Dive shop social media insult stirs up viral outrage
(CNS): A thoughtless insult made on social media by the owners of a West Bay dive shop on Tuesday has stirred up a viral firestorm across the community, focusing on the growing divide and distrust between residents who are new (or ‘paper’) Caymanians or expat and the generational locals who live there. Indigo Divers recently installed a locked gate on their private dock adjacent to the public dock on the corner of North West Point in West Bay and indicated in a post that it was designed to keep out the “riff-raff’ and fishermen, which has outraged the community.
In less than 24 hours, district MPs, potential election candidates, on-air talk show hosts, Instagram and Facebook posters, meme creators, WhatsApp groups and even restaurants have all weighed in to name and shame the dive company and signal that the gate is one thing, but the insult is too much. T-shirts are also already on sale as many Caymanians choose to embrace the ‘riff-raff’ insult.
But the message is going well beyond the insensitive remark itself and has become illustrative of the feelings of local people and the worsening divide between them and expats, which is symbolic of the changing face of the country. Generational Caymanians see the best of Cayman slipping away as the culture and heritage are lost because of overdevelopment and the population grows rapidly through immigration.
Caymanians repeatedly see expats profiting from overdevelopment while they feel the loss of the once-tight social cohesion of a community not driven purely by profit margins.
Access to the shore and enjoying what the sea has to offer is tightly bound to local culture. However, over the last two decades, the pace and scale of development along the oceanfront have reduced that access to such an extent that it is now a real challenge for locals to get onto and enjoy the beach and locations where they once fished or where kids played on docks.
While the gate has been erected on private property to protect the dock from misuse and appears to be lawful, the insult that accompanied the post by the company owners, Katie and Chris Alper, who seemed to be proud of their move to keep people that they see as undesirable out, has cut deep in the community.
The anger has been further fuelled by their doubling down on the insult. They are now including the term “riff-raff” in their dive shop name and other social media profiles after pulling down their FaceBook page and disabling the TripAdvisor account because of the barrage of angry comments.
Pictures previously posted by the couple on social media were also circulating yesterday, showing what appears to be Chris Alper in a tasteless blackface fancy dress costume, which has added further fuel to the fire.
However, the Alpers have claimed that they did not mean to insult local people and erected the gate because of people littering, anti-social behaviour, drunkenness and fishermen gutting their catch on the dock and and not cleaning up after themselves.
Speaking to Radio Cayman News on Wednesday morning, Chis Alper, who has Caymanian status, said the insult was not aimed at Caymanians as a whole but at individuals who have been misusing his property.
“This is my front door,” he said, adding he did not want people coming to dive seeing leftover beer cans and fish guts all over the front of his business. He apologised to the community and insisted it was about people, regardless of who they were or where they were from, engaging in anti-social behaviour. “I’m not insulting Cayman. I love Cayman,” he told the radio station.
Andre Ebanks MP (WBS), in whose constituency the dive shop is located, paid a visit Tuesday and learned that the gate was erected on private property. There had been some confusion that the gate had been erected on the adjacent public West Bay dock. Ebanks spoke to the Alpers, who said they had finally had enough of the disruptive behaviour.
Ebanks said that the Alpers, as property owners, had a right to protect it. However, the MP noted the poor choice of words on the social media posts. In a social media post of his own he said he had asked the owner to apologise for the generalising and offensive language used.
“It’s unbecoming of us as a community,” Ebanks said, adding that he had asked the Alpers to reconsider whether the fence was actually needed and if it could be removed. “It is not reflective of who we are as a community. First things first, please apologise,” the MP posted.
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Category: Local News
Tick tock. Tick Tock. TICK TOCK!
Vision a Cayman Islands some twenty years from now.
The question for the incoming new government should be ‘Who should We Grant Citizenship to going forward?’
The Caymanian Citizenship should neither be taken lightly nor for granted by anyone privileged to receive it. Currently, in our country, clearly, both cases are happening.
As a writer in an article I read stated “Safeguarding citizenship, emphasizing that nationality is tied to loyalty and belonging, not personal gains” the New Immigration Reform Laws MUST highlight the sincerity of the statement above. These notions should therefore be enshrined in our New Reformed Immigration Laws.
