Quote:
City trying to round up the homeless and youngsters
By Saray RamÃrez Vindas
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff
San José officials conducted some 85 operations Tuesday to remove the homeless and the und***ge from the city streets.
That was the word from Johnny Araya, the municipal mayor. He made his comments when he finished a visit at the home of Óscar Arias Sánchez, the president-elect. Araya, his brother Luis and their father, Fabio, came for an afternoon visit. Araya said that the goal was to clean up the streets of the city. He also promoted his plan to repopulate the downtown of the city. This would require a form of urban renewal.
The Arayas may figure in the future Arias government. All are well-known members of the Partido Liberación Nacional as is Arias. Another brother was the party's presidential candidate four years ago.
However, Araya was not saying much about that subject Tuesday. He did stress the need for better housing in the city to coincide with his repopulation plan.
The streets of San José have been populated for years by the homeless and homeless Ch*ldren. Periodically, officials try to bring the youngsters to better environments, but most run away and return to the streets, in part because many have a crack cocaine habit.
do any of the vets/expatrite members see anything really happening with downtown?>
will the street urchins really be removed?
will any gentrification expand to the Central Market area such as up towards Avenidas 5 and 7 and Calles 6 and 4?
I seem to remember reading an article about one neighborhood in/near San Jose that banded together with residents and local businessses voluntarily taxing themselves with a special assesment to pay for and work with local authorities to increase police presence....why can't something like this occur within the central district?