July 20, 2017
On Sunday July 23, 2017, the St Peters community will once again get ready to embrace Agriculture at its finest. Spaceless Gardens a community organization will host its 2nd Agricultural Festival and Community Market day at the Rupert I Maynard Community Center in St Peters on July 23, 2017 from 11am to 11pm.
We encourage the surrounding communities to come out and get a first hand experience of our community market day. The concept of a community market day is to encourage the awareness of Agriculture and Culture in many forms such as Locally Fresh Produce, Arts, Crafts, Cultural Dishes, Fresh Local Tarts, Cakes, Natural Juices and Local Entertainment.
Unfortunately this time around we have to make some adjustment based on a decision issued by the ministry of VROMI that they will not grant us permission to block the road to execute our community ventures. The reason for this was explained by Mr Buncamper of VROMI, he stated that there is a new policy that was issued by the minister of VROMI’S office that no permit will be issue for the closure of the roads for events that will generate funds for community members or no one of that matter . Now this truly came as a shock and at the last moment 4 days before the event when the permits have been requested for weeks. The permits were granted for the sale of arts, craft, food, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks from the ministry of TEATT just as they assisted back in Feb 2017 as our first community event took place. The permit for the road blockage to compliment the event at the time was also granted by the ministry of VROMI, so it was very disappointing to hear at last moment that they will not be granting us the permit for the road closure.
We expressed our concerns to Mr Buncamper when we received the feed back and thank him for his efforts. We know that its not the fault of Mr Buncamper why this decision was made for he also assisted us back in Feb 2017 for our first community event. The fact of the matter is that there is a personal agenda going on with some family members within the ministries and it now time for it to stop..
This all started back in 2014 when Mr Wyatte received the parcel of land in St Peters for Agricultural development from government. Ever since then there has been a controversy between the Richardson family and Mr Wyatte.. Their first attempt back in 2014 came from an attempt to threaten Wyatt’s life from member of parliament at the time Mr H. Richardson, if he didn’t take heed to leaving the land. The second came from one of the Richardson sister, Ms T. Richardson, this was a fraudulent letter sent to Mr Wyatt stating that the land that was leased out to him was illegally occupied by him and that Mr Wyatt should stop everything thing he was doing on the land. This letter had a serious track record as it was issued by Law office Duncan and Brandon and came through the Duerwaarder Mr M. Rabes who coincidently is married to Ms A. Richardson. This attempt was stopped in it’s tracks when Wyatt approached the former Minister of VROMI to find out if what was taken place was a fact and if so he did not want any part of it. The minister reassured Mr Wyattte that his process was a legal process and that he is in full right in justifying the legality for occupying the said land space. A letter then was issued out from government to the law office of Duncan and Brandon on Nov 11, 2014 that the claims and certificate ad-measurement numbers outlined in their letter where not from the same location and further more that the richardson family should stop harassing Mr Wyatte as he had a legal agreement from government to occupy the said property attached to the correct ad measurement numbers.. This letter was also CC to the police commissioner at the time Mr C John. Ever since then there was no attempt to harass Mr Wyatt until NA Government gained control of government.
Now, over the past 10 months we have put together with help of organization such as , PBCCF, UNECO, BAK AND VSA a skill enhancement program that allowed unemployed skillful community members to come together and develop the St Peters Community Garden Research and Development Center. This pilot program was a success for all participating members and the end result was to execute a community market day to demonstrate what they have been busy with over the past few months. They executed surveys that proved that there is more then 1,000,000lbs of waste that leaves parcel 6 (cul de sac area) every month.
Every since 2014 Mr Wyatt has left a track record in the legal direction to try make sure all document and taxes were up to date to determine the finalization of the land documents.
Ever since the development of the community garden, the garden been visited by inspectors of VROMI warning that they are not going about the development in the right way. The minister of VROMI never once visited the garden, Mr Wyatt never refused to comply with the building permit laws, but they were never granted to oppertunity to either and when they did try to comply and go through the right process they were hit with an 3rd attempt of a fraudulent evection letter with no government official date on the letter or stamp on the envelop claiming all sort of blasphemy accusations on why they are not renewing the lease agreement when its up and not finalizing the land documents.
The minister told Mr Wyatt himself that his decision was made based on a comment Mr Wyatt Made on Facebook, which he though was a threat. Mr Wyatt reassured the ministry that nothing in such manner was said and that all he said was that ‘’the ministers should do their dam job’’ , as thats what they are there to do. Something that takes a few minutes to finalize the minister refused to get it done and allow his policy advisory staff to manipulate the decision making also based on personal agendas as she is also part of the richardson family. In the end to make a long story short, While our community initiatives are being support by other government ministries and government international supporters that are helping this country to achieve goals that some of our own ministers take for granted. Yet they seem to want to block every good thing thats meant for positive community development..