In our New Reformed Immigration Laws “There [should] be [NO COMPROMISE] on preserving [Caymanian] national identity”. NONE!
With that said, most of us older ‘Generational’ Caymanians will have left this earth and the current ‘New Caymanians’, their children, and grandchildren will be in charge of the Cayman Islands. These persons will continue to be the business owners, the CEOs and CFOs, the ‘Real Estate Moguls’ the Anti-Anything that is relatable to our Caymanian Heritage/Cultural/History group of people, and lest we forget our Politicians in the future.
With the current social divide in our country, and its growing harm to safeguarding the peacefulness of such a diverse country, that is the envy of many developed and developing countries, the question then begs to be asked, ‘Who’s interest will such persons look out for if immigration reform is not carried out by the new government?
To ensure that the Cayman Islands in such a time is a country that has not sold its people, its culture/heritage, and its history for the almighty dollar, the new government MUST have the ‘guts/wisdom/interest/foresight/loyalty’ to carry out a much needed Immigration Reform and the new Laws that are written and gazetted should be those that put the best interest of generational Caymanians and their extended families at the core.
No doubt no one wants to hear the words ‘IMMIGRATION REFORM’ and there will be backlash from interest groups. However, I implore the new government, that is formed in April 2025, to create the legacy of safeguarding rather than the current and past actions of government which was/is to enrich self first at all cost to the country and its people.
The time to safeguard the Culture/Heritage/History of the Cayman Islands for future generations of Caymanians is no doubt NOW!
wa bouz all the dope, gang problems, unsolved gun shooting mysteries in West Bay. what about the over funded poor educated youth of our island. if this energy was directed into these topics maybe…nah going happen. Churxhes of duty freeKingdpm of donkey disciples wah yo say
Fake TROLL Comments.
Nobody writes that dumm.
not even a drunken fenchie
Ok my Caymanian Peeps, hear me out.
1. We know this man XXXX, just from the Blackface stunt alone deserves to be cancelled. I am not even debating that.
2. Ossie Bodden in 2021 in a campaign speech referred to BTE voters as Ragamuffins (All Caymanians know that is a term used to refer to Jamaicans, in this case Caymanian voters who came here from Jamaica).
3. Last week Ossie Bodden on CMR commented that the Jamaicans and others who came here and got status are “Rubbish”. He went on to say that the Generational Caymanians are the good quality people here.
4. Ossie Bodden clearly has an issue with Caymanians who earned and received status (Driftwood) , and even worse regard for Jamaicans as a nationality.
Right is right and wrong is wrong. Why is no one defending those Caymanians and “Cancelling” Ossie who is now seeking another term in Parliament? Is this who we want to represent us? He and his entire party need to be met with the same disgust is we are to call ourselves crusaders for justice. They all heard him say it and not one member including Wayne Panton the savior attempted to correct him or distance themselves from his comments.
We can be a bunch of hypocrites when we are ready!!!
I completely agree. It was ok for Ossie to call Jamaicans rubbish. No problem at all. They can go away with their rubbish protest.
So if I dress up as a Zulu warrior at a fancy dress party I am a racist insulting Caymanians…?
If you are insulted by the riffraff label, then you definitely are.
Cayman is awash in trash of all kinds and colours. Local and washed ashore.
Get it and wear it
where can i get my ‘indigo-divers-4-life’ t-shirt?
#alldriftwoodmatters
I want mine too
What a load of overblown nonsense. There’s far more pressing things for politicians to be wading in on.
Choice of words, yes, foolish, and would definitely be red rag to a certain segment of the population. However, most well adjusted people here wouldn’t take it as a slight on themselves. The riffraff are the ones that mean we struggle to have nice things in public view.
The blackface thing, he’s not the first and won’t be the last. I’m sure the embarrassment factor has been significant.
Finally, this non-story needs to be replaced with anger over the Brac school, the cruise port plans, the roads, the dump, airport parking, work permit scams, policing, prisons…and so on.
Crystal Generation ( Population in this case )
Lmao sometimes my people are embarrassing, of all of the problems this country has, is it this one we have the most energy for? We truly live in the pits of hell, no wonder these man can come in and make a mockery of us, buy us (our country) all out and we cannot do a thing about it. So it goes sometimes eh
Complaints about blackface in 2025 are confected nonsense. They’re no more valid than complaints about people dressing up as morris dancers. They infringe on free expression, turning historical context into today’s outrage. It’s about controlling speech, not genuine offense. Society should focus on real issues, not policing costumes or humour.
