After 3 weeks of the Plaza de Armas kiosk being taken over by Mr. Macario Calzada for an alleged lawsuit against the Puerto Vallarta City Council for an unjustified dismissal, the kiosk is now back to normal. The authorities reported, however, that Calzada left it dirty, and smelling of urine and intoxicating drinks.
Since March 10, Calzada was in the kiosk as part of a “hunger strike.” However, there were complaints from the merchants and residents that it gave a bad image, and was very dirty.
There were banners, cardboard, a mattress, his computer, speakers, and other items in the kiosk. Sometimes he played music, and the volume was very loud and annoying for people, so the authorities asked him to leave, but he did not want to.
Around 7 am on Monday, policemen removed him, along with other people who had come to the kiosk to drink.
A nearby merchant said, “They took him away at seven in the morning. There were other drunks with him. They were homeless, and spent time there. It smelled very bad. They had bottles, and that was not right. It gave us a bad image, and tourists were scared. He put his things in his truck, and I think they took him to the police station.”
Alfonso Alcántara, Director of Property and Maintenance, reported that they cleaned the kiosk on Tuesday so tourists and locals can enjoy the site again.