22-Yr-Old Man Shot Dead In Border Lane Area
[Updated] A man has been shot in the Border Lane area tonight [Mar 31]. Police officers have responded quickly to the scene and the area has been cordoned off. Approximately four or five gunshots were heard at 8:25pm, according to area residents.
About ten minutes after the shooting, some area residents were coming out in panic looking for their loved ones. We understand the situation to be extremely dire for the victim.
Update 8:43pm: Ambulance has arrived on the scene.
Update 8:54pm: This looks to be a worse case scenario, as the ambulance left without the victim.
Update 9:02pm: It is confirmed the victim has died, a 22 year old male.
Update 9:07pm: Police have cleared onlookers away and are taping off a larger area of the scene.
Update 9:55pm: Floodlights are being set up in the area, while Police continue their investigation. The area is blocked off from the Friswell’s Hill, and Palmetto Road sides.
Update 10:17pm: Quick video of the scene here.
Update 10:36pm: Speaking with some area residents, they indicate the shooter[s] appeared to be on a bike.
Update 11:08pm: Official Police statement:
Around 8:25pm on Thursday, March 31st 2011 police responded to a report of a confirmed firearm incident that took place on Border Lane in Devonshire. On police arrival it was ascertained that a 22 year old Devonshire man was shot and subsequently succumbed to his injuries.
No further information will be given until the next of kin has been notified. Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone who may have seen any person acting suspiciously in the Friswells Road, Border Lane or Roberts Avenue Devonshire area to contact the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011 or the independent, confidential Crime Stoppers Bermuda hotline on 800-8477.
Update 11:23pm: Video statement from Police spokesman Dwayne Caines:
Update 1:00am: The Police Forensic Unit is still processing the scene.
Update April 1, 8:18am: The Police are still on the scene, and the top road of Border Lane, the Friswell’s Hill side, is still cordoned off with crime scene tape. We are expecting an official announcement from the Police sometime today naming the victim.
Update 1:00pm: Live stream of the Police press conference:
Update 1:05pm: Police name the victim as Randy Robinson and confirm that four men have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Update 1:19pm: Live stream over, replay is now available.
Update 1:24pm: The full press conference video replay is available above, and we will post full statements soon, but in the meantime to summarize – the Police said that Mr Robinson was found in an unresponsive state at the scene, and was pronounced dead. A number of persons have been interviewed, four people are in Police custody, whom Police said are previously known to them. Police are specifically seeking information about two men in dark clothing riding a dark bike in the Friswell’s Hill, Border Lane and Palmetto Road around the time of the shooting [8:25pm]. In addition, Police have asked that anyone with any information, no matter how small, contact the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011. Police said that they believe the shooting was gang related, but they said that is not to say the victim is a gang member. They said Westgate is full of senior gang members, but that when these positions are vacated, younger gang members “jostle” for position.
Update 3:38pm: Official Police statements from the press conference:
Detective Superintendent Antoine Daniels:
On behalf of the Bermuda Police Service, I wish to begin by expressing sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Randy Robinson who tragically lost his life at the young age of 22 last night.
About 8:30pm last night police received a number of telephone calls regarding the sound of gun shots in the Friswells Hill area.
Police immediately responded and on arrival 22-year old victim Randy Robinson was lying in an unresponsive condition on Border Lane North, Pembroke. Police observed that he sustained a number of what appeared to be gunshot wounds.A doctor attended the scene and certified death.
Police immediately commenced investigations into this matter under the direction of Chief Inspector Nicholas Pedro of the Serious Crime Unit and he is supported by a team of detectives.
The scene is being forensically examined by Bermuda Police Service Forensic Support Unit personnel in search of potential evidence. A forensic pathologist is also due to arrive on island in the coming days to conduct an examination of the deceased.
A number of persons both on scene last night as well as those identified via other investigative links have been and continue to be interviewed by investigators.
Currently there are 4 persons in police custody to be interviewed by Serious Crime Unit investigators
Investigators would like to make the following appeal:
Anyone with information regarding the identification of two men riding in the Friswells Hill Road, Border Lane and Palmetto Road areas last night on a black motor cycle, wearing dark clothing during the evening and night time hours leading up to and immediately after the shooting.
Any persons that were in the above named areas during evening or nighttime hours before or immediately after the shooting incident.
Any persons who have any information regarding this incident are asked to contact the Serious Crime Unit at telephone number 295-0011 or the independent, confidential Crime Stoppers Bermuda hotline at 800-8477.
Assistant Commissioner of Police David Mirfield:
Last night I witnessed first hand the inconsolable grief of a family, who in the blink of an eye experienced their beloved son gunned down in cold blood on the streets of Bermuda. I cannot even start to imagine how they feel but as a police officer I have lived with grief for far too long, the devastation is deep and irreversible. My heartfelt personal sympathy is with Randy’s family and friends.
Once again a cowardly sickening attack has resulted in a young Bermudian man’s death. You can ask the question and I do every day, when will this stop. My job and that of my colleagues in the police service is to catch and convict those responsible for these atrocities. We do that with marked success. We also play our role in prevention. Both of these require a consolidated approach from not only our partner agencies but the community as a whole.
I said only two days ago to the media that this type of tit for tat violence escalates rapidly. I have witnessed it here in Bermuda, and throughout my career. Stopping what is often an indiscriminate chain of events is absolutely crucial.
I appeal personally, we cannot continue on the same track, we can all play a part in this, yes the police seize all lawful opportunities we can set up road blocks, we can use our stop and search powers, we can break down the door of every known gang member in Bermuda, and we do plenty of that using all the lawful means at our disposal, and we will continue to act swiftly on all information regarding suspects and the location of guns bringing offenders to justice. But that alone will not stop the killings, the simple truth is we cannot be everywhere, communities can stop this and we are here to help them do it.
Bernews extends our sincerest sympathies to the victim’s family and friends.
Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the Serious Crime Unit on 295-0011 or the independent, confidential Crime Stoppers Bermuda hotline on 800-8477 or website, where tips can be left anonymously.
This is the third murder of 2011, following the murder of Jahmiko Leshore on March 1st in Devonshire, and the murder of Colford Ferguson on February 4th in Sandys.
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- Two Men Deny Murder Of Randy Robinson | Bernews.com | September 4, 2012
Lord have mercy!
B&$#ards!!!!!!But I pray for the victim
Here we go again
This has to stop. The family of the victim are in my pray’s.
WOWWWW! It never ends!
I’m a 26yr old black male and I think its tragic.But its something I’m used 2 already in bermuda.Dey needa make bulletproof vest legal! Errybody suit up n lace ya boots up its war time! Welcome 2 Murdermuda.
I’M SO SICK OF THIS CRAP!!!
ACP Mirfield,
Enough!
You were hired with much fanfare and cost, please, results now please. Enough hobnobing at Govt House and annoying press conferences, start stop and search the public wont mind, cordon off from Somerset Bridge, get some metal detectors and use your informants to get the guns off the street. PLEASE. The public and BPS will love you for it, ask about Coxall, if you need a playbook.
Results now Sir, please.
Thank you
Taxpayer
@ Taxpayer… Will you and those like you please stop this?!?!? This finger pointing and sarcastic comments. There is NOTHING that will stop this violence. Can’t you see the trend? Tit for tat shootings. They know when they are going to shoot each other not the police. Police can be on every corner in Bermuda 24-7 and they will still find a way to shoot each other if they really want to. There was a shooting on Hermitage Road, now Border Lane there is nothing Mirfield or anyone can do to know where they will hit next. The police have done alot and there has been some success in the courts,however you look at the sentences these guys are getting and its no wonder the shootings are continuing. There is no deterant to stop. They get locked up and come out more respected than when they went in. We need to get tougher with the legislation not the police. The police can’t be everywhere. There was a demand for cameras to be put in the 42nd area. Some might argue the cameras are working because there has not been a shooting up there since but all they do is just move some where else.
I really feel for the family! My condolences go out to them ALL!!
I agree totally! When are the police and government going to take this seriously!!! We, the taxpaying law abiding citizens give you permission to do whatever it takes to put an end to this! Take these thugs out! I guess we will have the female support groupies commenting next about how wonderful the shooters are as human beings and how misunderstood they are!
it is being taken seriously…how can you blame Gov when they aren’t the ones shooting…blame the parents of the individuals…blame the individual…
4 REAL!!!!
hats off to you taxpayer………..and Coxall was sent home……………!!!!
coxall was the man 4 the job and they got rid of him
I agree that people like Mirfield are a waste of time/taxpayers money. The shootings will only stop when we overcome our fears and pass information to the BPS. It is perfectly obvious that family members,neighbours, etc are in possession of valuable information which if necessary can be relayed in confidence to the BPS through a pastor,Bishop,rabbi,evangelist,worship leader,even the dog catcher!
On another note, many people do not believe the confidential hotline really protects them, they are not convinced that they cannot be traced!!
Crime Stoppers Bermuda(CSB)appreciates your comment and wants the public to know that we have worked, and continue to work, tirelessly to change this mindset. CSB is an independent group of civilians whose sole purpose is to help solve crime by facilitating an anonymous tip line and web service. Crime Stoppers International has been in existence for over 35 years and the success rates speak for themselves. We would not have been around for so long if we could not ensure the anonymity of our callers. I invite people to visit our web page at http://www.crimestoppers.bm or the international site at http://www.c-s-i.org to learn more about us. Crime Stoppers works via a tripartite solution; us, the public and the police. Please become part of the solution.
Crime Stoppers Worldwide Statistics
Arrests Made 854,710
Cases Cleared 1,331,621
Rewards Paid $96,472,266
Property Recovered $2,027,258,940
Drugs Seized $7,749,783,254
Total $ Recovered $9,777,042,194
thru Mar 31, 2011
Worldwide Statistics…….Where are the figures for BERMUDA!? Because I’m pretty sure they’re quite low which is such a shame. Give these families some sort of closure after what they are being put through.
Crimestoppers: Please provide Bermuda statistics. Would be helpful to know how effective your ‘solution’ has been since inception through March 31, 2011.
Some Crime Stoppers Bermuda stats below, from a story we did.
Between 1997 and October 2010 there have been 3572 tips received, 303 arrests made, $51,255 in rewards paid, $1,601,543 worth of property recovered, and $21,877,887 worth of drugs seized, according to statistics from Crime Stoppers Bermuda.
Calls have been taken ranging from reporting on serious crimes to other alleged matters like illegal fish pot locations and activities, immigration infractions, unsavory police officer activity and illegal dumping.
World wide, there has never been a CrimeStopper caller that has been identified through any fault of the Crime Stoppers organization.
When calling Crime Stoppers, there is no phone or computer system that records any phone number. No Caller ID.
A secret code ID number is given to the caller that only the caller and the Crime Stoppers data base will have access to.
The information provided to Crime Stoppers is given to the proper authority (police, fire ect) allowing that agency to work with the information as best they can.
The more information that is provided the more pieces of the picture puzzle can be put together by the authorities. Solving crimes requires team work with police and the community.
The CrimeStopper caller can call back or check the website at any time. Provide their code ID # to see if they are subject to any reward or if their information has resulted in any positive actions by the proper agency.
Calling Crime Stopper is a safe for the caller as they make is. If they do not tell any one that they called Crime Stoppers, no one will ever know they called.
Crime Stoppers is not run or controlled by any policing agency. It is organized by private civilians who wish to make their home (country) a safer place for all, such as yourself.
That’s just it we don’t even know if the police actually give up informants names but even after that if their colleagues spill it out on the street. we do have those.
Taxpayer I 2nd your comments!!!
My heart goes out to the family! This is not the wild wild west, stop the madness
Damn!! Another one
There are serious underlying issues that need to be addressed so that young boys don’t turn into these gangsters. That’s going to take years to sort out as family structures are not functioning properly. So in the meantime the gov needs to step up and stop the violence. One way is to increase the punishment for murder and very violent crime. As much as many people in the community might object, putting capital punishment back on the books would send a strong message. Nine years in jail – out in four, isn’t doing the job.
Exactly!!
Capital punishment will never be put back on the ‘books’. Be careful what you wish (and vote) for….
I agree with Tuba. While more should be done with these criminals; who are we to judge.
I agree!! The days of pacifying this Community should be way over! When is it going to hit home with this island? We have a cold calculating generation that has no value for their life or anyone else. They give up their right to live in paradise when they commit murder….a steel cell with no scenic views, no free education (a Privilege),….!! Life should be life or put them to sleep.
If they wanted a Degree they had that right to work hard for it like everyone else. At this rate, women will be running this country for sure!
What we are doing and/or trying is failing. Move on and step it up!!!
Nowadays you have to go to jail in order to obtain a college degree because its free. So you can commit a crime and go to jail and have your teeth fixed if need be, become whatever you want and while I am paying for all of that I still cant afford to go to college or send my kids. WOW
I pray for the family
It is beyond my comprehension. What waste and pain.
I received a marketing email today from a local real estate website advertising a new development in the Friswell Hill area. It was pretty cheap but considering whats taking place up there right now I’ll bet the developers can’t get rid of it fast enough. These gangster fools could bring the whole country to its knees in no time. The government needs to act quickly and wipe them out before they take the rest of us all down.
Lord help us……
Ok so these young men have decided to persist. Govt, please amend the mandatory sentencing guidelines as soon as practicable in House of Assembly, UBP and BDA will (hopefully) vote with you, Amend as follows:
i) Possession of Firearm, parts, or ammunition – 25 years Hard Labour, no minimum time served, no parole
ii) Using Firearm in ANY crime whatsoever – 40 years, no minimum time served, no parole
These boys are not walking up to people and stabbing them, they are cowards using guns, lock them up.