As other people have commented, they’re entitled to protect their property, and it’s only Sandy Hill who has seized upon this as a way to drive up traffic to her site, from the illiterate halfwits who comprise the CMR so-called ‘readership’.
Nothing is mentioned about Caymanian riff-raff. Just an excuse to be angry whilst your Caymanian politicians screw you over.
The right to securing your private property does not come with the right to brazenly insult people “for a joke” regardless of who they are.
Camana Bay has this and we didn’t get outraged.
Yacht club has this gate and we didn’t get outraged.
The community is not outraged from the gate – it’s their “we’re better than you, and we run the show now” attitude that we’re sick of. Caymanians are watching their homeland and culture fade away and their behavior not only spat in our ancestor’s faces but rubbed it into ours also.
Always remember – when their dive operation first started, they used the PUBLIC dock, and the adjacent crown land parcel for storing their equipment.
Blame the Caymanian politicians that Caymanians vote in.
CNS refers to this as a thoughtless insult. I consider it ill-advised, disrespectful, stupid, xenophobic, snobbish, and deliberately offensive. The offenders seemed to be proud of their work and were thoughtful enough to put it on social media. I would ignore the meaningless apology and happily wave them goodbye.
Saturday 2 PM West Bay Public Dock we protest the brazen disrespect and racist attitudes of ANY newcomers to the local people who have stood on that ironshore from before they were even born.
They moved here for better life and get to go home to their private chef in a luxury community while the lower class bicycle man hoped that he would catch a fish at this 3rd spot for the evening in order to have dinner. Only to call him “riff raff” and complain about having to wash off a salt water dock. As if birds don’t stop by for their daily shit, and trash doesn’t wash up regardless.
When these type of people show you their true inner colors, “#let them”, because we are beyond fed up.
OK, so we can all come over to yours, take a dump and leave nasty garbage in your yard?
I support anyone who objects to their private property being trashed.
The Camana Bay dock gate is unlocked during the day…
yet they still have one, when Camana bay opened and for years after there was none. + they have 24 hour security. but still need it to keep out the riff raff – more like board teanages looking for something to do. skate park closed – teenagers can’t goto Camana bay in the evenings. can’t oto bars – can’t night fish off docks. who creates the next generation of riff raff.
Cayman actually needs to spend some money on the youth and we all need to teach kids decency no matter race, background or wealth. don’t forget this is the nation that even stop expat kids going to public schools (even fora price. yet govrment and Dart given acholiships to Caymanians to attend the private schools. no wonder why are the public schools failing
Indeed they did and some still do and they hit the dock and damage said dock and collectively they dont put money to repair it
The inconsiderate “fishermen” title, does not have any nationality associated with it. It is weird that Caymanians want to apply it to themselves.
Permanent victim mentality.
Mostly Philippinos and Jamaicans fishing off the shore these days, which is a whole nother conversations that needs to happen.
Margaret Ramsay Hale could perhaps participate.
Didn’t we pass laws that prohibited that issue?
Curious how no one wants to be accountable for the bad behavior, or even ask why ? Perhaps these folks have been cleaning up after disrespecting folks for a long time and were so frustrated they snapped and said something stupid. Anyone else ever done that? I suspect every one of us have. What they said was wrong, but they did not point the finger at any nationality. Unlike people commenting here on driftwood and Jamaicans. I have never been to west bay beach without some drunk man hassling me and even assaulting me and once assaulting my young colleague. People that point the fingers at others can benefit by taking accountability for their own actions. This is not how true Christians behave.
Caymanian outrage is fueled not so much by a bunch of words , but by an accumulation of frustration and realization that they are no longer in control of those whom they regard as interlopers.
The Indigo owners have shown themselves to be insensitive arrogant and disrespectful guests in someone else’s home, and will , rightly or wrongly, suffer the ire of their disgruntled hosts
I’m sooooo outraged I’m going to book a few dives with them to show my support.
