I read the articles in last Friday’s WEEKEND NATION by Carlos Atwell with mixed feelings.
Firstly, delight that once more the awful situation with loud kite-flying has been highlighted, but utter despair that after five years of endeavouring to stop it, nothing has happened to prevent the culprits from continuing this reprehensible behaviour.
I have previously written to the NATION, spoken on Down To Brass Tacks, written to every “Right Honourable” in Barbados, deputy commissioners, and the police at Black Rock hundreds of times. There is nothing or no one I have not tried to ameliorate this unacceptable noise pollution.
To fly in a cemetery shows the calibre of the kite-flyers: “The true competition is whose kites is the noisiest”! In St Leonard’s Boys’ School too in holiday time, the Empire Cricket Ground, “O” Level Institute, Alleyne’s Lane, Passage Road – they don’t care who it affects. Someone could be ill, tired, whatever, they do not give a damn.
I know who many of the main offenders are; I know where many live. I have given this information to the police on countless occasions, told them where the kites are flying from, even shown them, but to this day not one person has been prosecuted for breaking the Public Nuisance Act.
I have to resort to requesting the perpetrators to cease, only to suffer abuse – verbal, physical, racial.
It has made me ill and very depressed, unable to live in peace. I know many others suffer the same but are afraid to confront them; it is frightening, but I am not afraid.
My supportive colleague and I have asked the question over and over: why do the police not firstly caution and then arrest repeated offenders? It would only take one and the word would spread.
The Environmental Health Department should play their part too; we are practically doing their job for them, all to no avail.
We have placed a notice in the SUNDAY SUN urging sufferers to ring the police. We also intend to use Facebook to promote our cause and help other sufferers.
These issue of noise, burning fires, etcetera, are unacceptable in other developed countries. Why not here?
– ELIZABETH SENIOR
