Monteverde Memorializes Victims of Bank Robbery

DAYS after the calm on Monteverde’ssurface was rippled by abloody bank robbery, 28-hour hostagecrisis and showdown with the police,members of the mountain communityand haven for naturalists began postingprayers, drawings and writtenhopes for a renewed peace on the wallof the parochial hall, one block fromthe bank.Now, three months after theordeal that began March 8 (TT, March11), the community plans to memorializethe lives of those who died, the28 hostages taken – six of whom diedfrom bullet wounds suffered in theinitial shootout before one of thethree would-be robbers entered thebank – and their families and othersupon whose lives the tragedy cast itsshadow.Members of the community thathas long prided itself on its emphasison peace and harmony with the naturalworld collected the drawings, photographsand statements and plan topublish them as a testament to the spiritof healing and reconstruction.A conservation and a children’sorganization banded together to compilethe book and raise the funds forits printing. It will include a chronologyof the attack, a history of thetown, copies of news accounts andtestimonies from psychologists andsocial workers who have counseledthe community in the aftermath,among other features.To finance the project, organizersare selling advance copies for ¢1,000($2.10) each, asking for orders of 5-100, or donations of any amount. Toorder books or for more information,call Giselle Rodríguez at 645-5003,645-5200, or 845-4687, or contact theMonteverde Conservation League onlinevia www.acmrcr.org, or theChildren’s Eternal Rain Forest viawww.childrenseternalrainforest.org.