La Perla’s Reputation as the Most Dangerous Neighborhood Meets the History of a Place People Call Home Amid Mourning for a Tourist’s Death

The death of 25-year-old Kevin Mares in Puerto Rico’s La Perla neighborhood casts a harsh light on a place that too often receives negative commentary from outsiders who treat it as though real people with real lives do not live there. La Perla is not a cartel’s playground. It is a community where residents have worked for generations to survive in a society that has often been against them.

The loss of an innocent life is tragic. Yet it is important to note that Mares was out at four in the morning. In any large city, in Puerto Rico or the United States, that hour carries risks, and staying safe often begins with making cautious choices. Visitors who come during the day often find themselves enjoying the beach, music, and food without trouble. To understand why La Perla means so much to those who call it home, it is worth remembering its history.

Danger Before Dawn

Police say Mares, who lived in New York, was in Puerto Rico to attend a Bad Bunny concert. In the early hours before dawn, he was at a nightclub named “Refugio de Hombres Maltratados” when a dispute broke out nearby.

According to homicide detective Sergeant Arnaldo Ruiz, several people began arguing and one drew a gun, firing at least three shots. Mares was among those hit, along with a brother and sister in their forties who live in La Perla and remain hospitalized.

A Community Long Misunderstood

La Perla’s reputation has been shaped by decades of negative press, often portraying it as a no-go zone. Yet its origins predate the crumbling of Old San Juan’s walls in the early twentieth century. According to historian Dr. Alex A. Claudio Morales, in 1848, census records counted eighteen small huts near a slaughterhouse that served residents living within the city’s protective walls. Over time, agricultural workers and laborers settled there, drawn by proximity to work and family.

Economic downturns in the 1920s and 1930s pushed rural migrants into urban centers like San Juan. In La Perla, overcrowding, poverty, and poor sanitation mirrored the struggles of other marginalized neighborhoods. By 1950, informal settlements had expanded to their limits. Government policy prohibited home repairs in these areas, hoping to phase them out, but people stayed, often building on flood-prone land by the sea.

Operation Bootstrap and Its Limits

In 1947, Puerto Rico’s government launched “Operación Manos a la Obra,” or Operation Bootstrap, an ambitious plan to industrialize the island through tax incentives for private companies. Hotels like the Caribe Hilton rose as symbols of this economic push. Some residents of La Perla moved into better housing, but others remained, as poverty and unemployment persisted. Sociologist Lilliana Cotto Morales (noted by Dr. Alex A. Claudio Morales) that while income levels improved for many, seventy percent of families still lived below the poverty line.

Government leaders like San Juan Mayor Felisa Rincón de Gautier sought to maintain direct communication with residents through neighborhood committees. These local leaders helped address needs, from housing to healthcare, even as displacement pressures loomed. Many who resisted relocation remained in La Perla, determined to preserve their homes and way of life.

Today’s La Perla

La Perla continues to be a place of endurance and community pride. Longtime residents speak of its conveniences, affordability, and sense of belonging. As per Periódico El Adoquín, some say they would never leave. Others acknowledge they would relocate for better conditions, but not to public housing projects. This complexity is often missing from outside portrayals.

Tourists who visit La Perla now find colorful murals, music, and ocean views. Guided tours share its layered history, from its role in Puerto Rico’s labor migration to its appearance in music videos (remember that Despacito by Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi was filmed here). It remains a place where people dream of better days while holding tightly to the ground they call home.

The death of Kevin Mares is a reminder of the unpredictable dangers of nightlife in any city. It is also a moment to reconsider the narrow lens through which places like La Perla are viewed. Safety is a shared concern, but so is understanding that behind the headlines are communities with deep roots, resilience, and a history worth knowing.