Usually being called riff raff or even worse wouldn’t necessarily create widespread upset. However, they used the term deliberately in a disparaging fashion and placed it in a public setting. It is clear they meant to refer to some at least, and very publicly.
In a private setting, let he without sin cast the first stone and all that – we have all thrown out slurs against our own and johnny foreigner and everyone in between. That’s life.
But public, generic slurs are not welcome.
I’m on the fence if these 2 (El Blackface and his missus) are genuinely anti-Caymanian in terms of being entitled newbies, paper turtles, all that.
However, it is of relevance that the vast majority of paper Caymanians would never even dream about posting a public slur against 1 single CAymanian, never mind a small group of us/them.
Sometimes when it walks like a duck…it actually is a duck.
this may be the first business ‘cancelled’ in Cayman that i can think of, time shall tell.
My mummy told me that if i had nothing nice to say, to say nothing at all. She was smarter than i realised at the time. Bless her and rest her soul
It’s not clear to any sensible person that “riff raff fishermen” was a slur directed at Caymanains or any specific nationality, just inconsiderate people in general. You can self-apply that or not of your own choosing I guess. The owners can also do whatever they want to regulate access to their private dock for sanitation, safety, liability etc. The blackface on the other hand…that’s hugely insensitive.
Maybe it’s indicative of the fact that expats, paper caymanians etc can then what you will have long been not able to say anything deemed event slightly inflammatory to the native population for fear of having the “I’ll get you deported/cancelled/my cousin works for govt “ card thrown at them… we all know that happens
If the dock is built over the Kings bottom, do the property owners have the right to keep the public off of it?
Yes.
Nop
Yes they do. They had to pay a license fee to the government for them using that portion of the “King’s bottom”. They don’t own the bottom but have the right to put a dock on it. The dock is their private property.
Caymanians love playing the victim card. Riff raff could refer to Jamaican, Nepalese etc. Basically anyone making a mess of this guys private property. Any excuse to play the card though.
What a pile of rubbish. If you had any common sense you would understand why Caymanians are offended.
Go speak with the usual peeps who frequent the public beach next door and ask them why they’re offended. Betcha it’s 99% Caymanians!
I’m a Caymanian and I’m not offended because I didn’t do anything to their dock. However, I am offended by the people turning this into a racist thing. Why? because I’m a white Caymanian.
You know what worries me? This is how Jamaica started going downhill. Blaming everything on white people. Remember Catron spent time in America and everything to them is racist.
Cayman Marl Road is taking advantage of this situation to gin up hate for expats.
Selling T shirts and a protest are ridiculous.
Anyone falling for her stunt is simply adding money to her Facebook account.
Simping for the marl road.
wonder why caymanians think riff-raff refers to them???
maybe the truth hurts or a nerve has been struck?
to me riff raff in this instance refers to any person from any place who trespasses and litters the property.
kudos to the private property owner.
a great stand against ignorance and entitlement.
driftwood strikes back.
remember, we did not come to take part, we came to take over!
we run the show!
Not helpful 8.42, not helpful.
In what dictionary is the term “riff raff” defined as “Being Caymanian?” Since when is “Caymanian” a synonym of “riff raff?”
Yall social media is cringe… huge case in point
I am a Caymanian, but I am not so sensitive as to hear the word Riff Raff and immediately assume it means Caymanians. Wasn’t the comment just referring to people trashing the dock? I think some people are desperate to play the victim, and some people (one in particular) are happy to lead them along, pathetic really.
7:38 – Totally agree with you. The dock was constantly littered with empty beer cans, fish guts, bait squid and used condoms. That’s trashing the place. The owners were tired of it.
Exactly, as a multi-generational Caymanian, I am really embarrassed about the local reaction to this situation. Essentially, many locals are defending the people vandalizing this private property and crucified a business owner who simply had enough.
This!
Clearly, they meant Jamaicans…
Troll = Trying to Blame Shift and Race Bait and draw in Jam.
nope. You the only fool here Mr Poodle.
If they had said Jamaicans, all those Caymanians so outraged by the offence caused would be as quiet as church mice – nothing as popular as blaming Jamaicans in general for the sins caused by unidentified individuals. Look at the number of posts we see on CNS where all Jamaicans are castigated for anything from bad driving to violent crime, or the ever popular “deportation order” mantra every time someone is convicted, irrespective of whether there is anything to suggest national origin.
