Sept. 20, 2001 – While Sen. Celestino White is up in arms about a bill to impose an annual $10 fee on motor vehicle owners that would go toward the cost of disposing of abandoned and legally retired vehicles, others see the need.
The bill would help the territory remove the proliferation of abandoned cars and trucks that lurk in the bushes, sit abandoned in vacant lots or remain where they died along the roads. It also would deal with the problem of what to do with vehicles no longer driveable but disposed of in legal ways at the local dumps.
"Aside from being unsightly, they are a health and environmental hazard," said Geraldine Smith, director of the St. Thomas-St. John Anti-litter and Beautification Commission.
Smith said many mainland municipalities and also those on some other Caribbean islands impose such a fee on the motoring public. "It is time for us to catch up," she said.
The bill calls for the $10 fee to be collected at the same time as annual motor vehicle registration fees, and for the money to go into the Anti-litter and Beautification Fund. Gov. Charles W. Turnbull sent the bill to the Senate, where it now rests with the Finance Committee.
It could not be determined how much revenue the proposed fee is projected to generate.
The bill is "regressive," according to White. "You or I may never ever have a vehicle to be disposed of, yet we will be required to pay this fee," he said in a press release. He said many used vehicles are sold, traded in, shipped off island or lawfully disposed of by tow trucks and that the bill would force vehicle owners to pay for a service they might never use.
He did not address the issue of what it costs to dispose of a retired vehicle by hauling it to the landfill. While some used vehicles leave for another life on the mainland or another island, most remain in the Virgin Islands until they die.
The landfills on both St. Thomas and St. Croix are filled with old cars awaiting an undetermined fate. The pile at the Bovoni facility is about the size of the Cyril E. King Airport terminal.
"Something needs to be done," Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood said. He said his department tags abandoned vehicles, notifying owners to move them. When nothing happens, he said, Property and Procurement Department personnel then cart them away.
UVI SYMPOSIUM TO SHOWCASE STUDENT RESEARCH
Sept. 20, 2001 – The University of the Virgin Islands invites the public to the first UVI Fall Research Symposium, from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the Sports and Fitness Center, St. Thomas campus.
Approximately 25 UVI students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, will present poster sessions. Young people and other community residents with an interest in science can observe and then talk with student researchers.
The research symposium, part of UVI's Emerging Caribbean Scientists Programs, will feature students who have done research in astronomy, biology, marine biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, psychology and mathematics over the past year. Students represent research done with faculty at the University of the Virgin Islands and other institutions, including Purdue University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, Lehigh University, South Carolina State University, Tulane University and Auburn University.
Further information is available from University professors Dr. Teresa Turner at 693-1382 or Dr. Camille McKayle at 693-1329.
Approximately 25 UVI students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, will present poster sessions. Young people and other community residents with an interest in science can observe and then talk with student researchers.
The research symposium, part of UVI's Emerging Caribbean Scientists Programs, will feature students who have done research in astronomy, biology, marine biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, psychology and mathematics over the past year. Students represent research done with faculty at the University of the Virgin Islands and other institutions, including Purdue University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, Lehigh University, South Carolina State University, Tulane University and Auburn University.
Further information is available from University professors Dr. Teresa Turner at 693-1382 or Dr. Camille McKayle at 693-1329.
INS LIFTS BAN ON CREWS LEAVING CRUISE SHIPS
Sept. 20, 2001 – Cruise ship crews were out and about before they went back to the ship Thursday, gladdening the hearts of Havensight-area merchants who had seen their sales drop sharply earlier in the week in the absence of those thousands of regular weekly customers.
"They're back in force," Jeff Salpis, owner of the Delly Deck in Havensight Mall said with a smile in his voice.
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, starting Sunday, had prevented crew members who were not U.S. citizens from disembarking while their vessels were in port in the Virgin islands. The decision was apparently part of security measures instituted following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. No ships were scheduled to call in the territory in the days immediately following the attack, so it appeared that INS had implemented the ban at the first opportunity.
Calls to the INS office on St. Thomas were referred to the Puerto Rico office, where spokesman Ivan L. Ortiz said he would not comment on the subject. Ortiz also would neither confirm nor deny that the crew members had not been allowed off the cruise ships.
While the Delly Deck had a full patio for lunch Thursday, Salpis said crew members were slow to fill up the seats. Usually, the place is pretty busy by mid-morning, he said, but they didn't show up in any numbers until noon.
