Dean Wagner :Kidnapping :twisted:

[Tiny.Chinese]

i'm starting this sept at Ross Univ to pursue my dream . its a choice i'm proud of !

BUT ,I'm very troubled by the kidnapping incident .
The issue of wheter the kidnappers were heroin addicts or sex addicts is irrevelant . What is relevant is the fact that it occurred ...the attackers/ kidnappers/ vermin were successful ..and most likely given the nature of law enforcement in the caribbean countries, there will be no apphrension of these kidnappers .

Comparing crimes such as these in dominca to security in the US is useless. The law enforcement and issue of security in the US is taken VERY seriously by our dedicated lawmen/ women . There is a strong deterent to crime over here . However ,In dominica , the police dept very likely is not equipped , and most likely underpaid , technologically imapired and not motivated to deal with crime issue .There should be no comparison to the US .

The problem lies in that as the Ross Student Population grows , perpetrators of such crimes will be targeting the "american dollars "...the students . This is almost guaranteed when these criminals are successful and not captured . It breeds more and more of these vemin .In many carribbean countries, this is the way the crime wave spirals out of control.....look at trinidad, jamaica , barbados, st martin ...crime wave starts out un notcied and takes over before its brought under control .
I really really do HOPE this issue is taken seriously by admins of both the Dominican govt and Ross Univ . A proactive approach is needed.

That being said ...is there any way a student can acquire any sort of self defense equipment ....pepper spray , mace , eletric shock guns / stun guns , non chucks, ?

I know it sounds extreme but when the bus driver allegedly is neglient ...a student's safety is in his or her OWN hands . It should be remebered that the livel of corruption is high in these countries . It may even possible that the driver / transportation personnel are in collaboration with the robbers since they know what time they student is dropped off and where he / she
lives . I dont mean to scare anyone ... I'm just sharing my views based on my previous career of law enforcement .

Be safe everyone .

[felixthecatheathcliffgarf]

Particularly, I disagree with you calling people "vermin". Seems like that's the wrong attitude to have to begin with. What, are we going to "exterminate" the "vermin" and replace them with the ever law-abiding citizens of the USA?

However, I can understand why you would feel alarmed. Maybe you can make your own pepper spray if there isnt any available. There's a site for everything online. You should look into it. Or take a self defense class or something, if it would make you more comfortable.

[Tiny.Chinese]

Its ok 4 u to disagree ....maybe i shouldnt have used the word vermin...although one contextual meaning is listed as offensive word for group of threatening people . That aside ...i'm not saying "replace " anyone . Maybe if the experience had happened to you ..it would have been different . I can only imagine the trauma that the student is goin through . My whole point was to shed awareness from the law enforcement view point . I would hate if this happens again .
With regards to self defense ... i'm a taekwondo instructor , have been involved and trained in law enforcement for over 10 years . That doesnt make me invincible however.

[felixthecatheathcliffgarf]

You may not be invincible, but at least you have some form of protecting yourself. Me, all I know is the groin kick, and using my hand to gouge a person's eyes. Heh, maybe I should brush up? :wink:

[tRmedic21]

That is... I agree with most of what the original poster has said, but I am sorry, placing St. Martin in the same category for crime as Jamaica or Trinidad only shows that you don't know. Sorry, but it isn't even close, man.

Other than that, good post, and good luck in Dominica! With med schooll and everything else! :D

[ms4sgu]

In grenada there was a rash of crime against students about 2 years ago. As one would expect, administration (and the sga) responded with "blah blah dont walk alone drunk at night blah blah your own fault blah blah you idiots have no common sense". Later in the semester 3 administrators and their spouses were robbed at gunpoint while walking home late at night along a dark road after leaving a bar. All the sudden everyone saw the light and realized that we were being targetted and the utter lack of ANY law on the island made us sitting ducks. The schools ultimate solution.. build massive 'superdorms' on the main campus, hold as many student events on campus as possible, and provide school shuttles to bring the students back from off campus events at night.

