Student Targets

[bocca]

The students seeem to be targets lately. The economy is getting bad in Dominica. The school is keeping a closed lid on this. I think it is wrong. There were also strong arm robberies at the beaches, students of course. Hey, Rios, Wagner where are you? Your a target too.

[Ross]

I am right here. Well, not "always". Once in a while I take time to deal with students that have problems. If you will go check the thread that relates to the "kidnapped" student, you will find some accurate information regarding the event.

You will also find a cautionary note regarding the beach where two students and three family members were the victims of a robbery yesterday. (We had to choose whether we used faculty to take care of the students or to write notes about them here. We chose to care for our own and write about it later. It is now "later")

If "we" are keeping a lid on these incidents, we are doing a rather poor job! In fact, it is just the opposite. I'd rather that students know about them so that they can avoid places that have a high potential for crime. Fortunately, Dominica enjoys a low level of crime compared to other islands. (My colleagues in St. Martin will attest that while crime there is less than in the U.S., it still is a perpetual nuisance, especially the more remote beaches frequented by tourists.)

In every tourist book that I have ever read, the authors comment that most Caribbean islands (other than Jamaica) have low crime rates compared to the United States. Immediatley following that statement is the advice that crime does exist on all of the islands and that visitors should exercise the same caution in the Caribbean that they do in the United States. The more that students know about what areas are safe and which are not, the more responsibility they can take for their own safety.

[jim]

dean wagner is right. 99% of crimes in dominica wouldnt have occurred if people used their heads. we had 2 burglarys in my place when i was there, and the second was more my roomates fault then anything(left the door open). the crime rate in dominica is a joke. wait tuntil you come back and do yoru clinical stuff in the states. I know quite a few who were robbed or attacked(not just from Ross, but from US schools too!). Rush in chicago had a student murdered a few years back. I saw 4 people get shot in chicago by the hospital. at least in dominica if they pull a gun it usually doenst work or isnt loaded! always think about your surroundings, who is near you, who is behind you. always look people in the eye. let them know that you are aware of their presence. and dont go to secluded places unless you have a group thats large enough to intimidate.

[Fear]

pepper spray? maybe its a good idea to have in your pocket?

[tRmedic21]

Check out the local laws regarding self-defense. Here in Sint Maarten (high crime? not any worse than big-city livin' in the states), under Dutch law, if a man invades your home with a gun or knife or anything, you have to be careful not to injure HIM, or else you can end up in prison yourself. I am not talking about killing him, I am talking about INJURING him, say if you strike back and hit him over the head to save yourself or your family. Self-defense laws don't work the same way, it's a whole different system....

Just keep that in mind before you start advocating carrying weapons that may escalate things from a simple mugging to a personal deathmatch.

Good luck to us ALL in these difficult times. And I want to commend Dean Wagner for his public statements, I think they reflect very well on Ross' Administration and the school itself! Keep up the good work! :D

[Fear]

trMedic you're absolutely right but pepper spray is not necessarily injuring, its temprarily disabling... they'll be fine an hour later. what are the laws on that?

[tRmedic21]

I am not sure about pepper spray, because I didn't ask the cops about that. I don't find pepper spray to be much of a defense, myself. I have seen it used on way too many people who only got madder and it didn't slow them down a whit. Granted, some people it will scare enough to take off, but there is a very real segment of the population that is completely immune to it, and another segment whom it just pisses off more. :(

I know it's better than nothing, but I just don't put alot of faith in it. Just my opinion. :?

[bocca]

Thankfully we are not on your islnad. And, if your not with Ross, for Ross, than why are you here.

This island is very different. You can pay someone to find there people and they will be found. Think of the old Chicago days. Cops will not go after anyone, it takes effort. Pay them on the side, well, which leg do you want broken. The admin. is very poor here on the rock. But, we get by. I know there are several parents who will be talking to the new owners. They know that the old admin. will not do anything. Never have, never will.

:wink:

[Ross]

Things are apparently different between St. Martin and Dominica when it comes to the law. In Dominica, you had better be sure the man IS inside your aprtment if you hurt him. You are on much safer grounds if you are defending yourself IN your home than if an altercation occurs outside.

Mace and stun guns are not allowed on Dominica. Importation or possession will cause problmes with the Police Force. While pepper spray is legal, it cannot be used in a public area, e.g. in a bar or rum shop. (In addition to the problems that trMedic21 talked about, there is always the possibility that the wind will change directions and blow the spray back in your face and you, not the thief, are the one blinded. Many people keep a can of Bop, the Dominican version of Black Flag, near the door. A blast in an intruder's fce will slow him down long enough for you to make a hasty escape.

Guns are much more highly regulated than in the United States. You must have a permit for any gun. The police take a VERY dim view of unlicensed firearms because there was once an armed coup on the island and they never want that to happen again.

One interesting method of self defense occurred a year ago when a young woman had uninvited intruders in her apartment in the middle of the night. She had made friends with a rather large male student who lived across the street. They had purchased walkie talkies in the states and each had one of them. When the intruders came in, the gal grabbed hers and started shouting into it until the male student woke and heard her. He came on the run which scared the burglars away. He also had the forethought to use his cell phone to call campus security as he was running and they dispatched a car which arrived right after him.

In most cases, though, prevention is better than needing a defense.