At the Modern Music store, manager Jim Burke said he had seen a few crew members by mid-day. "Usually we get busy later in the day," he said. Crew members often rent videos from the shop, to return them on their next visit to St. Thomas.
West Indian Co. spokesman Calvin Wheatley said INS officials decided late Wednesday to let the crew members resume getting off their ships. He said WICO President Edward Thomas, cruise ship company officials and U.S. Coast Guard staff worked with the INS on getting the procedure reversed.
Wheatley said the crews cause no problems for St. Thomas. Most are foreign nationals hailing from Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Europe. Two ships were in port at St. Thomas Thursday, he said.
Cruise ships typically carry 900 to 1,000 crew members, and their shopping, along with that of passengers, helps to fuel the territory's economy. WICO estimates that crew members on average spend about $73 per person each time they come ashore while in port at St. Thomas.
"They're back in force," Jeff Salpis, owner of the Delly Deck in Havensight Mall said with a smile in his voice.
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, starting Sunday, had prevented crew members who were not U.S. citizens from disembarking while their vessels were in port in the Virgin islands. The decision was apparently part of security measures instituted following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. No ships were scheduled to call in the territory in the days immediately following the attack, so it appeared that INS had implemented the ban at the first opportunity.
Calls to the INS office on St. Thomas were referred to the Puerto Rico office, where spokesman Ivan L. Ortiz said he would not comment on the subject. Ortiz also would neither confirm nor deny that the crew members had not been allowed off the cruise ships.
While the Delly Deck had a full patio for lunch Thursday, Salpis said crew members were slow to fill up the seats. Usually, the place is pretty busy by mid-morning, he said, but they didn't show up in any numbers until noon.
At the Modern Music store, manager Jim Burke said he had seen a few crew members by mid-day. "Usually we get busy later in the day," he said. Crew members often rent videos from the shop, to return them on their next visit to St. Thomas.
West Indian Co. spokesman Calvin Wheatley said INS officials decided late Wednesday to let the crew members resume getting off their ships. He said WICO President Edward Thomas, cruise ship company officials and U.S. Coast Guard staff worked with the INS on getting the procedure reversed.
Wheatley said the crews cause no problems for St. Thomas. Most are foreign nationals hailing from Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Europe. Two ships were in port at St. Thomas Thursday, he said.
Cruise ships typically carry 900 to 1,000 crew members, and their shopping, along with that of passengers, helps to fuel the territory's economy. WICO estimates that crew members on average spend about $73 per person each time they come ashore while in port at St. Thomas.
UVI SYMPOSIUM SHOWCASES STUDENT RESEARCH
Sept. 20, 2001 – The University of the Virgin Islands invites the public to the first UVI Fall Research Symposium, from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the Sports and Fitness Center, St. Thomas campus.
Approximately 25 UVI students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, will present poster sessions. Young people and other community residents with an interest in science can observe and then talk with student researchers.
The research symposium, part of UVI's Emerging Caribbean Scientists Programs, will feature students who have done research in astronomy, biology, marine biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, psychology and mathematics over the past year. Students represent research done with faculty at the University of the Virgin Islands and other institutions, including Purdue University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, Lehigh University, South Carolina State University, Tulane University and Auburn University.
Further information is available from University professors Dr. Teresa Turner at 693-1382 or Dr. Camille McKayle at 693-1329.
Approximately 25 UVI students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, will present poster sessions. Young people and other community residents with an interest in science can observe and then talk with student researchers.
The research symposium, part of UVI's Emerging Caribbean Scientists Programs, will feature students who have done research in astronomy, biology, marine biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, psychology and mathematics over the past year. Students represent research done with faculty at the University of the Virgin Islands and other institutions, including Purdue University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, Lehigh University, South Carolina State University, Tulane University and Auburn University.
Further information is available from University professors Dr. Teresa Turner at 693-1382 or Dr. Camille McKayle at 693-1329.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM NEW YORK
New York City and the Virgin Islands. It is hard to imagine two places more un-alike. One small and beautiful, the other enormous and, to be generous, not beautiful. What possible lessons can the World Trade Center disaster provide for Virgin Islanders? People everywhere are trying to find some way to connect to these horrible events and to help in some way. Virgin Islanders, many with connections to New York, are no different. In many instances, these efforts are a stretch.
