TRAFFIC WARNING!! Another PROTEST•MARCH regarding CAJA

TRAFFIC ALERT!!!

BE FOREWARNED that ANOTHER "MARCH" • PROTEST (potential Riot) is being planned in San Jose, Costa RicaThursday - November 15, 2012  -  9am++++ - starting at Parque Merced - down Avenida Seguinda/2nd to the CAJA building

NOTE AFTER THE FACT ON THE NOVEMBER 15 MARCH:  

IMPRESSIVE seems to be the word of the day as it looks like the march was PEACEFUL (other than them taking over Avenida 2nd - blocking cars from passing/creating traffic jams), only lasted just 5-1/2 hours and had close to 1,200 citizens marching and chanting in defense of the Costa Rican Social Security System. 

The president sent just 150 Fuerza Publica police officers to it - all of whom were WOMEN - who mainly stood on the sidelines with NO INCIDENTS!!!  (WISE call Prez!!)

And even some legislators from the Citizen Action Party (PAC) - Carmen Granados, Carmen Munoz, Claudio Monge and Juan Carlos Mendoza - joined in the march and even gave flowers to the police officers in an attempt to show pacifism!! 

The main thing the protestors seemed to be protesting about (and a petition was given to the director of CCSS) - to stop and reverse, immediately, all budget reductions in the country’s health centers; to demand integral coverage in all the medical facilities in the country; demand collection and immediate payment to all those in debt with the CCSS, especially the debts that the State has with the institution; and demand democratic election of the members of the CCSS Board of Directors.  The director - Ileana Balmaceda - said they were open to dialogue and would analyze the requests and schedule a date for a public meeting in the next 10 days.

TicoTimes.net/Current-Edition/Top-Story/This-time-there-was-peace_Friday-November-16-2012

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I read it's SUPPOSED to start around 9am - BUT - last weeks lasted WELL into the night! - soooo . . .

(read more on the November 8, 2012 demonstration at:
news.co.cr/costa-rica-demonstration-turns-into-scuffle/18711
including a video of it

(fyi - there are numerous versions of what transpired that day - this is just the video I found and NOT saying I believe one version of the side or the other - ESPECIALLY when it comes to protestors actions that I've witnessed first hand as a former protestor in my days in San Francisco in the '80-'90's [read more on MY take on it in the bottom paragraph]. 

CHANGE OF HEART to my statement above:
Ok - watching THIS video - which I think is the video that is SUPPOSED to make us sympathetic towards the protestors and complaining about the violence the police did - did the OPPOSITE for me - TOTALLY!!  At the point of this video the protestors were SURELY NOT in ANY way "peaceful"!!  They were in the face of the cops - pushing on them and throwing TRASH at them.  I'm mean REALLY!!  What kind of CHILD does that CRAP and then expects ANY HUMAN NOT to react???  IF it were being done to them - say - in a bar or something - your average guy most likely would pounce on/plummet another guy!!  It's like the wife that bitches, bitches, bitches on her man - in his face telling he's not worth crap, he's useless (MANY yet to be resolved messages he heard from a parent or two as a child most likely) . . . and/or she starts poking him with her finger - or worse - hitting him - and he looses it [DAHHHH!!] - and HE gets blamed for it!!  That's CRAP!! 

I'm ALL about "ACCOUNTABILITY" and these protestors that I've seen overall in THIS video do NOT look very "innocent"!!!  And look at the HORRIFIC MESS the protestors left behind with all the trash!!  THAT tells you something about how MUCH trash was thrown AT the cops now doesn't it???  Any compassion I had for the protestors went out the door after seeing THIS video!!  And though I believe that ALL the issues they were protesting about were VERY REAL - I have lost TOTAL RESPECT for all those that stayed on past the initial protest and CREATED their OWN problems with/for the police!!!  -  ACCOUNTABILITY!!!!!!

I wonder if they have identified some of the "instigators" in the crowd as there DEFINITELY are some that stand out to me!!  Look at those protestors with their fists clinched shoving it in the face of the cops - moving forward with them - and then throwing their hands up like they're all innocent.  Who's the big guy in the white that DEFINTELY is one of the key instigators and what's his role in this???  As a former Protestor myself, these protestors have a LOT to learn about Peaceful Protests and ACCOUNTABILITY!!!!

"The demonstrations are "supposed" to be in support of the financially troubled CAJA - the Costarricense de Seguro Social. BUT I hear that the demonstrations also are linked to presidential politics and the revitalization of the same organizations that opposed the free trade treaty with the United States" - AMCostaRica.com - Nov. 13, 2012 (ahhhh the "Free Trade Treaty" with the U.S.  And, like I said AGES ago - WHO REALLY is to gain from this??? How MUCH better are the Tico's doing since it's implementation???)

Another version of what the original protest was to be about
"defend public health, social security, and to demand the restoration of various medical services in different regional hospitals throughout Costa Rica""

The demonstration last Thursday - November 8

WHERE WILL THIS BE??
The CAJA office is in Downtown San Jose - on Avenida 2nd•Segundo - across the street from Plaza de la Cultura and down the street a few blocks East of Teatro Nacional•National Theater and West of Museo Nacional.

The warning is because the last one ended up in some "problems" and a clash with the police which could EASILY mean street closures if protestors INCONSIDERATELY block the street from innocent people not even involved just to get their point across (I loose it with INCONSIDERATE people on ANY level!!  Even if I believe in their cause!!) 

(Regarding MY take on protests  -  the challenge with this is - Living here for over 7-1/2 years, I SURE understand the frustration the people have with all the issues they're protesting about - BUT - having been BIG into protests back in my San Francisco days in the '80's-'90's - there are ALWAYS TWO++ sides to EVERY story!!!

Were these protestors blocking traffic on Avenida Segundo or the entrance to the building EFFECTING INNOCENT people??  Heck, if I were NEEDING to drive on Avenida Segundo and I ended up in BAD traffic and late for an important meeting and I wasn't aware ahead of time that protesters were blocking the street - or I NEEDED to get into the building & protestors were blocking the entrance - OR - the maria/meter was click click clicking in the taxi I was in - after awhile [ok - a SHORT while as I don't do well with traffic - hence a BIG reason I will NOT own a car in Costa Rica!!] - I would have been PISSED OFF at the protestors also!!  Wouldn't you?

VERY OFTEN the protests are STARTED/egged on by the PROTESTORS (we sometimes used to have angry people that didn't even give a damn about the cause start them back in San Francisco) with cops loosing their wits about them - especially when protesters are throwing sticks, rocks and GARBAGE.

Hey - the cops are just doing their JOBS!!  THEY'RE NOT the ones to be mad at!!!

Don't you think the cops are VERY MUCH in agreement with all the issues being protested also?

PLEASE consider ALL sides of the coin before pointing fingers!!  Cops are humans also and they can can only take so much - JUST like you and me - and at about $500/month salary - how DARE we expect them to live up to a higher standard we're not willing to!!!