Concerned citizens call on authorities to take immediate action against illegals in St. Peters
ST. PETERS — Reports coming out of St. Peters indicate that criminal elements in the community are systematically targeting illegal Venezuelans living and working in the district of St. Peters.
The St. Maarten Police Force, KPSM, reports that detectives from the Special Unit Robbery and the Homicide Department are presently investigating at least three armed robberies involving several Venezuelans which took place over the weekend of July 6th and 7th. These armed robberies all took place in St. Peters on St. Peters Road, Soursap Road and Marigot Hill Road where the victims are living or were simply walking on the street.
According to the police, it is being speculated that the Venezuelan victims are being targeted by youngsters in the community because of their illegal status on the island. The ongoing investigation however did not lead to that conclusion as yet. These incidents have led to a Venezuelan man being stabbed seriously in his back. The victim was transported in critical condition to the St. Maarten Medical Center, SMMC, where he had to be operated on immediately and where he remains in serious but stable condition for observation and further treatment.
Another report published by The Daily Herald indicates that yet another robbery took place on Monday evening, July 8th, when a man, a Venezuelan national, who was riding his scooter from a supermarket near Retreat Estate, was ambushed by a robber dressed in a hoodie near an apartment where Venezuelans live.
Click here to read the official police report on our website
Letter to the Editor from a very Concerned Citizen and Long time Resident of St. Peters
In a letter to the editor, a concerned citizen and long time resident of St. Peters is calling out to the authorities for an immediate solution for this problem in St. Peters.
The resident in question pointed out in her letter to StMaartenNews.com that authorities should hold raids and remove every ‘illegally’ residing “persons” from the district of St. Peters.
In addition to this measure, the resident proposes that the many bars and other ‘unwanted, non-constructive’ businesses that have popped up in the district of St. Peters should also be closed down.
Fines should be giving to anyone who harbors ‘illegally’ residing “persons” in the district of St. Peters and the practice of preference given to ‘illegally’ residing “persons” over the complaints and warnings of ‘legally’ residing locals of St. Peters should be immediately stopped.
The writer goes on to give a brief history lesson about the district of St. Peters and how the district was developed back in the late 60’s and early 70’s as a residential district for “locals”, including those returning home from abroad, to settle with their families at affordable prices on mostly domain land.
Since the 1990’s, government has allowed the influx of “illegals”; allowed homeowners building apartment complexes without proper infrastructure with no upgrades; allowed the establishment of Chinese supermarkets, Spanish bars, lottery number booths; allowed running grey/sewage waters in the streets; just to mention a few ills throughout the district of St. Peters.
According to the concerned citizen and long time resident of St. Maarten, today, the district of St. Peters is now downgraded to nothing more than a ghetto and is plagued by yet more illegals entering the district, more illegal building and leasing practices, rivers of grey/sewage waters flowing freely throughout the streets, increase in criminal activities and very little police presence.
Results are that most locals are having to move out of the district in which many were born/raised or lived for over 40 years because of the failure by every government official to curb the ongoing ills in community and who seem instead to have turned a “blind eye and a deaf ear” to the situation.
The letter writer indicates that in reports can be read that ‘residents of St. Peters’ are fighting back against crimes being committed against them. However, the writer is asking rhetorically “who are these residents? Who do they represent?”
According to the letter writer, the biggest criminals in all of this are each and every commissioner/parliamentarian who have allowed the district of St. Peters to become what it is today.
The letter writer concludes that “today, we, the peace loving “long time concerned” residents of St. Peters have no other option than to “turn a blind eye and a deaf ear” as well to the outcry and warnings of those so called “residents” who have been constructive in creating a problem that did not exist.
Editorial
StMaartenNews.com is in no way, form or fashion, condoning what can be termed as the ‘inappropriate behavior’ of certain individuals or groups – whether living or just visiting – in St. Peters who are purposefully targeting illegal Venezuelans living and working in St. Peters. We believe St. Peters to be the ideal district where a community spirit can be fostered and cultivated, where the practice of group economics can be sustainably implemented, where residents can be taught to adhere to a proper code of conduct whereby security and safety can be effectively achieved, businesses and community organizations can thrive and everyone can live in an environment that is clean, friendly and socially acceptable to all.
However, StMaartenNews.com is of the opinion that condoning one form of illegality, no matter the humanitarian considerations that is motivating the decision-making of the justice authorities, in particular the Minister of Justice, to not take action against the large number of illegal Venezuelans that are now residing in districts such as St. Peters and openly engaging in illegal employment and work-related activities in and around the various neighborhoods on the island, especially in St. Peters, will result in unwanted consequences that we are now witnessing on a systematic scale whereby another form of illegality is being used in a targeted fashion to assault these illegal Venezuelans and rob them of their hard-earned monies, hard-earned monies that is most likely also finding its way back to their families in Venezuela through channels of yet another illegal nature, which is also money laundering, tax evasion and can be considered a form of terrorism financing.
Proposal to stem the tidal wave of Venezuelan migrants
Just recently, on the 6th of June, 2019, another concerned citizen and born St. Maartener by the name of Achken R. Richardson submitted a proposal to government and parliament and other authorities in the Dutch Kingdom and the Collectivité of Saint Martin, to address the “clear and present humanitarian danger for the countries and islands of the Dutch Caribbean, Sint Maarten in particular”.
In the introduction letter to his proposal, Richardson warned the authorities addressed in his letter about the “very serious concerns for the eventual effects and serious burden that this tsunami movement of Venezuelan refugees will place upon the People of Sint Maarten, as well as the other islands of the Dutch Caribbean.”
Richardson emphasized in his letter that “the survivability of our People, our Countries, our Cultures, as well as our Socio economic status must at all times be our foremost priority at protecting because of our very small sizes and populations.”
Richardson further warned that “this overwhelming migration will eventually be to the detriment of us all as a Nation.” Richardson pointed out that “this humanitarian problem has already reached our shores and it is not going to go away anytime soon.”
Richardson called on the authorities of both the Dutch and French sides to “structurally and legally act now, before it gets out control.”
The proposal of Richardson is a 9-points process proposal for addressing and curbing the migration movement (via the French side) into Dutch Sint Maarten, the illegal employment and the conscious harboring of these illegal Venezuelans.
A copy of this document can be found online and downloaded from here.
In conclusion to the editorial, StMaartenNews.com would like to point out that in order to avoid the incorrect justification that two wrongs make a right, it is high time the authorities take structural measures to curb all the illegalities that are currently taking place and are being openly condoned and sanctioned by all those turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the situation. We fear this will ultimately be to the detriment of all on St. Maarten. In this sense, we sincerely agree with these two concerned citizens of St. Maarten that immediate action must be taken.