Scales and fish guts aren’t good manners, and it is regrettably a problem at every accessible dock in Cayman. It’s more the retention of the insensitive blackface post on a searchable public feed in 2025 that screams something else, far more objectionable.
It seems quite straightforward! Anyone who litters by leaving behind beer cans, plastic, and food instead of cleaning up after themselves is nothing more than riff-raff. This behavior is unacceptable, regardless of where they’re from.
And the police should prosecute those responsible. But they don’t – and so now our whole way of life is put at risk.
Let’s review what the RCIPS won’t prosecute.
Drivers hitting Excavators and Light poles, while said officers make self determination of impaired driving , absent testing.
Your post claiming quality of life at risk is 100% correct, due to the flagrant ignorance and application of laws, as well as respect for those laws by residents .
We now return to our scheduled broadcast on people who trash other peoples docks with fish guts and condom wrappers, whilst we await An important community announcement from her excellency , The Governor.
Agreed. And by embracing the term as a badge of pride we run the risk of being associated with or condoning the behaviours the dock owners mention. Do we really want to be thought of as thinking that using other peoples property without permission, damage and littering are acceptable?
The comments show the shameless nature and true undertone of how alot of entitled expats view the local folks. If this was somewhere else that dock would be either shut down or burnt down. There should be 100’s of people lined up at that dock everyday until his business is closed down. Then he can go setup shop in the other friendly Caribbean neighbors, lets see how welcomed their behavior is.
Don’t be silly. If this was somewhere else nothing would happen. Unless you had someone trying to create division
CI Yacht Club, Kaibo…lots of dock gates now. Unfortunately it has become necessary on private property, and those owners possess that entitlement by law.
the docks are open in daylight hours, to everyone.
Yeah, and if you go during the day and start trashing the dock and leaving fish guts it will end up locked. I’m sure these people would have been fine letting others use the dock for fishing had they not done the typical squatting and trashing of the it.
Amazing how it is alright for Dart to use his money to control government and help overdevelop our Island, bulldozing our culture heritage and ecology while financing/buying candidates for Public office. Yet you want to defiling a small dive operation operator trying to protect his business and property. Yes, his post was in bad taste and he should apologize. Also the use of the term Riff Raff is one often used by Cayman politicians, even one from West Bay, to describe trouble makers and nuisances. I don’t think it refers to any particular people of a given background or heritage. Lighten up and deal with the real problems and threats to the people of Cayman. That is our voting for candidates that Dart controls. It is like turning over the keys and future to our country to some riff raff that doesn’t give a hoot about the people and if they can afford to eat and shelter themselves.
The blackface post was more than a foul ball.
It’s honestly wild how people seem to be missing the point here. No one has an issue with property owners putting up “No Trespassing” signs, communicating concerns about debris or litter on their land, or even putting up fences, that is all well within a landowner’s rights. The real issue here is the flagrant disrespect and demeaning language being used to describe members of our community.
Kate and Chris are fully entitled to be upset if their property is being damaged, that is understandable. However, there is absolutely no excuse for being horrid, mocking, condescending, or hateful toward the very people and islands who have allowed them to come here, set up shop, and build their lives. The behavior they’ve exhibited is exactly why there’s such a rift between locals and newcomers in this community. It’s disheartening, but, honestly, it’s also not surprising.
They came to our shores. It’s here that they’ve found both a home and an opportunity to run their business. We didn’t go to their home; they came to ours. To call us “riff raff” isn’t just an insult to locals, it’s a direct attack on our culture, our history, and our way of life.
It is simply unacceptable. If you have no respect for the people who’ve given you the chance to stand on these shores, maybe it’s time to find somewhere else to be.
Caymanians, for far too long we have operated as “Caymankind” that nonsensical tourist slogan has made us complacent and complicit, and allowing those who come here to disrespect us, and feel like they can us amuck. Stand up! Rise up! Stop allowing the disrespect to continue, not just from foreigners who come here, but from our own government, from those who continue to sell us out, stop play your part in our demise.
Did they say “Caymanian riff-raff”? If not, I can’t possibly see how we get from the original comment to an entire nation of people being insulted or taking offence.
