SDR: Rash of murders strikes Grand Cayman's West Bay

[Rhone Man]

IMO: It seems that gang on gang violence only leads to more violence, and such violence seldom stays within the gangs. Once killing becomes the norm, it quickly becomes evident that family, friends, and other innocents make easier targets than armed opponents. Once one has killed the first time it gets a lot easier to do so again, and again, and negative consequences of killing anyone become less and less important.

I think that is right. The one difference which sometimes occurs in Caribbean countries is that these are much smaller communities - even if the police don't know who is involved, other people do - and eventually the growing tide of disapproval from friends and family has an effect.

But I am not a criminologist, and I am not pretending this is a universal truth. For example, the violence rages unabated in Trinidad and Jamaica, and probably will until the end of time. But certainly in BVI, when we have trouble flaring up with gangs, it usually does calm down after a while, usually without any arrests ever having been made.

 

[Alex777]

Last night we had the 5th murder in 8 days, this time in East End ...

 

[jdcpa]

Dang, that is getting serious.

If they don't get a handle on this and quickly, you will see more folks like the above poster indicating that GC is scratched off their list.

Sad, sad situation.

 

[Jack Ryan]

With this last murder we have started the process of reviewing our travel plans to the Caymans this holiday season. We have three weeks booked and may pull the pin completely.

I really can not justify the risk at this time.

What a complete cluster.

JR

 

[billinwilliamston]

We're booked for the last two weeks of October and we're going regardless, but I certainly couldn't blame anyone for wanting to protect the safety of themselves and their family.

 

[chibracdiver]

I think what might be more effective here is to let the Cayman government know how some of you feel about travel plans to Grand. If they start hearing that the crime situation is going to cost them tourism $$$$ they might want to start acting like they give a crap!

Jack Ryan, three weeks is a ton of lost income for Grand and now is not the time the island can afford this problem, but you have to make the right decision for you and your loved ones. You always have Little and the Brac to visit. I am going to the Brac in January and March and our annual July trip to Grand might be switched to the Brac also unless the RCIPS gets control of the situation. Anyway, good luck and great diving.

 

[Alex777]

As Rhone Man says, violent crime waxes and wanes. In the quiet periods, people praise the police for "getting a handle on it", but that's not really what happens. In the bad periods, everyone excoriates the police for incompetence, lack of aggressiveness, etc., but they are not really that bad. The violent crime on GC springs from social conditions extending back to the early 80s at least, and will be with us for at least 1 generation more no matter what measures are taken. The Island has NEVER been "virtually crime free" or anything close to it - that is just Tourist Board hype. ScubaBoard seems to have bought into it though (see its description of the CI on this forum), so people are naturally upset when what they read in the media does not match their preconceptions.

 

[scubazlot]

Quick question regarding this recent rash of violence in the Caymans.

My girlfriend and I have a trip planned to SMB in early November. She is not a diver, but I am. However, she is a marathon runner, so she likes to run about 7-9 miles a day. So she'll usually go running on vacation while I am doing a morning dive. We did this in Aruba this past February and she felt very safe.

She usually finds routes that are somewhat populated when we go on vacation, but is this not a safe practice given the current state of Grand Cayman? Treadmills are not her thing, especially since we live in the North East and it is getting cold, so when she can run outside in warm temps, she will not use a treadmill.

She will use sites like: Cayman Islands Running Routes - Page 1 of 7 to try and find running paths. Can any locals pick a somewhat safe route from these lists or any other sites you may know of?

Any thoughts? She tries to find well traveled routes, she does not run with an ipod so she can hear sounds around her, etc, so she is safe, but I do not want to put her in harms way either.

If the situation is that bad, I can cancel my hotel and I booked my flight with credit card points so I can get those points back for a small fee and start to aggressively look for another trip option. I am less concerned when we go out together to the beach, restaurants, etc, since we'll be together and we've both lived in NYC and we have some street sense when walking around and traveling to other countries.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Things have calmed down greatly with no shootings over the last couple weeks. None of those incidents targeted tourists, and all were at night.


There are popular running routes South Sound Road and around the Governor's Harbour areas that several of my friends like. There is less road traffic in Governor's Harbour and roads are wider to allow traffic to easily pass. South Sound has a beautiful view of the sea for some stretches but there can be a lot of traffic at commuting time.

Referring to the page you mentioned for 7-9 miles maybe consider routes labeled:
4 miles plus Camana Bay Tower (2 laps)

Grand Cayman around the Golf Course (3 laps)

Red Bay Dock 5 Miles but extend it a bit to the west... a little longer along S Sound Road to get the desired mileage.

 

[billinwilliamston]

She likes to run 7-9 miles a day and you're staying on 7 Mile Beach. How does she feel about running in sand?