I believe, however, that Virgin Islanders, by virtue of experience and despite the enormous differences between the territory and the metropolis, come closer to knowing what it feels like in New York today than many other people on the mainland. If you take away the criminal nature of the act and the lack warning, the destruction of the World Trade Center was similar to a devastating hurricane in its impact on the community.
I suspect that the sense of dislocation, imposed ugliness, depression and loss that New Yorkers are feeling is similar to that which Virgin Islanders have felt in the wake of recent terrible storms. Over time, the effects of loss ripple out from immediate loved ones to friends of friends, and everyone in the community is affected. One week after the attack, we are entering that phase in New York.
If we accept these parallels, can New York teach the Virgin Islands anything about coping with this kind of nightmarish situation? I believe that the answer is "yes," particularly across three critical dimensions.
The glue of community
The first area is trust and community: New York's image as an undifferentiated "megalopolis" is extremely misleading. Probably more than any other American city — and certainly more than any suburb — New York is a vast collection of neighborhoods and communities. Because it relies on mass transit, people of all kinds constantly interact with one another. The subway's social role may be more important than its transportation role.
Because we have few malls and megastores, the neighborhood market, drugstore, dry cleaner and hardware store are still centers of community life. And because we are such a diverse city, and there is no majority group anymore, there is an unstated understanding that "we're all in this together." This is a far cry from the myth of "America United" currently being sold on television, but it is probably the best that we've got in this country.
And it was this sense of a single community that provided the critical glue that made possible the extraordinary performance by New Yorkers both during and after the calamity.
I do not believe that this "glue" exists in the Virgin Islands. In recent decades, divisions based on race, class, island and place of birth have deepened, reducing the level of trust and making the territory a less tolerant place. In the crunch, a basic level of trust and shared identity is one of the things that is absolutely crucial in getting through. There is a lot of work to be done.
All systems up and running
The second lesson is more mundane. A major reason that the death toll was not even higher was that there were systems in place that worked. Nothing could have fully prepared organizations for the magnitude of this disaster, and all systems were overloaded. But they worked, starting with evacuation and continuing through the rescue, hospital care and other phases.
Like the sense of community, these systems have to be in place before disaster strikes, and, despite our inevitable tendency to slack off, they have to be tested and updated regularly.
Americans are probably the best-organized people in the world, and this is an area in which Virgin Islanders can profitably emulate their fellow citizens on the mainland. By almost any measure, the territory is a systems basket-case. As a result, everything seems to be a new event, and the wheel must be repeatedly rediscovered. Another area for major attention.
A leader to follow
Finally, we come to leadership. Contrary to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's image elsewhere as a popular figure, many New Yorkers loathed him. No longer. He has emerged in this crisis as a calm, reasoned, reassuring, forceful leader. These are all qualities that stand in sharp contrast to the president of the United States.
The mayor's leadership has been as important as the sense of community and the systems that are in place. Candidates to succeed him as mayor will now be judged by how they would have performed in this terrible and very fluid situation.
Virgin Islanders should ask themselves that question about their leaders. If, as I suspect, they come up empty, it is time to begin searching out leaders in new places and also to begin the process of developing a new generation of leaders.
What ties all of these things together is the need for a lot of work in advance of a crisis. For a variety of reasons, the starting points for this process in the Virgin Islands are few and easily defined: local media, including the Source newspapers and talk radio, the University of the Virgin Islands, and the business community.
What sets the Virgin Islands apart from other places is that the government cannot be counted on to play a positive role. It would be worth while to start a broad discussion on the three issues of community, systems and leadership across the territory, with a focus on honest self-assessment and planning for the future.
A final lesson of the New York story is that even imperfect community, systems and leadership at every level are preferable to none at all.
Frank Schneiger
New York City
I believe, however, that Virgin Islanders, by virtue of experience and despite the enormous differences between the territory and the metropolis, come closer to knowing what it feels like in New York today than many other people on the mainland. If you take away the criminal nature of the act and the lack warning, the destruction of the World Trade Center was similar to a devastating hurricane in its impact on the community.
I suspect that the sense of dislocation, imposed ugliness, depression and loss that New Yorkers are feeling is similar to that which Virgin Islanders have felt in the wake of recent terrible storms. Over time, the effects of loss ripple out from immediate loved ones to friends of friends, and everyone in the community is affected. One week after the attack, we are entering that phase in New York.
If we accept these parallels, can New York teach the Virgin Islands anything about coping with this kind of nightmarish situation? I believe that the answer is "yes," particularly across three critical dimensions.