They aren’t calling “us” riff raff. They are calling the people abusing their dock riff raff. By all accounts if you behave badly you are. Was the post poorly thought out – yes. But this level of backlash is tantamount to bullying which makes us no better.
It is a private dock, they spent the money to build it, they can decide who goes on it. The comment was absolutely wrong and very uncalled for.
Too much driftwood running around here now Bo ! About time Caymanians stand up TCCP are right! Enough is Enough Let’s see if they put their political power where their mouth is NOW ! Let’s set an example of making Him take his cage down and then Ask or paper Caymanian daddie Dart to take his coded gates down at the CI Yacht Club! I am Holding my breath ??
I can’t believe you called us driftwood. I am so upset and offended I did a little wee in my pants. We should make T-shirts and have a protest.
Just a little wee? They should have flooded.
*As a Scotsman would whimper and drink at.
I’m a proud piece of driftwood; describes me exactly. And I fully support calling those of ANY heritage who litter and degrade other peoples property Riff Raff. I actually have some other terms that are entirely appropriate.
Chris’s comment was uncalled for and he should apologize. This problem though should never existed in the first place though. The public dock at West Bay is a Disaster waiting to happen. Dive operations continue to use it even though it is horribly unsafe and is going to result in injury to someone. It’s a question of when not if someone will get seriously injured. The dock was seriously damaged by Helene and the nor’wester in 2024 yet government has yet to repair the dock that is used by as many locals s dive operations. The standing joke at the dock when ,is, the government is going to fix the dock? Answer what year? Government can solve the problem but in what year?
No he should not apologize. Caymanianas were never mentioned in the riff raff post.
If anything, the CMR cabal should apologize for harassing them and their business.
I in no way support this bullshit but he is only following what our new Caymanian father has done at the Cayman Islands yacht club don’t see any the outrage down there. Just saying all these bastards need their status revoked !
The new Hotel Indigo is probably regretting their name choice now because at first I thought the two entities were connected. They need to move quickly to disassociate themselves from this damn trashy company.
Indigo is a global brand and this will be forgotten quickly. I would dare say if there wasn’t an election coming it would be less of a big deal.
PomPom should change its name to RiffRaff!
It’s a persecution complex borne of insecurity. That said, there are valid reasons for that. But you are right – it is in some people’s financial interests to stir the pot. It’s worked in the US and Britain, and those who see dollar signs don’t really care about the damage they do to the already fragile social situation here.
Should electrify the gate too.
Cool. You should test it on yourself and let us know how it feels.
i’m not a trespasser, so why would i?
A shocking thing to say.
Who’s paying to maintain the dock and clean it up after the mess is made ?
Having read about the recent controversy surrounding Indigo Divers, I can’t help but reflect on my own experience with them a while back.
Before they put up the gate, I stopped by their property to politely ask if I could use their dock for free diving. I even offered to pay the equivalent price of a scuba dive to make it worth their while.
The response? A curt, ‘You are on private property, you cannot park here, leave!’. I was surprised, but I respected their wishes and headed to the public beach right next door to access the water and dive at the Kittywake.
It’s worth noting that the shop often appears closed, especially on the days I’ve gone free diving.
If there’s one takeaway from this, it’s that great service and community engagement matter, especially in industries that rely heavily on word-of-mouth and reputation as well as appropriate pricing.
Pirate Divers, Living the Dream , The Eden Roc, DiveTech, The Sunset house, Macabuca are very welcoming, friendly and full of good advice to scuba divers, snorkelers and free divers alike and after your time in the water, you can always grab a bite close by or right on the premises with a nice variety of styles of cuisine!
I often just go in the water parking my gear on the side have fun and after, enjoy a drink, food and, of course, the view !
I’ve had great experiences with the Indigo team, just saying.
It is a sad state of affairs, truly. One side of the coin is the money the government gets from granting PR and Status, which is subsequently used for free school meals, laptops, health care for seniors, pre-school help for single parents, apprenticeship programmes, etc. The other side of the coin, is that we are simply too small for our population to continue growing like this. It is up to voters to issue a clear mandate to the new administration: Is it time to close Cayman’s gate? Make it clear that people can come here to work and play for X number years, then leave? (Just a suggestion)
As long a Cayman is a British Overseas Territory and subject to Human Rights conventions, what you suggest is not possible (and it has been said so in Court). Independence and abandoning human rights would cause and exodus from Cayman of many white expats, but the result would be Cayman truly becoming Little Jamaica. It’s better for us all to try and get along.