110% agree!!
you got my vote on that…
This island is in a state of emergency all people can talk about is prayers going out to the families??!! We need to drop the hammer hard and fast on these Fu$%^ing sub-humans! The young black man (boy, rather) is personifying every stereotype that has ever been laid against us. We are showing on a daily basis that we have either zero respect for authority or any sort of understanding of the consequences that accompany such ridiculously thoughtless, violent crimes. We are the only people left on the planet that continue to arbitrarily kill one another for the most senseless reasons and have essentially become the laughing stock of the world. It is the same everywhere in the world where there is black majority. I am struggling to cope with our societal omnipresent failures! As for here in Bermuda, the young black man has become woefully pathetic in the eyes of most and we can not blame any other group of people for not taking us serious on impulse. If our present elected government officials are not networking right now planning to convene on that fu#*&$g hill tomorrow, ready to implement some real change, we might as well prepare to become the new port au prince. People, we have not done so well over the years because we are such a brilliant people. It can attributed to a combination of having close geographic proximity to the country upon which these countries were founded and sheer luck!! If they decide to do business in a less hostile environment, we are all truly FU$&^D because we no longer know how to treat a go%$mn tourist. On that note, I’m out – all you dreamers who always have an excuse for the inequities of our people, please STFU and realize the graveness of our present predicament.
Um I was with you until you said blacks are the last of this earth to still be doing this. That’s not accurate at all.
What a sad day…Applying for Green Card you are right! but you know what those imbeciles can’t read the writing on the wall…I can’t believe this is Bermuda…as a parent I ask myself how did we get to this point…the indiscriminate killing of a generation of young men…how on an island 21 sq. miles that we can’t stop this! my heart is so heavy…the press conferences, the rhetoric of the politicians, the quiet witnesses…Bermuda we are in a bad place…
Budget-money- Yes that is why Bermuda is like this! (With poverty their is crime) Family have to put all the time into work for; bill-food-rent,YES Bermuda bring FOOD-RENT-BEL CO-down so we can live like we did before with: PICNIC-BBQ-OUTING. You can not tell your job that your not going to be in today I have a BBQ or go and pay your rent with a I-O-U. We need to bring Bermuda back to the family outing and being our brother keeper with love. P S Premier and all the MPs cut your pay and give it to the POLICE for overtime and some to the school -FS- and feed the kids P.G.
Stop stop this has nothing to do with Poverty don’t even go there back up. While all what you said about cost of living is true what going on with these cowards killing each other has nothing to do with that.
“It is the same everywhere in the world where there is black majority.”
That is incorrect and you know it. Give me places and figures if you wish to correct me.
To: applying for green card
Unfortunately you have missed the boat and I hope you are truly applying for green card. I have a white mother and a black father and my skin color is white. I have difficulty in trying to overstand people who have to always turn things into a black & white situation. I have a very large extended family in middletown where I lived for 8 yrs. When you loose family values and theres no foundation of GOD whom we should ALL FEAR, theres a huge break down of respect to family yet alone an outsider.
We as Bermudians need to try to understand, if a person can’t read or write due to learning disabilities, you send them to a special class or school. They don’t graduate cause they have been misunderstood and drop out. If you have no food in your house and you go to school and see what the privelaged boy has for lunch and then you see the underprivelaged boy is left eating his fingernails, these may look like small issues this is one point of early agression in primary schools.If a boy has pair of better sneakers he can be beat up/ picked on. The underprivelaged boy is hungry(angry) his whole life it has been a survival story. You have no idea about Gov’t plans out there to assist you, cause you can’t read or write so the next best thing is it’s easier to give up cause you have no faith you have been shown no guidance or true parental love and let down by your entire family no one cares for you and doesn’t say they love you, believe me when I tell you their are ticking time bombs or HUNGRY!! THEY ARE HUNGRY they want to eat like you but have no means. So unfortunately it’s easier to get your hustle on. Yes it is wrong but it is part of the survival story. This is one reality of the problem. I have seen them grow from 5yrs old to 20 yrs old you can see who will rise and who will fall. It boils down to BERMUDA NO LONGER HAS A MIDDLE CLASS! you are RICH or POOR and when you are poor you don’t LIVE in Bermuda YOU SURVIVE the TRIANGLE cause it ain’t nobody out there who cares to hear or help so what’s the sense of complaining (who can help? NOBODY, but GOD)they do what they know to be survival! When you don’t hit rock bottom and feel the pain of hopelessness it’s so hard to see and feel the pain of NO LOVE and NO FORGIVENESS, NO WHERE TO LIVE, HAVEN’T EATEN IN 3 DAYS, THE SURVIVAL SKILLS KICK IN! THIS IS THE REALITY BDA!
YOu know what? If i had been raised priviliged, I may be able to meet you somewhere in the middle of the argument – but I wasn’t, so I can’t. At the end of the day, every man has to realize the cards that he was dealt and then he has to take it upon himself to better himself in society. He must educate himself because we all know that no one is going to do it for him. And lastly, he has to rid himself OF ALL EXCUSES and strive to be the best man that he can be.
You talk about those who have learning disabilities and basically having no options. Learning disabilities have been around since the beginning of time so I would hardly use that as a foundation upon which you want to prove a point. There has never been more support offered in the government school system for the scholastically challenged in the history of our storied country, yet we manage to perform worse than we ever have despite unprecedented tangible support.
I may have flown off the handle last night because I was truly enraged (as this young man was a former student of mine and I do have very positive memories of him). However, I still stand behind every word that I wrote, although my delivery could have been a little more collected. I strongly believe that the black man has to push aside past and present injustices, eliminate excuses from his mental psyche and actually demonstrate the inner strength that we all like to claim we have. We need to let go of momma’s nipple and stand up like men. We are not doing this!! Don’t believe me, go to any bar on this rainy Friday night and see how many multi-children, from muliti-momma fathers (or should i say sperm donors) are out there getting hot and lining up the next naive cutie for the creation of another unplanned bastard while their other children are watching BET at the multiple nanna’s houses because mommy needs a break from the stresses that come with sharing a child with their non-contributing zero asses!
I will leave now before I really I garner too much flaming from the sympathetics.
“We are the only people left on the planet that continue to arbitrarily kill one another for the most senseless reasons and have essentially become the laughing stock of the world”. Your statement reminded me of New World Order….how bout your statement was a designed plan and now it’s in action/FULL EFFECT, and the only way it can be conquered is if we, the poor and have nots, organize centralize and come together as ONE…fighting against injustices instead of each other…”TO DIVIDE AND RULE IS THEIR ONLY PLAN”
My prayers go out to wicked ppl lurking in the high places…sitting off with their wine and cheese, clinging glasses to the progress they are making on demolishing and diseasing nations for power, greed and selfish gain. THAT’S THE BIGGER PICTURE SO….MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOULS….
No they need to do way more than 25 n 40 years. People who have lost their love ones can no longer see them any more so I think they should spend their ever lasting moment rutting in Prison . I wish it was the old Casemates cause I’m sure if they new anything about that place they wouldn’t even entertain the thought of wanting to committ any of these disgusting and heart breaking crimes.
Yup. 100% agree with Stop the Talk. Get em. Lock em up. Hopefully the generation will die out in captivity while we find a way to stop the up and coming boys from going down the same path.
Just for the record. Mandatory sentencing is banned by UK Law. Laws can only give guidelines, but mandatory sentences go against the rights of Judges to have discretion (rolls eyes).
How many more people need to be shot at and or killed, before the Governor decides it time to have a gun amnesty. Is it because ALL the shootings are in the black neighborhoods.
Someone can correct me if i am wrong, but the last 2 gun amnesties were:
(1) after a UBP MP decided to pull a gun on his daughter and
(2) Operation Cleansweep.
I find it odd that the only mention by the current Governor Sir Richard Gozney that a gun amnesty was under “active consideration”, was when a white man was shot with his comments coming just days after the weekend shooting of 62-yr old in his own home after a poker game.
Hate to play the race card during times like these, but i think it speaks for itself.
My prayers go out to EVERY family that is effected by the recent shootings.
Colonel Burch has had a gun amnesty since PLP has been in power, I believe about 2 or 3 years agao.
@ itsme – so wah…you feel betta know dat you played de race card? gtfo here haha. whats an amnesty gonna DO?!?! WHO is gonna turn in de guns….and WHY in this current times?? try again…
awaiting the official $168K media release “My fellow Bermudians, blah blah blah blah, Thank You”
Its neva gonna end! 2 much bloodshed. Ppl want revenge 4 there loved 1′s dats gone. Its only 1 way 2 get revenge n its nuffin 2 do wif police. Street justice is de only way my generation knows.
This is the type of dumb talk that will keep it going on & on, ask yourself whats the difference between a thug & a thinker? Rise above it people……. My prayers go out to de fam
Truth hurts, but ‘it is wat it is’ is right. This is what we as the elders in this community have taught this upcoming generation. We have taught them that the system is broken and that regardless of what anybody says you can do you. We let them watch all the action films with the murders and crime, we lift up movies like ‘Top Shotta’ ‘ScarFace’ ‘Third World Cop’ and too many others to name and say how good this movie was and put them on pedestals. We let our youth watch BET MTV VH1, we refuse to let other people correct our children when they are wrong citing that you can’t hit my child! We do not like it when the school spanks our children. We are quick to sass anybody that disrespcts us in public in fron of our children. Our governement parties when in session continue to be disrespectful to each by using fould language that our youth has been privy to for many years now. I could go on and on. But yet when these shootings happen we are quick to question why why o why is this happening?? We try and blame government, we try and blame the parents, we even try and blame the schools. In actual fact, Bermuda as a whole is the real problem! We continue to turn our backs to key issues. We continue to think that we are gods gift to the world. We continue to think that these problems are someone elses til it hits each of us at home. We need to wake up BERMUDA! We are all at fault here, not that person nor that person, YOU yes YOU are the problem. Stop pointing fingers nad look in the mirror! Even if you are reading this and disagree, somewhere throughout your days on this island you have allowed something to happen in which case you could have made a better decision to prevent the outcome. You know who you are!
My heart hurts for the family, so much.
everybody knows everybody in Bermuda I am sure the victim and his friends know the perp….Put me in charge of the Police I will start kicking down some doors…in the Philippines they will recover the weapon and catch the perps…look how big they are..My condolence’s go out to the victims family.
Daisy Powell wouldn’t have allowed this to happen on her beloveded block !!!She would have long whooped some a$$$
The Minister of Internal and Border Security needs to be replaced. He has been a failure since appointment^^
back those words up with proof. u point fingers at one man. when he is but one man in a country of 63,000. back your words up with well founded proof graeme. otherwise, it is unfair to pin point fingers at that Minister. and it sounds personal. have proof with you are calling names in this regard or remain silent. this is not a forum for personal attacks.
i don’t expect the Police to do it all,but until the mothers & fathers & friends who know these people have guns start turning them in..I’m sorry to say its just gonna continue…
I’M SO HURT SO SO HURT WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR OUR YOUNG MEN TO GET IT TOGETHER
LORD PLEASE HELP US AND HELP THOSE WHO WANT TO BE HELP. I FEEL FOR THIS FAMILY I’VE BEEN WHERE THEY ARE, TO THE FAMILY MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU. IN YOUR TIME OF NEED GET ON YOUR KNEES AND ASK THE FATHER ABOVE TO GUIDE YOU ANS SUSTAIN YOU.
Really SAD!!!
Condolences to his Family
They don’t understand the value of life.
These boys are acting out the violence they see and hear on TV, films, and in the music, these are not the sole reason for the self-destructive behavior.
Pent-up rage triggers aggression… aggression that often results from a combustible blend of cultural and racial baggage that is instilled in them.
What they need to do now is break out of the mold of acting out in ways expected of them.
Angry black men without focus aren’t a threat to anyone but themselves, and have become the targets of ridicule by those watching from the outside looking in.
Who cares if they kill each other off?
They must care! We all must care!
Very tragic and sad, but are we really surprised? And do we honestly think this is the last shooting? No, there will be more and more. It’s so sad that we are becoming so desensitized to this kind of horror…we aren’t shocked in the least when we hear about these senseless murders. So sad.
My husband & I shudder evertime an ambulance goes by when we hear it turn onto Montpelier Rd heading towards Parson’s Rd . . . We know it is another shooting & pray it is not another loss of life when we hear & see the ambulance return to KEMH . . . It so sad and why?
So sick of saying R.I.P.
Million Man March time before Million Men are dead….figuratively speaking! Wonder if all the groups in Bermuda that marched on Parliament for their $$$$ or the teachers who circled Cabinet or the brothers and sisters of the unions who down tools every time a fellow brother smashes the ferry boat into the dock or gets caught sneaking a lil spliff or gets caught on sick days working, etc……will put the country to a halt and stop the madness or are they benefiting too????????
Marching doesnt do anything when it comes to situations like this. You actually think that they care that society is fed up?
My condolences go to the family.
no but the show of force is a BIG step with momentum in the RIGHT direction………………………….
For anyone interested, its not a march, but similar….
A new group is working to pull the community together, and is holding vigils which coincide with murder victim’s birthdays, or date of shootings. The vigils are not just in their memory – they are to call for people to come together, and so far they have seen at least three families of murder victims come together, and they hope to take it alot further.
