Attendees at the meeting.
DUTCH QUARTER--In what appeared to be a show of willingness to amicably resolve the recent incidents in Dutch Quarter, some personal effects belonging to police officers that were removed from a brand-new police vehicle, which was later set on fire during the unrest in Dutch Quarter on Sunday night, were returned to the officers.
Police Chief Carl John referred to the act while addressing the audience during a meeting hosted by the Dutch Quarter Community Council on Tuesday evening to come up with solutions for the recent spate of incidents in the neighbourhood.
John said the vehicle had been broken into and the personal belongings of the officers removed from the vehicle, which was set aflame.
“To show that this problem has to end, someone called us for the personal belongings of those officers,” John said. He stressed that the police force already does not have sufficient vehicles and the one destroyed in Dutch Quarter will not be easy to replace. He said the force also does not have thousands of officers and they lack material, but one thing that he said can be guaranteed is that 80% of the good members of the police force will go the extra mile.
Police Chief Carl John and KPSM members with DQ Community Center representatives.
Unity
One common theme expressed during the meeting was that a collaborative effort amongst all stakeholders, including parents, the community, churches, government and law enforcement, is needed to help address the issues facing the youth in the Dutch Quarter community.
John was amongst representatives of some of the top brass of the St Maarten Police Force KPSM who were in attendance. Also in attendance were candidates of several political parties, some of whom shared their views.
Some speakers pointed out that notably absent were the young persons in the community who were involved in the incidents that have been occurring in Dutch Quarter. It was stressed that their voices also needed to be heard.
One of the persons to take the floor was media personality and political candidate Gromyko Wilson, who questioned the absence of the Prosecutor's Office at the event.
Wilson said the root cause of many of the issues amongst the youth in Dutch Quarter are the drug dealers and the persons supplying the youth with weapons. He said the youth are influenced by these persons, as they look up to them as role models. Getting rid of the persons who control the drugs and weapons, he believes, will help solve the problems.
After asking the audience which one of them had been involved in setting the fires in Dutch Quarter, long-time resident of the area Peter Gittens pointed out that the persons who were involved were not in attendance at the meeting.
He said the community needs to do its part and not speak about being leaders. He asked where the leaders were to tell the youths to stop when persons were attempting to break into a supermarket in the area in the midst of the Sunday night fires. “If we are to find solutions and fix it, it will come from us,” he said, adding that the youths should not be segregated or thrown on the side.
DQ Community Council President Cresburk Browne said the council is willing to assist anyone in the community who needs assistance in finding jobs. He said the council can, for example, help persons with their resumes and help provide guidance as much as it can.
DQ Community Council President Cresburk Browne and one of the residents.
One member of the audience said there is a disconnect in the community. She said government cannot be blamed for the issues and while the police can be brought in, random persons cannot just approach a youth in the community, if the youth is not familiar with them. She said patrols can be done, but this in itself will not “calm down” the youth, as more needs to be done by the collective community.
Similar sentiments were expressed by former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament Silveria Jacobs, who stressed that everyone needs to work with each other. She said the issues being encountered in the community are not a Dutch Quarter problem, but a St Maarten problem. She said everyone needs to come together to help resolve the issues.
One of the law enforcement officials in the audience, who stressed that she never dehumanises anyone in her line of work, said the youth expect the police to tolerate all their behaviour, including drug and firearm possession and use, but she stressed that the youth need to understand and be reminded that the police have a mandate to serve and protect everyone, including them.
She said persons are feeling unsafe in their homes with shots that are being fired in the area, 15 of them during the Sunday night incident alone. She urged everyone to not pretend that this “big white elephant” is not in the room and that this is not one of the issues.
She stressed that a good rapport is needed with the youth and she urged everyone to say something when they see something because the issue they ignore today will reach their doorstep tomorrow.
Police spokesperson Josepha stressed that it takes a village to address the issues, adding that if everyone turns a blind eye, everyone will become blind. He said the police can be called many times, but if a parent or a neighbour fails to be their brother’s keeper, the issue will reach that person eventually. He likened the meeting as “preaching to the church,” as the persons in attendance at the meeting were not the problem.
“Please help us help you,” he pleaded.
Law enforcement official Felix Richards said this is not the Dutch Quarter that he knew. “We are better than this.” He expressed hope that the meeting was the first step in the right direction to resolving the issues plaguing the community. “Unity is what it will take,” Richards noted.
Rounding off the discussions was Police Chief John, who said the many political candidates in attendance at the meeting showed a commitment from the candidates. John said he was baffled that Dutch Quarter has problems because there are so much talent and professionals in the district and many persons who are willing to help fix the issues in the community. He said everyone is aware of the issues and the police do not even have to be in the district.
He said with the knowledge and commitment expressed at the meeting, the Community Police Officer (CPO) for Dutch Quarter should be more than enough. He said that while the youngsters were not present and it appeared as though they were preaching to the choir, the youth were asking for love, and this should be given to them.
He stressed that whatever KPSM can do to help, this will be done, but stressed that this should not be seen as a free pass for what had been done.
The Dutch Quarter Community Council said a report will be made of the content of the meeting and this will be shared with the various ministries. The council plans to follow up on this.