Trespassing is illegal. Why has no one been arrested yet?
Trespass is a civil matter under UK law with no or very limited police power
Criminal Trepass is a criminal offence under the Cayman Islands penal code.
The idea of a dock being off limits is entirely foreign to Caymanian culture and our way of life.
Move somewhere else then.
No it’s not. The public dock is off limits because the West Bay politicians can’t be bothered to fix it.
Stop using the CAYMAN GOVERNMENTs Dock and the Launching ramp then.
AND the Free parking, including across the road. You are putting all dive company vehicles in jeopardy by not simply apologising and SHUT UP!
not to mention rental cars.
Try climbing on to the dock at Dart’s residence and see what happens then.
“our way of life” = ritual trespass?
Prescription. You enjoy the ability to walk and sit on Seven Mile Beach? You call that “ritual trespass?”
The land is all privately owned, you know – and yet somehow you are able to enjoy it?
Public Beach is ‘Paradise’
Why do we so quickly assume the gate was put in to bar Caymanians?
10:41 It’s because they need some BS to stir the pot.
Public docks vs private docks; not a tough concept Bobo.
Oh shut the hell up.
How is it trespassing ? There were no signs that said no trespassing. Nothing that made anyone aware it was private property! Furthermore, part of the dock is on crown property. Protect your property, no issues with that but why call us riff raffs??? I’m happy they made it clear who they are.
you know now, bobo!
Clearly, they were smart enough not to get caught. Better question is, if the so-called owners have such an issue with people trespassing… Why don’t they have cameras? Why don’t they have security? Why haven’t they had communitywide discussions relaying the issues? Why has this become a problem now?
Bigger fish to fry I guess
This expat stands with the Caymanians who are rightfully insulted. Blackface in 2025 is resson enough to be canceled.
Like many wealthy expats here, they only love Cayman for the profits, tax free life, lax law enforcement and lovely weather.
Count me in with the “riff raff”.
Thank you kind sir! It is disappointing to see such disrespect toward our community, especially from those who have come here from elsewhere . Your understanding means a lot to us, and it’s a reminder that there are people who see what’s really going on and care about the well-being of these Islands and the people. It has been tough to witness, but your words are a breath of fresh air. We appreciate you, and we are grateful for your willingness to stand with us. You are not “riff raff”, far from it, you are someone who gets it. Thank you for being a part of this conversation.
There is an element of fake outrage here. Many people have pointed out that Caymanians are a minority. So how do you know they meant Caymanians by the term? Surely, they meant the people littering and damaging the dock wherever they may come from.
But for some social commentators and ‘activists’ with chat shows and a social media presence they need controversy, they need the clicks (that’s how they get paid after all) and they need division. Blame the others – locals or immigrants. Trump, Farage and his cronies would smile if they bothered to read all this.
Either way, it’s still insensitive and highly inappropriate… and that’s before I saw the $%#@ing fancy dress.
Wouldn’t call that “Blackface” more like Brown, Blue, Red, yellow & Whiteface.
Nothing wrong with it. Been happening forever. No one has been hurt.
Never would I think someone would come to the Caribbean and dress in a blackface. an example needs to be set for others thinking they can get away with this sort of behavior.
Grow up, snowflake.
Could riff raff not mean anyone from Jamaican, Philippino, Nepalese or anyone else who messes up this guys private property? Caymanians love the victim card.
Classless is what he is/they are.. and tone deaf.
As my mama always said, riffraff is as riffraff does.
YES, they had a right to protect their property, it is the way how they did it. Put up your fence and give your unfortunate reason and carry on. The condescending way that it was done is what the people have a problem with.
Condescending? Lost me.
stay lost.
It’s a crying shame that people are so disrespectful and entitled that the gate needed to be installed. That’s the real issue here.
Bayas gonna Bay.
Its a crying shame that some people in Cayman cant be trusted to keep off private property and when they do enter think they are entitled to leave it looking like crap…..
