Dear Editor,
To the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Justice: I cannot hold this back any longer. People are having a very hard time, but we only see that the sun comes up every day once we are in the land of the living. We don’t see the homeless, we don’t see the hungry and we are not seeing how many people are dying every day. We never give the countdown. But I sit and check what’s going on.
Yesterday something happened; we had two ships in port and the police were doing their control in Pointe Blanche, because that is the only way they feel they can embarrass the gypsies, the bus drivers and some taxi’s without orange shirts. And they say, keep things in order.
I do my things too. I don’t have a home, I live in a container, or sleep there. Because you can’t afford to live on your pension if you have to pay $500 for rent, $116 for light and $80 for water. How are poor people going to make it? We have so many people sick, poor and homeless.
I went all over the world and have seen public transportation gypsies or whatever they want to call them, and the tourists know that, and they come and go with the gypsies because they get a good deal.
I heard the police and control telling the tourists that the gypsies don’t have insurance for them. When I insured my car, I read the policy very well, I never saw a car with only one seat for the driver in St. Maarten (laugh), so how can they say something like that? Why can’t they solve crime, like finding the robbers of Domino’s or solve a murder?
But when people are working they go to the sites, take them out of a job, and put them to shame, but those people are helping build back the island. You not going to want to hear the truth. They run down the people on the beach; they say they are harassing the tourists and the tourists are the only income St. Maarten has. Why didn’t they put control when all the people they leave come into the island? No, St. Maarten was on top of the world.
Please stop embarrassing the tourists. Look, I want you to check if it has four ships in town and you want a taxi to the airport, try getting one in town; you better get a gypsy, or the plane will leave you. I can talk because I am a gypsy, so I know. They give taxi licences to people who don’t even know how to speak. I know they going to say, “Yes, Avril, you know it is wrong. But who feeds me? Must I be a beggar?
We have a little snack, and they are always on your back. Don’t play music a little hard and a few cars park up, they run leave all the thieves in town and run Sucker Garden to put people to shame, but they never can find a thief. They work only to embarrass their own and use their power to show off. I was very angry when I saw the Governor pinning medals on Holland police and marines and civil servants of St. Maarten who work hard. Public Works and the police know why they like to make people ashamed. You can be humble to them and speak nice, but they don’t care, they just feel give her a booth is you don’t like to go to the court you tell what it is they give you. Anyway, that’s all for now. Stop embarrassing the tourists, that’s all we have. And the rebuilding of St. Maarten.
Avril Gumbs
