Duh, Promo. and CShell,
The conversation had to do with police living among those they police, and fearing some of the citizens.
I was married to a cop.
If you think I don't know about crime and people getting killed every day you are sadly mistaken, St. John or anywhere else.
We were talking about why cops or departments look the other way. Threats to their own safety from their own and from the citizens.
My response was about community responsibility from top (Gov.) to bottom. All are accountable for making it work.
Now do I get a lollipop??

I'd like to add that I think that police are underpaid,
at least in my personal experience with that aspect. The public's appreciation doesn't show much
on their paychecks.

Islander, you wanna do your job and cross reference some of these IP's, or not?

Noone,
I'm beginning to think he should cross reference you.
Have a cheese stick.

She, dipshit.

I'll pass on the dip.
You are obviously not a good cook.

Yes, we all understand that you do not appreciate the truth, Dream.

noone,

What about the IPs do you think should be cross-referenced? Are you suggesting that *I* am trolling as someone else? Or that someone else is?

I am suspicious that so many Philadelphians have suddenly cropped up - but, let's face it, the VI is frequented by people from the NY/NJ/PA area - it's close!

Rather than making suggestions - why not tell us, flat out.

I'm glad there has been an arrest. I'm more skeptical about a conviction. Unfortunatly, I think the media attention is already doing damage - which won't be helped by the arrest, at this late date. Now, CNN? Luckily, we went tent camping this weekend and have been in the woods with a campfire and a tent since late friday afternoon - no internet, no TV. I have no idea what's been airing about his case.

The posts from neoposter make me wonder - how do small US islands handle crime - Nantucket? Marthas Vineyard?
And what about other, non-US islands, like Bermuda?

I can't help but think about the suspect. 18? So young to have messed up so badly. Sheeesh. What makes an 18 yr old stab someone that many times. What rage is brewing inside that soul? WHY?

And the VIPD is citing thay they are in touch with the FBI for the Safe Streets program? So is every other city! It is a requiremnt to touch base- but it means nothing. Just the fact that they cited that makes me nervous. Surely, if they have more to cite, they would have.

can't help but think about the suspect. 18? So young to have messed up so badly. Sheeesh. What makes an 18 yr old stab someone that many times. What rage is brewing inside that soul? WHY?

Think, Blu, that we "talked" about this on one of the other threads. I stopped reading when it got too personal - and, no, I wasn't being sarcastic to you.

Sometimes it works out that there isn't one cause but a deadly mix of economic, sociological and/or psychological elements.

CShell,
After going through the posts of "Truth in Forums" in all of their glory, it struck me as an example of a possible scenario of what may have happened at the Front Yard Bar, mixing alcohol, with passionate opinions. Anger, frustration, miscommunication, accusations, finger pointing, racial slurs, political crap, you name it, it seems to have gotten said right here between us.
Some here really want to get even, don't know how, but, whew, scary.

Take a deep breath everybody.

or maybe the kids just basically an evil person.

Actually conchie, in los angeles they are well paid.

So what happened?

I think the story that is beginning to be told suggests that Jamie Cockayne had a lot to drink....got bounced from the Front Yard...kicked a car in frustration...and was then killed by a couple of locals who were connected to the car's owner. Did the punishment fit the crime? Hardly. But there is more to this than anger about a dented fender. The rage that was unleashed on Jamie Cockayne had a lot behind it. Race? Probably. Locals who are tired of real or perceived insults from tourists? Probably. The machismo of a man-child protecting his "turf?" Probably. The belief that they could get away with the crime because they're locals? Probably.

This is not intended to be some sort of social justification for what happened. The murder of Jamie Cockayne was a savage, brutal act and those responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But convicting and locking up Kamal Thomas and whomever else they might arrest will not go far enough. In fact, I believe it will only add more bitterness to the growing divide on the island between the "haves" and the "have nots." You can already see this divide playing out on the many discussion threads that have sprung up around this tragedy.

Arresting and imprisoning Jamie's killers is absolutely essential. It will help bring some closure to his grieving family, and it will demonstrate to an increasingly cynical public that the USVI does not view "keeping peace with the locals" to be of greater priority than protecting the lives of tourists. But I hope Jamie's death serves as a catalyst for change of a more profound nature.

I wonder if this is true. Is the getaway car being driven around St John, still? The getaway car should have been impounded, right? This was not a shooting - Jamie was butchered - and the scene was, apparatnely, very bloody. So, the alleged murderer gets into the passenger seat of a car and gets away - and the car was identified, but never impounded?

I'm not going to jump to any judgements here. I'm going to asssume that this is not true. I cannot imagine that they'd not impound a getaway car driven from a bloody murder scene. There has to be more to this piece.

_______

From today's local press..... (Summers is the family's attorney).

"Once it became clear last week that Virgin Islands police were ready to make an arrest, Cockayne's parents flew to St. John, where police briefed them on the investigation.

But according to Summers, the Cockaynes had to be evacuated on Saturday by police to nearby St. Thomas after they were threatened by friends of the suspects. Those friends, Summers said, were still driving the car the suspects had used for their getaway.

"Who would think that on U.S. territory you could experience something like that?" said Summers, who also was evacuated to St. Thomas.

"As far as we know, that car is cruising around Cruz Bay," he said."

Yes Blu, I read that too. If it's true, it's unbelievable. The Cockaynes should feel safe in St. John and that car should of been impounded.

Promo,
I'm glad the LAPD is well paid. Considering what they deal with daily they deserve to be. And, if your son
is one of them, thank him for me.

You will all get to see more of their side of the story on CNN tonight at 10. Hopefully Anderson Cooper will have a thoroughly investigated report.

RL

Don't get CNN, so Ron maybe you could post about it later.

Looking forward to seeing that CNN show tonight. I don't know how thoroughly it can be investigated since a suspect has just been arrested recently. Probably some of the same reports.

Does anybody have any feelings about how the locals feel about everything that is going on?

I think some of them were pretty upset with some of our postings, from what one VI Islander told me.