Caymanians can walk on any dock they wish – port authority excepted. It is simply part of our way of life. Part of enjoying our coastline. It is a cultural issue and should be accepted and respected.
Of course any such use must be respectful and not cause damage.
Except for this one now, and every other one that has gate on it.
And there is the problem #entitled
because it’s our f***ING island that you people have come here and taken everything away from us! We are just sick and tired of being shoved into the corner and pushed away from what was once ours before you lot came here! our islands would be much better without a whole lot of you that are here!
Go build your own f***ING dock then! You can’t sell land to a newcomer and then expect to use it or what they put on it.
No comments on their Facebook post joking that the cage was Guantanomo Bay, famously known for illegal torture?
None on the blackface that greater men than this guy have been canceled for?
Do you support jokes about illegal torture and blackface?
If so, you’re part of the problem.
#alljokesmatter
Depends on the joke.
What a bunch of snowflakes. Everything you all are getting butt hurt about. I’m a Caymanian and I don’t care what they write because I’m not messing up his property. Guantanamo and blackface are an American thing. We don’t do cancel anymore. Trump is in charge.
So call people riff raffs? Sounds like you’re in the same category as these owners.
I call a spade a spade too. You should try it sometime, it might help with that chip.
His term Riff Raff was completely taken out of context and ran with the public. To clarify, I am 100 percent Caymanian. The owners, however made 2 large mistakes.
1. They should have erected their gate/fence and said nothing. It is private property and well within the law.
2. Rather than explaining the reasoning of the use of the term “riff raff” obviously referring to troublemakers leaving trash, fish guts etc behind, not Caymanians specifically, they decided to make fun of the situation.
While both of these mistakes understandably and rightly cause a stir in the local community, it’s getting a bit out of hand, especially they painting them as racists because of a Halloween costume. If only Caymanians rallied together this hard when it comes to important political matters, we would be able to make a much bigger difference in this country and for our future.
To 5:15pm I totally agree with you, especially your closing statement.
Yeah, they should just have said Jamaicans .
So if they had said the “N” word, your comments would remain the same?
But it wasn’t the N word was it? There is no comparison, although some are here behaving as if it’s somehow similar
It is though – noun
disreputable or undesirable people.
“I saw the sort of riff-raff that had been invited”
Yes. No time for you are your buddy’s woke bullshit.
How we know you are a Caymanian because you said you are ? Yes maybe there are bigger issues but these are some of the issues that are causing problems here. Racism in work places etc. no matter what we stand up for people like you will tear us down.
Nail on head! 100% correct!
I believe that the dive shop actually built that dock, so kids did not play on it years ago or fish from it. Not positive but it’s only been about 10 years or so that the dock has been there. I give them 100 percent support for protecting their own property. Fish from the Public dock next door, if you don’t fall through it!
You are completely missing the point of the community’s outrage. Smdh
Protecting their property isn’t the issue but obviously you have the same mentality as they do.
Insinuating that native Americans are black is both racist and highly offensive.
What the F are you insinuating by your comment?
They weren’t lying.
Perhaps you need to hop on a flight out of here with them!
I man born ya.
What a storm in a teacup, another small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion.
Get real Cayman and focus on the real issues of the day, like getting government to rescind import duties on basic food items.
And beer.
Agree 100% with the dive shop owner.
It’s obvious when using the term “riff raff” to describe those who mistreat his private property he was referring to those people who were mistreating his private property not the generational Caymanians from West Bay to East End who have nothing to do with the issue.
There is no doubt shore fisherman leave their mess behind coast to coast. Walk any waters edge and you will find line, hooks, bait bags, food wrappers, beer bottles left behind for someone else to clean up.
Do better and get treated better.
Don’t make every little thing about us v them. It’s not.
It is actually, and since you are part of the problem. Gtfob
I can’t help but wonder if the business owners attempted any community outreach first? To explain their concerns and work together to come up with a solution. The caption on the post shows poor judgement at best. Do better Chris and Kate Alper.
The people they are targeting can’t read.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d5NQ0D79Ul8&pp=ygURUmFzeWEgbWFuIGxpdmUgdXA%3D
English father!
That’s not blackface.
Are you stupid? His face might as well be next to the definition of blackface.