San José Removes 40 Families
Some 40 families that make up more than 400 people were "desalojado" - removed - from the precarios (shacks used as homes build on municipal property) of the area called La Managuita, located in Libertad 2 in Villa Esperanza de Pavas, west of San José.

The Municipality of San José says it has been negotiating with the families for more than 2 years that have illegally appropriated themselves of municipal land for almost 14 years. The municipality wants the land to build a sewer drain to serve the community and a park over the area,

San José mayor, Jhonny Araya, said that negotiations have been ongoing since 2003 to provide the affected families assistance in relocating, including interest free loans.

The action taking by the city yesterday was peaceful and of no surprise to the families who had been told some weeks ago that this would happen. Municipal officials say it will take about two weeks to remove all the families and tear down the wood and tin structures.

Police officers of the Fuerza Pública and Unidad Intervencion Policial (UIP) - riot squad - were on hand just in case. Police say that the mood was peaceful yesterday, however, they are maintaining an alert as anything can set off a violent reaction in an already highly conflictive area of the city.

The Nicaraguan Consul was present during yesterday's action since the majority of the families affected are Nicaraguan, ensuring that no civil or constitutional rights were violated and offering assistance to any Nicaraguan who wanted to return to Nicaragua as a consequence of the removal.

The Nicaraguan Consul told those persones that did not have documentation to return to Nicaragua could count on the help of their Embassy.