our neighbors. Please let us know if you have additional suggestions for the safety of your community members, so they can be shared with your neighbors.
Moreover we have provided outside resources for reference on many points. We invite the sharing of more information with a multitude of resources, so we can more clearly see the big picture from more sides. Feel free to share more with us, if you feel we missed any.
Juntos podemos. Ya, vamos!
{Miér. 6 Nov 2024 | 15:15 }
