Dear Editor,
The reports on the horrific fire in the Bronx that claimed the lives of 17 members of the Gambian Muslim families is gut-wrenching. The mind weighs heavy, the heart is deeply troubled and yes many tears are shed. Images and thoughts are conjured of these beautiful souls in their final moments. Images of fear and struggle and of hope and desperation; of panicked attempts by the elders trying to shield and rescue the children.
The news of these deaths and the circumstances revive memories of another gruesome fire in Hoboken, New Jersey some 43 years ago to the day. That fire claimed the lives of 21 innocent new migrants. Seventeen of those who perished were members of the same family. They were from Bush Lot Village, Corentyne, East Berbice.
Tia Bakr was a Jahaji relation to my Grandfather, Pryag Singh. Bakr had a number of sons. One of them was Idris. As was the tradition and cultural practice, my father was Cha Cha to Idris and his siblings.
Idris had taken up with Gaitri, daughter of “Joiner Tool”. By the time Idris and Gaitri were together, the Joinery was no longer in operation. Together, Idris and Gaitri would repurpose parts of the machinery and spin off a coconut mill operation. Dawah, who had also owned and operated his Joiner Shop and Coconut mill had moved from his cramped quarters on the public road to a larger property on the back street across from the high school. It was much further away and Idris was “family” and thenceforth became the coconut mill operation of preference.
Gaitri was previously married and had a number of children. She would have another child with Idris. Among the brood at Joiner Tool’s, were Fatbai and Blackbai. They would have been about 7 and 8 years old. Despite their diminutive size they were always eager to help crank the engine. Like all kids of that age, they were fascinatingly curious and would soon gravitate to us. Despite their inquisitive minds, they did not quite like structured learning. Gaitri would dress them, pack their bags and send them off to School. The trek to the Kildonan primary school was a quarter mile and along the way was our shop and Postal Agency. Fatbai and Blackbai would stop by and play in front of the shop and later vanish from sight. They had scouted and found places in the yard and garage where they would hide and play until school was over.
Around the end of 1978, Gaitri and her children along with her sister Kasturi, her husband Jacob Drepaul and their family would bid good bye to Idris and depart for a land of promise and opportunities.
It was not to be.
Hoboken, New Jersey is now a gentrified city. It was not like this before. It was a working class city situated across the river from Wall Street, Manhattan, New York. Its location made it a prime target for men in suits carrying attache cases. To meet the demands of the well-heeled, residents of tenement apartments and row houses were being evicted through methods of fear, intimidation, violence, arson and yes murder.
In the late 70’s and early 80’s, Hoboken became the arson capital of New Jersey. Between 1978 and 1983, as many as 55 people were killed in fires which have since been deemed as deliberate, murderous acts. That period of time was dubiously described as the “Epidemic of Arson”. One can argue that it should have been the “Epidemic of Murder”.
Newly arrived in the USA, Jacob Drepaul and Kasturi along with Gaitri and their families would settle in at a five-storey tenement building at 131 Clinton Street, Hoboken.
Two months later, during the evening of Jan. 21, 1979, under cover of darkness, a number of persons entered the building with incendiaries and set a fire in the stairwell. In no time the building was engulfed in flames and dense smoke. The spread was fast, firefighters could all but watch.
21 lives were snuffed out.
The following day, the NY Times reported on the fire. Among the 21 victims identified were Jacob Drepaul, 38; his wife, Kasturi, 35, and their children: Rosanne, 17; Adrian, 16; Bill, 14; Gaita, 13; Raymond, 9; Fatbai, 7, and Pealey, 6. Marji Rampersad, 33 and her children Sandra, 12; Inder, 10; Tulsi, 9; Sherman, 4; Bevar, 2. The names of two other children were not given.
Marji also known as Gaitri was the sister of Kasturi Drepaul.
The NY Times coverage also reported that, “Some of the victims were found clustered in rooms. One adult couple held hands. Two others, apparently children, were locked in an embrace. The bodies of three other children were found huddled under a third-floor dining table.
All were burned beyond recognition.”
It was a most gruesome end to the dreams, hopes and aspirations of two young families caught in a brutal murderous game that the wealthy play upon the poor.
History has shown us that it’s always the disenfranchised, the downtrodden, the destitute that are taken advantage of and suffer the worse and when they do, they are subjected to the most horrendous fates.
Eerily similar fates of two families. Separated by geography and time.
These beautiful souls would have left their impoverished countries of Guyana and the Gambia to seek a better life in the USA; a life of promise and opportunities and a bright future for their children in New York. Sadly, their dreams have been extinguished.
May their souls rest in eternal peace.
Yours faithfully,
Jay Mobeen