The family of Colford Ferguson, who was murdered earlier this year is involved with organizing them, as is community activist Scott Smith.
This coming Saturday [Apr.2] there will be a vigil at Victor Scott School field at 7:30pm, in memory of Kimwandae “Biggs” Walker, who was gunned down in front of his two young children during a Good Friday kite flying event last year.
The following day [Sunday, Apr.3] there will be a vigil at 7:30pm at Woody’s in Sandys, a date which coincides with the birthday of Freddy Maybury, who was murdered on June 14, 2010 in the same location.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
With all due respect, these vigils are more of a remembrance for victims’ families rather than a protest to end future violence. Remembering these men is nice, especially on their birthdays, but what do these vigils do toward ensuring another family doesn’t end up in the same situation? We’ve had marches yet the violence continues. We’ve had vigils yet the violence continues. We’ve come out and “honked our horns” and protested on the hill – that didn’t work either. What will work??? What can we do to end this sanity?
Take away the alcohol and harsher penalties!!!!
With all due respects – I will NOT be wasting my time with a vigil for people that have known connections with Gangs. Good family men spend their time with their families, hold down legal jobs to provide for them and find other things to do with their spare time, for example – volunteering for little league, soccer, KBB, and the list goes on.
mimor matters STFU he wasnt in a gang and i am so tired of all this stupid talk. yes i understand that people are fed up angry and tired but it is not fare for the innocent people like randy.
i had the chance to hear someone say why don’t the Police look for the Gun Mon dem instead of harassing the Hustlers dem trying to make a lil money selling weed…….this guy was a married man with children…….he doesn’t realize that most crackheads start with a lil alcohol then weed then coke then dope….BANG!!!!!!!!!!!! personal destruction……..rum or weed = destruction………………….waiting for it now……..
You know what….everybody forms an OPINON based on WHAT THEY THINK they know.
STOP TRYIN TO START SOME BS CONVERSATION TO GET A RAISE OUT OF EVERYBODY! THIS WAS A MOTHER’S ONLY CHILD-ONLY SON, A MAN THAT WAS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TYPE OF ILLECIT OR GANG ACTIVITY! I have sat here and watched time after time as you all say what will happen when the average Bermudian gets hit, and ONCE AGAIN IT HAS HAPPENED! MY WORDS TO ALL YOU ALL IS STFU! Because all of you just want something to comment on (TYPICALL SMALL MINDED GOSSIP CENTERED BERMUDIAN MENTALITY),
A mother and father who have raised a GOOD BLACK MALE are STRUGGLING WITH “WHY MY SON” and all you a’holes have to do is throw in your stupid A$$ two cents as to what you THINK!!!!!!!! you know!
So sick and tired of people that have NO CLUE as to what we are dealing with VOICE THEIR INVALID OPINIONS based on the BERMUDA RUMOR MILL!
GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR A$$ AND IF YOU REALLY AND TRUELY DONT HAVE ANYTHING VALID OR POSITIVE TO SAY THEN ONCE AGAIN STFU!
BECAUSE ONE DAY—ONE DAY IT WILL HIT YOUR DOOR STEP!!!
RIP R
PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU R&R
@ Godma …Thank U 4 Speakn wat I’ve Been Thinkn & Feeln ALL tis time, Jus seems like dats All these ppl DO here is GOSSIP bout de next person when their slate is Jus as DIRTY as a sh!tty Toilet..I cant say tis enuff but tis Lil Island is saturated wit SOo much Envy & H8tred ITs Sickening..Ur got youths sayn they cant go tis place or work in dat area bcuz of tis BS! The Bermudian Mentality has deterioated to a ALL time Low & its Really SAD, espec. 2 kno how bda was back in de day ( nuttn but Love is wat i remember )I mean bda seemed betta than Fantasy Island, Now Um DUCKN from Bullets & Duckn from Police!! ..but 2 de matter @ hand , My Heart goes out 2 U{R&R}
RIP R jr.
Godma you hit it right on the nose!!! So needed to be said!!!!!
Ummum excuse me, this forum is for everbody with an opinion, including you. get over yahself.
I agree, and most ppl that are commenting are talking about what needs to be done to help to stop the gang violence!
@ Godma – I give you a standing ovation for that comment!
May he rest in peace and may his family find comfort during this time. I was there last night and saw this mothers only child’s body lay mere feet from his home. I heard her cries for her son and her pleas to the police to find the people that did this to her son…my heart broke listening to her and I would not want to bear witness to something like that again….
I have lived that side of Borderlane all of my life and have never witnessed anything like that, it is a peaceful neighbourhood.
Please extend my condolences to ‘R’ & ‘R’ & our neighbourhood will be there to support them
Be blessed
Yes I agree with Jah. There are many underlying issues surrounding this violence. Single mothers working 3 & 4 jobs to make ends meet and these children are forced to raise themselves with no real guidance. When they look for guidance and acceptance it is these so called,”gangs” that are there for them. For those who have loving and supporting parents, they get caught up with the wrong crowd and find themselves shooting more so to stay alive than to really kill. The mentality is if I kill them first, they cant kill me, but they forget that person has family and friends. The familly and friends now want justice because the police system can’t seem to get it together so the whole cycle starts again. Bermuda has become too materialistic, everybody trying to have more than the next person. In that fight we have lost ourselves and our family, friendly ties because before I was your friend and, now all of a sudden we are in competition over somethig neither one of can take to the grave. Morals all wrong, priorities in the wrong order. I say take all of those posing police officers who, “walk the beat” in the City of Hamilton where there are plenty of cameras and a police station closeby, and put them in the so called, “trouble areas”. Not to mention the traffic officers, who spend many a time just sitting waiting for the random person to come speeding along with their unlicenced, uninsured vehicles. Didn’t tax payers pay something towards those cameras on either side of town to deal with unlicenced/ uninsured vehicles? I won’t even go into Shelia Coopers doings or should I say lack of, or the bright idea to put those, “Mega Schools” together. It is going to take the whole of Bermuda to work together to rectify this problem. It didn’t happen overnight and it won’t be solved overnight. Be ready for the long haul.
We now have our own form of Genocide.. A generation of young black males
Being lost to this violence. They are becoming more fearless and we as a society
More fearful.. Imagine if all those groups that protest for one reason or another formed a coalition to patrol our streets.. Wow what an army that would be.. We have to start looking out for each other.. We can’t continue walking around with blinders on.. They’re killing our future, doctors lawyers, leaders.. Yea I believe they all have a purpose in life
Hearts goes out to a family who has lost someone too soon.
C’mon what’s the answer to this Bermuda?
i am with you on this one….the marches for the material things can’t even be matched with a march for something so precious…..life……even if it is PROMISED TO NO MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
its sad that we have gotten to this point. I am a very upset and angry college student overseas in school and I hate having to come on here and hearing about another black brotha gone whos life has been ended too soon due to gang violence. All this isn’t necessary, but it all falls back to all the corruption in the Government. They want to spend all this money on promoting bermuda for tourism, but it won’t take long before no body even wants to visit the island anymore because of all this violence on this incredibly small island. If things continue to go the way they are without the police actually beefin up and people taking them seriously then i really would hate to see how this island is going to be in 5 years…because growing up I never heard a gun shot before and now kids in Bermuda are used to the sounds of gun shots especially in the town area. This is gettin out of hand and it seems like too many people are just laying back feeling powerless…
More stop and searches isn’t the answer, I don’t want my liberties jeopardized in the name of “finding a needle in a pile of needles”!! I want justice like the next man, but not by any means necessary. The underlying issues have to be addressed… period!! R.I.P. to the victim another life taken senselessly… Sigh
your liberties are diminishing as we speak…the liberty of freedom of anything is shattered everytime it happens…….if you can’t sacrifice a little liberty for the sake of sanctity and peace then you COULD be silently and from afar supporting the problem by having an “as long as I am not affected attitude”
You are clearly missing my point, and I can’t even blame you because “sheeple” just say do whatever it takes instead of trying to figure out what is the root causing the violence. I don’t want to sacrifice any of my liberties for ANYTHING because if I give one up, then they could take the rest for NOTHING!! It’s like the comment below about this being Bermy’s 9/11!! Using the public’s fear of “terrorism” allowed the people in power to strip search/stop anybody flying if they wanted. Now the TSA can grope your children’s private parts and yours for that matter all in the name of preventing terrorism!! How many terrorist has that really helped them to catch…? so don’t assume that I have an “as long as I am not affected attitude” I want it to end just as much as anyone else but I don’t want this to be used as a way for the police or any other body of authority to be able to stop and search anybody for no apparent reason!! Wake up before you wake up and ALL of your freedoms are gone and somebody is telling you when you can breath, eat, sleep, travel, and do all those other things that you clearly take for granted. All I will say is BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!!! Everything that glitters ain’t GOLD!!!
@SMDH: You are very discerning. This IS Bermuda’s 9-11…blowing stuff up would be too obvious and raise too many questions. But as I said in a previous post, they’ve already started with the police state agenda. The wiretapping of ALL communications should have brought hundreds out into the streets in protest, but it passed without so much as a whisper…and yet we’ve had three murders since then, which were not prevented. Surprisingly, the public has not demanded an answer as to the necessity of the system if it has not been proven to be effective in the detection of crime – and that’s a good thing…it means nobody cares and the govt doesn’t have to lie. All that is left is for a fed up public to increase pressure on the government to “do something”, which will conveniently give rise to more intrusive legislation,(already prepared) which the sheeple themselves will demand. They will graciously surrender their humanity to feel safe in an island, which has imprisoned them in a cage without bars. Meanwhile, (as expected) people will banter back and forth about the cause of the violence – poverty, drugs, anger. We will agree and disagree until it turns into online debates, then anger, then insults (like it’s doing now) and soon the topic will completely change once or twice with everyone having a say but solving nothing…you only wind up more frustrated than before you came online. If there is an agenda that the majority cannot see…this would all be the makings of a perfect storm…in someone’s tea cup.
Co-Sign lifeblood!!! The scary part is that you are 100% correct, a perfect storm is brewing that even accuweather can’t forecast!!! Divide and conquer!!!
hear hear
SMDH!
Firstly, because someone disagrees with you there is no need to deteriorate the conversation into personal insults and name calling. This is the same petty attitude that these lunatics have motivating and fueling the killings. We can agree to disagree.
Secondly, there is some validity to your point, however, it is relatively limited and short-sighted against the bigger picture. Which is the lesser of two evils, not wanting to leave your home for fear of being caught up in a drive-by shooting or not wanting to leave your home for the major inconvenience of being stopped and searched by police?
You reference waking up and having someone telling you when you can breath, eat,… You take for granted that you are able to wake up. The victims of these crimes will never wake up whether it’s to freedom or having someone tell them they can/can’t breathe, etc.
See beyond your own reality and try to be a part of a solution, rather than a politically correct dissident!
I’m sorry if I offended anyone by my “sheeple” comment, however I never called anyone names or used personal insults!!! I’m out of the “matrix” and I can see things a lot clearer. I can agree to disagree, but at the same time I don’t like the way things are going. I will say how I feel and if I can wake up at least one person then it is worth it. Your lesser of two evils comment is very frightening IMHO!!! Evil is evil period!!! I don’t fear leaving my home at anytime because I know that I am not involved in any of this nonsense!! I can go ANYWHERE on my island because I know right from wrong and I was raised to respect people young and old!!! I’m not going to let the actions of a small minority dictate how I live my life. Even if I did get shot, I would not want more power for the police or any of anyone’s liberties taken away. I don’t want this to be used as a way to control the majority that are good people that live their lives according to morals and good upbringings!! Love your neighbor like you love yourself!! Good over Evil!!! Also, I’m not even trying to be politically correct, people didn’t just wake up one day and start shooting people in Bermuda!! This has been building up before my great grand parents were even born. Like I said the underlying root cause has to be addressed. Ask yourself who is benefiting from all of this because it is not the “gangs”…. I’m just saying. How many more people have to die before the public realizes that we are ALL being played!!!SMDH
P.S. I see the BIGGER picture loud and clear!!!
I’m tired of all the shootings , the murders and business as usual in Bermuda.
This is a national CRISIS. I don’t want to seem to extreme but this is our September 11 on young black males. Change requires ACTION. Now what we going to do about it Bermuda.
I agree with you whole hartedly !!!!
I second that…Curfews, stop/searches, Immediate increased penalties…Drastic measures for drastic times. If that’s what it takes, then I’m all for it.
Didn’t you listen to SMDH? You are talking about organizing a police state in order to cut back on the violence. So are these curfews for everyone? just young people under a certain age? Will this be enforced by stopping everyone and checking ID. What about the businesses that operate at night? Their loss of business in this economy is just something they should suck up for the greater good along with their employees. Stop/searches are already ridiculous and in case you have never experienced it first-hand you can be arrested for offences that you’ve already cleared up ( been to court or paid the fine). Apparently and police and court computer systems are different. Oh and FYI even if they are wrong in picking you up they don’t have to drop you back. As for increased penalty zones we have those already half on somerset falls under an increased penalty zone with all the schools around. Stop having knee-jerk reactions to problems.
Police have intelligence. It doesn’t have to become a Big Brother state, but they can be more robust where they have info but no actual evidence in stop & search procedures. Additionally, PACE legislation in great detail, regulates the powers of police under stop & search to ensure that persons are treated fairly.
Understand people’s desperation at this point. Nobody wants to live in a police state but neither do people want to live in a country where daily murders are the norm.
