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Am I being paranoid or should I, as a vacationer, be worried about the racial problems going on now on St John? With the recent events; the planned demonstration this weekend and upcoming week.. and the apparent presence of those who wish to cause trouble, I'm a bit concerned for my family's safety while there during this time. Is there anyone living on island there that can give some insight into this situation and it's effect on tourists?
I love St John and hate to hear about this kind of problem.
Peace
We're concerned about it too...but still going down next week for an awesome trip no matter what 🙂
Thanks to some great comments from those w/ a local perspective I'm looking at it like this: everywhere there are some people that look for opportunities to make noise. While it's disturbing that there is a person/people that have had problems with each other, it's up to the local authorities to resolve those issues. Just like it is for us here. Seems that there are some houligans that are looking to ride this wave of events and stir up some controversy of their own. I'd rather support the (in)actions of those kind, wonderful island residents that choose to ignore the bad apples and continue to welcome visitors.
Peaceful protest has a long history in this country, VI included. To randomly call these protesters "houligans" does nothing to further the cause of mutual understanding or solution of problems.
To be clear...
Peaceful protest is totally different from "houligans that are looking to ride this wave of events and stir up some controversy of their own." Unfortunately though the "houligans" sometime overshadow the good work of those trying to peacefully resolve issues.
the demonstration is on now, portions were live on wsta.com, and it was not incendiary. there is a definite call to action, but it was attented by politicos and even our own delegate to congress. not a hooligan, she!
*all kidding aside* - the demonstration began some badly needed dialogue, it has been simmering for years. the reported assault and "hate" incidents brought a lot to the fore that has been in sad need of attention.
you will have a good time, i am sure.
The STJ Source has a report:
http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1105689052
I sure hope those involved can work this out as soon as possible. Us tourists can vacation on another beautiful island (not a nice as STJ of course), but those who depend on the resourses of STJ have little else than tourism to make a living. I hope someone reminds them of this before it is to late. A bad reputation is a hard thing to silence. So many of us go to STJ to escape the nastiness of the rest of the world, and seeing this happen on STJ makes it seem like any other tourist destination. How sad!
a little wake up call to all who think that sun, sea and sand equal tranquility: there are virtually no caribbean destinations where this type of thing does not go on, it's just a question of how much of it makes it to press - or - the extent to which the individuals involved react to each other's negative actions.
we, being under the u.s. flag, have the benefit of an open and free press, but believe me, people are hurting everywhere. i know vacationers want to escape the sturm und drang of their own lives, but all of us live with our own stressors. reality bites, but that is the truth.
i am a virgin islander by choice, not chance. i was not born here, i came to live here, not once, not twice, but three times. i love living here better than any other place i've lived, and i am staying. because i love these islands, and their people, warts and all.
just being truthful.