I was never robbed in either grenada or st vincent (where we do our 5/6th terms) but i dressed in jeans & timberlands and drove a car with local plates.. I guess to most people I looked like one of the syrian locals. There was 1 episode at a bar in st. vincent when I was grabbed by some crackhead who threatened to break my arm if I didnt give him money 'for drinks' to which I responded by punching him square in the face as hard as I could. A few locals who witnessed this event grabbed the guy and threw him head first out onto the street, apologized to me nonstop for the rest of the night and even bought me a couple of beers.

[tRmedic21]

I love St. Vincent so much... that attitude is exactly why! In St. Vincent, if people see you getting harrassed in the street, they are much more likely to jump in and beat the antagonist to a bloody pulp.

A couple of years ago, a pair of local thugs kidnapped the 12 y/o daughter of a man who owed them some drug money and raped her, beat her, and hung her from a tree, leaving the neighborhood to find her nude body the next morning.

Of course, everyone knew who did it, but the police had no evidence, so they couldn't arrest them. One night, as they were walking through the neighborhood like the tough guys they were, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by a horde of angry townspeople with brooms, sticks and various and sundry impromptu weapons. When the police arrived, the men were still alive enough to confess on the spot to the murder, begging to be thrown in prison where they would be safe.

Not one of the townspeople had seen a thing.

Sometimes, when the law's hands are tied, it takes a little home-cookin' to get the pot to boiling. In St. Vincent, many people still have a code that says "Look out for others." They don't seem to have learned yet what the more 'civilized' nations have done, look the other way when people are being vicitmized. Now, don't get me wrong, the police won't do any more for you there than any other island, but at least I know if you scream for help, someone's prolly gonna come runnin'! :D

[rossstudent]

The school only seems to tell everyone half the story. Moreover, they don't want "prospective new students" to hear about the stuff that goes on around the school. You really have to be careful here in Dominica. I, myself, a student take extra precaution. I have not seen one police car drive by the school since the day I have been here. That is what really sucks!!! The police don't seem to give a damn if someone gets hurt, murdered or what not.

Let me guess Mitch DC response to this...oh Dominica is just heaven, no one needs to worry about a single thing. My wife and I are very, very safe on this island.

[preppystud]

Sometimes, when the law's hands are tied, it takes a little home-cookin' to get the pot to boiling. :D


yea, this line is funny, did you make that up, or it is how people would describe the situtation? :lol:

[Infiri]

Ok ok,,
Let see the real, story, first the rumor of Heroin addicts came from our class. Is all false... Just someone talking, not even our class representative. Ok that takes care of that. Sex addict, hmmm they kidnapped a male not female. Just in case someone is starting to talk about raping a girl.
Ok, now for St. Maarten or Martin the crime level are high, trust me I have been there many times. Maybe you dont see it in the resort, but that is another story.
Ok, this is what happened, A male student took the transport from the Library to his house, when the transport left him alone, something that the transport shouldnt have done, he got assaulted with a knife, not a gun. Went to the ATM and told him to take out money from the bank. That is it. is a lot but that is it, no more rumors.
Now tell me the something does this happend in the USA, do you really think that in NY the police would do anything about it, some people even say did they took finger prints out of the machine, come on, do you really think they are going to do that in the states. also the maximun that you can take out per day is 1,000 EC remember EC not US dollars. that would be like 350 US. and only 400 at any giving transaction.

Now Bevo, Infiri'sgirl and me, always walk back home and havent seen anything weird going on. Well maybe we are just lucky.

[jim]

this is a subject which comes uo often. i am not sure where the people who freak out about this stuff come from, but wherever it is, they must be very shletered. yes, there is crime in dominica. there is everywhere. you are a lot safer on teh rock then you are in the states though. just wait until you are in your clinical years. man, are you going to be scared!!! dominica is plagued with petty theft. i knew a few people who came across dominicasn with guns. only 2 of them gave anything to the thief, and none of them were hurt. when the police caught the thieves, they took them around to the victims, and allowed the victims to give them a beating. as for the police car comment, when i was there, i personally knew 4 of the police. i saw them every week driving in the areas around the school. NEVER in uniform or a marked car. You are much safer on the rock then some people believe. use your head, and you will be fine. and just prep for when you are in clinical hospitals where you have to have security walk you to your car, where you may actually get robbed inside the hospital. where you may arrive in the morning to find a dead guy in your parking space, or happen to look out the window when you are on call and witness 4 people get shot (all these happened to me or friedns of mine during rotations). Rush university had a student raped and murdered a few years ago. Temple had a student carjacked. the world is not a safe place, and you should always use your head. but i would never say be afraid of dominica. friedns ho went to AUC said they had more problems there then we ever had at ross. dont know if thats true, but i know a couple people there who had cars stolen and burglarys. just remember..always use your head!!!! and of course, walking home drunk is always a bad idea.

