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

...whatever. Most people who live on St. Croix do not worry about crime as much as some of the people on this board would have you believe.
It is actually very peaceful here, and getting ready to be even more so with the closure of HOVENSA and the impending departure of lots of people. If we manage to scare even more away, or discourage them from coming here, we may even revert back to being the quiet, bucolic island a lot of us old folk remember.

Thank you Native Son. 🙂

I'm seeing a lot of postive things in the future as well, and am doing my best to contribute to this community.

That's exactly what we need...positive people who want to make a difference. We have had our wake-up call, now we need to move forward.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

...whatever. Most people who live on St. Croix do not worry about crime as much as some of the people on this board would have you believe.
It is actually very peaceful here, and getting ready to be even more so with the closure of HOVENSA and the impending departure of lots of people. If we manage to scare even more away, or discourage them from coming here, we may even revert back to being the quiet, bucolic island a lot of us old folk remember.

Thank you Native Son. 🙂

I'm seeing a lot of postive things in the future as well, and am doing my best to contribute to this community.

Hey, me too. We just disagree on the crime thing. That's cool with me. You?

I agree that there is crime here...after all, Humans live here. I disagree with the notion that I need to be worried about it. I have not been personally affected by crime in decades. Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe that's just normal.

...there are many societal factors that contribute to crime, and if you are not willing to remove those factors then you have to live with the crime as a byproduct of human nature.

That is the pure essence of the problem. Pure and simple. Everything else is flatulence.

I agree that there is crime here...after all, Humans live here. I disagree with the notion that I need to be worried about it. I have not been personally affected by crime in decades. Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe that's just normal.

Personally? I think you're lucky. In ten years, I've personally been burglarized in my home and in my car. I have had my life physically threatened. I have friends and acquaintances who have also had similar experiences -- in their homes, in their vehicles, and in their businesses. And on a regular basis. No one trusts the police, so people buy dogs, and alarm systems, and guns. I don't have the energy to look it up, but I'll bet the per-capita stats still bear out. We're an outlier. Why? Who knows. The violent and petty crime to which I've been exposed here, in this tiny hamlet, is greater than the sum of all the violent and petty crime to which I've been exposed anywhere else, and I've lived all over the world.

Thank your whomever you live under a blessing.

I'll still keep my machete.

I agree that there is crime here...after all, Humans live here. I disagree with the notion that I need to be worried about it. I have not been personally affected by crime in decades. Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe that's just normal.

Personally? I think you're lucky. In ten years, I've personally been burglarized in my home and in my car. I have had my life physically threatened. I have friends and acquaintances who have also had similar experiences -- in their homes, in their vehicles, and in their businesses. And on a regular basis. No one trusts the police, so people buy dogs, and alarm systems, and guns. I don't have the energy to look it up, but I'll bet the per-capita stats still bear out. We're an outlier. Why? Who knows. The violent and petty crime to which I've been exposed here, in this tiny hamlet, is greater than the sum of all the violent and petty crime to which I've been exposed anywhere else, and I've lived all over the world.

Thank your whomever you live under a blessing.

I'll still keep my machete.

I was in the US Army (Active Duty) for 20 years (Infantryman 11B/11C) so I, too, have lived all over the world. My life has been far from sheltered.
That being said...I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, before returning to St. Croix. On my last week there, some guys set fire to a propane storage facility and the resulting conflagration killed six firefighters. The same week, a serial killer was finally caught...he was a "respectable" businessman who was luring young boys to his house, then tying them up and killing them after playing with them for a few days...he only got caught because the last boy escaped while the businessman was at work...the boy was running naked through the streets.

I respect your opinions, and I sincerely regret that you have had so many bad experiences. However, I have seen violence, crime, depravity, and just plain evil in other places that I've lived, on a scale not even imagined here on St. Croix.

Son you keep saying the stateside murder rate is worse because of serial and mass murderers. Flat out, that is a better condition than the USVI because of the incredibly high murder rate

Wherever you are, the choices you make contribute directly to whether or not you find yourself in dangerous situations. If you're out late in Christiansted a lot, if you make poor decisions while drinking, if you participate in buying/selling/using drugs, or if you associate often with people who do, then you're going to have a much greater chance of experiencing crime. I think a big part of our wariness regarding crime in the VIs is that people don't have a lot of faith in law enforcement. In the states, the upside to having cops breathing down our necks about traffic violations, drinking and driving, etc, is that we end up feeling like the police are at least doing a thorough job...not the general sentiment on St. Croix.

I think I'm usually pretty smart about staying out of sketchy situations, but what's scary about crime on St. Croix is that there are those occasions when people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time...like what happened at Pickled Greek a couple summers ago.

Wherever you are, the choices you make contribute directly to whether or not you find yourself in dangerous situations.....

I think I'm usually pretty smart about staying out of sketchy situations, but what's scary about crime on St. Croix is that there are those occasions when people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time...like what happened at Pickled Greek a couple summers ago.

