your blog post is now mine

Is this blog post mine? No, i took it from Matt, my friend here on island. It was on his blog, but i liked it so now its on mine.


i think i may live in a different world than you do.

i grew up learning and accepting things like "what's mine is mine and what's yours is yours." things like "stealing is bad." things like punishment for a crime to prevent and deter.

now i live in a place where crime is simply accepted. if you need something that someone else has, you simply steal it. and what's worse is that i've come to accept it: dinghy got stolen? - well, it was left locked to a cleat with 10 feet of 2 inch chain & industrial lock in broad daylight so i guess it was an invitation to steal and looked like an easy 15 minute project.

one time we had the 4 tires stolen off our boat trailer which sat in a paid lot, or "boat trailer yard." driving by one day i decided to check in on it and found that someone had put it up on blocks and taken the tires (among other things). it took me about 10 more minutes to figure out which trailer they were now sitting on - and on top of the trailer was a huge "go-fast" boat. stupidly we called the police to report the incident & upon explaining and showing the officer where our tires now sat he drew a deep breath and said "well.....if i were you i would have gone about this in a different way. you know who's boat that is on top that trailer? i didn't say it, but if i were you i'd find yourself some other tires." so there is was, the tires were no longer ours. case closed.

solving crimes like the above take an immense amount of work. i mean do you realize how much time is involved for an officer to walk 50 feet from where the dinghy was stolen into the National Park Center and ask to view the cameras focused on where it was stolen? do you realize how impossible it would be for investigate and solve the stolen trailer tires? oh wait, we solved it for them!

there's what i like to call a "mine" mentality down here. see something you like that's not yours? now it's....MINE! oh boy, that looks nice...."that's mine now!"

and so this brings me to a recent crime which illustrates the "mine" factor perfectly and how little there is to worry about getting caught or punished for stealing:

Motorbike stolen from Road Town Police Station

Police continue to seek answers to a brazen heist that took place inside Road Town Police Station last week. Early in the morning on July 19, three men entered the station and stole a confiscated 650cc Suzuki motorbike. According to the police, the men, whose faces were covered with T-shirts, exited through the back of the building. There is no evidence that they were armed.

Last Wednesday, Police Commissioner Reynell Frazer launched an internal investigation and a full-scale criminal investigation into the “suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident,” including how the motorbike was removed when personnel were on site and task force officers were moving through the building periodically.

Police continue to review footage from surveillance cameras, which captured the three men as they removed the motorbike from the premises.

“As commissioner of police, I want to ensure the public that this incident will not detract from the Force’s continued and ever-focused commitment to maintain law and order in the territory,” Mr. Frazer said.

PWA to meet

Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Vere Brown, head of the Police Welfare Association, said the association’s executive board would meet shortly to formulate an agenda and convene an emergency meeting. The group has concerns about the safety, vulnerabilities and other breaches of security at all police stations in the territory, he said.

“The PWA has a statutory duty to bring issues that will affect the welfare and efficiency of police officers to the attention of the governor,” Mr. Brown said.

At a House of Assembly Meeting on Friday, Premier Ralph O’Neal maintained his commitment to the force — but stopped short of speaking in depth about the RTPS incident.

“My government’s commitment is to seek to protect the territory and its people, and to protect and preserve their interests and their safety and security,” Mr. O’Neal said. “We must work to keep our society free of crime and violence and ensure that it is one in which the rule of law is preserved and promoted.”