The glue of community
The first area is trust and community: New York's image as an undifferentiated "megalopolis" is extremely misleading. Probably more than any other American city — and certainly more than any suburb — New York is a vast collection of neighborhoods and communities. Because it relies on mass transit, people of all kinds constantly interact with one another. The subway's social role may be more important than its transportation role.
Because we have few malls and megastores, the neighborhood market, drugstore, dry cleaner and hardware store are still centers of community life. And because we are such a diverse city, and there is no majority group anymore, there is an unstated understanding that "we're all in this together." This is a far cry from the myth of "America United" currently being sold on television, but it is probably the best that we've got in this country.
And it was this sense of a single community that provided the critical glue that made possible the extraordinary performance by New Yorkers both during and after the calamity.
I do not believe that this "glue" exists in the Virgin Islands. In recent decades, divisions based on race, class, island and place of birth have deepened, reducing the level of trust and making the territory a less tolerant place. In the crunch, a basic level of trust and shared identity is one of the things that is absolutely crucial in getting through. There is a lot of work to be done.
All systems up and running
The second lesson is more mundane. A major reason that the death toll was not even higher was that there were systems in place that worked. Nothing could have fully prepared organizations for the magnitude of this disaster, and all systems were overloaded. But they worked, starting with evacuation and continuing through the rescue, hospital care and other phases.
Like the sense of community, these systems have to be in place before disaster strikes, and, despite our inevitable tendency to slack off, they have to be tested and updated regularly.
Americans are probably the best-organized people in the world, and this is an area in which Virgin Islanders can profitably emulate their fellow citizens on the mainland. By almost any measure, the territory is a systems basket-case. As a result, everything seems to be a new event, and the wheel must be repeatedly rediscovered. Another area for major attention.
A leader to follow
Finally, we come to leadership. Contrary to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's image elsewhere as a popular figure, many New Yorkers loathed him. No longer. He has emerged in this crisis as a calm, reasoned, reassuring, forceful leader. These are all qualities that stand in sharp contrast to the president of the United States.
The mayor's leadership has been as important as the sense of community and the systems that are in place. Candidates to succeed him as mayor will now be judged by how they would have performed in this terrible and very fluid situation.
Virgin Islanders should ask themselves that question about their leaders. If, as I suspect, they come up empty, it is time to begin searching out leaders in new places and also to begin the process of developing a new generation of leaders.
What ties all of these things together is the need for a lot of work in advance of a crisis. For a variety of reasons, the starting points for this process in the Virgin Islands are few and easily defined: local media, including the Source newspapers and talk radio, the University of the Virgin Islands, and the business community.
What sets the Virgin Islands apart from other places is that the government cannot be counted on to play a positive role. It would be worth while to start a broad discussion on the three issues of community, systems and leadership across the territory, with a focus on honest self-assessment and planning for the future.
A final lesson of the New York story is that even imperfect community, systems and leadership at every level are preferable to none at all.
Frank Schneiger
New York City
Editor's note: Management consultant Frank Schneiger has worked with V.I. agencies since 1975, most recently as consultant to United Way of St. Thomas/St. John. He is one of the founders of the St. Thomas/St. John Youth Multiservice Center.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
P'TI BLEU II FINED FOR OIL SPILL; COOPERATION NOTED
Sept. 20, 2001 – U.S. Coast Guard investigators have concluded that one of the five commercial vessels suspected of spilling 30 gallons of oil into the Creek in Cruz Bay last month was responsible. But because the P'ti Bleu II's owners voluntarily cleaned up the spill and have had no other offenses in the last year, the Coast Guard has imposed a minimum penalty, a $625 fine.
Lt. John Reinert confirmed that the Coast Guard marine safety laboratory in Groton, Conn., matched a spilled-oil sample taken from the cargo docks area of the Creek in Cruz Bay on Aug. 20 with a bilge oil sample subsequently taken from the P'ti Bleu II barge. Using gas chromatography analysis, the laboratory determined that the two samples were "derived from a common source of petroleum oil," while oil samples taken from the four other suspected vessels did not match the spill sample.
The other samples were from the Auto Transit, Roanoke, General and Capt. Vic. Port inspectors looking into the oil spill had observed a large amount of waste oil in the bilge of the P'ti Bleu II, which, with the Auto Transit, was "moored in the direct vicinity of the spill."
