Five people died as a result of gunshot wounds in the USVI last week.
Four on St. Thomas. One on St. Croix.
There have been around 15 homicides in the VI so far this year.
Allow me to remind you that the year has just begun.
Average = 2 homicides/week.
Also allow me to remind you that the island of St. Thomas is 13 miles long and 4 miles wide. Its area in square miles is roughly half the size of Minneapolis proper.
We are a mere speck in the ocean.
A speck with around 55,000 human inhabitants.
Inhabitants who have, of late, been increasingly violent and gun-laden.
The week's first death occured when a toddler, the son of a cop, shot himself playing with daddy's gun.
The third person that died was the sister of my co-worker's brother. Two weeks ago, she was in the coffee shop with her kids. Only 25-years-old. Younger than me. Her boyfriend has been arrested for owning the unlicensed gun, and is a suspect in the death, the exact cause of which- accidental or planned- has yet to be officially determined.
We have one of the highest murder per capita rates in the world.
That's all. No soapbox. No musing. I simply thought it necessary to share this major problem in paradise.
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now i,m scared
ReplyDeleteAshley: While I was having chemo last week a cop came in to have her treatment as well. Of course we started visiting about law enforcement and I was telling her that in 2009 the USVI had 56 homicides. She just about fell out of her recliner! Tulsa, a metro of 1 million plus, had 68 in 2009. She was really taken back by the violence and unfortunately her comment was that she didn't want to travel there anymore. So far I believe the high incidence of violence has been concealed quite well from the tourism industry. And to be fair...the homicides are personal, not random and rarely are tourists exposed to it. Those of us that have called the VI home learn the rules quickly, where to go and when to go. None the less, I understand your Dad's fear. It's scary.
ReplyDeleteBe safe honey!
Mom
BTW....I keep forgetting to mention this. On the day I left island, as Ken & I were heading to the airport we were escorted down the Miller Manor hill by a white rabbit hopping along side the car. That was a bit surreal.
ReplyDeleteMom
Yikes. Be careful. Even when people were dubbing us "Murderapolis" the rates were nowhere near that level.
ReplyDeleteTodd,
ReplyDeleteNo shit, right?
I'm very curious about how your class is going.
Are you enjoying it? Are you continuing the
same story you've been working on?
I'm as safe as is possible to be safe. I don't go into dangerous areas, especially at night. I keep a pretty low profile and don't do anything stupid. If I get shot by a crazed psychopath in the coffee shop or something like that, I'm just plain fucked anyway.
Mom,
ReplyDeleteYou did tell me about the white rabbits by Miller Manor. That is cool! A nice way to leave the island.