Bonaire March on Crime 2000

What follows are pictures taken on June 26, 2000 in Kralendijk, the capital of the island of Bonaire, of a silent march held to protest crime on the island, as well as the lack of government action to curb crime. Bonaire's police is controlled by the Central Government of the Netherlands Antilles (the country which Bonaire belongs to), and with the Central Government (located on the neighboring island of Curacao) being in financial turmoil, no attention is being paid to Bonaire's needs.

The march was triggered by the execution style slaying of two long-time Bonaire residents in their home on Sunday, June 18th, and organizers of the protest march intended to use the march as a means to determine and build solidarity among the population. The march exceeded expectations, with between 4,000 and 5,000 participants, representing half of the island's adult population.

Bonaire's government, at the urging of the march organizers (who in turn are local civic and business leaders) have invoked a part of the Antillean constitution - the so-called Article 26 - which requires that Holland (the parent of the Netherlands Antilles) intercede in Bonaire's future to maintain the well-being of Bonaire and its population. The march was intended to show both that Bonaire has no confidence that the Central Government will act in Bonaire's best interest (or any interest, for that matter), and that Bonaire's people want the Dutch government to assume responsibility for the safety of its citizens (every born Bonairean is automatically a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Antilles).

Click on the photos below to get an enlarged imaged

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