Dear Source,
Administrator Harley and the St. John community, you are on way to a more peaceful island. I am truly impressed with Mr. Harley's leadership. This is a great man. By creating an environment of an open and respectful dialog, without the one-upmanship of a public hearing, unity might be achieved. I only wish it could have been done sooner.
I am not from St. John, so I cannot even pretend to know what is happening. I do know that the victim of a crime is just that, a victim. Why is it that we speculate on investigations before they are concluded? I hear that talk all the time. A rape victim should not have to hear the public's opinion while the wheels of justice roll on. Sympathy and compassion is what any victim wants from us, not more violence. I hope that all crimes are solved in a swift manner, not just in this case. The police need more of everything: manpower, equipment and training. Isn't it our responsibility to be our brother's keeper and to do unto others as we would have done unto ourselves? That should be the issue. But what are the underlining reasons that cause Love City so much strife lately? That is for St. Johnians to decide! I believe that they should tackle them one at a time, issue by issue. But as I told Mr. Harley, a few weeks before the recent assault on the rape victim, St. John can and should be an example to the rest of the Caribbean and to the world of how all people should act and behave with one another. It was once like that years ago. The only problem is that we do a lousy job of communicating. Let the investigations continue and greater community involvement be the result. My prayers for peace and justice go out to St. John.
Jason Budsan
St. Thomas

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