Yep. I think is wise to maintain a hightened awareness in areas with statisically signiificant high crime. Like, if the weather man forcasted snow, you be smart to wear boots and hat. Not that you have too be stressed or paraniod about snow, just suitablely prepared. While in the VI, I am not constantly stressed about crime, but I am much more aware of my surroundings (folks surronding me) than I am in NYC. I have yet to aclimitize to one of the highest murder rate on the globe.

Son you keep saying the stateside murder rate is worse because of serial and mass murderers. Flat out, that is a better condition than the USVI because of the incredibly high murder rate

When was the last time a murder was committed on St. Croix? and what were the conditions?

You miss my point. The murders on St. Croix are committed by people who know each other, and have a grudge. It is usually wanna-be gang members or people who have an intimate relationship with each other.

Nobody is going to kill you for simply walking down the street. This is not Detroit.

If you are not dealing in drugs, fighting pit bulls, betting on cockfights and horse races, selling guns, or engaging in other illegal activities, your chances of being murdered are slim...that is my position.

I do not feel threatened on St. Croix. We just had a large Agricultural Fair which was attended by thousands...it was peaceful, as usual. As a community, we like peace. The thugs will always kill each other. Don't get involved with them and their lifestyle.

I have lived all over America. I never felt safe there. I feel safe here. Different strokes for different folks.

I, personally, would never again live anywhere in the continental United States. I had more crime committed against me personally in one week there than I have experienced in decades of living here in my home.

to me, it does not matter if the murders are committed thug on thug. it is still a killing. also innocent people do get caught in the cross fire..
you have been lucky here native son, i have had and know of more crimes committed against my family and friends here than anywhere i have lived in the states. most of it is petty stuff. but a crime is a crime.
i feel safe when i go out here, but i use much more precaution here. i lived outside of dc and didn't even lock my doors even though i lived in section 8 at the time. i even asked two strange men to carry something heavy into my house for me with out a thought as to a crime happening.

Glad you asked Son. Wasn't the last murder Bob Johnston, an eldery man who was tied to chair in his own home, toutured and mudered? He wa a historian not a gang member. Blaming the vitcum is just method of distorting facts.

Nobody is going to kill you for simply walking down the street. This is not Detroit.

Maybe not, but they might rob you at gunpoint. Which is surely a lot of fun.

Blu4u, thank you for mentioning Bob Johnston. Must have been a drug dealing, gun selling, horse race betting, dog fighting gangster when he wasn't busy writing books. *-)

Nobody is going to kill you for simply walking down the street. This is not Detroit.

Maybe not, but they might rob you at gunpoint. Which is surely a lot of fun.

Blu4u, thank you for mentioning Bob Johnston. Must have been a drug dealing, gun selling, horse race betting, dog fighting gangster when he wasn't busy writing books. *-)[/quote

Or you may get caught in the crossfire while running errands at 1:00 in the afternoon. Or arrive home early from work and surprise a gang of thieves. Or you may resemble someone else. Or maybe you are a potential witness in an upcoming case. Or maybe you responed to a neighbor's cries for help. Or prehaps shot/run down by a VIPD officer. Or ambushed outside your front door. Unless the story makes national headlines or the suspect was wounded and couldn't flee the scene, the chances of clearance are small.

 

Son you keep saying the stateside murder rate is worse because of serial and mass murderers. Flat out, that is a better condition than the USVI because of the incredibly high murder rate

I have lived all over America. I never felt safe there. I feel safe here. Different strokes for different folks.

I, personally, would never again live anywhere in the continental United States. I had more crime committed against me personally in one week there than I have experienced in decades of living here in my home.

Sir, 3,794,083 square miles in America and you dont feel safe anywhere? That is a ridiculously blanked statement and destroys any credibility you have. The crimes specific to the VI mentioned here are specific, not blanketed and can be corroborated. The notion that the entire US is "unsafe" is ludicrous and speaks volumes about your biased mindset.

Fact

7 months on St. John, First hand knowledge:
3 Home Invasions - two at gun point one, one complete with a serious beating
6 Muggings - one to me
1 wallet stolen
1 time threatened to be stabbed-Just cause one of the many drunkin, angry thugs hanging on the street was feeling feisty
1 time threatened to be shot- Just cause one of the many drunkin, angry thugs hanging on the street was feeling feisty

That's a lot going on for an island of 28 square miles!

I wont even mention the stabbings and villa break-ins I dont have first hand information of.

The only time I've seen the fire department in action is to wash blood off the streets.

These are facts, not opinions and you will not find this crime rate per capita in 99% of mainland America.

I look at it this way, I'm genuinely doing the island and its people a favor by speaking out. I'm also trying to help the people who think they are moving to a "paradise". Despite the crime, I really like it here and I'm trying to stay. The people are great and I love the lifestyle. I actually think I care more about the Islands than people who are dismissive about the drugs and crime.

I believe its a mistake to mitigate the crime problem in the VI by comparing it to major American cities. No island has the population of a major American city yet crime is disproportionately pervasive and very real.

Its seems some people that attempt to soften the horrendous crime rate by rationalizing "It can happen anywhere".

"It can happen anywhere" NOPE ... because it doesn't!!!