I agree, knee-jerk reactions are not useful. I would be interested to hear and welcome any of your rational, pragmatic suggestions for resolution to this problem.
“It doesn’t have to become a big brother state”
CCTV cameras (soon to be) everywhere, 60 day detentions for gun crimes (how long will it take for that to be extended to other crimes)?
Isn’t that unconstitutional? Digital chips in private cars, which can track your vehicle, and wiretaps on ALL electronic communications. It’s all out of the 9-11 playbook. What more has to happen exactly before you can call it a Big Brother state?
Thank you!!! It only gets worst and worst, one thing will lead another!! POWER corrupts and ABSOLUTE POWER corrupts ABSOLUTELY!!!
ban alcohol
for what reason
I have been drinking alcohol for over 4 decades, and as of now, I’ve still not murdered anyone. Of course that could chamnge at any minute – I’m about to have a beer.
Stop! This all needs to stop. What can we do?? We are calling out
for the Police, Gov, anyone to help us.
What can we do? Should we form our own team/groups??
Has anyone sat with the leaders of these ‘crews’ to talk or try and see what all this is
about?
This cannot keep happening. Too many….I’m putting my
faith in God that Bermuda with help will come up with some sort of
solutions………
Bless the family.
We can do a lot. Keeping it real suggested one great thing below. The island can unite against such works of evil. Our own groups is a pile of crap because that would just add to how divisive we already are.
What can we do. Just imagine Martin Luther King jr asked himself the same question.
Bermuda we need to unite to get our island back!!!! Diversity is not what we were raised on we need to come together and stay together if we ever want to have peace back in our communities and the whole island. Stop the crying down on one another and lets get this back to what we once were. Yes we are aware of the problems but we need to help with the solution. I hope I’m not the only one to feel this way. My condolences go out to the family of the ones who have been lost in this senseless gun violence!!!
and by the way……anyone who follows bernews knows that the rant and rave will be over in an average of 3 hours from the time of posting………………..
Let’s see what Col. “Bag of Mouth” tells us tomorrow if he makes a press release, are people realizing that both him and this new Ministry of National Security is just All Hot Air.
look i hear you all about come togethere as a community but realistically come togethere and do what??? These guys dont care!!!! This is a war its either ya in it or you aint, and if you are they are in it to get you or get anyone close to you just so u know they are there. IT sucks that it is come to this but this is what it is hate it or love it!!!! r.i.p to the victim
Stop the violence? you can’t
Take back Bermuda? you can’t
Pray for peace? you’re wasting your time
Ask Government to do something? LOL
I’m glad my kid chose to stay away and not come back
Praying is NEVER a waste of time. This is a problem that only God can solve.
At PLP,
True but God works though people just like me and you. The problem is that the devil does too. The devil keeps us apart, wealth – poverty, white – black and you – me. The formula is the same every time. As a white person who loves my island it is difficult as I see constantly that white people have no voice, we are constantly stereotyped as rich, clueless, privileged individuals that live on cloud 9. All this does is create a wedge between the groups as I feel that it does for those grouped by people as back of town, ghetto youths, lacking, not as good as the rest etc. Negativity breeds negativity politically speaking I have been in the PLP although it was for a short time and I know that its not all members that dwell on racial crap but they seem to be the plp’s loudest voices as no one says anything to them about their views. These individuals proclaim that they are the voices of the PLP and speak for the PLP. This alienated me and I left. The UBP from the accounts of friends seem not much better. I say all this to say that division is like it is breed into the lives of every Bermudian and enforced by such entities.
How do we as Bermudians get to a place where we actually get to know and care about each others lives and wellbeing? What can Bermudian as a group do to learn to support one another? At the end of the day all this social strife makes us ripe for those in the world that wish to take advantage of Bermuda and its people’s rights and lives. WE should be each others strengths not our own weakness. I do not have an answer but I know that what we are doing is not working something needs to happen weather it is on an individual level or a group but how do you break the ice?
LOL (but not on this topic)
PS RIP to all those affected by this madness. To the families my heart goes out to you and stregth be with you to seek not vengence but love. To those doing this crap God will forgive but you must be true to his way repent make amends seek change in your lives. Please think and care about those around you and those people will think and care for you. Things take time to help so why not start the process now……
Oh looking threw the rest of this thread there are way to many refs to “THEY” once again I get the feel that…….aw forget it PEACE……
the most sensible suggestion here is by “Stop the Talk”….
i) Possession of Firearm, parts, or ammunition – 25 years Hard Labour, no minimum time served, no parole
ii) Using Firearm in ANY crime whatsoever – 40 years, no minimum time served, no parole
is anyone listening ?
The people who should be listening aren’t this government don’t care! Plain and simple they are not doing enough about this gun violence. They are not serious!! They have not once come together as a group to speak out about this. Mrs Cox and crew there is more to Bermuda then this budget and money. That’s all you hear about. BUDGET,MONEY,SDO!!! Meanwhile every other week another Mother is crying cause their child is being buried too soon.
I dont wish violence on anyone but if this was happening to the politician’s children things would be different. But they are so removed from the community they dont care enough to make changes.
Blakney’s not a politician? That Jamaican fella wasn’t Spence Farmers son in law?
Sorry, but politicians aren’t removed from this at all
Blakney’s Son was doing the shooting “allegedly” Its not affecting him the same way, he can still go up to West Gate and visit his son. And the way this judicial system is will probably be released at some point. Mrs. Farmer is not the Government she is the opposition so she can scream til she is blue in the face, they will disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.
@ ok – whats ya point bra?
So true!! I don’t know if I’m the only one that feels like this but I have never got a feeling from any government official that this shooting stuff is a state of emergency. UBP, PLP, BDA three parties for a 24 square mile island. Divisive!!
I have never seen all three parties together on the news, on parliament or anywhere else for that matter in a show of unity against this crap. I maybe wrong..
And for anyone who has any doubt that change could come, maybe not overnight but eventually all I can say to that o one of little faith is Thank God I didn’t have your weak, throw in the towel, all hope is gone self fighting for my freedom to end slavery or anything else that would have stopped me from enjoying the freedoms we have today.
@ ok – ya might be a bigger protest but still ain’t gonna do nuttin. everyone’s more involved den u think bra…
What a time to be reducing the budget for the Bermuda Police….. SOMETHING MORE needs to be done……. GET REAL…. this has to stop…..Tourism? FORGET IT!
Totally agree, there is no deterrant whatsoever! The laws in Bermuda are for the Bermuda of yesteryear. BTW, what is being done to stop or at least decrese this violence. This is a genocide..black on black crime, black men killing black men. I guess no one cares about that, not even our government. Crime should be their number one priority…this is a state of emergency so take some emergency measures.
I hear you…
iii) Murder-Death Sentence
Are you still listening?
So much for leaving thought provoking comments. Guess we have another daily RG
you said it Taxpayer…………Coxall was getting the job done and it got too hot
Why do you people keep going on about Coxall like he was so great for Bermuda. That was 13years ago. Bermuda 13yrs ago and todays Bermuda are two different Bermudas. All he did was spend millions on Cameras in the City which EVERYONE complained about saying it was a waste of money and it infringed on peoples privacy and rights. Now we are having a crisis and you people think Coxall is the answer?!?! Please he is like all the others that get employed as expats in Bermuda, get their money and gets out. You people are living in la la land you really think these kids care or even know for that matter who the Commissioner of Police is. Do you think they care about anything??? They are set on killing no matter who the commissioner is. You can bring who you want here but as long as the courts keep giving out these terrible sentences it will continue. Collin Coxall Paaaallllleeeeeaaaaassssseeee..
Coxall was our last hope. He was getting close to cutting the head off the snake, the Mr. Biggs of the underworld were also the ‘squeaky cleans’ of the business world on this island. Coxall was our Elliot Ness, going after organized crime on all levels. After he was stopped in his tracks by politicians, the island began a new era of anti social behavior on all levels
You obviously are too young to remember.
@ itwasn’tme – “the Mr. Biggs of the underworld were also the ’squeaky cleans’ of the business world on this island” real talk…ppl don’t realize dis…includin de man an everyone else up der. the least expected….gonna be a big shock too~ when de cat comes out de bag…WE ALL DONE!
i’m sorry to say but its time to put this island on lock down.its to much of this $hit going on and something needs to be done asap. the police are gonna wait till its a white child or politicians child or even a cops child before they start doing what really needs to be done. not trying to sound racist but it is what it is. its to much of the alumminuty going on in this island thats why the guns are still on the street. Money is the ruler of them all and as long as money is coming in people will continue on acting like they dont know who is doing the killng, but let the money stop rolling in and you will all of a sudden see how many people going to court. god bless the family that has lost a loved one and may their killers get whats coming to them and real soon cause people are gonna start reacting to all this crazy $hit. God bless this island cause we need all the prayer we can get.
God Huh?!?! Ya ok!
@ lockdown – ain’t a time for all dat black white stuff. would still be de same thing over again regardless of color. its affected our island..$$$. jealousy is de root of all evil.
money is root of all evil
I really don’t like to comment on these sort of websites but it just irks me when persons don’t know their facts but feel it’s a MUST for them to give their opinions.
Firstly, it is not the ‘alumminuty’, but Illuminati I guess you didn’t take the time to ‘google it’ but took the time to make this comment.
Secondly, the Illuminati is not affiliated with Bermuda it is the Freemasons that you are attempting to refer to; two different secret societies.
‘lockdown’ before you attempt to make an educated comment do some research, rather then just type the last thing you heard your uncle, mother, sister, brother or neighbor say.
Lastly, I would just like to send my sympathy out to the family of the victim. RIP.
Honestly they are ALL the same, call them what you like!! Illuminati, Free Masons, Skull & Bones, Black Nobility, MAFIA, CFR, Bilderberg, etc. ect. ect. Could go on ALL day with names, that’s what they want. One thing in common though, they ALL worship Lucifer!! Who do you think OWNS Bermuda….? Their G.O.D. is Gold, Oil, and Drugs!!! Didn’t mean to go off topic because the part that hurts me is that another baby boy has to grow up without his father for NO apparent logical reason!!! Young BLACK men and WOMEN need to know that they are POWERFUL beyond measure and this is exactly what they want. For us to kill ourselves off the face of the earth; brothers stop fighting your brothers and sisters stop fighting your sisters!!! Money isn’t real!! Families need to look out for one another, and since half of the island is related let’s start to look out for each other and do it genuinely!! I don’t like the way we’re heading, because it’s a cold and dark path!! Love your neighbor as yourself!! One love Bermy and to the family, the Father never gives us more than we can bear. Look to each other for strength during this very difficult time… R.I.P. bruh
THANK YOU THANK YOU , YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS WE ARE SO LOST AS BOB MARLEY HAD SAID YOU CAN FOOL THE PEOPLE SOMETIME BUT YOU CANT FOOL THEM ALL THE TIME. WHATS ARE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS OURSELVES LETS GET IT TOGETHER. MY HEART IS ACHING I FEEL THIS PAIN ESPECIALY, WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND AND SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE THAT TODAYS SOCIETY REALY DONT GIVE A ****** ABOUT WHATS TAKEN PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY… ROYDELLE YOU ARE IN OUR PRAYERS RIP BABY RANDY
much like WhiteJesusII i don’t like to comment and have my voice lost in some of the ignorance left on here, but i had to say something..
it needs to be said that some of y’all need to research PROPERLY research what the Illuminati, freemasons etc are all about, and not what the media says they’re about. they are not satan worshipers and its not about ‘destroying the world’ or some crap. its just a very popular frat group for rich and powerful men. the most that can come out of it is getting a better job through new connections. so please, stop it with this crap about the illuminati and satan. do you really believe that they would import guns for these children to kill each other? what could they have to gain from that?! the mere thought of it is ignorant. guns are on this island because people are sneaking them on via the boats and cargo ships, and the police don’t check them all in proper detail.
much like the others though i send out prayers and my deepest sympathy to the family of the victim, it is a hard thing to lose a child and family member to a senseless crime they were not involved with.
Well if we dig deeper, we will see there is a connection betweeen the 2 secret societies.In my opinion these actions that are taking place now are a manefestation of greed and idolizing people.The past 2 genrations have idolized rappers. rock stars etc. who have all sold out to the mighty $$$ and so when we allow these things to manfest in our homes this what you get.Baphomet (illuminati) is here and taking your kids away.More and more of your freedom will be taken away.
“Money is the ruler of them all,”….you say?…..hmmm
so i guess taking the profit out of the equation sounds silly huh?
also someone said these are revenge killings, and i agree
these guys arent doing random killings ,YET
Each new murder raises the ante and makes the revenge level a bit higher than before. Yes, a white person will be killed – pretty soon I’d say. Then you’ll see some sh*t. This is basically the end for Bermuda. When all the whites have left, you can have Bermuda as your own personal GETTO. Enjoy.
Make no mistake, this thing with young ignorant blacks killing each other is worse than IB leaving, worse than the end of tourism, worse than a crappy government. Bermuda is being destroyed by a few dozen ignorant kids.
When I am resettled overseas, I’ll observe from afar.
So sad Bermuda, please stop the violence!!!!!!!! My heart is aching for his family my condolences
** lockdown ** guess it’s who you are. I made similar comments which lasted all but a minute. Glad someone else stated the obvious
LOCKDOWN!!!….Do you want to wake up in CUBA…total control…visit there and make your choices then….Can’t see pass your nose can you?
