A bit concerned about moving to the V.I's now.

FYI, we don't "enjoy" the higher crime rate.

I'm a bit concerned about moving to the continental United States now.

I am a Black male, and I hear that there is rampant discrimination against people who look like me. I also hear that Black males are judged as a group, and that if one Black male commits a crime ALL Black males are looked at suspiciously.

I hear that there are numerous White supremacists (mostly hidden) who can't wait for their chance to bring about a Fourth Reich and the extermination of all Black people. I hear they are stockpiling guns and ammunition.

I hear that the justice system is biased towards Black males, and that there are over a million Black males incarcerated...I hear that the police will stop you just for being a Black male, and that taxi drivers in places like New York City will not pick you up.

I hear that there are numerous serial killers loose, and that sometimes you only know when the bodies start to turn up in various places.

I hear that drunk drivers kill over 10,000 people annually. I hear that the unemployment rate for Black males is twice the national average.

I hear that there are places that will not rent me an apartment or house. I hear that there are lots of successful Black males, but that they have to be twice as smart in order to be seen as half as smart.

I hear that there are places that I simply cannot move to, because I will simply not be accepted.

Help me...set my mind at ease.

The USVI's are seething with drugs and crime. True statement that cannot be disputed.

So is a good part of the US. I actually took my daughter out of one of the most highly ranked schools in Texas because of the burgeoning drug problems. And crime is everywhere. I wouldn't walk downtown Austin after midnight except in the most highly populated areas either.

My rebuttal isn't a criticism - it's just pointing out that life is a matter of perspective sometimes, like JahRustyFerrari posted.

My partner has been on STX for 7 years, and he knows only one person who was the victim of crime during that time - a friend's father who was mugged at a gas station at 2am, and he knew he shouldn't have been there.

Rose-colored glasses? Maybe, but I'm looking out the window at a beautiful view right now, and I'm happy. 🙂

"Don't forget about the crime, I've seen more crime happen to me or people I know on STJ than I've seen my entire life combined (I'm in my 40's and have lived lots of places).
"

...you have lived a very sheltered life...

Wherever you have lived probably has more crimes in one week than we have all year here, along with crazies who post stuff like this:

"I dream of the day I watch your churches burn and all of you christards get put into re-education camps. Hopefully I can be in charge of one of these camps so I can torture you all day. Perhaps I will make a thick steel branding iron of a cross that I will use day and night to brand every inch of your hides while you scream."

on websites like this: http://www.vanguardnewsnetwork.com/20120121/open-thread-37/#comments

Julie we understand your perspective. We have heard new comers say it again and again. But the islands have a far greater crime rate then anywhere stateside per capita. Most of us on this board have lived various places stateside and know what to expect from crime in the US. I am in fact a Texan, lived all over, grew up in a border town that had plenty of crime and drugs galore. It is worse here.

And the situation in the islands, well at least on stx is very bad right now. We will not know just how bad for about 3 to 6 months. Local Govt had major lay offs and their may be more, and hovensa plant is closing. Hovensa brought in at least 60 million dollars a year. For a population of 55 thousand on stx that's extremely import. Plus now our gas is going to go thru the roof which will make our absolute insane electric rates go totally bananas and then food will follow, and just about EVERYGHTING else. We could be looking at a disaster like Detroit or worse. We are all hoping and praying that someone steps in to take over Hovensa or Feds help us out but we just do not know which. We have a incredibly corrupt govt that somehow spends 3 to 4x what a population of a 110,000 should spend. It's not going to be pretty here for a while, I would wait at least a year before thinking of moving here.

Now I know you may mean no harm but we are actually living here and have plenty of perspective of what life here is like and what is to come. It is not like stateside here, it is a totally different culture. You may think you know what it's like here but you really don't. Most new comers will not believe that until they are here, they will argue till the cows come home and at least half of them leave before the first year is up.

It's hard to make it here if you are poor or middle class. It can be done and it can be rewarding, but do it with your eyes open and your mouth shut as Tart says for the first year. And it will go sooooo much smoother.

