October protest damage repairs almost complete

Protesters face off against police in October 2019 protests.

Cuenca city government says that almost all the damage caused during the October 2019 protests has been repaired. On Wednesday, repairs were finished in two areas of San Francisco square where rocks had been removed by protesters. On Thursday, city workers finished repairing curbing on Presidente Borreo near the intersection with Mariscal Sucre that was destroyed in October.

According to estimates, there was $500,000 in damages to city property in an twelve-block area of the historic district, including the destruction of eight security cameras and two traffic lights. Private property damage was estimated at $150,000, most of which was repaired last year.

According to the city fiscal office, some of the damages were paid for by those who caused it. Two Univesity of Cuenca students were identified on video in the act of destroying security cameras with rocks and, in exchange for avoiding a criminal record, paid to replace four cameras.