Robbed and Stranded in Jamaica

Peace Family,

For those that do not know, My name is TiKA and I am a multi-disciplinary artist, film composer, actress, Academy award-winning songwriter, educator and cultural curator. I’ve been working in the music industry for over 10 years and have mentored countless musicians who have gone on to do incredible work. I currently work as a film composer and have started my first non-for profit called StereoVisual where I teach young marginalized musicians how to make music for TV and film.

On July 30th I came to Jamaica on my first trip back home in 10 years. My intention for this trip was to come home to decompress, create, conduct a Mentorship program, get grounded and prepare myself for this fall which will be my first time educating youth at the Toronto Community Schools of Music. Although I’m excited to teach, I knew that I would really need to get some rest and rejuvenation before starting this new chapter in my life. 

For a portion of my trip, I decided to stay in an Airbnb in White River, Jamaica. This Airbnb seemed extremely safe and I knew the owners nephew so I felt at peace however one of the most terrifying experiences of my life ensued on August 12, 2022.

I was invited to a karaoke party and it was also a birthday party for one of my friends. I went to the party in good faith and I went by myself. I ate some chicken that ended up upsetting my stomach and I left the party discreetly and headed back to my Airbnb.

Once I got back to the Airbnb, everything seemed normal except the curtain to the sliding glass door to the balcony was blowing in the wind and I thought it was from the window. I really didn’t think anything of it so I went to sit on the bed and when I sat down, I thought I had heard something odd under the bed but my intuition said to ignore it. I ended up falling asleep around 11:30 PM and when I woke up again it was 1:30 in the morning. I realized that I had fallen asleep with the lights on so I took a quick shower, turned off the lights and went to sleep properly. I always sleep with my laptop and phone on the bed. When I arose in the morning, it was 5 AM and the laptop and phone were gone along with my knapsack which had my studio equipment, all my ID including my passport and cash was taken. When I realized I had been robbed, I went out to the living room and was shocked to see the sliding glass door broken into and the curtain covering it. Also, my fanny pack was broken into and all my cash was taken from that. When I went onto the balcony, I looked down and saw that the thief had put a stepladder at the back of the building, climbed up to the 2nd floor (where I was staying), scaled the balcony and broke into the sliding glass door. I believe he started stealing from me when I went to the karaoke party and when I got home early, I startled him so he hid under the bed and waited for me to fall asleep and proceeded to steal all my items off the bed. I am fortunate to be alive and I am grateful I wasn’t hurt or raped because it honestly could have been worse.

I am a working musician and I work extremely hard to maintain sustainability and to also pour back into my community as best as I know how. The person who stole from me has affected my way of living, my mind, and this experience has caused a great deal of fear and trauma within me. While this is going on, I still have to maintain some sense of peace and order in order to speak to Airbnb every day in an effort to get reimbursed for the lost items. I am currently waiting for the Canadian embassy to issue me a temporary travel document in an effort for me to get back and I’ve been told I may have to wait an extra week in Jamaica.

I am asking for my community to help me cover the cost of the lost items and a ticket back home so I may have solace and so I’m able to work again. This was very difficult for me to swallow my pride to ask for support as I am usually very organized and cautious but I realize that this is experience couldn’t have been avoided and it isn’t my fault.

I’m so grateful that Airbnb covered the cost of my stay until the 10th of September but now I need to sort out my stay while I wait for the Canadian embassy to finalize my travel documents. I also have commissioned work coming in for me as a film composer and I’m not able to work because I do not have my laptop, my phone or my studio equipment and they need to be replaced expeditiously in order for me to create music again.

Below is a list of the items that were stolen from me and what I’ll be replacing:

Laptop MacBook Pro- $2500

IPhone 12S - $1200

JBL Speaker - $146.84

Apple Airpods Max - $600

Sennheisner Headphones - $162.83

Beats earbuds - $130

Focusrite - $209

Maonocaster - $169.49

KSM313/NE Microphone - Bought used at $1000

Seagate backup Hard Drive - $146.89

Passport - $150

Cash - $4000CAD 

Ticket home: $650

Extended Airbnb Stay: $1800

Total: $12865.05

The money will be used to replace the pertinent lost items that I need asap to create, cover the cost of my stay in Jamaica while I wait for the Embassy to issue my travel documents, therapy and ultimately a flight back home.

Thank you for your support and please to ANY women reading this, I beg you to not travel alone during this time. Be mindful and cautious.

Wishing you all a gentle week.

In kindness,

TiKA