Dear Editor,

Much has been written recently about the lack of prison space at the Point Blanche facility and how it is affecting the sentences being meted out through judicial proceedings.

Unfortunately, there is also much being written about the escalation of crime on the island, which is obviously adding to the problem of where to house the convicted criminals. One of the negative effects of having a shortage of detention facilities is an inadvertent enabling of crime due to a perceived and actual lack of strict and immediate punishment, lessening the deterrent in a time where stronger deterrents are woefully needed.

Hopefully this is a short-term problem due to the upcoming building of a new prison with increased capacity, but waiting until the completion of the new prison three years from now, to address crime and proper punishment, is not acceptable, as today the island’s reputation is faltering, affecting many industries and individual livelihoods, not to mention personal safety.

In your recent editorial, you pointed out that there are some cell container type facilities on the island that are not being utilized due to costs and impracticability of locating them outside the prison. Use of them needs to be considered and analyzed, as the status quo is unacceptable.

However, there is potentially another solution whose roots go back to 1776. That is the use of prison ships, also known as prison hulks. These are former seagoing vessels that have been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts.

Until recently, the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center was a five-story jail barge that stretched the length of two football fields, resembling a container ship stacked with cargo. This is an extreme example, as it could hold 800 inmates, hopefully significantly more than needed on SXM.

A company named Chevalier Floatels has prison ships that can hold 101, 110 and 221 prisoners. Those facilities can be divided into several security sections with recreational areas in every section. Also, there are ample office facilities for security posts, medical examination, visitor areas and administration. A large galley can be used to provide meals. Light wells can be used as exercise yards. Conversion to prison standards can be done in a few weeks.

I do not know the availability or cost of these ships, but the concept is worth considering and implementation a possibility when SXM is replete with water frontage and getting ships here should not be difficult. In addition, when the prison is completed and there is no need for the temporary prison facilities, a lease can be terminated or the ship sold, should the decision be to purchase one, returning capital to the country. Coordinating with the French side of the island might also defray cost and make the concept more feasible.

The United States military has been using barge-like temporary housing for years, for when a navy ship comes to port for a multi-year overhaul where the sailors cannot stay on board their ship. This could be another source for SXM.

Something to consider.

R. Paul Speece

Simpson Bay

Dear Editor,

May I express my heartfelt support for the brave individual(s) who have come forward to share their painful experiences of sexual harassment and assault within the police force or justice chain on a whole.

The allegations outlined are deeply troubling and point to a systemic issue that demands urgent action or attention.

I stand in solidarity with those who have suffered and commend their courage in speaking out. It was also understood that many of the complaints went on deaf ears by the management team and that some of the victims were also victimized.

No individual, especially public servants, should have to endure harassment or fear retaliation for seeking justice within the Justice Ministry.

It is unacceptable that incidents of this nature continue to be overlooked and unaddressed. This is a critical moment for us to examine our policies, hold the responsible individuals accountable, and ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to prevent further harm.

I call on the government of St. Maarten, the Integrity Chamber, and all relevant authorities to take immediate and decisive action against the perpetrators and the management for their inaction to protect their subordinates.

As Vice Chairman of the Justice Committee in Parliament, I will work together with all stakeholders to create a safe and respectful environment for all civil servants across the board.

The time for complacency is over. The time for meaningful change is now.

Lyndon Lewis

Member of Parliament

Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW)

Dear Editor,

I have been serving the community of Sint Maarten working at KPSM [the St. Maarten police force – Ed.] for almost 33 years. Today I hold the rank of Inspector (team leader) and hold in an interim position, the function as a Section Chief within the Detective Department. In other words, I provide guidance to team leaders and, where necessary, also to staff members.

I have decided, in the interest of myself and other KPSM leaders, to come forward to the public to provide clarity regarding the accusation made by Mrs. N. James. I see the accusation not against me personally, but against me in the function that I hold. I am also coming out publicly to prevent other KPSM leaders from being victimized in similar situations in the future. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an accusation of a sexual nature.

I want to state upfront that I have built a flawless career within the police force until about five years ago when Mrs. N. James sent an email to my Division Head on January 27, 2020, with accusations against me regarding an incident on January 23, 2020. She stated that I had my face in her breasts on the afternoon of January 23, 2020.

This is strongly contrary to the truth. I have given multiple explanations about this over the years and have also written an accountability report of what happened. Additionally, I have been heard twice with regard to this situation.

What happened that day is, that I simply hugged her after doing very good work when we succeeded, after working a whole week of evening and night shifts, in an effort of removing two contract killers from the streets. With the intention of not revealing too many details about work procedures, I can only state that the hug happened partly because at a given moment during work on the afternoon of January 23, 2020, Mrs. James had to leave her desk briefly. Her task that afternoon was to guide the patrols to the location of the suspects. I use the word suspects because it was already evident that these persons were responsible for two murders and four (4) failed attempts on four other people on the island.

