The theft of tools, locally made wine, copper cables and the pointed scattering of cuttings on Tuesday night in Lopinot is troubling enough on its own.
Minister Marvin Gonzales, the MP for the area, believes there is a faction of residents who are upset about ongoing repair and refurbishment at the historical site which casts the incident as more challenging than casual vandalism. Lopinot is a community that's already managing enough issues without having to deal with unresolved internal wrangling and the community's MP should be taking a more aggressive role in engaging stakeholders to understand and address the situation.
It's not enough for the Tourism Minister, Randall Mitchell, to lament the losses resulting from the incident when may not be an isolated instance.
Lopinot represents an unusual mix of factors for a political representative to navigate.
In September 2022, the community was in an uproar after a new water treatment facility failed to produce a regular supply of pipe-borne water, reaching a nadir with a month-long drought that ran for weeks from August into September that year.
A month later, resident Theresa Lynch drowned after being swept away by Lopinot's Surrey River, swollen by heavy rainfall.
The community has a five-century-old tradition of music, cocoa production and more recently, boutique chocolate products derived from its home-grown beans, but the fledgling tourism industry was hard hit by covid restrictions, continuing problems with access roads and the dilapidated state of the centrepiece of the historical community, Lopinot House.
Lopinot House and the roadways are the property and business of the State, but there is more to the community than just infrastructure.
The Café Maripaso, privately owned by the Guerrero family, leans into the community's unique cocoa beans with a range of specialty recipes.
It's here that Lopinot finds its most potent strength, in family and the trust of a close-knit community.
In March 2021, villagers recaptured Arima resident Siew Persad just hours after he escaped from prison and fled to Lopinot. Three months later, villagers confronted three men alleged to have been involved in a home invasion. Two of the men were taken into custody by police after they were held with missing items.
The profile of the reported Lopinot vandalism does not align with normal rural criminal activity. The incident seemed to be more of a destructive protest, one that MP Gonzales described as the actions of "a disruptive minority," one that he is apparently aware of, and accused of blocking roads recently to protest their condition.
If Mr Gonzales is correct, then this week's vandalism should prompt collaborative conversations to bring the expectations of all members of the community into greater alignment with the work that is being done to improve Lopinot for all its residents.
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