[Black_Pride]

:shock:

[tekky]

Why do you have a Congo flag? I would guess from your writing style that you were raised in America.

Just curious.

[FireFighterMD]

it seems as though the administration has a tendency to cover up the realities that exist . The original poster made some good points . Althought now it appears as though the items he talked about buying may be needed to defend against officilals...

but seriously...i'm very dismayed with this dude's behaviour ...he represents a university of higher learning and should act accordingly ...
soemone mention of an " aryan complex " ...well he better wake up and smell the coffee....its the STUDENTS that pay his salary ....and YES WE DO DESERVE A PLACE TO STUDY .....

from what i heard it seems to me like this dude never met a student from the hood ...we'd show him waht respect is all about ..

its also very discouarging to hear about possiobility of retribution and sabotage....this is not the former Iraq's regime .....this is an instution that prepares students to be doctors ....come on guys .,,.,, be brave and speak up ...this is 2003 ...not 1960s where mr puslel seems to be living ...you guys need to put him in his place ....you are paying his salary ...

ANOTHER THING - with now 300 students per semester ...ross doesnt seem to be increasing its rescources to accomadate classes that are like 3 times the size of the student body that the school was set up for ...

maybe they should think of building another library ...or at the VERY LEAST...open up a dozen classrooms ....

pusel ..and others like u ...watch your manners .....you aint nothing big .......you wait till homeys like me who grew up poor and discriminated against meet up with you ....u'd see the true colors ....

[Silenthunder]

FireFighterMD,

are your violent overtones and threats of violent retribution really necessary? while I am repulsed by them, I am only repulsed by the disgusting precedent you attempt to set, not the threat that you're going to WHACK ME!! - really is anyone impressed by this attitude?

I'm not trying to be condescending, or talk down to you. I am merely trying to point out that I do not appreciate your comments and threats, even if those threats are directed at administration, and not at me.

while I believe in freedom of speech, your speech borders upon assault.

I hope everyone is well,

Cheers,

Silenthunder

[FireFighterMD]

with all due respect silent thunder ...i didnt threaten anyone with violence as you are claiming ....go read my post ( not speech as u described it )...
i hate to see injustice ....and even more so - i hate to see people condone it . TO ALL ROSS STUDENTS ......YOU ARE PAYING OVER 150 OOO.... u deserve at bare minimuin :

1. respect ( just as much u show respect towards ross admin)

2. ADEQUATE PLACE TO STUDY

3. The right to voice your complaints so that ROSS can be BETTER..
why should people worry that they can be expelled because they are expressing their discontent about poor service and rude officials ?

imagine if Rosa Parks didnt speak up back in the day ????- THESE SHOULD BE DIFFERENT TIMES.....i dont see anything wrong with students voicing their concerns to a school that relies on these very students for its existence ...

[Black_Pride]

yo

[FireFighterMD]

..CHANGES ARE NEEDED URGENTLY AT ROSS ..

[Fear]

for a firefighter you seem to do a lot of complaining, i have NUMEROUS friends and relatives at Ross, and no one has any specific Ross problems, just problems every other institution faces, they love it and its only 16 months of book study, come on, quit whining, its not boot camp.

[Silenthunder]

Hey all,

FirefighterMD, I apologize. I think I may have read your post out of the context intended (in particular I think I read too much into what you intended to do in order to get Pueschel's respect) Once again, I am sorry.

For Fear, what does this mean?

[quote]for a firefighter you seem to do a lot of complaining,

I fail to see how you are not discriminating against FireFighterMD with this statement.

I also think that FireFighterMD's posts (especially his second post) are not merely complaints, but are a valid opinion formulated in a quite strong argument. I agree with FireFighterMD.

Cheers all,

Silenthunder

[Fear]

i just thought that for a firefighter he sounds whines a little too much, but i welcome anyone's comments always.