When Mrs. James returned to her desk, I noticed something had occurred that really bothered her. Long story short, during that brief time, the suspects had managed to escape from the area where they were located without being arrested. Mrs. James was upset about the fact that she had to leave her desk briefly. I believe I was noticeably angry as well.

About 30 minutes later, the patrols were still successful in arresting one of the suspects on the Dutch side, and about 30 minutes after that, word came from French colleagues that the second one was also arrested. It was truly a fantastic moment for us on the investigation team and for KPSM as a whole. This was the reason for the hug, but also because she had been upset an hour earlier that the suspects had escaped the patrols. I have always maintained that the hug happened spontaneously. Without any form of malicious or double intent.

On the morning of January 24, 2020, Ms. N. James came to speak with me in my office. She informed me that she felt very uncomfortable the day before when I hugged her as I came close to her breasts. I repeat close to her breasts, because that’s exactly how she said it and I assumed that is also how she meant it.

Initially, I was loss for words and didn’t know what to say. I immediately offered my apologies and said that I absolutely did not want any problems and asked if we could please discuss this here in the office. She listened to me and then went to her desk in the workroom.

On January 27, 2020, Mrs. James decided to send an email about this to the Division Head with the accusation that I had my put face in her breasts. As you can see, this differs from her statement to me on January 24, 2020. After thinking long and hard about this, I could clearly remember that she was wearing her glasses as she always does and because I did not want to bump into her glasses, I came with the left side of my head against her right shoulder. She was seated behind her desk.

This incident, along with three (3) other fabricated complaints were thoroughly investigated between April and July 2022, in addition the three being those of two arrested police officers, being a male and female. I was part of the investigation against these two officers whom based on police information, tried to extort money from an individual. The fourth person is another female colleague of Mrs. James who worked with her in the same department. This forth person had received a report from me in 2019 whereby we were not on speaking terms other than work related.

In a fact-finding investigation conducted by the National Detective together with a member of the Netherlands National Police (Rijksrecherche) on July 26, 2022, it was concluded that I did not commit no criminal offense but that it should be investigated disciplinarily, which is what happened.

After the disciplinary investigation was completed, KPSM made a proposal for a disciplinary punishment to the Ministry of Justice regarding the fact of hugging and allegedly sending a sexually suggestive message to the wife of the arrested male police officer, being a Customs officer working at the time at KPSM. The message was not written completely which created room for misinterpretation and was use to her advantage.

My lawyer and I completely disagreed with the suggested disciplinary punishment, as I had already been punished more than sufficiently. I was placed on non-active duty for nine (9) months which is equivalent to a suspension. The Ministry of Justice has never formally responded to KPSM’s request nor the different letters from my lawyer.

I must also immediately add that all complaints made, being four (4), not eight (8) or ten (10), were all made in writing and signed in the month of April 2022. And all complaints were made after I had taken measures for not complying with tasks within job descriptions, started a criminal investigation under the leadership of a prosecutor and I had not cooperated with request from a respective complainant.

In the case of Mrs. James, she only filed a criminal report about the alleged incident with the National Detective in March of 2020, two months after the fact, after I had not cooperated with her request made through her lawyer to hold a higher rank.

As of March 30, 2020, Mrs. James had requested an extraordinary leave to work at the VROMI Cabinet. Subsequently, by March/April 2021, she returned to KPSM with the request to be placed back in the same team, thus again under my leadership. Why should someone who made such a serious complaint against me would want to come back and work again under my leadership?

Despite the mishap of hugging Mrs. James in 2020 and my negative advice given in March 2020 for a promotion she had requested, Mrs. James and I still had good working cooperation after her return from the VROMI Cabinet. She is a very skilled and efficient worker, as she was certainly seen in my office 2 to 3 times per week. At times even more, to discuss investigative approaches with cases, and especially when she disagreed with the working method or views of her team leader. We had sat together with the French authorities in at least 2 meetings on the French side. We had driven together in the same vehicle with another colleague present. All of this can be confirmed by multiple colleagues.

On March 08, 2022, I gave for a second time, a negative advice on a request from Mrs. James made through her lawyer to be placed in a higher rank. Reason for the negative advice was that the work done by Mrs. James fell exactly within her described task description for the function she held. The written advice was submitted to the Division of Operations.