Farrakhan F@Cking told us and we did not listen!!!! Bermuda we are to blame. He said this was going to happen in a systematic way.
1. Cache of guns arrive
2. Cache of guns on streets
3. Gangs wielding Guns and murders happen
4. Police will be able to carry guns
5. Police will be coming to your home kicking in your door and killing your son or daughter.
Like he says its systematic… “get your sons and daughters out of this lifestyle or they will die.
FYI – The Firearm Act of 1973
On Conviction on Indictment
Offence Punishment
(a) First offence, except as provided in
paragraph (c):
Imprisonment for not less than 12 years
and not more than 17 years.
(b) Second or subsequent offence: Imprisonment for not less than 17 years
and not more than 20 years.
(c) First offence committed by a person
who, prior to the commencement of the
Firearms Amendment Act 1995 on 6
October 1995, was convicted of an
indictable offence, or an attempt to
commit an indictable offence, in the
course of which or during his flight he
used a firearm:
Imprisonment for not less than 17 years
and not more than 20 years.
B.E.R.M.U.D.A. When will the madness on the island end?? Gun violence continues to grow at an alarming rate in Bermuda with no end in site. It seems like every month another young black male is shot, wounded or killed. How can we survive as a nation when we are killing our citizens seamlessly without cause? Most people feel that there is nothing that they can do about it, but that’s not True. You can get involved in a community organization, start a neighbourhood watch program, and town hall meetings, invite politicians, pastors, the police and educators to speak at these events. We must be mindful of what goes on in our communities and be proactive in the prevention of crime and violence. #gυηz_тυяη_уσυ_вσуz_ιηтσ_ρυ$$ιє$_[ѕ.є.χ. ¢нαηgє]
- я.ι.ρ. вιg нєαd яαηdу!! My sincere condolences to his family and a lot of strength in dealing with the difficult times to come. -JARP
How many murders have occurred in recent years involving prohibited weapons? It’s hindsight to talk about border security for the horse has already bolted from the stable. It may seem unrelated but I have to say that this is the result of a clueless management team who were tasked with monitoring our borders. Someone did say that the dirt would eventually come out in the wash. It’s sad that so many families have suffered the loss of loved ones in this way.
MY HEART GOES OUT TO THIS FAMILY iM SO SAD TONIGHT
From what I’m seeing and hearing things are not going to get better but worse.It is a matter of whether the bermuda government and police is willing to get tougher on gang activity and there members.In order to stop these crimal organizations you have to go for the head (top leader branch)and cut them down one by one.Same tactics that where used in bringing down the New York mafia.Find out who is running these gangs or crews which should not be hard and start giving the Bermuda tax payers they money worth!
Too many deaths. They have to make a law which would make it a criminal offense to be in a gang. Round up all of them. Torment them day after day until they give up. Life doesn’t seem to mean anything to them. The island is under seige.
Happy i moved to the states Bermuda really is turning to S**t. I say let them kill each other offand just think of it as population control!
what an insensitive comment
Good thing you moved to the U.S., we all know there are no murders in America!
And your comment about let them kill off each other is the same attitude too many people in Bermuda have, and the reason effective measures have not been implemented.
Ever heard the saying “If you ain’t got nothing good to say…..”?
did you think before you made that comment..very insensitive
You all wake up. Everyone seems like they hate the Police. They beat up my brother, they beat up my son,they disrespected me. These guys are human and WITHOUT MAJOR WEAPONS to intervene at any time.Every USA cop has a gun to do their jobs EFFECTIVELY… And when you get pulled over in the States all you do is hope and pray you have no warrant out….. Its scary to know you might go to Fulton County Jail or Dekalb County or some fuc ed up place for God knows how long…….. The cops there do get respect. These punks know this Government is not allowing any of their family,friends, children, or whoever is involved to get any real time so they continue… Where is the Government and why aren’t they been on top of this a lllllllllongggggggggg time ago . They must be scared too…. Bring a real Military here from Mississippi or Alabama and seize this bull%$#t cause its crazy and so damn senseless… I will love to see NYPD and Bps team up …. How nice will that be and it can be done, STATE OF EMERGENCY…SERIOUS
@TeeWantsToSeePeace
Don’t be so ignorant. Majority of the police on this island are foreigners. Which, consequently means they don’t have a care in the world for the locals of Bermuda; we are nothing to them but a potential pat on the back & a paycheck. And what will they do if they were given such ‘major weapons’, they would shoot without thinking and that just means innocent lives are at risk (not saying that they aren’t at risk with these weapons being in the possession of these uncivil beings). The young males of the island are killing of the future population well enough they don’t need the help of the civil servants. But when the island is in such a detrimental state I think it would be wise to revert back to old saying, “An eye for an eye makes that whole world go blind.” That is all for now.
WJ you are ignorant of what training these guys surely go under to be able to carry firearms…it can’t be just point and shoot i am certain. they will pull that trigger if it is warranted. Innocent lives at risk sh#t! they are at risk every day with gunmen shooting the relatives of someone they really want to shoot…..get with it.
Tell that to the hundred if not thousands of people that have been shot by these “trained professionals” by “mistake” in the US. Police/Law Enforcement are constantly in the news all over the world for shooting the wrong people. Think before you speak people. Warranted? All they have to say is they felt that their life or the lives of their fellow officers was in danger and they get off with barely a slap on the wrist. Sorry to detract from the death of the young man but I’m more than tired of the solution-problem-reaction this world’s societies fall victim to time and time again. The guns didn’t just APPEAR on the island. They’ve been here a LONG time. These boys, yes I will say boys because young men show promise and eventually grow up and these boys are falling, scratch that, HAVE fallen into the same trap that plagues most of the world. Bermuda is not immune to what is happening all over the globe. This is not going to get better. Not before it gets worse. All the people BEGGING government to give the police, army, national guard increased powers (Anyone know how to spell Police State?). Handing your freedom over to the same people that put your sons and daughters in this predicament need to realize exactly what is going on in the WORLD. Bermuda (and yes I love my country and all its people) is a small small piece of this pie. My heart goes out to the family of this victim.
@ CT – you got it bra…everybody’s hands r dirty.
You sound so ignorant. They have guns now and nobody has been shot by police. You think its only the Bermudian police with the guns. If we go by your stats and say the majority of the police are foreigners, then that would mean the foreign police have guns too. I would rather take a chance with the foreigner carrying a gun than these guys that have no rules and could care who gets caught in the cross fire, sitting in the trees waiting for someone to walk cross.
These “foreign” police put their lives on the line every day in consideration of the crazy gun violence, in a country where they have no care in the world for its residents!?!
Your conclusion needs less emotion and more rationale.
What I don’t understand, is the police and forensic experts have said that all the killings are done by 3……. I repeat, only 3 guns……. then why can’t they do something more to find these 3 guns????!!!!! That could slow down some of this @&(%!
Dont be so naive you think theres only three guns out there. what about the seven that has already been seizd by police.
Everyone wants to blame these boys but when you think about it its society, this country, this government that has failed them. Constant budget cuts and bandaide solutions have only made this island what it is today. I feel for these guys as many of them only wish things could have been different wish they had an alternative. I know about 6 guys that may be labeled as gang members that are presently trying to complete a ged so they can get off this island and better themselves all these guys where forced out of senior school due to fears of their safety! CBA and Berkeley was were we went wrong! No one wants to live like this its too much work. Just the other day I heard someone say the two hardest jobs are being a drug addict and being a gangster; as an addict all day you work for your next high has a gangster your working to stay alive watching your every move who you involve yourself with. That statement within its self is sickening. I only pray that our government moves to make some proper changes that will help our current situation. I’m tired of RIP’in I’m tired of collecting remembrance tags and attending vigils. Sick and damn tired and I’m only 24.
We all must remember the police are there to protect and serve which they are doing, government or the political party’s are doing their jobs, saying what they think you want to hear, you probably will or will not believe it but its some of the people of bermuda, not all that are not doing their part, by saying:its none of their business, its not their child, the police need to do their job, government needs to do their job, we the people of this country have the authority as a whole in unity, not individually to put into position whomever we see fit and to take them out, just like the people who are doing the shooting, they have control until they are stopped, if you have information give it, don’t wait until it hits home, speak out, if they are or may not be threatning you, when i grew up the whole neighborhood took care of everybody’s children, we were pokey! you here me pokey! get pokey, stop talking bout it and lets do something about it, i’m not perfect never will be, and there is no need to SHOUT! in order to get your point across, sometimes we all have to listen and then and only then will we be able to walk and talk and come to an understanding.What about those young ones listening to the words coming out of your mouth, then you want to smack them when they say it, do as i say not as i do, that should be your first change,you don’t know what these people went threw to end up like this, mind you it is wrong, but what we can do is stop your children from ending up like them, let them see and here the right way from you, love, respect , manners, unselfishness, treating others the way you want them to treat you, sounds impossible? nothing is impossible with God some just don’t know him, some have never heard of him in their household, children see their first steps in life in the household, work it in so it will be worked out, so i leave you with this, were do you see your child ten to fifteen years from now will some of us still say than were are the police,government etc, or will we be trapped inside our houses not able to get out. Dear heavenly father I ask for those of us who do truly know you allow those who don’t, to want to get to know you, by seeing your presence upon us, how we carry ourselves and how we speak, helping us to speak kind and loving words to those whom we do not even know. To my home, my people and my country love you all I don’t have to know your background or what you done wrong, I love you in spite of our differences or circumstances, God loves me so how can i not love you, I am not better than you, You are not better than me,but you can teach me as I teach you and in turn help each other, don’t criticize just encourage. Call me whatever name you wan’t that means you heard me and you listened. I am a willing participant.
im sorry 2 say but we hav 2 get any decent young men left off that f$%** island!!! people wake up this is never gona stop!!! n if u think it is then im sorry i dont kno what world ya livin in!!!
RIP “R” and to “R and R” my deepest sympathies…..I hear cries for the Police and Government to step in and help, or do their job..I ask this question “why would you ask someone to help who is lulling you into a false sense of security?” I ask this question simply because THEY want you to believe that there are ONLY 3 or 4 guns on the island..Don’t fall for this! There are more here than one might think!! and the scary thing is..the Police know this..I am with “outkasted” and what he posted..we were warned!!! but no..not here in Bermuda! what is this guy on about! was the reaction received to his speech..I refuse to call our young men gangster, thugs and any other demeaning term..we are speaking it into the atmosphere, speaking it into existence and they are living up to it!! Media hype fuels it even more with news reports with the words gangster, gang members, gang bangers and the like…Sick of blaming it on TV.. I love action movies but they don’t make me want to go around with a 9mm tucked in my waistband!!! Some of these young men don’t want to be in the position that they are in but soemtimes life experiences can either make you weak or make you strong..at the end of the day it’s I know it’s about choices and most of us have the cognitive ability to know right from wrong..I have worked with some of these young men and they might appear tough but when I say to them I don’t know if anyone has told you today that they love you, but Mrs. ___________ loves you ..they’re like alright, alright Mrs. _______ with the biggest grin on their faces…their exterior might appear tough but they do have a soft side. They were not born murderers..we have to figure out why they turn out to be cold and so calculating without feelings, why is their hatred fueled so much that they will result to killing? somewhere along the line the ball was dropped..I work in a setting were I have to deal with students that have experienced a lot of what is going on right now, with their relatives, neighbours etc having been taken out by the sensless violence that is plaguing our community right now..I have seen an “A” students grades plummet to a “C” and begin to exhibit signs of behavior challenges and when I suuggest to the parents to get their child in counseling their response is there’s nothing wrong with him/her she they just want attention..so starts the cycle, the behaviors get worse because they are not getting the help that they need…how do you expect a 6, 7, 8, year old to just “get over” the fact that their uncle, cousin, brother, dad was killed…We are dropping the ball people..I don’t know what the solution is to the problem, but I do know that name calling, put downs, not repecting others opinions and the like is not the answer..how are we going to get together and work as a team if we can’t even respect one anothers opinions? These so called “Thugs” as people often refer to them as read these posts..trust me I know..instead of calling them names or hyping them up, or putting them down..offer your services, show them that you care, offer them a listening ear and see what they have to say, see what is happening, what’s wrong, where is all their anger coming from….THEY are the ones with all the answers…
RIP R.
Well said. I agree.
It is sooooo sad that we have lost another young black man that had so much to give to this small island. Someone saw and knows what happened but no one is saying any thing,but it was BB within 2 to 5 minutes of when it happened. What up with that Bermuda. My prayers are with the whole R Family.
I’ll say it again! Bring back Captital Punishment for these culprits when caught! Harsh punishment is needed in this country! This situation is so sad! Our young black people killing each other! Young People……..WAKE UP! STOP! YOU ARE RUINING YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR FUTURE! My prayers go out to the family during this trying time.
Not capital Punishment no, I will repeat myself once again… The sentence when caught is you have your hand chopped off! Why can’t we make this the punishment?
that just might work 4 sum of them. but u allways hav the 1 who thinks they wont get caught.
Chop them both off. They’ll never pull a trigger again.
Because Great Mother Britain won’t allow capital punishment of dismemberment!
Because Great Mother Britain won’t allow capital punishment OR dismemberment!
