Dear Source:
"Brenda, are you still loving STX? I’m so angry over this tragedy and find myself looking at the locals differently! This is horrifying. How can we ever go out to a restaurant at night? I feel so bad for Tonya. found out the news via the radio Wed. a.m. and called Joel crying. He thought I’d been in an accident or something. Along with the 4 burglaries here at Coral Princesse while people were sleeping, and now this, I could use a change of scenery. Thanks for listening. Let me know how you and Alex are feeling about this. Hope you had a great time in Charleston. Love, Rose"
That was the content of an email from a friend that caused me to write this open letter to each of you. Brenda and I have been part of this island since 2005. Not a long time by any means, but long enough to develop a clear perception about life and death on this island. The tragedy of the senseless death of Peter Des Jardin speaks volumes about the overall climate that prevails today. This island and the rest of the VI is controlled by the lawless, the weak minded judicial system, and the toothless law enforcement that the precious people must endure day in and day out. The local law enforcement has been so short sited and power mad as to nearly cut themselves off from the federal help that was here. You in the legislature have not been proactive in seeing that approved funds have been used wisely and expediently for projects that are meant to bring some semblance of law enforcement to most of the communities, and you have been exceptionally quiet when it comes to crimes such as the one that just happened at the Pickled Greek Restaurant. Shame on you.
I cannot tell you the number of stories I have about the rampant burglaries and break-ins of not only the continentals like ourselves but mainly of the locals and their families. Thefts from cars and thefts of cars are so plentiful that if it hasn’t happened to you all it means is that you aren’t driving on the island. The string of hold-ups and shootings on the north shore of St. Croix seemed to go on forever over the last two years. The only people who have been served by all of this is the small vocal minority that want this island to be handed back to them as everyone else does not belong here.
We have criminals safe in their homes and roaming our streets unabated as our judges seem to think that the criminal’s spirit will be broken and self esteem will suffer if one actually have to be punished and do time. They are laughing stocks of the judicial community, and contribute to the poor and deteriorating image of the VI. The time has come, not for more rhetoric from you, nor for more excuses from you about how busy you have been; it has come for the real and complete enforcement of the laws that are on the books; it has come for riddance of the crooked and shameless government officials that have sucked the life blood from the peoples of this island and have impeded needed improvements and progress; it has come for the judiciary to exercise judgments that protect the people from the criminal elements; it is time that the local law enforcement bodies demonstrate they are using their resources where it counts, not where it is easy; it is time for those same folks to forget their egos and find ways to entice cooperation from every organization they can to help bring order to these islands; it is simply time to give the island back to the law abiding citizens that are daily being abused, forgotten, or harassed, and who are getting afraid to go out at night and simply have a meal at a restaurant because they are fearing for their lives. We simply must have change Now, not tomorrow or the day after – Now!!! It is you who must lead the way by example, and it is you who must encourage those in authority throughout this island to be bold and place the people first.
Is this the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for me and my wife? I hope not. We don’t want to leave this beautiful island, we don’t want to leave our friends that we have and will have in the future that continue to live here. We don’t want to go back to the rat race and the commutes and the real pollution. What I do know is that I must see signs that things are changing and criminals are not ruling and St. Croix has been removed from the list of War Zones in this world.
I hope you take up the challenges I have laid before you. I hope that you feel some basic responsibility for seeing that these changes come soon.
Alex Taylor (St. Croix)
