- 1. Describe the community – name, basic information, – what do the members all have in common?
The community name is Vista Alegre. This community is located in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. In the past Vista Alegre , being a poor community, was home for many famous people. Some of them are Judge Toro, he was a judge in the superior court. Baseball players Bogie Colon, Jimmy Rosario and Eliseo Rodriguez, Rodriguez catched two no hit-no run to Nolan Ryan. Lucecita Benitez, who won the international voice festival and now is called the national voice of Puerto Rico. Vista Alegre also produced boxers, basketball players and many other professionals. All the members have in common that they are low class. Currently Vista Alegre is under extreme poverty conditions. Over the past several years Dominicans were moving to Vista Alegre and this affected greatly to the community economic problem. Vista Alegre used to be a poor community composed of Puerto Ricans that worked day and night to bring home enough money to feed their families. Now the majority of community is composed of Dominicans that don’t work and live either from the government or by doing illegal activities. As recently as last year, 2010, the F.B.I. (Federal Bureau of Investigations) and I.C.E (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) made a raid in Vista Alegre were hundreds of illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic were arrested for being without a visa, trafficking drugs, and making false papers such as Social security, visas and identity theft. Now the major of Bayamón made a new project were all the old buildings that do not have owners and are invaded by Illegal immigrants, are going to be demolished.
2. What is the community’s affiliation – formal (i.e. a religious organization, club, or association) or informal (people who live in a particular area or share a condition, goal, activity, passion, hobby, need, or struggle)?
The community affiliation is that they share the same economic condition and people native to Vista Alegre, people who were born there and have families that have been living there for many years are struggling with the new comers that took a poor community and turn it into an extreme poor community.
3. What makes this community interesting to you? Why did you decide to feature this community?
What makes this community interesting to me is that my family has lived there for over sixty years and they have watched the changes made over the years and they have suffer all the things that the community has suffered. I decided to feature this community to show how something like Illegal Immigration can affect in a big way the lives of many people.
4. What activities does the community participate in, where, when, how?
Vista Alegre does not participate in any activity, this because the majority people that are living there, the Dominican immigrants, don’t care about doing activities for the community.
5. How can we learn more about the community (links to other websites, etc.)?
If you want to learn more about this community you have to go and experience it yourself. You have to meet the people, hear what they have and are going thru and see with your own eyes what are the people of this community are living every day.