As of Beacon deadline, no arrests had been reported.

let me sum this up: 3 men walked into a police station and stole a motorcycle. now, i'm no detective, but i'm thinking that there are a few items that concern me or that i'd look into immediately. 1) people have no fear of stealing from the police, and inside the police station. "that's mine" taken to the extreme. 2) these thieves just may have experience or a history/knowledge of the station i.e. they've been locked up before? 3) perhaps this motorcycle was stolen by the actual owner of the bike that wanted it back? may be a good idea to check the registration on that bike. 4) surveillance cameras and officers on duty bring us no leads as to who this may have been, huh. but then again 3 men out of uniform with faces covered with t-shirts walking a motorcycle out of the station is nothing that would draw any attention anyway. 5) we have trouble preventing crime on the streets and now we can't prevent or solve crimes of people stealing from us, the police. is there something wrong with that? 6) and finally, did all three then jump on the bike and take off?

if i were the police commissioner i'd certainly be embarrassed about this incident, but i certainly wouldn't throw out lines like "i want to ensure the public that this incident will not detract from the Force's continued and ever-focused commitment to maintain law and order in the territory." you've just been made the fool commissioner, how does the public have any faith in you or that statement?

My New Willys - 1954

4 years......fast.....

Well, today is my four year anniversary on St. John. I don't even know how i feel about that. I graduated college, said thanks to dad for four years of out of state tuition, drove across the country with Tom, and hopped on a plane with a one way ticket, no job, and no where to live. Its not as dramatic as it sounds, i had visited here before and had just enough knowledge to convince people i knew what i was doing and enough faith to know i was heading where i was supposed to. I'm not even sure how i got to where i am. Thats not true, i do know, but it had nothing to do with me.

People constantly ask what it is like here......the honest answer is, its weird. I'm serious, this place is just weird. The island, Maho where i work and live, its all just weird. Can i describe that? No, I cannot.

I've taught school, crewed a boat, and I manage a hotel. I've said goodbye to lots of best friends. That sounds sad, and it is. But....every time you lose one, you have to find a new one, and that works out i guess. It's different every time, but its good. Do we keep in touch? Nope. Is it good to talk to them on those rare occasions? Yes.

People say they would give up anything to live here. If you do live here, you'll give up more than you think. You hand someone a whole bunch of normal when you arrive, and they give you back a pile of weird.

I do love this place, and i hope that it loves me. I just can't believe i've been here for 4 years.

An incomplete list of those i have met because of my life here: tim L, matt, josh, mary laurel, tyler, megan, jamie v, jamie z, scoot, steph, ad, cici, kels, lucy, pastor, ardath, allison L, adam, amy, chutney, doug, john ryan, bearded matt, matt ice, kyric, liz, greg, mariel, ginger, dan, capt larry, tim, scott, sheree, logan, kent, robin, maggie, carson, sam, kerrin, frank, jeanie, luke, weston, grace, nikki, shaiman, isaac, tristan, tiareh, coulter, rachel, joie, nicole, ruth, jordan, jennifer, sara, noah, jonah, bryan, katie, asher, gabe, liam, marty, stephan, chris, trevor, kendall, oli, zach, princess, joey, regina, leif, paul, cyrille, parrish, ted, slade, alan, tina, nicholas, ronnie, glen, don, seth, melissa, alley, sarah, tyler, rachel, brew, tim, sylvie, herman, .....................

run

In Forrest Gump, he (Forrest, Forrest Gump) is running. After he runs for a few years, this guy starts running beside him and telling him how he knows that Forrest has it all figured out and how it has opened his eyes. Next thing you know everyone is following him.....their all being enlightened by this guy who hasn't even said a word, he's just running. The only thing he really says is "it happens" and "have a nice day" and some guys make money off of bumper stickers and a t-shirt. Man, people follow some dumb stuff.

Justice served, but not on a fancy platter of good defence.

