Some takeaways and recommendations
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Introduction
One of the five cases involving American tourists found with ammunition in the Turks and Caicos has come to an end. The judge provided a 12-month suspended sentence and $6,700 in fines in the case involving Bryan Hagerich who pleaded guilty to having 20 rounds of ammunition in his luggage. Based on my observations, there are several takeaways from this case.
Length of time waiting on a court date.
I do believe that court cases involving residents or tourists should not take so long. The case involving Hagerich occurred in February. It is my understanding that there is a case involving a local woman with a similar offense and a court date has yet to be assigned. In fact, it is alleged that there are several backlogs of other cases. Waiting so long creates a lot of anxiety, wastes time and money. I don’t how the court system works but if indeed there are backlogs, then the hour of the court system needs to be expanded.
Justice has been served.
Despite what many of us may think about the sentence, I do believe that justice has been served. Bryan’s lawyer was able to convince the judge that this was an exceptional circumstance. In doing so, the judge made her decision. I am not sure how the $6,700 was derived. It is my understanding that the fine was $10,000 and the judge discounted it to $6,700.
The real test of justice being served will take place when the local lady faces the judicial system. Will her lawyer be able to convince the judge it was an exceptional case and if he or she does, will her sentence be similar.
Reinforce entry requirements with other countries.
There are well known entry requirements for entering the Turks and Caicos such as how long a passport must be valid for to enter TCI. There are also general requirements among countries such as no water or any bottles less than 3ozs should not be permitted. The same requirement of no ammunition or guns for countries such as Turks and Caicos should be a general knowledge at all ports of departures including the check in agents, TSA employees and departing passengers.
No respect for our country
It is apparent that some people do not have any respect for our country. They think we are a backward and lawless country, and they can dictate to us what they want. Ironically, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler stated that foreign countries do not have any respect for America. Guy also convinced some Americans not to have respect for our laws based on some of the comments that they wrote. However, they expect non-citizens to respect and obey the laws of America. Our laws about ammunition may seem strange or crazy to others because they are not the same laws in other countries, but we made those laws for a reason.
Some politicians will do anything to do anything to get a vote.
Many times, we talked about our own politicians in terms of what they will do to get a vote. Well Guy used this opportunity to score popularity points by lying about the Turks and Caicos and acting as if he was responsible for getting Hagerich free.
Our leaders remain firm in their position.
While our tourism industry was under threat and perhaps still is, our leaders remain strong in their position to let the judicial system determine the outcome. They did the right thing.
Diversification is critical.
I know that tourism is our mainstay and perhaps will always be but what if the US did ban their citizens from coming to Turks and Caicos. The Rep. Guy was pushing for a Do not travel to Turks and Caicos. Some Americans said they have scratched off the Turks and Caicos from their list of places to travel.
Considering this, we cannot take anything for granted and it is very critical for us to diversify the economy. I know with the creation of TCI Finance; efforts are being made to augment the financial services industry. Hopefully this will materialize.
Is the law a deterrent?
I believe when this law was made, it was done to address the crime situation so that criminals would get punished and to deter criminals from having ammunition and guns. I am not sure how effective the law is or whether the law is a deterrent to criminals.
Response time too long
While the Governor and the Premier responded, I do believe the time they took to respond was too long. I believe we should respond immediately because by the time Guy’s information went out there, it almost became like gospel to some people.
More publicity for TCI
While there was negative publicity about this case, the Turks and Caicos brand got a lot of publicity. For those who never heard about Turks and Caicos, they know now about TCI.
Somebody told the Senator something.
Despite the lies that Guy Reschenthaler made, I am convinced that he spoke with some people in this country who do not mean us well. I do not have any evidence to support this assumption, but he did mention he met with some business leaders. There are some people that laugh with us but do not mean us well. These people fed him with some misinformation.
Conclusion
I understand the need for protocol but quite frankly I don’t know if we should have even entertained a meeting with the senator especially after the Governor had already told three Governors in the USA that she cannot and will not interfere in our judicial process. Anyway, it is what it is but I do hope we seriously consider the takeaways and recommendations in this article.