Livin, I have been coming to Jamaica since the mid 80's were you even born yet...lol.... you know I love you girl, the crime is very disconcerting, I have friends that no longer go because of it, they need to put it as a priority like now, before its to late ! Can't wait to see you in April, Have a Merry Chtristmas AND Happy new Year !!!!
I was born in 1980... but point taken. You know I love you, but if you don't feel safe, it's good that you are looking elsewhere for vacations. I am too! I have to believe the police are doing what they can with whatever resources they have... Because really, hat can we do about it? Ligit information helps people make informed decisions, I agree.. but what can we do? I know the local residents are very concerned about how this all affects the tourist industry. Go to a rotary club or industry meeting if you can. I went when the Miniater of Tourism was in attendance. It was very interesting and gives you another perspective. It's the locals who suffer th most from all of this, and we are so worried about our vacations. i know many of us are very mindful of how this affects our favorite drivers, hoteliers, restaurant and bar owners.Originally Posted by jojo p
How can we be a voice for them??? How ca we make a difference that really counts?
I totally agree my friend, the best part of this message board is I have met some lifelong friend, you know ....... by the way, I was doing some last minute shoppin this morning, and I heard'''I'm on top of the world'' till my days in the nursing home, I will always think of you when I hear that song !!!!
Jojo,
I have been here a very long time and I dont have a choice but to always keep my eyes and ears open to what is happening in Negril and Jamaica. Of course some incidents are not reported here on Negril.com and not just because we are not an official news service. Some incidents cannot be reported even by the official news outlets as they are part of ongoing police investigations to get to the bigger targets. There is even more to this incident that I am not at liberty to post. It is not "keeping a lid" on anything as much as it is allowing the police to do their job. The extra information I have would make no difference to any visitor to the island anyway. What I have posted earlier sums it up.
You cant be naive anywhere. One of the amazing things about Negril is how giddy and free you can feel here. But with that freedom does come the fact that you will be offered drugs because tourists buy them. Prostitution will exist because the tourists want it. In Cuba that same freedom does not exist, thus you didnt get offered drugs, etc. although you will find the Cuban version for getting what you want. But dont get caught! Flying a drone in Cuba just got a Canadian tourist two weeks in a Cuban jail for getting caught.
Since you have been coming since the 80's, you must remember the "stockies" in the 90's that blocked the entrance to each West End Lane extorting money so they could get their next hit of crack. I dreaded having to go up certain lanes just to meet someone and having to deal with that intimidation. But those days are gone. And I heard the same thing back then that Negril was going to become a ghost town. It didnt and it wont.
As a tourist, LivinInThe603 asks how to make a difference. Well, if tourists stopped buying drugs, the illegal drug sales would stop. If tourists stopped paying for sex, the sex trade would cease to exist. For the lotto scam to stop, all it takes is hanging up the phone. But in the world we inhabit, I dont find this very likely to happen any time soon. With the freedom of Negril does come some responsibility.
Use legal taxis. Dont go to unfamiliar places without a good reason. Take a taxi at night. Never carry excess cash. Dont blindly believe anyone, local or visitor alike. Use common sense and enjoy yourself!
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
Judging from the confirmations from those in Negril ( Rob, Marko, etal ), I'd say that the source was pretty reliable.
FYI the link came from a Google news alert.
The link in the first post begins as loopjamaica.com, which is what I was referring to. I saw the same report on Facebook through loop Jamaica. Sorry to offend, but it's one in the same to me.
there is so much we don't know. And loop Jamaica reports a lot of crime based incidents. While I appreciate everyone's first hand perspective, each has their own bias. Let's be real here. I am not discounting any person or their point of view, rather, as I've been reminded of first hand, as with any incident, there are multiple points of view and always, the first release of news is often incorrect or incomplete.
I absolutely agree that people should be able to make informed decisions about where they vacation, but there is literally, a report every day about a shooting, a knife attack, children, women, killers, passerbys, people getting murdered.... so it strikes me funny when one incident flares a response. It happens every day. And I am the first to say I had my own strong reaction a few weeks ago. I am frustrated, like so many of us. But when I think about the big picture, is it me who suffers, or the people who have no choice but to live in this communitnies....
Thanks Rob! I completely agree with you!
Personally, I don't partake in any of the "illicit" trades. I had an interesting exchange with a man in the beach in June. In the conversation, it came up that he was from another part of the island. I asked him why he came to Negril to sell (whatever he was selling, in any case, I wasn't buying). He said, why shouldn't he. He said, people in US move to where the [work] is... why shouldn't Jamaicans. He makes the same point as Rob... if people buy, sellers will sell. I met more "out of towners" in June than I had in any of my other, though few, trips to Negril.
People are thrilled with their "Wild, Wild, West" until it hits too close to home...
Just wondering, jojo p, I thought you were a rather youngish woman now so (if I can ask) how old were you in the mid 80's? I was coming then as well but I am nearly 70.
Just curious.
Peace and Guidance
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Jojo,
You are under no obligation to answer that... (grin)
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
I know but I ain't tellin'
Cap
Linston's Zion Hill Taxi
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