Hiya! you're sure more than half leave in the first year? My ten years of experience on STT I would say far more leave - most did not last six months.

I said at least.

Hey, I am neither bitter about the islands, nor wearing rose colored glasses. There is good and there is bad. I have lived on STX for almost seven years. A caveat, though, we are leaving in March to move back to the states, though to a different state than we left. Some of it has to do with family concerns.

Bugs. Please. You can't sustain a level of terror without having a stroke. I was terrified of bugs before we moved here. Now, if something lands on my arm, I glance down to see what it is, and if it is anything other than a centipede, I flick it off of me with a shrug. Lizards are harmless and they eat mosquitoes! Cherish them! Unless you have cats, in which case, most of your lizards will be killed and eaten anyway.

Many of the people here are fantastic. As bitter and raving as some of the posters on this board can sound, I have never walked into any place and heard as argumentative a conversation as what goes on here. So don't base your idea on what the residents are like based on how angrily they argue with each other on the internet. It is a lot easier to insult someone on a message board then in real life.

The beaches are beautiful, the weather is AMAZING. If you love the water, there are so many awesome activities.

That said, to me, the violence and the gunfire is getting to be too much. It is not normal to hear gunshots all of the time. I don't like that every time I go walking, at least one guy stops his car and says, "Hey baby... where are you going?" It's even scarier when it is a car full of guys saying it, or making whistling noises, etc. I definitely hate that. I don't feel that I can walk anywhere by myself.

I want to get my Master's degree and maybe do something besides work at a bar, or be a personal assistant. Unless you already have a career (Nurse, lawyer, etc) , I don't see this as a good place to find one.

So, I am not leaving this island with hate. I do love a lot of things about living here and I will miss it, especially during the Ohio winter!! I don't regret a moment of our time here and we have made some friendships with some incredible people.

I agree with everything you said, too.

IT

Ditto!

Beth, Let me know if I can help from FL..I saw you got the dog crate handled. All the best to you and T.

Wow,
Well it's too late for me now. I am moving to STX on Saturday Jan 28th. I have my job I've comitted to, and my car will soon be on its way. Wife to follow There's no backing out now. I am prepared for a rockey road ahead but hoping we can all pull together and get through this. theys hope there is someone waiting in the wings to pounce on Hovensa and get it up and running.
I am a frequnt visitor and have spent lots of time there working so I fell I have a pretty good grasp on things. It is a beautiful place and I hope this will be a wake up call for government that its time to "straighten up and fly right" Not holding my breath but hoping.I'll be in the market for a place that will take 2 small wiener dogs and a parrot.
Time for all Crucians anContinentals to pull togetether and take care of each other!

See you all soon
Jost Van Dog

"Don't forget about the crime, I've seen more crime happen to me or people I know on STJ than I've seen my entire life combined (I'm in my 40's and have lived lots of places).
"

...you have lived a very sheltered life...

Wherever you have lived probably has more crimes in one week than we have all year here

Wow... a ridiculously absurd comment to make on a subject of which you have no knowledge. Thanks for the laugh. LOL...

You are correct Einstein, the major cities I've spent lots of time in, (L.A., New Orleans, Tampa, Detroit etc, ) do have more crime in a day but they have populations in the millions and crime is usually confined to certain areas while most of the violence is gang on gang. Why would you want to compare STJ to a major American city anyway? Its a tiny island with a small population.

The crimes I listed in my previous post took place all over the island to average citizens minding their own business. Imagine how much crime there is if those are just the people I know! I'm amazed at how many normal people go into Cruz Bay at night armed with at least a knife.

Given the small population, the amount of crime is sickening.

Since my last post add 2 stolen wallets to my list.

