Mariela Mejía, subdirector of the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre, published an opinion column on September 10, 2026, cataloging the many obstacles that force pedestrians off the sidewalks of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
The column, titled "Permiso, que quiero caminar por la acera" ("Excuse me, I want to walk on the sidewalk"), is written as a running plea for permission, addressed in turn to nearly everything that occupies the city's sidewalks instead of the people meant to walk on them.
Mejía began by asking permission of a vendor selling fried snacks, fruit and coffee, then of tree roots, a parked vehicle, a homeless person, a utility pole, overgrown brush and foul-smelling garbage, all of which she said stand between her and a clear sidewalk.
Groceries, Water Jugs and Parked Motorcycles
She continued the list with goods spilling out of a corner grocery store, large water jugs, a lottery betting stand, sacks as heavy as hundred-pound bags of rice, a row of parked motorcycles and business signs, all named as things she must ask to step around.
Mejía also described a dark, deep hole left by a storm drain missing its cover, which she said she must pass in order to walk safely, and a row of houses more than 40 years old in the Ensanche La Fe neighborhood of Santo Domingo, where she said residents themselves occupy the sidewalk space.
Construction Debris and Fallen Cables
Further along, according to the column, come construction leftovers, a mix of cement, sand, blocks and rebar, the black tires of heavy vehicles, a tree branch, a ditch, standing water, a fallen cable and animal droppings.
Mejía also asked permission of what she called mini shelters built to house household trash bins, and of ornamental shrubs that she conceded look attractive even as they take up walking space. She described asking neighbors drinking a cold beer and playing dominoes on the sidewalk for a bit of room, and apologized to diners seated at open-air tables evoking Paris before asking them too to let her pass.
She closed the column by asking pardon of everyone she had named, and of anyone she had not mentioned, because she said she simply wants to walk on the sidewalk of what she called this developing country.
About the Column and Its Author
Diario Libre is one of the leading daily newspapers in the Dominican Republic, based in Santo Domingo. Mejía is the paper's subdirector and previously served as its editor-in-chief for the opening news cycle and as its economy editor. She has specialized in investigative, multimedia and data journalism, has taught journalism, and has received an Honorable Mention in the Inter American Press Association's Excellence in Journalism award, among other recognitions.
