Paradise on St. Croix?

I believe the problem is a drug induced problem. And poverty to top it off. Resentment of white rich people coming down and showing off.I do understand their plight but drugs and rape aren't the answer. But know what is? Education and someone needs to crack down on the police department hard to the Federal Gov. And maybe some things will change.Take action~

It certainly is discouraging, but I'm not so sure that it really amounts to the victim being put on trial.

If the physical evidence is not there to link the accused to the victim, then the whole case comes down to the credibility of the one witness. Because it is the credibility of the witness that the case hinges on, of course that is going to be the target of the defense attorney, but what else could it be?

Eyewitness accounts are notoriously inaccurate in all cases. I guess you could look at it as a weakness in our judicial system, but what is the alternative? Just jail the accused without seriously testing the credibility of the victim? If a judge or jury is willing to discount the testimony of a witness just because they are a minor, then that is a problem that needs straightened out within the judicial system. While there is an age where that argument may be appropriate, if we're talking about an 11 year old, in this example, certainly it should not apply.

But even in addition to witness testimony, if a rape takes place, there is physical evidence left behind in the form of bodily fluids, hair, clothing fibers, tissue samples under fingernails, even fingerprints or injury to the accused.

As I mentioned above, we'd need to know specifics about some of these cases to see why the accused got set free though.

Chris

Yes. I don't want to dwell on the court system as the only problem -- the problems are Legion. Poverty is clearly a major factor. And there are many things that can be done to influence the psychological/cultural component, including the solutions Linda suggested.

And let's not disregard the fact that, at least nationally, the rate of rapes and violent crimes is on the downswing (I don't really know about the VI, perhaps one of us has access to statistics for prior years). So some things we are doing are working.

Unfortunately, for the majority of rape victims, the 'be wary of strangers' strategy isn't one of them. For the 11 year-old, and most other rape cases, the alleged perpetrator was known to the victim.

But justice has been served and in this case it obviously wasn't the defendant. This was clearly a case of mistaken identity on the girl's part. There were multiple assaults over a year's time, but not enough for her to get the identity of her assailant right. Like most victims, she never reported any of them; it wasn't until a routine examination showed evidence of sexual assault that anyone knew about it. The defense made the point that this was an obvious 'rush to judgement' on the part of the prosecution and he was clearly right. The mother and the prosecution should be faulted severely for trying to get an innocent man behind bars and away from the little girl.

Perhaps improvements in DNA technology will make a difference some day. Asking 11 year-olds to get on a witness stand and swear to tell the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth clearly won't. The little liars can't be trusted.

Chris, your post came in while I was typing. Sorry.

Your point about addressing the system that makes 11 year-olds not credible witnesses was my point entirely. And yes, it is obvious from this case that physical evidence was lacking. The last rape committed was three days before the discovery, so fingerprints and other signs of physical evidence weren't available. Again, I don't want to sound as if defendants shouldn't be entitled to a fair trial that convinces a jury beyond a shadow of a doubt of the defendant's guilt. It's just that many cases of rape by an assailant personally known to the victim are just like this one, and they aren't going to go away. We need SOMETHING stronger in our arsenal of prosecution. Maybe DNA evidence is that arrow.

hmmm, way to eliminate some rapes--- more discouragement.
like, DNA evidence of rape of a minor = castration =)

easy.

btw, chris, im a fellow stj resident [4 years now], i have viisted stx *quite*a few times now and find it, aside from the projects, to be a very pleasant and enjoyable place.

My my, I have been gone for a while!

Some points that might be helpful in this conversation:

1. As far as what folks could do to help, I myself am volunteering as a Victim Advocate with the Family Resource Center. It currently requires 2 hrs of my time every week for training and, once I am done with training, will only require a monthly 8-hr shift committment. If that is not your cup of tea, I know money is always needed.

2. St. John has its share of problems. If interested in helping victims of abuse (sexual, spousal, etc.), you should contact the Safety Zone and ask them what you can do to help YOUR community a safer place.

