The control operations will continue and next Tuesday there will be an evaluation of the events that occurred during the Quito festivities.
The combined control operations between metropolitan agents, National Police and members of the Army on Avenida de los Shyris and the surrounding streets, in the north of Quito, operated on the second day of celebrations for the 487 years of the founding of the capital. There were no major excesses, but there was closure of premises and confiscation of artisanal liquor.
The main avenue, which on Friday became a site of excesses by libadores, remained fenced on Saturday night as well as the access to República de El Salvador avenues and Portugal street. The goats were not allowed access to those places either, but they were diverted to other avenues.
Municipality of Quito orders to fence the avenue de los Shyris to avoid more excesses
Jaime Villacreces, supervisor of the Metropolitan Control Agency of the Metropolitan District of Quito, said that control was reinforced on Saturday night. Around 300 security elements participated who proceeded to arrest people who sold alcoholic beverages in public spaces, 35 liters of artisanal liquor were destroyed and some 25 kitchens that sold canelazos were retained without the corresponding permits, this as a precautionary measure to prevent that their owners then approach the agency’s offices for the return, after paying a fine.
On Saturday two stores were closed in the north of Quito. One on Avenida de los Shyris, whose location was an ice cream parlor but that at night brought out a speaker with a music mixer that brought people together for a moment, because it carried out disco activities. People were scattered.
The other place that was closed was on República El Salvador y Portugal avenue, which was also caught doing a disco activity.
At the United Nations, personnel from the Metropolitan Control Agency sanctioned five goats and proceeded to divert their journey through other streets, to prevent their entry into the Shyris.
Villacreces explained that since the sale of alcoholic beverages such as canelazos was controlled early, people dispersed and it was not necessary to take extreme measures, unlike on Friday when the police had to use tear gas canisters to make people leave the place.
In other places in Quito, in the Cumbayá sector, there were also controls and ten people were punished for selling and consuming alcoholic beverages in public spaces, but people collaborated, according to Villacreces.
The supervisor of the Metropolitan Transit Agency, Jaime Vaca, indicated that what happened on Friday was a very different scenario from recent years and that in his opinion that happened because almost two years people did not celebrate the city; Then, there was a general reaction in the sense of wanting to celebrate Quito and there was an agglomeration of more than 20,000 people around the Shyris’ rostrum.
On Saturday necessary measures were taken such as fencing off the main avenue where excesses were registered last Friday, preventing traffic access to the place and the surrounding streets, as they were diverted to Eloy Alfaro, December 6, Río Coca and Orellana avenues.
An alternate control was also made of the situation of the goats because they caused crowds of people.
Vaca revealed that on Friday there were at least 20 arrested and on Saturday 7, for driving while drinking. The control operations will continue this Sunday and Monday. For Tuesday a press conference is announced to evaluate the control operations during the capital festivities. (I)
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