Spelling matters

A Beaconite noticed Premier Dr. Orlando Smith is scheduled to move a motion in the House of Assembly today establishing the long-awaited National Addressing System. The Beaconite thinks this is a great idea: The territory would be much more efficient if residents could describe locations by more than just “Green House, Cane Garden Bay,” or “a left turn and then a right turn after Rudy’s Bar.” He also thinks it’s hilarious that Her Majesty’s Customs, the Labour Department and the Immigration Department routinely request addresses on documents and in personal interactions when officials in those departments must know very well no such things exist. The adressing system could make those instances run smoother. The Beaconite, however, noticed a peculiar detail in the HOA sitting’s order paper: It seems that a few of the road names described in the motion are misspelled. You have “Abbot Rd,” “Tamerind Tree Rd,” and “Fort Charolette Rd,” among other potentially questionable spellings. The Beaconite thinks it might be a good idea to do a quick spell check on the motion before passing it in the House.

 

 

A friendly interview

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force has faced a lot of challenges in the last year, from an unprecedented murder rate in 2017 to its severely damaged police stations, some of which remain abandoned as the 2018 hurricane season gets under way. The Beacon has reported on these issues unsparingly. So considering the strict tone of many of those recent articles, a reporter was very happy that Police Commissioner Michael Matthews was still willing to sit down for an interview last week that lasted well over the 20 minutes he initially promised. A Beaconite walked into the makeshift police headquarters as Mr. Matthews was eating his lunch, but he finished in short order and was ready to answer a long stream of unflattering questions. The police force isn’t perfect, but the commissioner is clearly intent on trying to find solutions and keeping an open channel with the media to provide updates on those solutions. It can often be difficult as a journalist to report on stories that aren’t purely positive (that’s why public relations professionals make the big bucks), so a Beaconite really appreciates when public officials like Mr. Matthews understand the importance of collaborating with journalists even when they are reporting news that might be regarded as negative.

 

 

Windrush Day

Friday marked the 70th anniversary of the departure of the Windrush, the ship that brought more than 500 West Indian migrants from Kingston, Jamaica to Tilbury, Essex, England, kicking off a decades-long wave of Caribbean migration to the United Kingdom. It was also the inaugural Windrush Day, an observance designed to honour the contributions of these migrants and their families, who helped build post-war Britain in the face of hardship and discrimination. It’s no coincidence, of course, that the announcement came as the UK continues to deal with fallout from a scandal in which as many as 5,000 people who were brought to the UK as children on their parents’ passports were subjected to a perfect storm of shoddy government recordkeeping and a growing anti-immigrant sentiment: As a result, they were unable to “prove” the citizenship they had enjoyed most of their lives. Many have been denied benefits and in some cases even threatened with deportation. While researching a story on this issue, a Beaconite wasn’t able to find any Virgin Islanders who were directly affected by the controversy, but she did find several who travelled and lived in the UK during the Windrush era. From them, she was fascinated to learn more about an era of history that continues to live on in places including the vibrant neighbourhoods of Brixton, London, where Caribbean culture thrives. Of course, a national day is not nearly enough to make up for the injustice done to thousands of people who contributed so much to their country, and the UK has a long way to go toward making things right, including setting up a generous compensation scheme. Windrush Day, however, will further open people’s eyes to the vital contributions of this generation, and that is surely a very good thing.