The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus Dominica, in association with Optical Services Ltd. and Dominica Social Security, will host the Eighth Annual UWI Open Campus Dominica Bernard A. Sorhaindo Memorial Lecture on Thursday, August 20, 2015 commencing at 7:30 p.m. at the Fort Young Hotel Conference Room.
The Lecture will be presented by Dr. Griffin Benjamin, Chief Psychiatrist at Princess Margaret Hospital. Dr. Benjamin will speak on the topic: “Health Care & the New Frontier: Can people in the vagrant community overcome rejection?” He will seek to examine the vagrancy issue in Dominica and will offer practical solutions for successful rehabilitation that will include the provision of medical care.
This lecture series is named after Dr. Bernard Sorhaindo, Dominica’s first graduate of The UWI and one of the country’s most celebrated medical doctors. Dr. Sorhaindo was an advocate for the availability of proper health care facilities and personnel in order to improve the quality of life of Dominicans.
The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will provide an opportunity for guests to listen to the speaker present for about 40 minutes. Following the presentation, guests will be able to interact and to generate meaningful discussions about the influence of the topic on Dominica and the Caribbean region.
To you Miss/Mr Pripirit, the bird that eats worms, and (me friend Facts.)
Note this pertains to the United States, and England. Vagrancy law, term applied to the offense of persons who are without visible means of support, or domicile while able to work. In America State Laws, and municipal ordinances punishing vagrancy often also cover loitering, associating with reputed criminals, prostitution, and drunkenness. The punishment is usually a fine or several months in jail.
Instead of arresting vagrants, local officials often attempt to induce them to move on. In the 1960’s vagrancy laws came under constitutional attack due to the vague statutory language which seems too broad, in violation of the due process requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment, to the United States Constitution, vagrants were not warned adequately, of what conduct was forbidden, and police had too much discretion whether to make an arrest.
It was ruled that enforcement of the laws often violated the…
It was ruled that enforcement of the laws often violated the protections of the First Amendment, especially when police used them against political demonstrators, and unpopular groups. The United States vagrancy laws generally punish the status of being a vagrant, and not some overt act; that approach derives from English laws of the 16th century that generally failed to distinguish between the indigent, and criminal; and that set harsh punishments, including whipping, and transportation to the colonies.
The British gradually modified its poor laws, and in the twentieth century began punishing overt acts, dangerous to the community. Vagrants are tolerated as scavengers, and in some East Asian country’s they ascribed semi-religious, though revered, they are also feared for some belief that they posses spiritual powers: vagrants are basically a product of unemployment, and the numbers swell during depressions.
Note: Read C. J. Ribton-Turner The History of Vagrants and Vagrancy…
Note: Read C. J. Ribton-Turner The History of Vagrants and Vagrancy (1887, Reproduced. 1979).
“Did you look up the meaning of vagrants? Here is the meaning:” (Facts).
Dear Madam Facts,
Please don’t play me for an idiot, I may be an idiot, but normal enough to know that I basically wrote one closed comment on the matter, and one with a continuation, in which I plainly defined vagrancy, in two different forms, almost identical. What is the difference of vagrancy, and been vagrant?
There cannot be vagrancy, without vagrants! However to educate you only here is another meaning in a very simple form: Vagrant means having a fleeting wayward, or inconstant quality, or having fixed course. They are random hence are into the adjective ; vagrantly.
If you cannot understand that I will have to get that little twelve year old teacher girl in North York to teach you.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah: I doh calling she name eh!
We are up for a great session with this great son of Dominica.
Are you nuts??? Pondera
The vagrants should be psychologically assessed. Dr. Benjamin could learn much from them, why they chose to be out on the streets.
Of course, those who are mentally ill will be medically examined and treated. I expect the same will apply for those who ingest illegal drugs. If they are able to be rehabilitated, they should be to reverse their lifestyle and manner of thinking and hopefully later become useful nationals to themselves and to society.
God bless the day when D/ca, Roseau for that matter will be free of vagrants and, at least the majority of them who are able will be employed and live fruitful lives.
God bless all authorities concerned as also Dr. Benjamin and their efforts in trying to make this come to fruition.
Words of encouragement: Nothing beats a failure but a trial. If at first you do not succeed, try again. This is called patience and perseverance.
Mr. Madam/Jack, everyone have a right to their opinions, but sometimes we need to stick to the topic; slavery has nothing to do with vagrancy. In the days of slavery vagrancy did not exists especially among Black people; we were slaves remember; and so I am going to disseminate a little information that may help you. Vagrancy is a social phenomenon in exploitative states engendered by the neediness, and uncertain existence of workers. It is expressed by persons continuous movement from place to place.
That is a homeless way of life when someone exists on charity, and handouts. In an exploitative social structure some people become vagrants when they are deprived by society the opportunity to participate in productive labor. Here is an example; ” in tsarist Russia vagrancy was wide spread as result of the difficult material conditions of workers; over the course of centuries, impoverished town dwellers, fugitive serfs, and convicts, shelterless, individuals including the elderly,…
individuals including the elderly, and wandering monks became vagrants, and beggars.
In the second half of the of the 19th and early 20th century, in conditions of the general economic decline in the village, and also as a result of crop failures, fires, and cattle plagues, the number of vagrants increased, and they headed in large numbers to the cities, where they lived mainly by begging.”
The cause of vagrancy in modern bourgeois states are exploitation, economic crises, impoverishment, the country’s chronic unemployment, and wars in some countries, and the neediness they engender among the poorest strata of the population. I might brief you some more regarding vagrancy laws in America, and England.