OH GOD.... I swore to myself I would not get involved in this discussion. Statistics and trends aside, (lets face it) the USVI has a sexual assault problem.(period)... It appears that sexual assault crimes in th USVI is higher than in other comprable state side location... And For sure...we have the attentitive reporting of the "Source" and "Daily News" to let us know it is happening. Most other small communities do not have the watchful eye that we should all be grateful for.... We should All be ashamed, and try to do something to correct this terrible problem.

There is no simple solution. The USVI police on St Croix and St Thomas are trying to find these evil sex offenders.. The judicial system is trying to convict and incarcerate
the alleged criminals that come before them. If we believe they are doing there jobs, we must then look at the "cause"...Why are so many "young"men in the Virgin Islands driven to commit such "ugly, unforgivable" crimes?? Should we "close down" the government (public)housing that seems to spawn these perverts ( and incidentally the majority of drug offenders)?? Of course not, many people who need this kind of support are living there. And they are usually the victims of these criminals.

We live in a society that by our constitution guarantees all of us certain freedoms and protection from oppression. Unfortunatly this also protects some of those who are responsible for crime here on the islands. HOWEVER... It is time for our local government and citizens TOGETHER to attack crime and make us all safer.

iTS GOOD THAT YOU HAVE DETERMINED THERE ISNT A PROBLEM, sailaway.

Someone needs to leave Island life for a while. Bitterness is showing it's ugly head.

How on EARTH did you get the idea I don't think there is a problem?

In my first post to you I said ONE rape is too many. There certainly is a problem -- a BIG one. Three of the women I've been closest to in my life were rape victims (two of them by a known assailant). When I was very young I came very close to being a rape victim of a local minister (like it or not, Chris, males CAN be rape victims).

But these things did not happen in the VI -- they happened in and near Scottsdale, Arizona, a place where most people wouldn't think of rape as being much of a problem. It is a problem, but it isn't confined to STX or the VI, Chris.

Despite the numbers I gave you, I still consider the number of rapes in the VI and yes, of STX in particular, as being way too high. I couldn't agree with bd more. But several people questioned your painting of STX as a "paradise for rapists" as being a little too much, and one made the point that it certainly isn't as bad as many stateside inner cities. You responded with the challenge I accepted -- to look at the numbers vs. the population. I did, and after looking at them it appears they were right (which actually shocked me, I wasn't expecting it to turn out that way). But my original statement still holds. Now you are attacking me?

Chris, one billy goat to another, what's really going on here? In an earlier post I described you as being one of this site's gems because by pointing out that "Paradise" isn't perfect, you help keep our perspective balanced. But the image you want to paint this time seems unfair to me and a number of other posters, and unless you can show me some other numbers to look at, it appears the numbers are supporting that statement. It almost looks as though the accusations others have made about you taking pot-shots at STX aren't completely unfounded.

By the way, you STILL haven't answered Linda's question. Are you dodging it?

By the way, I suppose it would be unfair to challenge you to answer Linda's question if I'm not willing to answer it myself. I have been involved with rape prevention groups ever since the early 80's, when a serial rapist began attacking female real estate agents in my area, using vacant houses as a "perfect" venue. I had worked with or known many of the victims personally.

We have discussed this before.

"An Internet "troll" is a person who delights in sowing discord on the Internet. He (and it is usually he) tries to start arguments and upset people."

"Perhaps this sounds inconceivable. You may think, "Surely there is something I can write that will change them." But a true troll can not be changed by mere words."

"When trolls find that their efforts are being successfully resisted, they often complain that their right to free speech is being infringed."

"Trolls crave attention, and they care not whether it is positive or negative."

quoted from:

http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm
Linked in East Enders "Flames and Trolls" post 11-09-03

Bless Up,
J.

Too bad that people regard STX as the ugly stepchild. Chris, we all need to remember that the USVI do not just consist of STJ & STT. When one of the islands gets the negative publicity that you give STX, it affects the other islands as well. There are a lot of problems on all of the islands, and I think the government is at the core. Since the capital is in STT, and your real close, Chris, the efforts for reformation should start there.
All USVI islanders should regard everyone as family, and when there is bickering and degradation amongst family members it isn't a pleasant place to be.

So, Chris, if you think STJ is the ideal island, why don't you strive to make all of the islands just as ideal?