The P'ti Bleu II and Auto Transit are owned by Ocean Link Enterprises of St. John. Vice president and part owner Cheryl Boynes-Jackson said she could not explain how oil from the P'ti Bleu II got into the water. "We were not aware of the spill" until the Coast Guard "brought it to our attention," she said Thursday. At the time, Jackson said, she volunteered to "do whatever we could to help" by taking the lead in the spill cleanup operation and allowing bilge oil samples to be taken from both of her vessels.
According to Reinert, Cmdr. Joseph Servidio, chief of port operations in San Juan, concurred with the recommendation of the marine safety detachment on St. Thomas to fine the P'ti Bleu $625. Reinert credited Jackson with taking the responsibility to clean up what "everyone considered at the time a mystery spill." He said, "Since they were so proactive with getting the spill cleaned up, we are not going to pursue a violation case against them at this time."
Lt. John Reinert confirmed that the Coast Guard marine safety laboratory in Groton, Conn., matched a spilled-oil sample taken from the cargo docks area of the Creek in Cruz Bay on Aug. 20 with a bilge oil sample subsequently taken from the P'ti Bleu II barge. Using gas chromatography analysis, the laboratory determined that the two samples were "derived from a common source of petroleum oil," while oil samples taken from the four other suspected vessels did not match the spill sample.
The other samples were from the Auto Transit, Roanoke, General and Capt. Vic. Port inspectors looking into the oil spill had observed a large amount of waste oil in the bilge of the P'ti Bleu II, which, with the Auto Transit, was "moored in the direct vicinity of the spill."
The P'ti Bleu II and Auto Transit are owned by Ocean Link Enterprises of St. John. Vice president and part owner Cheryl Boynes-Jackson said she could not explain how oil from the P'ti Bleu II got into the water. "We were not aware of the spill" until the Coast Guard "brought it to our attention," she said Thursday. At the time, Jackson said, she volunteered to "do whatever we could to help" by taking the lead in the spill cleanup operation and allowing bilge oil samples to be taken from both of her vessels.
According to Reinert, Cmdr. Joseph Servidio, chief of port operations in San Juan, concurred with the recommendation of the marine safety detachment on St. Thomas to fine the P'ti Bleu $625. Reinert credited Jackson with taking the responsibility to clean up what "everyone considered at the time a mystery spill." He said, "Since they were so proactive with getting the spill cleaned up, we are not going to pursue a violation case against them at this time."
BIR ACCEPTING CREDIT AND DEBIT CARDS
The V.I. Bureau of Internal Revenue is now accepting credit and debit cards as payment for all types of taxes.
The type of credit cards presently accepted are VISA and MASTER CARD. For convenience, ATH cards (debit cards) will also be accepted. Taxpayers must go in to the bureau to make these payments.
The type of credit cards presently accepted are VISA and MASTER CARD. For convenience, ATH cards (debit cards) will also be accepted. Taxpayers must go in to the bureau to make these payments.
THERE'LL BE TIME (AND A PLACE) TO TALK SATURDAY
Sept. 20, 2001 – If you — and especially if your children — want to talk about it, or listen to what others have to say about it, be at Tillett Gardens Saturday at 4 p.m. and plan on staying for a couple of hours.
"It" being what most people have been talking about to the exclusion of most everything else in the last 10 days — the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and their aftermath for America and the world.
"We need to talk," says Jason Budsan, owner of Caribbean Herbals, a candlemaking and craft business located in Tillett Gardens.
Budsan and his landlady, Rhoda Tillett, are organizing the semi-informal forum Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the hope of bringing diverse segments of the St. Thomas-St. John community, especially children, together to share their thoughts and feelings.
Dr. Olaf Hendricks, a St. Croix psychiatrist, is expected to moderate the discussion. Other community resource professionals who've said they'll take part include Michal Rhymer of Family Resource Center, Iris Kern of The Safety Zone on St. John, firefighter Daryl George, business executive Michael Bornn and educator Carol Henneman.
Budsan says he's still in the process of reaching out to various sectors of the community to encourage them to participate — school teachers and administrators, counselors, religious leaders, the Police and Education Departments and more.
He said Kern arranged for Hendricks to take part: "He flies to St. Thomas all the time, and Dr. Kern told me he is coming over on his own to do this." Hendricks could not be reached, but Kern confirmed that "he told me he was coming."
