Hey!

Crime is everywhere, including SXM, but you can still travel safely if you use your street smarts and common sense.

A few things I have seen and heard over the years:

Nice young couple meeting a dude at Mullet at 11:30 p.m. to buy a bag of weed.

Following numerous cars bouncing off BOTH curbs late at night near the new PJIA terminal.

Solitary women walking from Sapphire to Cupecoy, “over the hill” to the beach.

Folks in crowded bars, restaurants and on beaches obnoxiously DEMANDING this and that RIGHT NOW from staff.

Drunk dudes and dudettes walking from Platinum to their cars near Mullet parking.

Walkers and runners obviously in the wrong places at the wrong time of day.

Folks at SSBB, BBB and TOPPERS telling total strangers where they are staying, how long and when they go to the beach.

Folks at remote (Summit) rooms leaving doors and/or windows open to catch the breeze while they sleep.

Folks jumping into non-marked cars after driver states he is a “low cost” taxi.

Guys passed out in cars with the window open in the Caravanserai parking lot.

Couples swimming at Friar’s and Mullet, leaving stuffed beach bags under their chaises.

Folks using ATM’s at 2 in the morning fumbling in their pockets for their wallets, counting the $$$ outside their cars.

Just about every bar has a few credit cards in the register that folks forgot.

And the kicker…”Let’s get some wine and watch the sunset by ourselves at some secluded beach”


BIGDEN

Hi, Denis!
Am I missing something? It sounds like your trivializing the serious crimes that have taken place on SXM. That's disrespectful to the victims!
What you have listed are incidents to stupid people. Sure there's stupidity all over the world. But, as you know, crime has escalated in SXM. Are people a little more nervous about their vacation now than a few months ago? More than a year ago? You bet they are. While I was there I'll tell you what I saw:

3 men 'whacking off' on Orient, in front of people! I told security about it and they chuckled. In fact they know ELVIS, who I guess does it with hopes of meeting young, stupid girls!!

An innocent woman hit in the jaw by one of these nutcases, several times, requiring her going to the hospital!! No security around!

Young people in Grand Case sitting on a car and wouldn't move even though they
were asked nicely. Then they chased the car and banged on it!! MINE!!

A young man lurking in the bushes near my villa.....crouched down!! I saw him and put my flashlight in his eyes. Then he turned and ran! What do you think he was up to?? I'd say he was looking to ROB ME!

And, Denis, that's just ME!! I heard more and more crime stories 2 weeks ago than I've heard in 60+ visits in 23 yrs.,to my beloved santuary, SXM. I'm very saddened by what's going on.....in fact, I'm sick over it. Is it EVERYWHERE on SXM?? Probably not, but what is going on must be stopped or the tourist $$$$ will greatly diminish. I feel for my dear friends who live on SXM and depend on tourist $$$$. These incidents will affect their livelihood. Very sad.

I am trying to help do something about it. I may not be successful but I feel better doing something than doing nothing!!

Please don't make a joke of it......thank you.

Contessa

Hey Contessa,

This post trivializes nothing.

If folks can stand outside the box and look in at others behaviour it is a start toward a possibly safer vacation.

I have sympathy for all those affected by bad experiences on SXM but I'm not changing my travel plans now or in the future. I'll continue to use my street smarts and stay out of trouble.

Sharing stories of some personal bad encounters as well as those of MY local friends and acquaintances doesn't help to solve problems totally out of my hands.

Denis

Cool off Contessa, Denis is not joking about anything, he is not disrespectul to anyone, and it is not a list of "incident to stupid people"... What Denis wrote, I witnessed it myself in many occasions... It is about REAL situation people are putting themselves in and which could link to agression. And when something happen they feel sorry about it. I could add a few to his list, beleive me... What is implementing is "use common sense" while he is stating also right from the begining that crime is everywhere "including in sxm". Someone reading his post will certainly think "well I am not going to do any of that when I'll be down there"... Then his post was helpfull in information. just his way of writting and sense of humor. He is a positive person who try to stay positive in his post even though those are about negative situations.
Wow, I feel being back on TTOL again, debating about this...
That is good you are trying to do something even though like you said you may not be successful.. you never know if you never try

Kind Regards,
Philippe



[www.facebook.com]

Well, Phillipe, you may be correct, but after my experiences I'm extremely sensitive about people not being realistic about the situations. Yes,you are also, correct that Denis postings are generally informational. This one got me, though......
However, I don't agree that those situations that he mentioned weren't stupid. Some people need a reality check!

Contessa

I never said people weren't stupid... Unfortunatly, those stupid situations in which (stupid) people are putting themselves into are real and very frequent.

Kind Regards,
Philippe



[www.facebook.com]

Unfortunately, we all are guilty sometimes of putting ourselves in stupid situations.
That was the point I think of Denis' post.
He started the post out by saying you can still travel safely if you use your street smarts and common sense.
that's what he was pointing out..how people don't do that.
Let's all try to read very carefully the things that are posted here and think it out before we respond.
and remember, if we disagree with what someone is saying, we can always PM them too.
Peace reigns supreme on Gobeach!

[barcann.livejournal.com]

Barbara etal,

I so hope you're right....

Denis,

I immediately got where you're coming from and I've heard so many of the same sentiments myself over the last few years. Sadly, we all think we are immune and that 'bad things' will only happen to the other guy but we really do need to take stock of our own selves and be more accountable for our own behaviours.

Contessa,

I think Denis was merely giving life to sentiments that people have expressed and certainly wasn't trivializing the problems which are on-going these days. He was, if I'm not mistaken, giving people a heads up that so many of the things they do and say unconsciously can have serious ramifications.

Just last year I suggested to a young female poster on one of these forums she might want to be careful leaving an island hot spot in the wee hours of the morning and her on-line comment to me was, "Hey, I do it all the time and I never had a problem yet and if someone wants to stop and offer me a ride I might take them up on it!"

Oyyyy!!

Respectfully,

pat

Den

Your kicker IS one of the reasons I go to SXM ( or to a vacation destination). I guess I'm just a romantic.

You forgot Giving a hithchiker a ride. I used to do that all the time in SXM, but them days are gone.

SXM???? Wendell

Having visited the island almost 30 times, only 1 time did I truly feel "uncomfortable" and that was when I was alone on Mullet at the far end while my hubby went for a walk. But I talked my way out of what "could" have been ugly. Or not, just an overly friendly guy!!!

Now yesterday, went to NYC and then to South Street Seaport with my daughter, all was well and headed into J Crew, one would assume it would be safe?? Found a creepy stalker dude looking up my 15 year olds dress while she went up the stairs!!! and then kept looking at her. really freaked me out and her. She caught him staring also, guy realized he was caught, went and purchased a 7.00 item and bolted!! I reported it to management, didn't want to take him on, but played it safe. My point is, I have never felt like that in SXM but once. It pays to be alert no matter where you are!

None of contessas posts are ever stupid or do they ever have a personal agenda. Phillipe, you are beginning to sound like Bob1 thought police. Relax mon ami.