It’s been a while since I’ve been to play golf St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands – I used to live on St. Thomas – but things haven’t changed much.
Downtown Christiansted looks like a ghost town, especially at night.
“St. Croix has been dead for 20 years,” said one cabdriver, while other cabbies nodded agreement.
Little wonder. Crime scares people off here, from potential tourists to residents.
Tourism suffered greatly when the cruise ships left. Too many passengers were getting robbed and beaten when they ventured out and the government refused to do much about it, so the cruise ships pulled out.
There are other factors. Your average Cruzan, like most other people in the Caribbean, is exceedingly nice, law-abiding, very polite and usually well-informed and intelligent. These are the people I feel sorry for, who have to put up with high crime, government corruption, a worsening economy and bad roads.
But, too often you encounter rude and indifferent people in the tourism industry. Are you listening King Christian Hotel?
Crime is bad and getting worse,.
“Seems like there’s a shooting every night, and even daytime,” said the cabdriver. “They don’t argue any more, they just pull out a gun and shoot you. I feel really sorry for the young men today.”
Dive site, Cyber Diver News Network, warns tourists to be prepared; one warning came after a couple on a dive trip was injured when gunmen came into a St. Croix restaurant shooting and robbing patrons.
“Cyber Diver advises travelers to always be wary of resort and dive operator hype., and completely disregard industry promotion groups such as DEMA and the Cayman Islands Watersports Operators Association that exist primarily to conceal public safety and environmental problems that might have a negative impact on the bottom line.”
A ray of hope: Captain Morgan, the rum producer, is moving from Puerto Rico to St. Croix.
Let’s hope that puts them in a better mood. The people there deserve it.
| « Fear, loathing, rage and riots in Miami airport: Why American Airlines is the worst airline in the world, Chapter 398 | Pine Lakes restoration in Myrtle Beach on schedule » |
Comment feed for this post
The Accidental Golfer:
Brandon Tucker:
Mark Nessmith:
Jason Scott Deegan:
As for St. Croix, if I governed the island and had carte blanche, I could eliminate 99 percent of all crime within a year. And I think you know that I could do it, too.
And I'm all for that Texas boy who shot-gunned those two robbers. I got NO problem with that. Of course, he could have shot them in the legs, but well, he didn't...
Perhaps more tourism and visitors are are good thing, but I certainly don't look forward to the crowds and traffic.
Tim, did you actually play golf? Where? Did you break 100?
I agree with you about Mr. Horn (the Texas boy). I don't think any decent person would like the feeling of killing two human beings, and I myself would have -- were I to take violent action in an identical situation -- aimed for the legs. Since the two miscreants were fleeing and a shotgun was the weapon at hand, such a course wouldn't have been unrealistic. Of course, perhaps Horn considered other factors; maybe he was concerned about the increased chances of errant shot endangering innocents if he aimed for smaller body parts.
Regardless, I was happy to hear that the Texas grand jury refused to indict Horn. My attitude with respect to these matters is that you buy yo' ticket and you takes yo' chances. While I don't say that theft warrants the death penalty, if you get killed during the commission of a crime, so be it. That's the risk you take if you want to do evil. Moreover, if more people stepped up to the plate and thwarted crime, we'd have fewer criminals.
As for my comment about governing St. Croix, believe it or not, I wasn't implying that I'd shoot miscreants right and left. I'm not actually a proponent of wide application of the death penalty, and I know that I could administer punishments short of death that would be harsh enough to act as a deterrent (just think medieval minus the torture).
It's interesting, though, that John says crime isn't that bad in St. Croix. I wonder what accounts for the difference in perception.
I've lived here 10 years. I may not be Crucian (note the spelling), but I am a resident and I love it here. STX isn't perfect, no place is, but I wouldn't live anywere else. I highly recommend St. Croix for family vacations and as a great place to move to. You missed out on not discovering the very real beauty of St. Croix, its people, its beaches, its lifestyle. If you didn't like it, don't come back.
I remember my first visit to StX. I didn't like it at first. But then I got into the slower pace of life and the pleasantness of its people, and since moving here have fallen in love with it, warts and all. Problems? Sure. What place doesn't have them.
And what's with the "bodyguards" at the golf course comment? Only thing that's ever bothered me there were mosquitos at dusk.
Please click to our Caribbean section (http://www.worldgolf.com/courses/caribbean/) for reviews on St. Croix golf courses.
I have taken pains to emphasize my affection for the people of St. Croix. It's their government I believe that is failing them.
I also talked to a lot of people -- non-cabby, long-time residents -- who, almost to a person - said their number one concern on the island is crime.
Various polls and statistics, by government and other agencies, back this up.
Don't recall any golf course bodyguards comments.
I don't think you actually visited St. Croix. Maybe you were on a different island? Youe certainly not talking about the St. Croix I know and love. Spreading this kind mis-information doesn't help anyone, especailly the people on the island you are so concerned about!