Budsan said the forum was inspired by a two-hour live program hosted by Peter Jennings on the ABC television network Saturday morning. Jennings met in a New York City school gymnasium with dozens of youngsters, from pre-school to high school age and from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds, and some of their parents. The children largely determined the directions in which the discussion moved, with Jennings calling on pre-positioned experts — in person and via video hookup — in everything from airline operations to the Muslim faith to respond to issues raised.
Then, Saturday afternoon, while Budsan was at work, he said, "I saw a lot of kids in Tillett Gardens, some crying, some just looking at their parents wondering whey they were so shocked at what they were watching on the television. I realized this is the future. Rhoda pulled me over and said 'What should we do?' I said we've got to help the children, the kids that come here. And she said, 'Yes, put it together.'"
Budsan said he started thinking about the ABC special. "I thought, that's exactly what we need to happen — a 'Graffiti Street'-type atmosphere, relaxed, the children speaking, telling each other and us what their fears are." He added, "A lot of the things they say are things we adults would like to say, but we aren't able to express ourselves."
Saturday's forum similarly will be relaxed in structure, Tillett said, and the hope is that Hendricks will serve as moderator.
While reaching out to children is the prime focus of the forum, Tillett said reaching out to the Arab and Muslim members of the local community is extremely important, too. As U.S. residents, they share the pain of the attack and also are experiencing backlash from people who judge them to be terrorist supporters because of their ethnicity or faith.
Tillett noted that she has a tenant who is an Arab and "asked him to come and to invite all his friends." Budsan went to the nearby Plaza Extra Supermarket, which is owned by Arabs, and asked general manager Willy Hamed to spread the word, "and he said he would."
For Tillett, who is Jewish, the forum comes in the midst of the annual observance of the Ten Days of Repentance, also called the High Holy Days. It is, Rabbi Jay Heyman of the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas said recently, "a period of self-examination and introspection … to examine our hearts and to plead our case before the Eternal." Activities during the period are directed toward reconciliation with both God and other people, he said, "to alter conduct, readjust values and set things right in one's personal life."
That, Tillett said, makes the forum appropriate. "We always want to do for people," she said. And if it become clear from Saturday's participants that there's more to be done, she'll help.
"If there is a desire after Saturday, if people want to come and share, then every Saturday we can put the microphone up and we can talk," she said. "What happened is all we're talking about, anyway. If you meet someone on the street, that's all you talk about."
Budsan's convinced already that the desire will be there to continue the dialogue. "It's going to be a series of meetings," he said. "One child will speak out, then another and another. Then the process will begin, and it's needed."
He added, "We've got to act now. It's not something that can wait until we feel more like dealing with it."
For additional information, call Budsan at 777-7190 or Tillett at 775-1929.
"It" being what most people have been talking about to the exclusion of most everything else in the last 10 days — the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and their aftermath for America and the world.
"We need to talk," says Jason Budsan, owner of Caribbean Herbals, a candlemaking and craft business located in Tillett Gardens.
Budsan and his landlady, Rhoda Tillett, are organizing the semi-informal forum Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the hope of bringing diverse segments of the St. Thomas-St. John community, especially children, together to share their thoughts and feelings.
Dr. Olaf Hendricks, a St. Croix psychiatrist, is expected to moderate the discussion. Other community resource professionals who've said they'll take part include Michal Rhymer of Family Resource Center, Iris Kern of The Safety Zone on St. John, firefighter Daryl George, business executive Michael Bornn and educator Carol Henneman.
Budsan says he's still in the process of reaching out to various sectors of the community to encourage them to participate — school teachers and administrators, counselors, religious leaders, the Police and Education Departments and more.
He said Kern arranged for Hendricks to take part: "He flies to St. Thomas all the time, and Dr. Kern told me he is coming over on his own to do this." Hendricks could not be reached, but Kern confirmed that "he told me he was coming."
Budsan said the forum was inspired by a two-hour live program hosted by Peter Jennings on the ABC television network Saturday morning. Jennings met in a New York City school gymnasium with dozens of youngsters, from pre-school to high school age and from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds, and some of their parents. The children largely determined the directions in which the discussion moved, with Jennings calling on pre-positioned experts — in person and via video hookup — in everything from airline operations to the Muslim faith to respond to issues raised.