Dismemberment? ok there guy…
Dude – do you think that being independent is going to solve our issues? You’ve got to be kidding. It’s no use blaming Britain – our problems are our own and created through our own actions. Somerset is right, the solutions start at home, but as JB suggests, if education were to improve, kids would have more opportunities and the lure of gang warfare would seem less powerful. But there are many reasons why we are here, and nobody has ALL the answers. We collectively are in agreement that enough is enough, and that is a start – one by one we have to teach ourselves and others to embrace love and respect for one another. We must teach that none of us is better than the other, and that we ALL can add value to society if we just acknowledge and accept that we have differences and that is what makes us human beings. We have lost our compassion and our unity, and we must find it again in order to heal our children and stop this madness!
It’s not that she won’t allow it! It’s still on the books alwys have been they just wont force it! Somethin else u wont hear about. I wonder y???
people screaming death sentence this, death sentence that make me laugh.
These guys aren’t afraid of dying on the street, what makes you think the ‘death sentence’ is going to deter them in any way, shape or form?
Matter of fact, where has the death sentence actually detered murder at all? Certainly not the U.S.
All the death penalty does is turn the state into another killer of black males.
Our penal system is helpless, only a drastic change in our social system can solve this.
@Jr This ain’t the States. And sure they are afraid of dying in the streets, that’s were all the talk about this person can’t go here or that person can’t go there. They ain’t afraid to shoot, but of course they are afraid of getting shot at. I am personally against capital punishment, But for now I am inclined to feel that may be the only deterrent for some young boy who might be contemplating firing a gun at another person’s child with intent to kill. Once again, Drastic measures for drastic times (or however the saying goes).
answer my question though. where does capital punishment work as a deterant?
and frankly, we are the States. this gang culture was born and breed stateside and these kids emulate stateside gangsters.
Where does it work you ask? It works everywhere – no repeat offenders! Can’t kill or commit any other crimes if you are dead. That’s where and how it works!!
Singapore for starters… Try taking drugs through their airport, get caught and see what happens to you. Thats why most mules don’t risk it there. Singapore’s crime rate is very low because of strict policing and tough laws. Bermuda should learn from another small island nation.
haha…your joking right? so your saying we should model are justice system after places with horrible human rights abuse records.
I don’t support capital punishment. That’s not the answer. It’s a desperate, band-aid solution to a much bigger problem that we currently face.
To be honest, I don’t know what the answer is. To a certain degree, people feel powerless, helpless and this is stemming desperate, emotional responses for solutions. This is a sad and hard day for Bermuda.
My prayers are with the victim’s parents. They shouldn’t have to be going through this. I pray for solace in this awful time.
time to stop the not my son mentality by denying or hiding the gang connection it will just continue Bermuda needs to bust the gangs wide open before this will end. Mothers girlfriends if you don’t want your son, boyfriend, baby’s daddy to be next be a part of the solution instead, turn them in if you know something they are better off in WestGate than the ground.. Unfortunately this will hit innocent people or young men that truly are trying to “get out” and change their lives.. no young man is a waste of being just trod the wrong path and with gangs.. hell if you do and hell if you don’t the gangs need to be busted open or this will only continue
Wait till the next one. I posted about “tit-for-tat” last week.
Condolences to the family
Step 1 – Pray 4 Peace in our Nation & that our way of Life is not permanently over.
Step 2 – Stop the irrational rhetoric, and be brave enough to support this Plan.
Step 3 – Rescind contracts of ACP David Mirfield & Messrs DeSilva, Jackman, Wright.
Step 4 – Ask Minister of National Security to perform or transfer this portfolio.
Step 5 – Also make recommendations to FCO for a new Governor who values Black life.
Step 6 – Elect 30 new MPs in both major parties, the current MPs are now defunct and incapable of copying a precedent for Bermuda’s current economic and social quagmire, as we are now in unprecedented and uncharted waters. Be brave enough to accept that a 1970s, 80s, 90s, or 00s MP is illequipped to implement Bermuda First’s Vision 2015 Plan for our great Bermuda.
Step 7 – Ask ABIR, BIRBA, HSBC, CIBC, Carlyle and other major institutional shareholders in Bermuda for permission (or consent) to complete Steps 1 – 5 to safeguard their investment and OUR way of life – yes the IB jobs, big cars, my next trip, your mortgage payments. Try to get their consent without giving away any more concessions, as they are already profitable thats why they still stay in sunny BDA!! They will of course oppose Step 6 as that would mean an end to current Proxy culture. Time to “Reset the Dial” with Bermudian MPs who are already successful in their own right and their current professions, businesses, vocations or community intervention – albeit outside the House and Senate.
to 7 Steps: Thanks for at least thinking about the issues and providing some recommendations. I am hopeful that within each of the steps listed that you have a further series of recommendations that will make sense.
I refer to Step 3 + 4: Rescinding contracts within the Police Force and transfer portfolio – how does this improve our situation and what do you recommend that will be more effective? To whom would this portfolio be transferred – more foreigners, the Bermuda Regiment?
Step 5 – You want a governor who values Black life. Please advise how this helps when Black people DO NOT VALUE Black life – with the killings?
I think if you address The Issue of why Black people are killing Black people without blaming anybody else, this will be a start to constructive rehabilitation of our Bermuda.
ITS NOT ABOUT THE SHOOTING.. ITS THE PRINCIPLE …. ITS NOTHING BUT BLACK ON BLACK CRIME… YOU KILL ONE AND YOU KILL THE FAMILY THAT LOVED HIM.. THESE GUYS GET A KICK OUTVE BERMUDIANS MAKING A BIG DEAL BOUT THE SHOOTING, ITS LIKE A HIGH THE RUN WITH IT TILL THE GET CAUGHT OR THEY GET SHOT.R.I.P. RANDY TO MUCH BLACK YOUTHS DIE ..
to many black men dying leave there sons and daughters behind….. illuminati must be happy!!!
@ QUeen: Well said. You know what’s really goin on.
We want people to come forward regarding these killings however we can’t even get a tenth of our population to even participate in the census! Well I guess we will see the unmanned police Winnebago on court street again today?
All I keep hearing about is let’s come togethere! You ppl are gonna do what?
what now scott? more prayers candels and poems?
these domestic terrorist need to be taken out
R.I.P to man who lost his life over nothing!
It all starts with a mind set. How are people raising their kids? Are you raising your children to not want to seek this path? Are you watching what types of kids your children hang out with and do you know their parents? From the time your son or daughter is born they are like sponges and absorb what they see and hear from you! Do you know or care what they watch on television? Do you let them run free in the streets so you and your boys can drink, smoke and curse it up instead of spending quality time with your kids? It’s starts in your homes! Can you say your kid respects their elders and others when out of your sight? How many times have you turned into your street and these little buggers were in the way and acted like they didn’t want to move and you wanted to run them over? That’s that ignorant animal mentality forming! You see those kids cursing and fighting at the bus stop? Those kids were raised wrong. 15 year olds smoking and drinking? Raised wrong! You let your 13 year old daughter hang out after the sun goes down? Raised wrong! It starts with us parents! You are the one molding the statue. It could turn out to be a work of art or trash!
No man made law or Bible is going to put a stop to this but you can make an effort to try and prevent your child from choosing this life style.
Right on, Somerset OG. It starts with our babies…I hope that if my son is one of those kids at the bus terminal cussing like a sailor on shore leave, then I hope he gets himself a cut-ass, old school. And I hope someone I know calls me, coz he’d get another. This is a generation without consequences. They’re led to believe that whatever they do is fine, and it’s always someone else’s fault- if you can’t figure out what outside influence, it’s they’re sorry upbringing. Bring back EARNED respect, shame, responsibility…and I think you’ll go a long way to making inroads with all of this.
il say it again so listen people “just get your good sons out of that f^&**% up island” its not gona stop!!!!!!!!
When will we realize there is not much the government can do to directly stop this violence. What the government can and has done, is put laws and programs in place that are designed to deter/punish/help people that commit crimes. The police have been put in place to solve crimes, but they can only work within the confines of our laws. The courts can only prosecute a suspect based on the evidence obtained by the police. If a person is found guilty they are sent to prison for punishment and rehabilitation. After a criminal has served time there are still more rehabilitation programs offered. All in all there is not much else the government can do to stop what is happening. The only way for this madness to stop, is for the families of the young men and women who are partaking in these atrocious behaviors to step up and take responsibility for their children and their actions. I don’t believe that the families are condoning the actions of their loved (and sometimes unloved) ones, and many may feel, that for whatever reason they cannot control their children. But they must realize that they are the only ones with the power to stop this madness. It is time for some hardcore intervention. It will not be an easy ask but people we must take a hard line against our young that are involved in this violent storm. It means that we will have to take responsibility for our children and if we have to put them in jail for their actions then so be it. We have to teach our children that they must be held accountable for their actions. The more we cover up for them by making believe that “my child didn’t do that”, the more we enable them, the more we make them feel a little bit more invincible, and the more we make them feel brave to do worse things. So people it is up to us to take responsibility and take action against our own. It is time to put the love back in family. It’s time for fathers to step up and be real men and take charge of their children. There are many people who still believe it takes a village to raise a child, but there are too many parents getting in the way, putting up roadblocks, and not allowing the community to do it’s job.
Wow! The truth will set us free, we need 2 stop lying 2 ourselves BERMUDA is not another world !!
Father God in the Name of Jesus I ask that you will Bless and protect this Island Called Bermuda! I ask that you Heal the hearts of the families that have lost a loved one to this tragic , senseless violence,! Lord as we struggle from day to day please please broaden our hearts and minds and allow us to understand! Have your way Lord, show us that you are an amazing God and you do answer prayers…. Lord work through this Island and make all good things possible! Lord Bermuda is serching for peace we need it LORD!!! What ever is on these young boys minds that are doing the killing Lord I ask that u will change their thoughts so that they will come closer to you… Let them know that this is not the way to get revenge, speak to their hearts LOrd! In Jesus precious Name AMEN!!! LOVE YOU BERMUDA AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU!!!!
God forbid when an innocent child,or adult gets shot by accident.(Being in the wrong place at the wrong time). This country will go into an uproar! Bermuda do something now before that day comes!
lets be realistic for a minute..bps patrol friswells hill every 20 on a regular..they have helped to clean up the area a lot in the last 2 yrs..but they cannot be every where every minute…any child is gonna wait till thier parent is gone to try watch tv or go into the cookie jar..so what do you expect criminals to do…so its no rocket scientist theory to wait until police are gone to commit a crime
Out right sad!!! RIP mate
They dont see it coming and how close it is. After the wedding of Prince William they will soon find out though. Great Britian has already gave warning to Bermuda along with the Cayman Islands. So I say as soon as his wedding is done their coming and bringing the power and rules obviously afraid to be used by Bermuda’s people in charge. They have sent warnings, but too much tv makes them forget the rules they live by. When they come they need no permission to search your house this is not America no warrents necessary. As you walk down the street they can stop you and search you and not a thing you can do. This is their island and Bermudians are just living on it. Any day they can roll in here and throw out the entire government and they can’t do nothing because they were warned. “Get your house in order”. So when those royal ships and planes move in just know the warnings your leaders were given they didn’t take serious but they decided to insult the person giving it to them. The sad part is some think America will help but Bermuda is Great Britians child so they won’t interfere when she pulls out her belt.
This is not a free nation yall better check yourself
TO all that are Bermudians:
The only way FORWARD it to choose to forgive others, we release ourselves from sin’s power. The act of forgiving them allows God to work this will and our healing in the situation. Forgiveness in the power that will change life of defeat into one of victory.
And for those asking why:
Isaiah 40:18-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint
Powerful!
our biggest problem used to be losing our young men to speeding and riding recklessly. another young black man gone
can we send all of the so-called “gangsters” of this island to iraq or any other war torn country. let them see what real war is like!
Judging by the grammar and spelling seen here, a good place to start might be on raising the bar in our Educational System. There are some basic reasons a society breaks down .
@JB are you serious?!! Someone has been shot dead and you’re worrying about grammar and spelling, GET A LIFE!
I’m talking about a failed educational system being a root cause (not THE cause) of the breakdown in our society. I was looking at a much bigger picture.
everyone is so busy pointing thier fingers it is the Education system it is the police it is the government
look in the mirror thats whos fault it is
JB – many thanks for your critical review of the grammar and spelling on this forum. I am reminded when my son was in his second year of primary school, his teacher suspended all the rules of grammar just so that the children in his class would focus more on composing and producing their stories. This is a similar situation where the people in this forum have opinions, ideas and thoughts about a very serious issue that need to be expressed. Who cares if there are spelling and grammar errors at this time?
p.s. My son excelled in English and is in university studying English with a view to perhaps teaching English.
Co-signed!
Fundamentals instilled in our youth, mainly young black men, could have a positive reflection in their more mature years. Teach our young children to value education, respect knowledge, and pride themselves in pursuing more than earlier generations and I can guarantee you, most of these problems would cease to exist.
I hear you JB! Education goes a long way! Imagine Prince William spelling like most Bermudians I run across! Imagine Obama talking slang like this! Present yourself at the highest level at all times. I can see small spelling errors when responding in a heated fashion, but some of this language is pure garbage. BERMBONICS is just as bad as ebonics. Would you want your heart surgeon talking like that? The more ignorant you are the more ignorant you act.
I hear you too Grizz but stupid is as stupid does. I correct everyone in my house and in turn if I say something incorrectly my kids correct me. There isn’t any ummm gone down di road in my house! His the one? For real? His or he’s the one? Is it there prerogative or their prerogative?
pre·rog·a·tive/priˈrägətiv/Noun
1. A right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class.
2. A faculty or property distinguishing a person or class.
I need spell check too but put in some effort in the first place. Word not verd, weed not veed! Snap out of it!
