THE 59 year old vendor at the centre of the spitting incident that has kept the nation abuzz has thanked St. Lucians for showing her the support that she needed to come forward and expose the businessman who treated her like a sub-human.
Marietta Benjamin said she was spat on by a well-known restaurateur on December 10 last year following a brief exchange of words.
According to Benjamin although this was the ultimate form of disrespect towards her, she wasn’t too hasty to make a report of the incident due to past incidents being swept under the rug or simply ignored by authorities. It was the nation however, that changed her mind.
“I felt alone and humiliated. I felt like a stray dog had more value than me in that incident. I spoke to the NCA (National Conservation Authority) and up to today, no one has officially come to me but now that I have heard the voice of the nation, I know that I am not alone. This is where my strength is.”
Benjamin was placed at her current location along the Ramp at Reduit Beach by the NCA 18 years ago and the businessman she has accused of spitting on her, has been a thorn in her side the whole time.
She said she felt powerless towards him because the Caucasian South African businessman was seemingly above the law and could get away with anything.
Benjamin said: “That man has been at me for years. He has threatened to slap me, he has come under my tent and insulted me and he once called me a ‘Bird beaked N****r’ which led to me sending him a lawyer’s letter. The NCA and the Police have all intervened but it’s like, he just doesn’t care and nobody can stop him.”
The local vendor said she is happy that her story has rocked the nation and now feels confident to push for justice.
Benjamin said however, that she had two major concerns regarding the incident.
One was the fear that the restaurateur will bully his staff into testifying against her once the matter gets to court. She said she was worried that out of fear of losing their jobs in such a tough economy, staff of the restaurant owned by the man would feel forced into testifying against her. However, she said she will not be deterred. The fact that she has a small number of witnesses willing to testify in her defence, she said, is a plus.
Benjamin said her second concern was for the well-being of her eight sons and her elderly mother who is diabetic and hypertensive.
The “boys”, whose ages range from 21-37 are all livid. She said: “When it comes to their mother, they are extremely aggressive. Some of them have not even been able to face me because they are still so upset about what happened.”
She said she was worried that they might be tempted to take revenge against the businessman and get into serious trouble. She was also worried that the stressful situation might prove to be too much for her mother to handle.
Currently she is trying her best to handle the situation as best as she could without filling her mother in on too many details.
8 sons! And then people wonder why there’s not enough jobs. People need to chill out on the breeding programmes.
Anyway respect to the lady, hope all victims of injustice have it corrected.
8 intelligent and successful sons.
Do tell what having 8 sons has to do with her being spat on by a racist pig? SMH
Your comment about the “breeding program” is very respectful. Nice way to focus on the real issue at hand.
A South African BOER spitting on my St.Lucian sister, he still thinks he’s in his homeland. Let me tell you something you better be careful you must NEVER pull them crazy stunt in another mans land,you have to respect us as much as we respect you. What if her sons seek some street justice on you then this would make headline news all over the globe,but what you did to her is a hush hush SMDH only in St.Lucia the system makes me sick. @WHA remember she’s 59 years old she’s no spring chicken there was no family planning then so stop bashing her one of them might be another Nobel Laureate hope you do not make the same mistake she did BAVA.
I winder if i should say:st lucia take what you get from the caucasians.WE KNOW THE MENTSALITY OF THOSE PEOPLE.St.lucians have been kicked and other wise insulted and physically abused in our own land.This has to stop.One way or the other it will stop.
Hulla,
you are so correct. This disrespect has to end, sometimes if the people, the justice system refuses to take action against people with money, then a different strategy must be adopted – a racist South African spitting on your people in St. Lucia and this man is driving around ?
It’s a scandal. We should get the names of that dirty lucian mob who were racist towards the Asian woman on the bus as well. About 15 to 20 racists at it in broad daylight like a pack of hyenas
Hey, you all are being too hard on the White man…………I would suggest that he be taken on a fishing trip with concrete shoes.
What I want to know is why this pig’s name is not published. I’m suspecting it’s Spinnakers please confirm because the least I can do is stop patronizing. Why is this man’s identity being protected?