Then, Saturday afternoon, while Budsan was at work, he said, "I saw a lot of kids in Tillett Gardens, some crying, some just looking at their parents wondering whey they were so shocked at what they were watching on the television. I realized this is the future. Rhoda pulled me over and said 'What should we do?' I said we've got to help the children, the kids that come here. And she said, 'Yes, put it together.'"
Budsan said he started thinking about the ABC special. "I thought, that's exactly what we need to happen — a 'Graffiti Street'-type atmosphere, relaxed, the children speaking, telling each other and us what their fears are." He added, "A lot of the things they say are things we adults would like to say, but we aren't able to express ourselves."
Saturday's forum similarly will be relaxed in structure, Tillett said, and the hope is that Hendricks will serve as moderator.
While reaching out to children is the prime focus of the forum, Tillett said reaching out to the Arab and Muslim members of the local community is extremely important, too. As U.S. residents, they share the pain of the attack and also are experiencing backlash from people who judge them to be terrorist supporters because of their ethnicity or faith.
Tillett noted that she has a tenant who is an Arab and "asked him to come and to invite all his friends." Budsan went to the nearby Plaza Extra Supermarket, which is owned by Arabs, and asked general manager Willy Hamed to spread the word, "and he said he would."
For Tillett, who is Jewish, the forum comes in the midst of the annual observance of the Ten Days of Repentance, also called the High Holy Days. It is, Rabbi Jay Heyman of the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas said recently, "a period of self-examination and introspection … to examine our hearts and to plead our case before the Eternal." Activities during the period are directed toward reconciliation with both God and other people, he said, "to alter conduct, readjust values and set things right in one's personal life."
That, Tillett said, makes the forum appropriate. "We always want to do for people," she said. And if it become clear from Saturday's participants that there's more to be done, she'll help.
"If there is a desire after Saturday, if people want to come and share, then every Saturday we can put the microphone up and we can talk," she said. "What happened is all we're talking about, anyway. If you meet someone on the street, that's all you talk about."
Budsan's convinced already that the desire will be there to continue the dialogue. "It's going to be a series of meetings," he said. "One child will speak out, then another and another. Then the process will begin, and it's needed."
He added, "We've got to act now. It's not something that can wait until we feel more like dealing with it."
For additional information, call Budsan at 777-7190 or Tillett at 775-1929.
JUDGE'S ORDER TO REMOVE FLAG PIN OFFENDS
Dear Source,
It was with much surprise that I read of Judge Rhys Hodge's order to Lofton P. Holder to remove an American flag lapel pin that Mr. Holder was wearing to court recently. Attorney Stephen Brusch and Judge Hodge should be ashamed of themselves for this act of anti-patriotism. While the Virgin Islands is geographically far removed from the United States, it is still, to the best of my knowledge, a territory of the United States of America.
Mr. Holder said that he feels as if his First Amendment rights had been violated. I'm not sure you even have to go that far! Mr. Brusch and Judge Hodge have basically just slapped America in the face with these actions.
This, at a time when we all need to stick together, united under one flag. Wave the flag, citizens of the UNITED STATES Virgin Islands!
Eric K. Roeske
Watertown, Wis.
It was with much surprise that I read of Judge Rhys Hodge's order to Lofton P. Holder to remove an American flag lapel pin that Mr. Holder was wearing to court recently. Attorney Stephen Brusch and Judge Hodge should be ashamed of themselves for this act of anti-patriotism. While the Virgin Islands is geographically far removed from the United States, it is still, to the best of my knowledge, a territory of the United States of America.
Mr. Holder said that he feels as if his First Amendment rights had been violated. I'm not sure you even have to go that far! Mr. Brusch and Judge Hodge have basically just slapped America in the face with these actions.
This, at a time when we all need to stick together, united under one flag. Wave the flag, citizens of the UNITED STATES Virgin Islands!
Eric K. Roeske
Watertown, Wis.
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MID-ISLAND FISH MARKET GROUND BREAKING RESCHEDULED
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Mid-Island Fisherman's facility has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, at Estate Body Slob, adjacent to the Farmers Market at Ville La Reine.
This planned construction will correct some of the problems with selling fish on the roadsides on St. Croix. When completed, it will coincide with the Farmers Market at Estate Ville la Reine and provide an enhanced shopping experience for the people of St. Croix.
This planned construction will correct some of the problems with selling fish on the roadsides on St. Croix. When completed, it will coincide with the Farmers Market at Estate Ville la Reine and provide an enhanced shopping experience for the people of St. Croix.
