How To Avoid Time In A Caribbean Jail

I was shocked to hear about the plight of the six Brooklyn tourists in Antigua who have been detained and charged with the assault and battery of several police officers. My shock involved many levels of disbelief. Number one, Antigua a tiny 14-mile-long island, with a relatively stable economy and government, isn't the sort of place where brawls and fights thrive. Number two, who goes to another country and fights the law enforcement? But there it was, all over the national and international news. USA Today reported
here that the six tourists blamed the undercover police officers for not identifying themselves and starting the brawl.

Local Antigua newspapers say that the tourists used indecent language, were rowdy and generally disrespectful. The crux of the situation is that the young tourists left their Carnival cruise ship and hired a taxi driver to take them on a beach excursion, agreeing to pay $50. The driver insists that it was $50 each way and when he demanded $100, the tourists refused. He took them to the St. John's police station where the violence sparked. The six have been detained in Antigua for three weeks, awaiting trial.

Of course, there are many unexamined layers to this case. The first involves the general resentment toward American travelers. Browsing through Caribbean blogs and message boards, a large consensus feels that American boorish behavior had finally been handled properly. Complaints about American traveler's cultural ignorance, rude attitudes and expectations to be lavishly catered to filled every site. It seems that there were 11 tourists that crammed into the taxi van, even though they noticed that it was parked away from all of the other (legitimate) taxis. They asked to be taken from the port to the beach and then to use the drivers phone to call about ATV tours. When he informed them they'd have to use a phone card, he drove them to a store so that they could buy a card. They complained about the $6 phone card price and decided not to buy one. The driver drove them to the beach and then came back for them an hour later. They sang, banged on the van's ceiling and played games. When they asked again to use his phone, he asked for his fare. He had spent 2 hours driving the 11 tourists around. They handed him $50, he explained it was $50 each way. They refused to pay double so he drove to the police station.

Now, having personally experienced the intricate trickery of NY taxi drivers, I understand how the tourists might feel like they were being ripped off. They had agreed to $50 up front. On the other hand, I don't know where you can expect to pay $50 to cart 11 people around for two hours. That doesn't even cover the gas. I think there was an element of "it's a small island, they should be happy with what they get" going on. Not to mention Brooklyn residents' reputation for trying to hustle anything and anyone.

On the other hand, this particular taxi driver, known in Antigua as Hungry Bird, is notorious for cheating tourists. His taxi wasn't parked with the others because he was thrown out of the taxi association 10 years ago. The Bird family controlled Antigua through two consecutive prime ministers for decades. Bird political corruption was such that noted Antiguan author Jamaica Kincaid compared them to Haiti's Duvalier family. So you know the nickname "hungry bird" does not indicate anything good. In this case, the fare that Hungry Bird asked for was not unfair but when he drove the tourists to the St. John police station and not the one at the port, fairness wasn't on his mind. The station is not clearly marked as a police station and many of the officers there don't wear uniforms. But Hungry Bird is reputed to have a friend or relative at that station. The tourists didn't know where they were or whom they were dealing with. They insist that the police started slapping, shoving and grabbing them.

This is what I know. Antigua has enjoyed a solid reputation as a peaceful destination for a long time until last year. That's when two British honeymooners were killed and earlier this year,an Australian yacht captain was murdered in a robbery attempt. Crime is rising and the Antiguan police department is not known for its effectiveness. I was in Antigua for their 25th independence celebration in 2006. I was struck by the warmth of the people. I was never hassled, come on to or treated rudely. At the independence celebration, I danced for an hour next to a guy that everybody kept photographing. He turned out to be the prime minister. I can think of a few islands where incidents like this happen all the time but Antigua isn't one of them.

When I first heard about the situation, all I could think about is what I would do and what I'd advise any tourist who found themselves in a similar predicament.

1. Research about any country you're visiting, even if its just for a day. It's clear that the tourists knew little about Antiguan culture because some of the women were walking around in bathing suits. Many of the accounts and comments noted how indecently and half dressed they were. It's considered rude and disrespectful in most of the Caribbean to walk around in swim clothes when not at the beach or pool.

2. Find out what the basic rates for taxis are and what taxi companies are recommended. There are no meters in small island taxis. If you don't know the island, you're left at the mercy of the driver. Educate yourself about what is reasonable.

3. Don't go to another country and expect things to be the same way they are at home. This goes back to number 1. Learn something about the people and culture and you will know what to expect. The tourists complained that the officers had no badges and didn't identify themselves. This is procedure in the U.S. but not in Antigua. Many officers don't wear uniforms.

4. Don't act like a fool. I sympathize with the detained tourists but only up to a point. It has been correctly pointed out all over the Caribbean blogosphere that these Brooklyn tourists would never have cursed and performed with NY cops the way they did in Antigua. There was one officer in uniform who they said didn't respond to their pleas for help and they said they feared for their lives. So they cursed and fought. Antiguan officers don't carry guns so it's not clear why they felt they were in danger. The telling detail is that only 6 were arrested. The others were released and returned to the ship. These were the tourists that weren't cursing and fighting. Whenever you're in a foreign country, it's best to be polite and follow the rules. In this case, that would have been to pay the driver the money he requested. They may have felt swindled but they would be at home and not languishing in Antigua, waiting for their trial.