Around mid-March 2022, I noticed that Mrs. James spoke very little to me and to an extent even avoided me. In April 2022, Mrs. James, besides having an interview conducted by personnel of the internal affairs of KPSM, wrote a separate letter where she literally indicated among other things: “That she had sleepless nights and needed to cry herself to sleep.” With a normal working relationship for the two months after the incident and then again between April 2021 and March 2022, this was clearly not noticeable to me nor my management.

It is evident that Mrs. James and the other female colleague from her department were aligned with the two colleagues who were arrested and later removed from service, in a conspiracy of having me removed from the function.

I initially wrote a six-page letter addressing all four complaints of April 2022 revealing all facts and contradictions with proof to the fabricated complaints. But due lack of space, I can only publish this much.

What I have stated here can be verified by others, unlike the accusations without any sort of proof, made by Mrs. James and others.

I have retained the services of a lawyer and I am currently in the process of taking legal actions against all who are tarnishing my reputation.

All for carrying out my work with full commitment, as a strong, positive, and just leader.

now, tell me – who is the victim?

Liando R. Rombley.

Dear Editor,

The inherent value of being an independent thinker, one that is free from the influences of preconceived cognitive biases, is incalculable. Relying on one’s autonomy to process the world we inhabit inevitably results in us becoming able to exercise our heavily endowed capacities for a highly autonomous existence. To mold or shape the totality of our earthly experiences independent of and free from the impact of pre designed societal roles and conventions serves to extricate us from the fetters of the socialisation processes and conditioning which many of us ever so often unconsciously submit to.

Being able to resist the ever so present urge which viscerally pokes us to trade in our individuality for guidance from without activates and keeps in motion our often untapped capacities for relying on self. Constantly resisting we set in motion our facility for self-reliance which instantaneously consults the economy of our individuality, constantly withdrawing from its reservoir the intangible internal resources needed for the preservation of our agency, thus reinforcing our immunity from rigid conformity. Becoming susceptible to contamination and contagion from the singular and boring consciousness of the collective dangerously enables unhealthy encroachment on the innocent mental spaces that were once available and fertile for the development of and employment of our sense of autonomy.

This highly individuated project of becoming separated from the ways of the collective can span an entire lifetime during the course of which we will be subjected to fierce resistance from its foe – the dull, stagnant, unimaginative, thoughtless and dependent herd. Unavoidably, following the commencement of this secernate enterprise forces of conformity and nonconformity, orthodoxy and unorthodoxy, are now engaged in an internal conflict to assert each other’s superiority and dominance. For those who are acutely aware of this inwardly directed struggle, the battle is won even before it is actually waged, as a conscious choice is made in the nascent stages of this contest to remove oneself from the state of mental dependency which perpetually characterizes the unthinking masses.

It becomes a tragedy of epic proportions for the huge chunk of individuals whose faculties regrettably have now become a homogeneous mass of uniformity easily recognizable to each other. The tragic loss of this vast store of innocent human capacities that were once available and in service of independent self regulation has now succumbed to a highly regimented and predictable communal existence. A mechanical state of being now ensues inhabiting souls whose spiritless and lifeless existence desires nothing else save for the continuation of a sustained recurring nature populated with perspective less and thoughtless conformities. Sadly, there remains no inherent creative human equity in this automated mental mode of being, as any sense of one’s authenticity and separation from the blunt uninspiring herd is now conspicuously non-existent.

In this robotic disposition nothing new or fresh proceeds from within the confines of one’s cranium. Neural pathways after being bombarded with persistently tedious stimuli become incapable of being stimulated when presented with unorthodox views or ways of perceiving or thinking differently about the world. One’s sense of the possibility of becoming autonomous becomes the only antidote to undo or reverse this imposed mental monotony which invariably results in cognitive indolence. Even if one periodically aligned oneself with the modus operandi of the confirming sect, consciously suspending one’s faculty for independent thought and momentarily regurgitating and spewing the common utterances of the collective, it is still imperative that we seek to discontinue the perpetuation of this impoverished mental state. As voluntarily prolonging the inactivity of our frontal lobe will eventually relieve us of a defining feature of what essentially makes us human-our capacity for independent thought.

Earnestly fostering a culture of self directed thought in the early stages of one’s mortal lifespan is an important undertaking primarily because it disallows an inauthentic way of being from dominating our earthly vacation. An original planetary existence enables the proliferation of unique perspectives which is essential for resolving problems and challenges we have hitherto imposed upon ourselves. It is counterproductive to keep employing uninterested structured, inflexible and regimented thought systems that continue to reproduce and perpetuate mass invariability of thought. Our efforts to assert the contents of our subjectivity which excitingly and enthusiastically awaits moments to distinguish its capacity for self directed thought and expression ought to be profusely encouraged.

Orlando Patterson