Aug. 5, 2006 – A small band of St. John residents have gone public with their wish for a peaceful St. John.
The Rev. Charles Crespo said the group fears a repeat of the upheaval that hit St. John last summer and fall, when a series of events triggered rallies and shop-ins at local restaurants and the island's largest grocery store, Starfish Market.
Crespo said that in the last few weeks, events have heightened tensions in the community. On July 31, Superior Court Judge Brenda Hollar sent Bob Sells to jail for violating the terms of his bail by allegedly threatening Esther Frett. Sells was convicted June 20 of a racially-biased assault on Frett that occurred June 3, 2005. He is awaiting sentencing.
His store, Close Reach Imports, was set on fire Sept. 2, 2005. His Jeep was torched the night before. No one has been arrested in either case.
Additionally, the trial of Renell Lettsome began this week. Lettsome is accused of beating St. John resident David Geiger to death Oct. 29, 2005, after allegedly stealing money from his house.
Lastly, residents are still waiting for the FBI report on the alleged rape of Frett on Aug. 30, 2005. This incident sparked subsequent rallies, sit-ins at St. John restaurants and shop-ins at the island's largest supermarket, Starfish Market. Those protesting claimed they wanted to force the island's business community into pressuring the FBI into making a report on the Frett case, which was termed a hate crime.
Crespo, Bonny Corbeil and Ronnie Jones set up a table, complete with a peace sign, in Cruz Bay Park on Friday. Crespo and Corbeil plan to do the same Saturday, and plan future events when their time permits.
"We're reminding people that it takes everybody's participation to bring peace," Crespo said.
He stressed that he and the others involved in the peace effort aren't taking sides. "The whole mission is peace," he said.
Corbeil said that for too long, St. John residents haven't spent time talking about issues affecting the community. "It's like in the old days when we used to sit in the park and talk about stuff," she said.
The effort came about through Crespo's membership in the Diversity Committee of the Police Department's Citizen Integration Team.
The peace activists are handing out flyers to those they speak to in the park and elsewhere, with the hope that those people will pass along the peace message of "Think Peace, Talk Peace, Be Peace."
They're asking people to "Make the S.C.O.R.E." The S stands for safety, and includes the message, "Keep your cool this summer." The C represents compassion, and advises readers to "open their minds to understand each other's situations."
O is for opportunity: "Make the choice for peace."
The R is for respect: "Hot heads aren't cool."
And lastly, the E is for equality: "Let us learn to celebrate these differences and celebrate what we can learn from each other."
Crespo said only one person out of all the people he spoke to Friday didn't seem to understand his message.
Safety Zone Director Iris Kern, also a member of the Diversity Committee, called for respect among the diverse members of the community.
She, Crespo and Corbeil all said they are hopeful their efforts will pay off.
"How can you go wrong with promoting peace?" Corbeil asked.
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