Jan 31, 2010 0
Mute Mistaken For Haitian Boat Refugee
Earl Anderson, a mute (dumb & deaf) from Windsor Castle in Portland, caused a stir in Stewart Town, St. Mary a few days ago, as residents of the seaside town thought that he was a Haitian refugee who had fled earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince and arrived on their shores.
Word that Haitian refugees had arrived started spreading on Thursday afternoon (January 28), after residents claimed they saw a small yellow and white paddle boat off the coast in Stewart Town about 12 o’clock with five men and alerted the police. The rumor exploded when residents saw Anderson riding his bicycle from the beach area in Stewart Town, and assumed that he was one of the ‘men on the boat’ because he was wet.
Because he is a mute, Anderson could not communicate with the residents, and they immediately assumed he was Haitian. A resident reportedly offered Anderson a bath, food, clothing, and Anderson reportedly wrote on a piece of paper that he and his family had survived the devastating quake.
Residents called the police who took Anderson to the Port Maria Hospital where, with the help of a translator, they tried to question him. The story later unfolded however, as Anderson’s mother – Mavis Anderson – saw him on TVJ’s Prime Time News report.