But... I still like it here. Most of the people are great and I don't plan on leaving soon

I think the absurd statements are a result of loving the island SO MUCH, that acknowledging the crime realities there would really dettract from the enjoyment of living there. It is far easier to live in your mind in a parallel universe, where crime is "not that bad" otherwise, your own quality of life (in your mind) would not be worth the great weather and beautiful beaches in exchange. I am guilty of it myself. I also stay away from any situation that I think could up my chances of being a victim, and mostly dwell on the happy thoughts of the day.

Someone else posted about hoping the government stepping up and getting a handle on crime. Won't happen. Not now, not ever, at least by the current government. If mainland gov't ever cleaned house and put in place people without family ties to half the criminal element on island, and who were not accustomed to bribery and all the other forms of graft and corruption that are endemic in the current system, it would still take probably a generation to significantly change the general crime tendencies and statistics on any of the islands. Just my opinion.

Now I know you may mean no harm but we are actually living here and have plenty of perspective of what life here is like and what is to come. It is not like stateside here, it is a totally different culture. You may think you know what it's like here but you really don't. Most new comers will not believe that until they are here, they will argue till the cows come home and at least half of them leave before the first year is up.

I appreciate your points and comments back to me, thank you for them. I value all the opinions on the board, both new and old.

I am going to clarify however, that I am not as new on island as you think, and yes, I do live here. My boyfriend has been here 7 years, and he and I have known each other/dated over two years now. If you consider every time I came to visit him a PMV, I've had a bunch. I've lived here full-time about 1/2 a year. So do I have the first "official" year under my belt? Not continguously. But I have had experience, I have friends here (some that are currently attending senate hearings) and I know all about the statistics and the facts, etc.

I watched this board for a long time before I posted. I think a lot of the viewpoints are very negative, but then I'm a very positive person. I think all the facts and fears can be taken together, and a rational decision made - not a delusion, but a choice.

Am I afraid of the Hovensa closing and the government issues and the crime as much as most of you are? You betcha. And I've also heard 100s of solutions, just like everyone here. I don't know the solution, other than in my opinion, it's best for us all to help each other, help those who move here, and keep doing our best. That's all we can do.

But for me - in the end, the world is what we think it is. So yes, I'm not ignoring what you all post here - I'm just choosing my (informed) perspective. That's all. If my comments haven't been welcome, I apologize, and I'm going to go back to just watching the controversial postings and only writing about things I know like yarn bombing... 🙂

"Don't forget about the crime, I've seen more crime happen to me or people I know on STJ than I've seen my entire life combined (I'm in my 40's and have lived lots of places).
"

...you have lived a very sheltered life...

Wherever you have lived probably has more crimes in one week than we have all year here

Wow... a ridiculously absurd comment to make on a subject of which you have no knowledge. Thanks for the laugh. LOL...

You are correct Einstein, the major cities I've spent lots of time in, (L.A., New Orleans, Tampa, Detroit etc, ) do have more crime in a day but they have populations in the millions and crime is usually confined to certain areas while most of the violence is gang on gang. Why would you want to compare STJ to a major American city anyway? Its a tiny island with a small population.

The crimes I listed in my previous post took place all over the island to average citizens minding their own business. Imagine how much crime there is if those are just the people I know! I'm amazed at how many normal people go into Cruz Bay at night armed with at least a knife.

Given the small population, the amount of crime is sickening.

Since my last post add 2 stolen wallets to my list.

But... I still like it here. Most of the people are great and I don't plan on leaving soon

"...in my entire life combined.." is ridiculous. You have seen much more crime in your entire life than you have on St J.

We have enough crime without people making wild exaggerations. And if you really have that much life experience, maybe you should teach your friends how to protect themselves and their wallets from all the criminals roaming tiny St John.

Sometimes what you perceive as crime may very well be someone trying to send a message. Maybe you should investigate the message that tiny little St John is trying to send, or maybe you just want to kill the messenger.

Sending a message by taking a wallet is called... crime.

"...in my entire life combined.." is ridiculous. You have seen much more crime in your entire life than you have on St J.