Francisco Telemaque
I usually ignore your irrational ranting and atrocious spelling and grammar, but if I follow your logic, it seems like you are going to have to leave America and find another country of refuge and I suspect you are going to have to do a mammoth google search to identify one devoid of vagrancy and homelessness.
If the yardstick for vagrancy and homelessness is economic crises, chronic unemployment, exploitation, wars and the neediness engendered among the poorest strata of the population, that’s not a nice country to live in.
Given that America has thousands(a conservative estimate) of homeless people and vagrants who are fed by religious and other charitable organisations particularly during the winter, why are you still in that God-forsaken country? Why not move to the paradise which you googled after my post?
I thought you were smart; however, reading this particular comment of yours convinced me that you are on the same level as most of the ignorant people who writes comments on DNO. I do not have to goggle for any information in order to write my comments.
You see, I am academically educated, hence almost anything I write except when I am hanging Skerrit, or into cheap political rhetoric, are text books material you see. The problem with you, and people like you is that my comments are beyond you; so the easiest counter my me with nothing, is by getting into insults as you have done here.
I will say to you and others, it is better to simply read my comment, and say nothing, because persons familiar with what I am writing simply laugh at you people as clowns. Some of you have never seen the inside of a secondary school never mind a four year college nor university, so Google becomes you institution of education, I am beyond that. And if you talk about spelling, understand I live…
And if you talk about spelling, understand I live in America, I utilize American English!
I forgot to tell you, if you have forgotten me I am (kid son from next door). Boy you look more like your farther now more than ever.
Best regards: Son.
Francisco Telemaque, Dr Griffin Benjamin is the expert Doctor at the heart of this discussion. .
Very intelligent, professional and capable. a
An elite in his field where he competently delivers!
So, what are you insinuating?
Are you pretending that you are more familiar with Dr. Benjamin than I do? I would be the very last person on earth who would wish to take anything away from Griffin! You want to know why?
I’ll tell you, Dr. Griffin Biological Grandmother; Fluori Telemaque is the biological aunt of yours truly! I was fed many times by griffin father, we lived next door before I left. The last time I saw him in person he was home vacationing from college, he did not walk pass me in the street with his nose pointing to the sky, he stopped and talk with me. Guys like him and Dr. Jonathan Provost my colleague are a special kind of people.
I know them very well, so whatsoever, you have in mind just keep it to you okay!
Great move on having this dialogue. …ROSEAU AND IT’S CURRENT SLUMP CITY STATE DOES NOT NEED THIS UNSIGHTLY PROBLEM OF VAGRANCY. ..To get them rehabilitated and off the streets would be diamonds in disguise. ..
Look Deybar
The topic is the issue of vagrancy!
A vagrant is one wandering about from place to place with no means of support; one who has no established residence; hence she/he wanders idly from place to place without lawful or visible means of support, one such as a prostitute; or drunkard whose conduct constitutes statutory vagrancy.
Though some of the above may be considered mentally ill, the majority are out there due to the lack of employment, the easiest way to resolve their problem is to produce enough work to employ such people, and in their case the problem would be solved.
On the other hand a few might be mentally ill, we have to be careful to identify those who were born with chemical imbalances, and those whose problems are caused by life atrocities. We have to identify those who abuse illegal, illicit substances causing them to be in the streets. There is a difference in vagrancy, and someone who is medically, or mentally ill!
Whatever their reasons for wandering the streets, the fact they are out there, some dressed in tattered clothing and begging all over, especially in Roseau, they are all considered vagrants.
Did you look up the meaning of vagrants? Here is the meaning:
Homeless wanderer; somebody illegally living on streets; wayward or capricious – given to sudden changes, unpredictable; impulsive, changeable in nature; random acting or done in a random way.
If you think they are not vagrants, what suitable word could be used to describe them?
Pipitit did you know the doc has a chemical imbalance himself>
he was trying 4 pediatrics then surgery then settled for Psychiatry
Is he 4 real?
Great initiative. We have one of the best Psychiatrist in the region. Dr Benjamin is a role model of what true learning is about. He spends his life serving and advocating for his patients. Dr Benjamin is unapologetic in his learned perspective of our unique societal norms in Dominica. He offers an academic analysis of the Dominican society and provides practical suggestions on how we can improve the way we organize ourselves. A strong family man, a community stalwart with commendable spiritual values.
We are up for a great session with this great son of Dominica.
Do you recall he diagnosed Sarah Augustine who murdered her two young children, one only a baby and said she was capable of standing trial and his expertise was ignored? You should know the rest.
He did not deserve that. He withstood it. I am pleased to see that he is still the Psychiatrist at PMH. He must be doing an excellent job.
You don’t know the real benjie it is clear lol!
To solve the problem of Vagrency you would have to bring back Slavery.
Maybe real dictatorship. What do you think?
This will take away every freedom of speech and movement, even their comfortable homes. Everyone will be forced to work, even when ill and probably aged for whatever pay the government decides. Everyone will be one and the same, i.e., there will be no distinction, one from another. I would not wish this on anyone. May I never reside in such a country. I visualize it to be, sheer Hell on earth which God did not create us for.
Some D/cans claim to be living under such a government. I do think (obviously) they are exaggerating and blowing it out of proportion. Little do they know what this entails until they truly experience it. Ask the people of Cuba, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and others who reside in such countries, what it is like living under a dictatorship government. Those who could leave did not so under difficult circumstances for nothing. Some died trying to escape.
I hope to attend. I am sure Doc will give a good representation of his work on the topic.
let’s see
We are up for a great session with this great son of Dominica.
His head will get bigger than it already is this a mad man himself