As many of you now know, Danielle Charles inserted herself into our negotiations and hijacked the outcome. Our goal toward an independent solution with CNEL is over.
We spoke twice with Mme Charles yesterday afternoon. She is entirely unwilling to negotiate with us. Her demand, which you have found, or will find, in your email Inbox, is to pay her $20,000 and she will restore our electricity. She will remain in charge of the urbanization, and all will go on as before. We offered to manage the urbanization for her as an organized community. She was not interested. Her sole preoccupation is to have our money in her hands.
Chantal and I cannot in good conscience comply with Mme Charles’ ultimatum. We believe also that most residents will refuse to comply. As crushing a moral defeat as this is, we are stepping down from the crisis management committee and seeing to our own safety. We urge you to do likewise.
Outside our gates, the pandemic is reaching an inflection point. President Moreno has declared a nationwide curfew between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am. Anyone caught outside between those hours – this includes within Mirador San Jose – will be handed a mandatory four-year prison sentence.
So far as we know, there is no COVID-19 in Mirador San Jose. Potable water and propane are still being delivered. You can still get gas and buy groceries on designated travel days. Norm says he will continue to provide Internet service. We are leaving behind a crisis management team that is dedicated and competent.
However, with no electricity, and with diminishing access to the other necessities of life, Chantal and I believe that our community will eventually be unable to provide for itself. Residents are traveling into infection zones, returning to Mirador San Jose, and refusing to voluntarily isolate. Our chances of an outbreak increase each time this happens. It may soon be impossible to contain the strategic elements of our recovery effort. Reluctantly and with intense sadness, we are leaving to seek shelter elsewhere.
Today, 20 March, the crisis management funds we assembled from you will be at Isabelle Rivest’s home, Casa Isabella, B-22-A3. If you plan to leave Mirador San Jose and wish to have your money returned, please present your receipt to Isabelle for a refund. We remind you that some of the crisis management money was spent on basic necessities. Please consider accepting two-thirds of your money in return.
We then urge you to pack whatever priority items you can carry, lock up your homes as if for the season, and seek any nearby shelter with unimpeded access to electricity, potable water, food, and medicine.
You have all performed admirably to protect what we built together in Ecuador. It was our greatest honour to serve with you. You have our deepest respect. But it is now time to see to your own security. When this miserable experience is over, perhaps we will meet again one day to rebuild.