I will be the first to admit that two weeks of “Mas and Fun” is a bit too much for me at my age.
But I ain’t mad at you, young people, been there done that. I am not here to discuss the double standard that allowed us to have Carnival this year; we all needed a break in the final analysis. For, between the Covid-19 lockdown and the La Soufriere’s eruption its consequential dislocation of over thirty thousand citizens, we are a nation on edge.
Some may point to our alarmingly high incidence of street justice as an indication of the level of tension in our community. Others may blame the high crime rate on social-economic issues like low level of employment, high cost of living, low wages, and the list goes on and on. Then, there are those, like myself, who feel we are heading towards a precipice of economic disaster. I cannot for the life of me understand how we can continue to hand out this much-unearned money to a nation of people for no reason other than: “They need some help.”
So yes, I am only ready to say, “Ting Kinda Nice Again,” because I still have difficulty understanding why we have so many unsolved murders. Why is it that the ordinary person on the street can connect these murders to some high-profile cases? Or was named as persons of interest in other high-profile but unsolved cases?
Inaction by the police will lead to an escalation in street justice and anarchy. Be careful, Mr. Commissioner.
Law enforcement is more than booting illegally parked cars in Kingstown. How is this an effective strategy for dealing with the already congested network of streets? Isn’t the reason why we are required to affix a license plate to our vehicle is so that you can track us down even when we are not around? I saw at least five cars booted for illegal parking; three of them were most definitely creating a traffic hazard. This hazard remained in place for almost half of a day, thus making the already congested street more challenging to traverse. Mr. Commissioner, the same amount of revenue could have been collected had your Officer issued a situation to the licensed owner of the vehicle, and demanded all fines be paid before the annual license renewal.
I feel things are only kinda nice again because the CDC still doesn’t understand they are responsible for my safety at any show of which it is the organizer. The same rules should apply to them as it does to private events.
Things only kinda nice again when I see the lack of effort put into an attempt to honor the calypsonians who died during our hiatus. Why did we cut out the second calypso in the final, and why did we increase the number of finalists to twelve? It added no value in the end. I hope this is a side effect of the “slim down version” and does not become the new standard.
Things only kinda nice again for some of the revelers who attended the Soca Monarch finals. After all, some of them ended up in the hospital. I find it offensive that someone representing the CDC dared to stand up and blame the police for their total failure. It is not the job or responsibility of our police department to provide security for the CDC. Our police officers are not employees of the CDC. Yes, I know the CDC is a “creature” of the government. I saw people entering the park with backpacks and oversized purses that were never searched. Then we acted surprised when some people got hurt at the most crowded event in the Park. Why were people allowed to bring spray cans and distribute them before certain performances? Mr. Commissioner, why are you willing to own the problem of a lack of adequate security at a CDC show? This time the problem is not yours; it falls entirely on the shoulder of the CDC. Leave It There!!!
Everyone knows I have not been easy on the Commissioner of Police and his job performance, but no one can blame him or his officers for security lapses at CDC shows. Security at the shows is the responsibility of the CDC, and they should pay compensation to all those injured during the event. Where are our local personal
njury lawyers?
Horatio