Well, few things learned about court in the VI.
1. must wear closed toed shoes. Cannot wear flipflops and they will no accept "but we in de islands mon" as an appropriate argument to do so. Luckily for me, Ronnie's Pizza below the court room had a pair i could borrow.
2. Wear a jacket. Judges wear the black robe because its freezing, not because it is slimming.
3. (this is where we get into my ticket) If you have been wrongly accused of a parking violation (I say wrongly because if you are guilty, pay the ticket....i spend too much time driving around cruz bay looking for spots while you left your car in the 30 minute parking for 5 hours) then the best thing to do is to show up. I showed up. The parking ticket lady did not. She was probably just running late since it is abundantly clear that her watch does not work (thats why i got a ticket i didn't deserve). I sent an email exactly 20 minutes before the time that the ticket says i arrived in the parking spot. If you know where Maho is in relation to Cruz Bay, you know that is quite a feat. I brought that email with me as evidence for my complete innocence in the matter. Not only did she not show up, she did not turn in the ticket. They had no record of it existing. They asked for my copy, which i provided, then said "dismissed". They then looked at me awkwardly because i had not left the podium. I wasn't ready to leave. This was my day off of work, I was wrongly accused, i wanted my moment of justice. Instead, it got dismissed on ineptitude. I find it ironic because ineptitude is what put me there in the first place. Its a good thing this place has beaches.

Injustice

I am not much into public outcry over the workings of government, whether it be local or federal. Sure i have opinions and occasionally let them be known, but very rarely am I passionate about it. For me, where i am, there are more important things to study and meditate on than partisan politics and the workings of local governments. While i know that politics are important and will greatly effect my life regardless of how much effort i put into knowing the issues, i know that most everything is too complex to figure out without putting many hours into studying and loud people like Hannity and Bill Maher only skim the surface.

I generally shrug things off like an unfair government endorsed fuel surcharge for the ferries (even though fuel is now at its lowest point in a very long time and has been for months). Yes, it is now unecessary and should cease, but i'm not getting upset about it. Municipal services are a joke here, but that is just part of it and i can take it with a grain of salt. Sure the local police were given $100,000 to fight drinking and driving, but do not have a breathalizer and think that the legal limit is, "You know, i'm not to sure....but i think its around .5 or so." Its more of a funny story than something to get upset about.

But today i came face to face with injustice, and i cannot and will not remain silent. I don't confront strangers. I really only argue with friends and most of that is just to rile them up over something that i really don't care about. Today i was victimized by an agent of the government, and i feel that the system here has allowed it. I confronted my accuser but to no avail. "See you in court" i said. I try and make it a point to never react since it usually never involves thought of any kind, just a reflex of self. Because of this i generally let things go. But today the situation was very clear. I was right, I had done no wrong. I made sure that I was being a good citizen, yet I became a victim. I will go to court and fight this since it is my right as a citizen of the United States of America and a resident of the US Virgin Islands. I anticipate one of two outcomes.

The first is that I will be forced to prove my innocence, which will be hard. I have no real alibi other than those i passed in the street who know me. I have a record for where i was after 10:35am, but between 9:43am and then, i have nothing but my word and a hitchhiker who didn't seem like the fight the establishment kinda guy, or the kinda guy to wear a watch. Sure i waved to a few people, but will that be enough to convince the court? I hope that the courts will see my side and trust my honesty. That they will see the small amount of evidence i can present and rule in my favor.

The second possible outcome is that the whole thing is dismissed without much of a fight. If so, error is admitted, but probably because they know it is an issue, that I am not the first and will not be the last person so heinously accused of wrongdoing by this government official. If an issue is known about but not addressed, then in world we live in it is tolerated which is accepted which is condoned. I fear that this outcome will greatly upset me and should offend any other residents of St. John. This outcome could be bad for my health. I have never had high blood pressure, but I want Ripley's there just in case.

I will present my case here, on this blog first to let the good people everywhere know that i am innocent, that my good name will be cleared. I have until March 6th at 9:30am to compile the evidence, rehearse my opening statement, and then at that time in the confines of the justice system I will confront my accuser for a second time and expose the utter failings of the system.

Today I parked in a 30 minute parking spot at 10:32am. I arrived back at 10:54am to find a parking ticket. The ticket says I parked at 10:05am and it was written at 10:53am. This agression will not stand.