Ok….its always interesting to see how bernews comments turn into arguments almost like clock work. I’m not going to poke at individual comments but more or less just put some words out there.
Lets address the police first: I see comments on how most of the service is made up of foreigners which is true, however there is a reason for this. 1. Bermudians that complain about it don’t want to do the job for whatever their personal reasons and some just do not qualify for whatever reason. Secondly people must realize that the police only work within the laws of the land they are allowed to. As mundane of a fact that is, its reality. There is a clear division within society as to what the police should and should not be doing. If they start to set up road blocks and things of that nature you have the people who complain because their civil liberties are being violated, and on the other hand you have people calling for this kind of policing. Also I would like to point out that police officers are human as much as some of us would like to believe contrary, but when they respond to fights involving people or whatever the case and you see them being “rough” or brutal with them. People must realize that police go in blind and try to resolve situations as quickly as possible and don’t what weapons people may have, thats all I will say to that.
Secondly: With Bermuda following the UK with their pink and fluffy approach to policing and policy making, it sets the tone for policing looking dumb and the courts looking like they do nothing. We need to set our OWN standards when it comes to law PERIOD. When human rights entered the realm of law enforcement things really took a turn for the worse. I am not saying that they shouldn’t be recognized but they have so much influence on things that it has caused a decay in the mindsets of people. In my opinion you cannot talk to violent criminals, its not what they understand, but the minute harm is done to them its always a cry of foul.
Lastly but not least, another child or children have to grow up without a parent. The cycle continues. The last thing I will say is that the sins of the father reflect upon his off spring. And that goes for every aspect of life. We have a country where the normal blue collar worker cannot even buy a piece of land to call his/her own anymore without someone to help. You have banks that refuse to help the common folk, and in turn you have people working 2-4 jobs just to make ends meet. Eliminating family time and social time, so children lose out…..all a vicious circle. My brothers and sisters this a country wide problem which must be solved by the country as a whole, not the so called policy makers who work 9-5 and talk on camera when things like this happen, you see in the middle east people want their leaders out and show they’re willing to whatever it takes to make that happen.
we are one….whether we like it or not…..sorry if my rant offended anyone. Peace
Amen to that!! I will and can say that this last statement is true. I remember as a teenager living with my mother in Bermuda, not doing what I was suppose to be doing, being disruptive, disrespectful what we call typical teenage stuff..Well, my mother had enough, packed my bags and changd the locks on the doors. Where was I to go? I went to my fathers house…what did I end up doing – sitting on the wall in Warwick below Cedar Hill by the post office chilln with the fellas watching time go by…What do you think happened next? My mother received a phone call from someone passing who knew me and asked why was I sitting on the wall…my mother explained and then made a decision. She came, picked me up and laid down some rules if I was to return home and told me to watch and see what would happen to those same boys Iw as chillin with on the wall.
At that point I had a decision to make. I went back home and it changed my life forever. I had the sense enough to come to the realization that if my mother who loved me unconditionally was strong enough and willing to come get me, take me from what could have turned out to be something negative via the influences around me, I could step up and be a true man and do what I had to do to respect my mother enough…That was over 20 years ago and I thank my mother every change I get for taking charge and putting me up to the challenge. True, not every mother out there is like that because I’m sure some of these mothers were babies (teenagers) themselves when they gave birth…and maybe their mother came from the same path. So we are talking a generation of issues here also…not to say that some of these guys didn’t just come from corrupt backgrouds. Some of these guys come from well-to-do families also…in the end, we all have decisions to make as it pertains to “our” own lives. In that split second we have a choice…to either face our situation or walk away. The choice is yours to make and you have that right.
My comment is in response to Somerset OG
Well, everyone here must be on the RG site. Same crap, differant day. Amazing. Blame everyone else. I’m outta here and not bothered to even say a word on the ‘Live Debate’…..looks like everyone has taken “It”.
A great day to all and stay safe.
My condolences to all those persons who loved this young man. The loss of his life is a tragedy in personal and national terms!
What I will say here is not meant to be necessarily related to this young man’s family situation but is offered as a general question.
I also agree that there is no singular reason for the state we have allowed our country to get into but I would like us to consider more seriously the absence of fathers in the lives of many young people. Mothers do the best they can as one parent but no one parent can really do it all… give both love and discipline while working full time to make ends meet.
While I’m not 100%, I think the problems we (and other countries) are experiencing are unprecedented. I do think that the breakdown of the family unit has contributed tremendously and the good news is that even with the breakdown I don’t think it is a hopeless situation. Anyone who brings a life into this world has a responsibility to provide for the care and nurturance of that life until they are able to care and nurture themselves. If you’re not up to the job, just don’t make any babies!
No amount of laws will make people be responsible. That’s a value (among others) that we must uphold if we are to have any semblance of a civilised society. That’s entirely in our hands… no one to blame but ourselves if we shirk it but if/when we do fail to uphold our responsibilities, it becomes the responsibility of those people who get paid to run the country to implement remedies that are proven to work (determined by measuring the success rate) and to then change them if they are not giving the desired results.
It begins (and ultimately ends) with each one of us. What will you do with your life?
I’d have to agree. A male role model can make a big difference in a young person’s life. I think programs like Big Brothers can make a huge difference and encourage any male out there who wishes there was something they could do to sign up. You would be surprised at how big of a difference you can make in someone’s life.
Big Bros, you make a great point. It is time for people to get off of their high horse. We complain about the police, government, other parents, drugs, gangs, poor public education and foreign workers as the cause of our problems yet so few people want to take any initiative into their own hands.
At the start of last year there were 100 boys enrolled in the big brother program without a mentor, some who had been there for over 2 years. While this is only a part of the long term solution, imagine the difference you could make by providing a young bermudian with a positive male role model.
Before you complain about how everyone else is trashing our island take a moment and think about how you could be part of the solution.
Maybe planned parenthood would be a good program to introduce…. we females need to be pickier about who we lie down with and take every precaution to not become pregnant until the man has proven himself to be worthy of that gift.
After the 2nd shooting i came on here and said unless the polics start getting some backbone and start kicking in doors 30 -40 police officers at a time the shootings will continue.
POLICE HELLO WHERE ARE YOU!!! GOVERNMENT are you here!!!!! Business as usual should not happen and drastic changes in the cummunity need to take place now! Police COMSSIONER HELLOO ARE YOU HERE!! HELLOO!!! GOVERNER HELLO!!!!!!!!
If police do not go door to door and start dragging people out of homes,sit on couches and find out whats going on in each and every house starting from the east to the west then these guys will just continue their lifestyle.(I SAID THIS AFTER THE 2ND SHOOTING) ANd a lot of people feel like this .LETS PUT SOME WORK IN FFS!!
If the government doesnt shut down the access of cash and how these guys can freely use cash to buy what they want after selling drugs then things will continue just the way they are.
POLICE PLEASE STOP WAITING FOR PPL TO COME FORWARD AFTER EVERY SHOOTING and if they DONT THEN WHAT YOU ALL JUST GO BACK HOME????
ITS ALMOST BECOMING A PATTERN
someone gets shot there is a press conference asking people to forward.
Please stop this and drag these guys on drugs out of homes!!!!!!!
People are getting tired of all this
Police can only act within the law.
If Police do what you stated above, I guarantee you that there will be an outcry of the public stating civil rights abuses, harassment etc…
Really police are in position that they are damned if they do damned if they dont IMO.
They start being aggressive, the public starts complaining
They act purely within their relm (some say it is complacent) the public complains.
Perhaps the public should try to be more involved in finding ways to get information from the perps of the crimes and those who faciltate the perps to hand over.
Furthermore, we are saying what is wrong with our young black men… we should be looking at our young black women who play a part of these murders… whether they help set up the murders, help the criminals or chose to date these types of men. They play a major part in the equation.
I agree and I said the same thing! I don’t give a damn about harassment it needs to be done! They claim they know who the high ranking members of these gangs are well start there, kick in their doors, their mothers, their girlfriends, whoever! Execute some damn search warrants! Make them uncomfortable not knowing when 40 police officers might tear through their front door!
We can blame the government and the police but really we need to blame ourselves. We are a small nit island and everyone knows everyone. So someone knows who did it. 66,000 people on this island and you tell me someone don’t know he shooter? The police can’t do their job if people don’t speak up. If you know who are doing these shooting TALK UP! There is nothing to be scared about. They even have crime stoppers that you can call and they will even give you money if you tell who are doing these shootings! And its anonymous.(aLL THIS STOP SNICHING NEEDS TO STOP! HOW ABOUT STOP KILLINGS)! We as a community need to stand up. These young men are losing their lives because no one is speaking up. If people would speak up and tell the police what they know, the less guns would be on the street and less killings. SPEAK UP!
Bermuda is still relatively safe country compared to places like Jamaica .
Assistant Commissioner Murfield is responsible for cleaning up the gang violence in West Midlands area, uk.
Mediation is only one aspect of cleaning up the gang violence here. in my opinion, the laws & penalites are still a bit soft here, i.e. they should immediately execute the convicted of all murdered & send those who are sentenced to jail for severe violent & drug crimes to the maximum time possible to the worst prisons in the world
But the government won’t do such a thing because they have to think about staying in power. Also, they need to bring in the best people in the world who clean up gang problems, construct the best plans for doing so & act on them entirely.
After all, this little country only has 70K people or so on 22 square miles. PLEASE!!!!!!!
@ stern “God forbid when an innocent child,or adult gets shot by accident.(Being in the wrong place at the wrong time). This country will go into an uproar! Bermuda do something now before that day comes!”
Sorry mate but that day has come and gone. A few of these young people that have been murdered were innocent and were at the wrong place at the wrong time. My dear friend Colford was one and so was Randy. These men were gunned down not because they were involved in any of the hatred that is going on today – they were gunned down because the people that they knew and associated with were/are involved in the fued. I mean look at Kumi (R.I.P babes) – some of you may say that he wasn’t innocent, but at the end of the day for every bad he did, he did a ton of good, NO ONE can deny that!!! On top of that – he wasn’t even shot dead for something he did, he was shot dead for something one of his boys did. Bermuda has gotten to the point that you have to watch who you talk to, who you call your friend and who you call your family. I have family members and friends that I grew up with and used to be so close to involved in all this ignorance – you want to know the reason we aren’t close anymore? I can’t afford to put myself in the position of becoming a potential victim because of something someone I know did. I have a 18 month old son and husband to think about. I’ve had family/friends from both sides of the fued come up to me and warn me about associationg with this person and that person from the other side (“Black watch yourself. I love you and I want nothing to happen to you, they are going after family and friends now”) – I haven’t been ‘back of town’ to say hi to any of my friends/family since my son was born. This island is crazy and I’m sorry to say, but NOTHING will change it except for the people that made it this way. The sad part is – this anti-social behavior is being passed down to the children – these little boys and girls are going to grow up hating each other because ‘your daddy killed my daddy”, UNLESS the parents are raising them otherwise, unfortunately I doubt it.
FTR: I HATE that saying “show me your company and I’ll tell you who you are” It sucks that a person can’t hang out with someone completely different from them without being labled as being exactly like them.
You know i have only commented on here once because i find that you bloggers say anything and do absolutely nothing! If we as people really want this to end then we as people can’t sit back and criticize the little help that is being put forth. I love Bermuda but i hate the mentality of some folks, one thing i can say is Bermuda as a whole has always had a problem with change and adapting to change. here are the serious times long gone are the paradise days yet we still sit back with false hope of the paradise days returning yet no one is really landing a helping hand. the cops nor the few witnesses they have can solve this shyt! ever heard the phrase “no body wants to plant the corn, everybody wants to raid the barn???” well that’s exactly whats happening here on this island!!! no one wants to help or should i say there are very few that help towards all of this bs yet all of you would be rather happy posting your blog and hanging around waiting for your replies when in actual fact if you spent that energy researching the cause of this social meltdown in Bermuda with our youths and how we as a whole can change it and taking an active step towards change then maybe we would see brighter days. but i hate how my country as fortunate as we are we as a whole cant take a stance on any issue! we let the govt make silly decisions while we pay for it and it affects our children’s children. when will we fight together for change? when will we plant the corn together and stop raiding the damn barn?????? i get tired of reading all the foolishness on these sites cause just like BET and MTV its poison! weather its opinions or what! anyone can sit behind a PC and talk smack all day but what is it accomplishing? ya only stealing from your employer because you are distracted at work! come on Bermuda we need to wake up and WORK TOGETHER!!!!!! if not we’ll continue to lose Bermuda! like we’ve lost landscaping, hospitality, etc.!!!!! WAKE the F@#K UP!!! I Love all of my people! But as Ive heard football team on this island shout and chant at their games Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM)!!!!! so lets get that team going! enough with the talk!
You do realize that you are doing the exact same thing as everyone else right? Add on to the fact that you chose “dipset” as your comment name. So what exactly are you doing that’s any different?
@ S BROWN . This is the worse Bda has ever been i think the public would understand under these circumstances if the police started using aggressive measures.Or that same person complaining about police brutality will not even be able to walk outside of his soon because he may have his attacked by armed gunmen.If laws need to be changed then we should change them because if you think its bad now it can get worse.
@ the Truth its not about blame its about who can start fixing the problem so these incidents do not happen anymore
@ gm comparing Bda to any country in any subject matter doesnt really make sense bda is only 3 miles wide so ofcourse any other country will have magnified events. We need to stop looking for these silly excuses and take back Bermuda.You dont want to see things get worse.