I’d like to know too. I was a Spinnikers just yesterday. I would hate to find out it was someone from there, but if it is, a boycott of the establishment is definitely in order.
Let’s not rush to assumptions though, the yacht club is right there too.
Is him self. I know the lady. Sorry to say it but I can only imagine what that man does to the food that he serves to black people because he is well known for being racist.
son -of-man,
it is more than money…it also has to do with what those caucasians perceive us to be.they never learn….see how they are haunted by terrorists now…they can’t sleep out of fear…..it is karma.one way or another that racist south African caucasian will reap his results…you wait.
Those are the exact same generalisations which are unhelpful. If a white person said ‘those blacks never learn’ there would be outrage. Stop blaming an entire group of people. Blame the individual.
I think it would be good journalism if there was some context to the article. Nobody should be spitting on anyone but it seems mad that he would just go and do it in a country full of black people and not expect it to come back to him. What is the source of emnity?
Rochelle, do you have any info (from both sides) on why there is a tension between the 2 sides
and what was actually said to make the situation go that far?
I guess Rochelle didn’t bother to interview the other party to the conflict.
U all are a bunch of idiots there is two sides to the story the lady is lyin but just leave her for god i wonder how she sleeps at nite if she dont hv a heart
U all are a bunch of idiots there is two sides to the story the lady is lyin but just leave her for god i wonder how she sleeps at nite if she dont hv a heart
you’re naive MM
Hulla – and others – I am one of ‘those Caucasians’ you say ‘never learn’ and that you claim to ‘know the mentality’ of, I have lived and worked here for well over 20 years as a school teacher and I am a citizen of St. Lucia. I have never in my life spat on anyone, irrespective of their race. I think this episode is a disgrace and that the perpetrator should be dealt with swiftly and seriously – degrading another person like that is completely unacceptable and its quite right on the basis of his actions to call him a pig and worse! However, in as much as I feel outrage over the incident and the dehumanizing effect on the victim Marietta Benjamin, I am further outraged for the way in which some of my fellow citizens have reacted to it. I understand and support the outrage, I support the call for action of some kind BUT I am dismayed that you and others of similar mind are taking this as a race issue and lumping all white people together in your rhetoric – this spitting pig is one person, he is not representative of my entire racial group, nor of me as an individual. I would ask that you and others think more objectively before stirring up blind prejudice and hatred toward ANY group of people – I might superficially look similar to this pig but that is where our similarity ends. Can’t we have justice for Ms. Marietta without perpetrating injustice on others?
Furthermore – having just read this article:
http://stluciatimes.com/article/rodney-bay-businessman-denies-spitting-claims-blames-accuser
I have to say that maybe the side of the story heard so far is not the whole truth and nothing but the truth – yet we are swift to pick sides. Look I already called the alleged spitter a ‘pig’! Maybe he is innocent.
After all, there is your side, my side and what actually happened…
Rochelle, reading the above posting the story looks a bit different now.
“My wife and I made statements of what had happened, including an incident between Marietta and myself on the beach, where in fact she spat at me. When I mentioned this to the police officer, she immediately refuted my statement and said that I had spat first. This was untrue,” Richings added. – See more at: http://stluciatimes.com/article/rodney-bay-businessman-denies-spitting-claims-blames-accuser#sthash.fMuY90LS.dpuf
,
Hope next time to do your homework first and bring both sides story and not only a sensational writing.
I made the mistake to buy the local newspaper and wonder why did it have to be on the front page.
What has she done for someone to spit on her?
Many individuals in St. Lucia have no manners and do bad things for which they should not report the retribution they get.
Beach vendors are a nuisance to tourists like me who come here to relax, not to buy useless thingies while sunbathing.
I made the mistake to buy the local newspaper and wonder why did this incident have to be on the front page.
What has she done for someone to spit on her?
Many individuals in St. Lucia have no manners and do bad things for which they should not report the retribution they get.
Beach vendors are a nuisance to tourists like me who come here to relax, not to buy useless thingies while sunbathing.