Dear Editor,
Permit me space in your newspaper to ask the relevant authorities for their intervention. I grew up in the town of New Amsterdam and continue to live here, however as it is the streets are plagued with destitutes, many of whom (and I am sorry to be blunt) are substance abusers. These individuals are always parading the town asking for a fine change to support their habits.
The other night I stopped at a shop with my mom and witnessed one of these characters staring and approaching persons; one woman even told my mom that this guy is very dangerous. The same guy came up to my vehicle and stared at me until I drove off. One might think that I was afraid and at times I am, because no one knows if they have knives on them or what and how they may react.
I recall about a month ago, two of the known characters in my part of the town were struggling to fetch an entire wardrobe; one became exhausted and the other one was about to beat him to force him to continue. The wardrobe appeared brand new. There is an empty house in Charles Place, and two weeks ago as I was driving home, the usual suspects had already stripped the house of windows, doors and on that particular day I saw one guy stripping the PVC panels. I stopped and recorded this occurrence whilst asking why he was doing this. His response was, ‘Well the house is vacant and I needs these things.’
In addition to substance abusers, there are abandoned places where a few destitutes have converted into their washroom. One place is Sam Hughes’ old workshop located at 26 Strand New Amsterdam. Therefore, I am pleading to the Ministers of Human Services and Social Security, Home Affairs, The Mayor, and The Regional Executive Officer to look into this matter that continues to be a major issue for the township.
Sincerely,
Tanya Niamatali