Wednesday's much-publicized Police Benevolent Association demonstration cum "press conference" began with a whimper, and it never reached a bang.
At the 10 a.m. starting time, there were three people before Havensight Mall's locked gates – PBA president Elroy Raymo and two reporters. Raymo had called the demonstration to air police grievances before tourists, making good his threat last month to do so if Gov. Charles W. Turnbull didn't come to the bargaining table.
Turnbull did meet with Raymo and PBA vice president Alphonso Boyce at 6 p.m. Tuesday, after the demonstration had been announced. But according to Boyce, it was too little, too late.
"He called us to come in, and then he couldn't offer us anything –- he just wanted to stop the demonstration," Boyce said.
Wednesday morning, the governor telephoned two radio stations asking the PBA to cancel the demonstration.
Edward Thomas, president of the West Indian Co. Ltd., which manages Havensight Mall for the Government Employees Retirement System, had ordered the mall gates locked in order to avoid confrontations between the demonstrators and tourists, and the move was effective. About 20 PBA supporters and even fewer tourists walked up to peer through the bars of the gates.
As supporters came straggling in carrying placards, Police Commissioner Franz Christian and Sen. Allie-Allison Petrus arrived on the scene.
"They're not going to change anything," Petrus said of the demonstrators. "What it amounts to is they are sabotaging the government. It's outrageous. Their level of logic is lacking."
Petrus said the union leaders needed to be more responsible. "If the membership follows them, they're just not using logic," he said.
Christian said he was present to see that there was "no disrespect shown to the chief executive, and that the demonstration be peaceful."
After speaking privately with Raymo for a few minutes, he said he was satisfied that the demonstrators would remain peaceful and "obey police procedures."
The commissioner said he would be checking back throughout the day to make sure things were in order. Police Chief Jose Garcia was also on hand "to ensure police rules and regulations are observed."
Among the placards carried by the demonstrators was one reading "Welcome to America's Parasite." One that Raymo kept a firm grip on throughout the protest said "Our Islands under Siege." Not all were so strident, though. One read "Police are Human too — take Care."
Joining the demonstration was St. Thomas-St. John firefighters union representative Daryl George, who decried the "lack of government leadership –- not money." He said, "We have told them what we need."
George said only two fire stations are open on St. Thomas, downtown and in Tutu, with only 12 firefighters on duty. "God forbid one of these cruise ships should catch fire," he remarked. George also said firefighters are operating with 6,000 gallons of water when they should have 10,000 to 15,000.
Raymo, George and St. Croix PBA president Naomi Joseph spoke to the few onlookers. Much horn honking from passersby appeared to be in support of the union efforts.
There had been much horn honking earlier, too — from astonished and angry would-be shoppers who couldn't get into the mall.
Raymo said he didn't want to "bring down the government" but had to get the administration's attention.
All three speakers covered a familiar litany of complaints. They cited lack of uniforms, lockers, flashlights, flares and psychological support for the officers.
Joseph said she has been trying to meet with the governor for six months, with every effort rebuffed, even though, she said, "he's in St. Croix every Tuesday." She said her calls were never answered.
"I don't want to do this," she said, "not like this. The whole thing could have been avoided if he had met with us, even once." She also questioned whether, since the mall is owned by the GERS, WICO had the right to lock the gates.
Police territorywide are owed $500,000 from Hurricanes Marilyn, Georges and Lenny, Joseph said. She said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided $257,309 but the administration won't release any of the money to the police until it gets the full amount from FEMA.
George and Joseph noted that the unionized police, firefighters, corrections officers and emergency medical technicians recently formed a unit which will continue to demonstrate. A meeting was planned for Thursday, George said, to decide whether to demonstrate over the coming weekend. He promised more protests next week.
The demonstrators announced they were forming a motorcade to go downtown and protest, but it didn't materialize. Later, in Emancipation Garden, Boyce said the plan was to "regroup and make further plans."
One tourist who had wandered up to the locked gates asked if the demonstrators were on strike. Given a brief explanation, he added, "They should do a slowdown, not a strike." He added, "Money does strange things to people."
Money problems force many police officers and firefighters to work two and three jobs, according to Boyce and others at the demonstration.
The Havensight Mall gates were reopened around noon. WICO spokesman Calvin Wheatley said later in the day that he was pleased to have observed little effect by the protestors on the tourists. "There's no question about that," he said, adding, "I just wonder what they expect to accomplish."
