USVI-On-Line

I was sorry to read that this was happening at Aqua Bistro: http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i ... 1223614288

This is such a great little restaurant and I certainly hope that they can get the issue resolved with this poor woman.

These issues are tough to deal with in any community.

My purpose for posting this is to make folks aware of the issue in case it were to occur while they are dining there.

I guess after so many years of visiting I'm just used to the interesting characters (for lack of a better term).

For what it's worth we were there and December and never heard a thing.

This certainly won't stop me going there though in June. This was a great restaurant and the owner was really on the ball. Great food!! I just feel badly for the restaurant owner having to deal with this.

I think we're probably crashing their site. I can't get to the article either. There goes Gromit causing trouble again!

I'm trying to load the page as well-- must be problem with the STJ Source web site. Darn Jumbies!!

Can you summarize? The anticipation is killing me.

Although part of me wonders if they weren't supposed to mention it, and now it's gone bye-bye.

Of course, that's pretty presumptuous, since I don't know what it is.

from a google search I can see this much...

"In a recent series of incidents, a St. John woman known to have mental-health issues harassed customers at Aqua Bistro, a restaurant at..."

Essentially several Coral Bay biz owners and residents got together and discussed the poor response from the police.

The owner of Aqua Bistro cited multiple incidents with an unnamed woman who has been known to have mental health issues.

Apparently she's cleared the restaurant a few times (according to the article), broken plates, harrassed customers, taken drinks etc. Apparently there's no system in place to handle these kinds of issues and the police are giving folks the run around.

The article is mainly about the poor police response and their rudeness to residents but I really didn't wnat to get into all of that.

I was mostly concerned about Aqua Bistro and if anyone had experienced this themselves.

I'd definitely like to get the whole story from folks who are on island...

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Great, Amy Winehouse found St. John..

Wakey-- you're funny!

Problems With Police Response Dominate Business Owners Meeting
by Lynda Lohr

Richard Traina spoke of difficulty getting cooperation from the police.
Richard Traina spoke of difficulty getting cooperation from the police.
Jan. 20, 2009 -- With frustration in their voices, Coral Bay business owners and residents Tuesday told Police Commissioner James McCall how unresponsive and rude the police have been when it comes to dealing with Coral Bay issues.
In a recent series of incidents, a St. John woman known to have mental-health issues harassed customers at Aqua Bistro, a restaurant at Cocoloba Shopping Center. She has also stolen drinks off tables and smashed plates, said Aqua Bistro owner Marc Kaye.
"The officer told me to pick up a stick and knock her out," Kaye said at a meeting Tuesday of a joint Coral Bay Community Council-St. Thomas/St. John Chamber of Commerce meeting held at Shipwreck Landing Restaurant. "The officers said they're tired of trying to deal with her and they didn't want to hear from me anymore."
Kaye called police at least 25 times about the woman, but said police responded only five times.
In addition to the danger posed by the woman, who is often violent, she is causing economic chaos at Aqua Bistro.
"She emptied my restaurant three times," Kaye said.
Others at the meeting mentioned several incidents in which the woman attacked residents and tourists.
The woman's offenses are misdemeanors, McCall said. To deal with the situation, residents need to make a citizen's arrest or get a restraining order, he said.
Iris Kern, a St. John resident who serves as a special adviser to McCall, pointed out that there are currently no facilities to deal with people who behave like this woman. However, she said the department is working on the issue.
Richard Traina said that three times in the past 11 months he was a crime victim, but when he tried to get three pieces of "public information" from the police, the officer refused to comply.
The officer gave him the required information only after Traina -- who uses a cane and is on oxygen -- threatened to call newspapers and the office of Delegate Donna M. Christensen. He did not elaborate on what that information was, but McCall said he'd call him to discuss it.
Several people at the meeting spoke about rude treatment from the people working at the police station's front desk. McCall acknowledged that it is an issue police have to address, but said the police department would prefer that people call 911 instead. People calling from a cell phone should call 776-9110.
Those calls are recorded, but calls to the Cruz Bay police station are not.
After several people spoke about problems with 911 calls not reaching other emergency departments, McCall said he'd look into it. He said 911 calls for the police do reach his department.
In other police news, McCall said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection will conduct activities twice a month on St. John to combat the number of illegal immigrants landing on the island.
Additionally, he said there were some "positive leads" in the Jan. 5 murder of Juan Ayala. He owned Cap's Place bar in Cruz Bay and was murdered at his home in Pastory.
After the meeting, McCall said people not satisfied with the police department's response should call his office at 715-5506.

A "citizens arrest" !!! hate to sound like Jim Mora- but "you kiddin' me"? Unbelievable- actually totally believable. And how are those robbery investigations from several months ago coming?- swept under the carpet as usual !! Seriously not to drag up past issues but does anyone know anything about those?

TSA won't let me carryon my handcuffs anymore. If I'm going start checking them I'm bring the Tazer too.

Cheers, RickG

I really like to spend alot of time at the Aqua Bistro, so I guess I find this a little disturbing. It won't stop me from going, but if something happens while we are there, we won't likely go back (I'm sorry to say)

I am just amazed at the lack of police response as that satellite station is next door to the Aqua Bistro. I know things are different in the islands than they are at home, but in our little suburb, the police love to arrest people. Most of our officers are fresh out of the academy and do a little time here before they move on to bigger communities. So there you go, new recruits! Boy, can I solve big issues quickly or what? I'm actually much better when drinking, I have incredibly drunken (and yet sensible) ideas on almost anything. Unfortunately, I forget most of them by the next morning!

Disclaimer: I don't mean to make light of really important issues and I really do feel bad for Mark at the Bistro, he's a great guy.