Mr Wyatte issued a rejection letter to the minister outlining the fraudulent claims of the letter received and that it was not received in an official government format. Since then Mr Wyatt conducted a meeting with the Prime Minister Mr W Marlin and Minister of VROMI C Emanuel, who both reassured Mr Wyatt after clearing up any miss-understandings between them the Minister will help us to move forward.. Again 2 days after that, another meeting was conducted between Mr Wyatt and the Minister of VROMI to finalize the letter of exemption to grant electricity to the community garden while Mr Wyatt awaits the final documentation. Again his advisory board blocked the process that could of been done right there and stated that their is a court case that was just finished about the land which up to know no documentation can be showed to Mr Wyatte . ‘’I guess now they are making them, so i can expect another harassment issue very shortly’’ Wyatt mentioned..Thus far every effort made in a legal manner to get assistance from the minister and his cabinet has failed the community of St Peters, Wyatt want to understand why they are attacking him while he is trying to make some positive changes in the community’.
Wyatte mentioned on Facebook yesterday that he is tired and fed up of the disrespect and demotivation that he is receiving from our local ministers and that he will no longer stand for the injustice brought against him and the community of St Peters.
All the community and it’s members want is a chance to do for them selves. We have always been begging government to do or implement small things and yet they refuse to put them as priority. Now that Mr Wyatt is trying to provide an oppertunity for the community and its members to be self sustainable and Minister C Emanuel and his advisory board want to stop that? This wont be acceptable by the community of St Peters. If we ask them to fix a road, they don’t have money, pump the sewage water we have to wait years. Where was VROMI when the old man pave the whole road behind Hilllside Christian on his own with help from the school’s a left over concrete from the ongoing project development. The old man was able to accomplish this the entire back road. Now we want to do things like this on our own, we are not given the oppertunity too?
Going back to the reason the permit was not granted is because we the people must raise funds to sustain ourselves, our family, our community and our community efforts. All the vendors make their contribution, they work hard and utilize their skills to show what hey can do, most are unemployed and VROMI is not finding any jobs for them.. So how do you tell these people they can’t feed or make money to sustain themselves, and yet you don’t provide them with a jobs? You want us to beg, thief , cheat , steal? We we are sorry we will not give you that satisfaction because we have better things we can do.
Its sad when policy advisors and their family members can influence our ministers to make unjustified decisions based on personal agendas when they themselves are also advising who should get government contracts that end up in their circle. ‘’If you eating, eat, but leave another peoples plate of food alone’’ Wyatte stated
From this point on if the law does not want to work on our side thats ok, then we have no choice but to make our own community law and do whats best for our community and families residing there. We will not allow any more interruption from VROMI on our community efforts. This is no disrespect to the minister or his ministry, but if they are not willing to compliment the cause then it is best you let the community members be their our own community to uplift them selves…
On Saturday July 23 a community clean up will be schedule at the St Peters Community Center from 7am to get the park cleaned up for the Community Market Day on July 23, 2017. The organization encourages all surrounding community members to come out and join in this unity to get that park clean, not only for us but for the children that play there. When we approached the minister of VROMI with a solution to get some guys off the block with a small contract to help clean the community center back in Feb 2017, he stated ‘’ the community center is a private establishment, they have to do it themselves’’… But what about the basketball court isn’t that public? Beside all that, what about just the plain health of our kids is the reason to keep it clean?
‘’Either or, we are going to do it ourselves so we invite who is able to come out on Saturday morning to support the cause’’ Wyatt stated.
Community members such as Mr Wyatt and Mr Rene Koto Wilson are still planning to block the road for the event on Sunday. Mr Rene Koto Wilson, well known in the St Peters community stated ‘’ Its time for the BULL to stop, if they are not going to allow us to prosper in our own community then we will show them that we will have no choice but to take back our community, I will block all the roads with my big trucks and eventually they will not be allowed in our community either, the crime rate has decreased in St Peters, what they want us to do rise it again’’.
Mr Wyatte and Mr Wilson are asking all community members to come out and on Sunday July 23, 2017 from 11am to 11 pm to help support the road blocking in a peaceful manner. It’s all about just coming together and finally standing for a greater cause. Our Culture, our heritage, our community, our families and our future.
Denicio Wyatte – St Maarten Agriculture \ St Peters Community Garden Research and Development Center
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