opinion

Government moves to throw artisans out of the Casco Viejo

by Artisans United of Casco Viejo

On 13 December at 1400 hours, 17 members of Artisans United of Casco Antiguo (AUCA) and their families were rounded up by police and taken to the local police magistrate without being shown any legal document of any sort. At the local police judge's office, the authorities noted below were awaiting with the explicit intent to have the Artisans United sign a declaration agreeing to be legally and permanently evicted from their traditional sales areas of the Paseo General Esteban Huertas and the Plaza de Francia, known as las Bovedas, in the historic center of Panama City, on 1 January 2006.

We want to point out that there was no legal document to substantiate the eviction order which awaited them at the police judge’s office.

All these authorities are parties to many abuses and injustices against the local residents and artisans of Casco Viejo.

We denounce the Office of the Casco Antiguo, whose director is architect Ariel Espino; the National Institute of Culture, whose director is architect Renier Ferguson Rodriguez; the mayor of Panama City, Juan Carlos Navarro Q.; Panama City’s Legal and Justice Department, whose director is Juan B. Garcia; the coordinator of police judges, Elicier Barsallos; San Felipe Police Judge Hermelinda Peralta Núñez; the Ministry of Housing, Ministry of the Presidency and Office of the Defensor del Pueblo.

Artisans United of the Casco Antiguo’s secretary is Adan Cerrud Sánchez and its treasurer is Aníbal Chacon