Dear Editor,
Aurora is a small village on the Essequibo Coast, about three miles away from Supenaam. Most of the residents, numbered about 900, are involved and heavily dependent on agriculture related activities, namely rice farming, ground provision farming, gardening, cattle and poultry rearing and some logging.
The religious convictions of the people are very strong; there is a mosque with a strong following, two Hindu [temples], an Anglican church, an Assembly of God church, and a Seven Days church. There is also what used to be the Aurora Church of Scotland School— now the Aurora Primary School— a school that is known to have educated judges, magistrates, ambassadors, lawyers, doctors, engineers, pastors, pandits and majis, members of parliament and other professionals and tradesmen, including entrepreneurs Brian Tiwari, Roopan Ramotar, Ramzan Ally Khan, Wazir Hussain and others.
The police station is next to the schools (primary and nursery) and the Neighbour-hood Democratic Council (NDC) is close to the police station, the health centre and the post office, which are all walking distance away.
This village has the most hospitable people you can find, and I can also say the cleanest community countrywide, and I am not blowing my own trumpet or being over patriotic, because the evidence is there in abundance and the residents are being allowed to enjoy the amenities of their home and the peace and tranquility and the atmosphere of the surroundings (the sand beaches and the Atlantic breeze) without thinking about major or minor crimes. We can park our vehicles by the roadside with the window down and the only problem you may have is if the rain falls.
But recently, things have begun to change for us the residents, who live in a particular area where this night spot is located and from which lewd, loud and vulgar music is played daily from about 3.00 pm to the wee hours of the morning. Fights take place regularly, plus heated arguments that are spiced with obscene language. This building is very close to the public road and men can be seen urinating by the side of the road be it day or night, and at times the public road is partly blocked by vehicles. Drivers of vehicles at times open the trunk where the ‘boom boom’ boxes are located, and turn the volume of their music to the max.
This situation has been existing for a little more than a year, and despite repeated calls and visits to the Aurora Police Station— which is less than a quarter of a mile away— nothing has changed. As a matter of fact, the situation is getting worse; motor cyclists (bikers) with their bikes with exhausts without silencers or exhausts that are fabricated to make that noise frequent this night spot where Spanish speaking girls are either employed or hang out and boys suspected to be under aged frequent. One wonders if riding a motorcycle without a helmet and number plate is no longer an offence under the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act Chapter 51:02.
The police, on receipt of a report of noise nuisance, would either come long after the report is made— by which time the vehicle or motorcycle in question would have left— or they would not come at all. The lone rank that takes your call or who most times you will meet at the station will tell you that he alone is there and he cannot leave, which is understandable, but he will call the patrol to have them go there. This patrol may come hours later or not at all.
This transformation of the community is taking us in the wrong direction. The atmosphere is certainly not conducive for bringing up children and while I would agree that people would need to have fun, it must at all times be within the confines of the law, and not at the expense, annoyance, inconvenience and discomfort of other persons. This unwanted situation is worsening so rapidly, it is more than sufficient reason for this letter to be written.
Yours faithfully,
Archie W. Cordis
Resident and senior citizen