@ S BRown In general there are many families living in fear of family members and are too terrified to call anyone for help that is why police need to step up.
@ven, no i don’t;
that is the reason why i made recomendations on cleaning this madness up, what are yours???
I am a PRODUCT of a SINGLE parent and she worked 2/3 jobs and yes she wasnt home aas much but that didnt deter me nor my 2 younger sibllings to go ut and fend for ourselves. We had neighbours who watched out for us when she worked. We all need to get to know out neighbour and help each other out. Show respect and Love one anotha. Yes these are TOUGH times, ppl areliving pay check to pay check workin more the 2 jobs to make ends meet. Stop knocking the next person and lend a helping hand. you never know how much that child would respect their neighbour for helping the single parent out. Damn, I know i help out my neighbour any way I can being that she works and she has 2 young children. Stop belittling the next person and put a helping hand out, that doesnt mean you have too cloth them, but whts wrong with feeding and helping them with homework, studies and etc. Life is prescious we all have 1 LIFE. USe it cause whn its your time or its on your door step you would want the help to get through the BS thats happening. I love my island and my neighbours . Hopefully your neighbour would help out that 1 single parent that is having a rough time..
My prayers go out to R&R !!! Jah knows he will guide and give you both the strength to get through this.
R.I.P R Jr. !!!!
Um tired of goin to more funerals den weddings…Um tired of goin more wakes den receptions…Um tired of it all! BUT de only thing scarin me right now is de fact that if WE think these lot are BAD…wait til you see de NEXT YOUNGER generation. WE are in fa sum s**t!! real talk.
Can someone knowledgeable explain how the process would work to increase minimum sentencing for gun crime? Could this legislation be passed by government? Would it have to be upheld in the judicial system? How does the process work? Bermudians should protest for new legislation.
I mean 9 years for conspiring to murder????? 13 years for importing drugs???? What the heck is going on with the higher ups? I am really starting to wonder.
I think Bernews should create a forum on here.
I agree
Many may not wanna see this but…
I will not be surprised if this island ends up with more lesbians than ever before! What men do women have to pick from…seriously? if they aren’t locked up, involved in some kinda of illicit activity, use drugs, or jus plain stupid (uneducated) there is hardly any men left. It is a sad reality that Bermuda’s black men are doing this to each other. Watch n see…women r gonna start finding women more n more attractive because WE hold the good job, WE can pay our bills, WE are capable of running a home. I am no lesbian…however i am already starting to see a growing “trend”. Bermuda u haven’t seen anything yet! Professional Bermudian women are even more in a dire situation… it’s hard to find men on a “higher level” than the avg…Non-Bermudian men are starting to look more and more appealing these days…I’m just saying.
@ Nikki that has been going on for a long time educated Bda girls dont go out with bermudian guys.They end up going out with guys they met when they left the island,And when bda guys leave the island and prosper they end up going with american girls .I am away in school and have never dated a bermudian girl,but once i leave the island women from overseas are always interested,i think its just the product of coming from a small place.
Actually…there are more women that return to the island from university single..than in a relationship. Sure we may date and even have a b/f when we r in the US/Canada/UK…however the majority of us do come back having left those relationships behind. I believe that genuinely Bermudian women want to be with Bermudian men…and vice versa. But, the reality is that if we are a woman who is actually going places and moving up the social/professional ladder it’s hard to find a Bermudian man who is on the same page or even close.
I am not sure what the numbers are of Bermudians away in school last i heard it is approx 5000 ppl a year.And as for bermudians working/living overseas i am not sure.But being a guy i just think more bermudian men that end up being professional end up doing it overseas because of more choices and its easier to network if you just completed school and graduated.Some get tired of only being able to have a handful of choices in Bda.But you go to usa or can and you have thousands of choices of social/professional opportunities.I would rather work in the states this summer then come back to bda just because of oppurtunities.
So I think men are just not coming back to Bermuda after school and staying for job and apprentice opportunities and to continue building valuable proffessional connections. Maybe more women are going back home ,its been going on forever like this . Bermuda is a tiny place
Well poor us women…like I said professional women have NO ONE! Must we settle for men beneath us? stay single? or go for non-Bermudians?…that is the question.
Its a big world out there.Stop putting all your hopes on a island thats only 3 miles wild.If you go out with a Bermudian then great.No need to stay single i go out with American girls,when they come to bda we hang out and i show them around.Like i said i have never dated a Bda girl and im over 28 years old.If I had waited for just Bda??
i meant to say an island that only 3 miles wide..:)
Next week’s revenge killing will be a bit worse – since the stakes are raised with each event. How long until there’s a drive by in the streets of Hamilton. OMG what if someone white gets killed – or someone well known. It WILL happen folks – just a matter of time – and not too long I’d guess.
To all of the commentators who have broadly used this tragedy, as with all the other senseless killings, to throw stones at the government, perhaps you should start your attack with a suggestion. I am not trying to defend the PLP as some kind of grandstanding loyalist; but there does not appear to be a whole heap of ideas pouring in from the opposition who some of us would prefer to be in charge. Politics is politics. We as a people should not look to the government to be our providers unless we wish to live in a socialist/communist environment with BIG government.
I agree that the police need as much support, financial and/or otherwise; to equip them in their functions but blaming the government is not the solution. To those who can penetrate the veil of propaganda, it would appear that what is taking place is a movement to destabilize the government. Love them or Hate them, we need both a strong government and an even stronger opposition to lead by example; not to dictate and enact Draconian laws to destroy the island paradise we call home for the sake of a few bad men. Individual liberty should be considered of paramount importance in a free society and such rights should be protected unless we want to turn into Castro Cuba where people may go missing without trial on a mistaken identity charge.
If we are so quick to call Col. Burch names, why not question the Governor? After all he is responsible for the police and internal security. If anything, he lives in back-a-town; yet there remains utter silence from Government House with each gunshot. Does that mean that he is not doing anything? Does that mean that he doesn’t care? Absolutely not. To say such things would be asinine. We do not know how the intelligence department or MI5 operate and what works are being done. So should we protest outside the Governor’s residence or the Commissioner of Police’s residence? I think not. The problems start at home and therefore the home must take a stand unless we want it to be open house 25/8. How can you legislate that?
As a barrister, I can appreciate the call for harsher sentences, but that is only one school of thought. The debate is far reaching as to whether harsher sentences truly offer a cure or just make the rest of us who have no connection to those imprisoned feel “safer”. It is clear that laws exist, as do punishments, and yet crime continues; always has and always will. The question then must be what outreach work can be done to assist those directly affected by all of this madness. In my respectful opinion, marches and vigils shed light on the problem but they do not solve it; although I applaud all of the public works done by those concerned members and families of the victims within our community. Yes, speaking with those directly involved in the gun crime is important but even then, there needs to be a desire to listen and then apply the reasoning which is being shared.
What is taking place is systematic genocide; planned and calculated. Our education system is failing, racist mindsets persist on both sides of the color wheel and some families are struggling to maintain an existence while some businesses record skyrocketing quarterly profits in a so called recession. But when you have absent fathers and enabling mothers who can’t say no to their children or parents who work three, four jobs just to pay the rent; who else but the “streets” will raise our youths. And if the ‘streets” are not raising our youth, then the “streets” are certainly influencing them.
So what can we do about the streets? It would appear that the “streets” worldwide are being glorified. A shift has developed where it would seem that some people are not merely take pride as a result of being from a particular neighborhood, even if it is impoverished; but the pride is in reflecting a mindset that speaks” impoverished”. Sorry if this is confusing but I think of my father’s stories and pride of growing up as a “pond dog” in segregated Bermuda; but that was limited to his experience and the humility and togetherness garnished as a result of that experience. But when it came to work, dress, speech, his pride was in his family name and he tried to represent the best of himself and his family. Today, is this really the case?
It would appear that some of our women gravitate to the so called baddest thuggish looking rude bwoy who can barely string two sentences together, uses their girl’s car and asks them for money yet that same female would turn a blind eye to a brother in a suit (not that one is better than the other!). Why, it appears that there has been a worldwide campaign to depict what the young black male should look like and the thug image is sexy; it has a certain mystique. And when every media format exemplifies such imagery, how can some of us not be enchanted? So how does the Bermuda government and our community combat a worldwide phenomenon where so called “ghetto life” is being promulgated and promoted. How can a young man feel a sense of being a part of the community unless they reflect and represent the so called community held values? We as a community have allowed our standards to fall in every sense. In the white collar to the blue collar work environment, our work ethic has become poor, substandard and mediocre and self entitlement has taken over. So let us ask ourselves, why is it any different for these so called disenfranchised youths from some segmented and financially ostracized parts of our island? I certainly am not one for making excuses and I apologize if that is the way this reasoning appears to come across. I am really just free flowing with some thoughts. However, it must be so that some of these factors have helped to contribute to the social ills which we read about today, yet which have always existed. Perhaps I am being naïve, but I do not think our challenges have emanated from the Government.
I certainly do not know the answer or the solution but what must take place is a multi-prong attack by all of us: those pastors, politicians, business people, activists, family members and individuals who are reaching out to the disenfranchised youths in small circles and in privacy must continue to act. Not every action needs to be advertised with big signs and neon lights to demonstrate that people are standing up; but it is a gradual process. These youths are misguided but through collective and individual efforts they can be saved; so I will continue to walk in faith and even look at the so called worst among our number as seeds of the Creator who have a purpose to serve in this world; they just need to realize their value. We will face much worse before it gets better and that is why I believe the harsh criticisms must be left at the keyboard and solutions must be posted. The government is not the be all and end all of us! For those waiting to sit in the seat of power if they have a thought or vision as to how to overcome this, then let’s hear it now, not when so called power has been seized. The same applies to those chatting it he barber shops to the work place to Bernews. Blessings Bermuda / One Love.
After reading some of these posts, there is much anger,sadness,hopelessnes,and frustration. some blame the gov’t, parents,the teachers, the list goes on and on. I believe that the problem of gang violence and murder in Bermuda, Is a problem of Identity, It is very easy to kill someone who looks like you, when you don’t love yourself. Many Black men in Bermuda does not have a sense of Idenity, the young men imitate Jamacian speech, dress like Ameican thugs, and treat their women like sexual objects. Many of them don’t have a clue about their Bermudian history. they live and die for the here and now.In fact this is a sad phenomenon duplicated throughout the diaspora. Every where that black people are demonized,they not only become the victims,but they take on the role as the villian. This issue of self hatred, runs deep in the black community,historically the black race has been catagorized as lazy,violent, insolent,inferior and distrustful .these characterizations are still being perpetuated today, exapmle,President Obama, DR. Brown,Chris Furbert, Rolf Commissiong,Col. Burch, the list go one, so no wonder that when some of these black men, here and see these images of other black men, in the media they have no respect for them,because they look like themselves. Self hatred is a dangerous thing.
Can’t justify puttin Dr.Grievous Bodily Harm nor Self Commissiong with President Obama .I respect everything else you said ,because it makes sense.Even the Kernel gets a pass ,at least he’s honorable.
…Well, well, well – three murders in three months in 2011, dialogue for days all for what? I’ll tell you. NOTHING. It’s my position that dissatisfaction brings about the greatest change. To date, I have not seen angry people, I have seen nothing which indicates my fellow Islanders are fed up. Sure, they are blogging and condemning the violence, they’re defending the victims, they’re dfending the victims that have been identified by the police as known gang members, they’re pointing fingers at the government, the police, the education system and so on, I would like to hear my fellow Islanders say they are fed up with babies having babies, fed up with parents not taking a concerned , committed interest in their children’s lives, fed up with the neglect, physical, and mental abuse of children, fed up up with the lack of respect for life, people and property; fed up with families turning a blind eye to what their family members are doing – (You know if they are not working legitimately, why do they have so much money?) The list goes on. In reality, nothing will get done…it’s all just talk…sad really, if we took back our country,we could be the model for the rest of the world to emulate.
Good points there Minormatters. The reason why it is not done openly is purley because people are scared $H*&less.
The chatrooms, blogs, facebook and even here are the real indicators. People can post the most assinine comments and post some really good ideas. The fact remains it is done annonamous.
People in these so-called hoods have busted their asses for years paying mortgages, putting food on the table, paying their bills and enjoying the simple things in life as day at the ‘cove’ or the beach with children, grandchildren, a parade harbor nights and fishing off the rocks.
It only takes a few hundred to sour and intimidate and rule. Thats what we are seeing. Putting people in fear so as to control.
Imagine a few of the black men both young, middle aged and older standing up on the porches of their dwellings and on the side roads trying to say enough is enough and go get a job and stop this drug dealing, drinking and thrwing your garbage all over the place.
It’s gonna be a long road but laws can be put forth in quick time to make it illegal to be a member of a Gang. Of course, intelligence and facts have to be gathered profitionally and within the laws, then bang the gangbangers.
Plenty of tunnels at Gunpowder Cavern to store these body’s. One way in, one way out. IN fact, open a barrack at Warwick Camp and utilise the Regiment with a little extra duty.
When, and it has been said a thousand times and supported by me, people will come to their moral senses when there is a larger loss of life at one time.
A great day to all.
@Mr. Daniels. Thank you for bringing a reasoned and experienced voice to the debate, and also for addressing a lot of issues in one post.
This is the result of a weak govt.The ppl got no choices and there is no innovations for the young ppl or outlet to vent their frustration..
… correct it has nothin to do with personal responsibility.