-
by pltm
(PLTM) - Sixth District Representative, Hon. Alvera Maduro-Caines said surveillance cameras will soon be installed at the Hon. Omar W. Hodge’s Fisherman’s Wharf and Park in Baughers Bay, after an effigy in honour of the late legislator was vandalised.
She told BVI Platinum News that she is ‘heartbroken’ that someone would destroy the state-funded effigy. The incident occurred sometime yesterday evening and was discovered by some of her family members.
“We are going to have to put some cameras where you be able to see in that area. I don’t know why some people are so ridiculous; it had to take a strong person to yank the burst from the stand and throw it down because the back of the statue is cracked. This really is heartbreaking to me because it took me so long to get the burst,” she said, adding that the official opening of the park was delayed because of the effigy," Hon. Maduro-Caines said today, May 7.
“It took longer than we had anticipated because the person who was doing it was really swamped with work, and after this long wait to have somebody do this?” she said in disbelief.
Costly Bust
According to Hon. Caines, the effigy cost $4,500 and was sourced in Miami, USA.
She informed that her relative is currently in possession of the effigy, which was made with concrete, will be repaired and reinstalled in short order.
When asked if the matter was reported to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, she said the police had not been involved as yet, however, some persons in the Sixth Electoral District have volunteered to conduct their own investigations. “They are going to see if anybody who has cameras around the area might have been able to pick up something,” adding that the matter would then be turned over to the authorities.
In the meantime, the legislator had some words of caution for the culprit (s).
“Stop the madness! Stop this madness! I am just asking people to value the things that we put in place to give them a place to go in your district. You don’t have to go out of the district to have a place to relax, to keep a concert, to keep a party, we are just asking that they respect what we are trying to do; lord is that so hard? And value these things because these things cost money!”
She added, “I mean you trying to create something and create a little relaxing place for the people of the district and then you go and do something like that.”
When asked about the reason why she believed someone would vandalise the effigy, she replied: “It’s beyond me, I cannot fathom who would want to do something like this especially to something we did in honour of Mr. Hodge.”
She also mentioned that she has some park benches to install at the same park, but she is afraid to leave them there for fear of thieves stealing them away.
“So we are going to create a concrete platform and put the benches in, so we are going to do that in another week or so because we want to really make it nice. But seeing what has happened in the past in some of the recreational places, I don’t know why you would try to create spaces for people, and they would do that,” she stated.