We have enough crime without people making wild exaggerations. And if you really have that much life experience, maybe you should teach your friends how to protect themselves and their wallets from all the criminals roaming tiny St John.

Sometimes what you perceive as crime may very well be someone trying to send a message. Maybe you should investigate the message that tiny little St John is trying to send, or maybe you just want to kill the messenger.

Maybe you misread my post... My whole post was predicated on crime i know of first hand and it's not a ridiculous statement.

I have never been mugged before.
i have never been threatened with my life before: Twice here
I have never known personally someone who had their door kicked down, pistol whipped and had their family threatened at gun point before
I only knew of 2 friends mugged before STJ... here its 5 in 6 months.

Yes, my statement is correct.

The message? There's a message? You're right... it's the victims fault! I guess they're trying to tell me and my friends to move and we're getting what we deserve? What could the message be?

I feel its my responsibility to say what has happened. I have not posted any opinions... just first hand information.

Sorry if the truth hurts.

Sending a message by taking a wallet is called... crime.

Brilliant!

"Sending a message?" Wow...
"Perceive as crime" Wow! Wow!

I think the message is "I'm a drug addict, and I did not persue an education or career sufficient to support my habit. Will you please buy my next sack for me?"

franklin, why would it be "perceive as crime". Isn't taking something thats not yours a real crime.
JahRusty-why would you say someones real life crime experiences were wild exagerations? my husband and i have also have more crimes committed against us in the 7 years we have lived here that our combined 110 years in the states
onthespot-that was funny:-)

franklin, why would it be "perceive as crime". Isn't taking something thats not yours a real crime.

I'm confused too. I hope he explains. I thought the "crimes" I listed were pretty severe. Only a true sociopath could rationalize them into a warped perception of a non-crime.

The crimes are really a message? That's a great spin. The VI Tourism Board should use it.

"Its not crime, it's just a message - and you better listen...."

OMG, thanks for the great laugh...what a great response! Personally, I can't wait for the adventure...I need a break from the mainland and I'm sufficiently quirky and relaxed enough to make this work!

FRANKLIN, I NEEDED THE LAUGH TOO.

hey speee1dy
What kind of crimes were those 7 if you dont mind me asking. Im moving there on Saturday.

two or three car break ins, three ( a house being built ) house break ins one cell phone stolen someone entered our house and stole a camera bag when i was here alone. i had just come back from the grocery store and the phone rang and i forgot to lock the gate to the house. a few more minor car break ins-he stole some loose change and pain cream. some of these crimes were Fast Eddie who might be in jail right now.

when i lived in the states as a child we had two separate house break ins with small things stolen. i am not sure what crimes were committed against hubby in the states.

our neighbor was shot on the street in front of his house. he lived. a friend had her car stolen at gunpoint while at a local restaurant a month or so ago, she has also had her house broken into with all electronics stolen.

someone tried to break into a different car of mine someone also tried to siphon gas from my car.

luckily nothing has been serious for us, but all crime is a crime and should not be tolerated.

when i lived in the states i lived a bit outside of dc and didn't lock my house door until about 1995 or 1996. when i was there or when i wasn't it didnt matter. i always felt safe there.

thats all i can remember at the moment.

Petty crime is endemic in the cuture in the VI. As a kid, my mother died when I was young, and my father worked two jobs, so we were highly unsupervised, and (shamed to admit it) but we were a small but steady petty crime wave on our neighborhood too as kids. We would joy ride in cars, take stuff from the yacht club soda cooler, sometimes go in at night and cook hamburgers and eat ice cream. We nosed in houses when people were not home, but didn't take stuff. I'm not proud of it, but I did it as a kid. There were also zero repercussions. When I moved to a different culture, I learned different behavior and never looked back. I'm just saying that I know first hand how ingrained it is. All the kids I knew were little petty criminals, some more so than others. And they were almost all white and from middle to upper middle class families, church going, private schooled, boat sailing, pony clubbing, swim teaming type kids.

All those census workers with cameras ....musta took a bunch of notes too!