Robbery At Flatts Gas Station
Just before 7pm this evening [Jan.3] there was a robbery at Flatts Gas Station, with unofficial reports indicating that a man threatened the cashier with a machete, demanded money and then ran out of the gas station with the cash. The suspect is described as being 6’2” tall, and wearing a hooded top.
A police spokesperson said, “Around 6:55pm on Tuesday, January 3rd police responded to a reported robbery at Flatts Service Station on North Shore Road in Hamilton parish.
“It appears that an unknown man entered the premises brandishing a bladed article and escaped on foot heading east with a quantity of cash. No one was injured.
“Officers searched the surrounding area for the offender, but he was not located. The suspect is described as approximately 6’2” tall wearing a hooded top.
“Inquiries into this incident are ongoing. Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with any information to contact the St. George’s Criminal Investigation Unit on 293-2222.”
This is the third business to be robbed by a weapon wielding suspect[s] in recent weeks, following after the Hitching Post armed robbery on December 28, and the armed robbery at Henry VIII Pantry on December 19.
Pretty soon its not just gonna be the crack heads who are robbing businesses its gonna be Mr.Desperate Citizen.
A lot of Mr. and Mrs. Desperate Citizens sorely need a job and there are none out there.
Bermuda is deep in debt and we have no way to pay it off. Businesses are leaving and none are coming in.
It’s time to wise up and rise up.
Tonight, I am hearing reports of another violent robbery at the Flatt’s Gas Station using an offensive weapon, a machete. My fellow Bermudians, we cannot move forward with any real purpose before we sit down and really look at this from an open and honest point of view. We have the Report on Violent Crime and Gun Violence here before us but many have chosen to play political football with it.
The seeds that are coming to fruition now were planted a long time ago. WE as a society have failed our young men COLLECTIVELY, plain and simple. Too many of us are too busy trying to figure out how to exploit this bad situation for a political angle to this but WE all need to sit and do some self-reflection and acknowledge that WE have let them down.
Some wish to turn a blind eye to the origins of this issue, while others wish to turn a blind eye to their “enabling” of their maturation into “gangsters” and lastly others are turning a blind eye to their relatives and friends, until it affects them personally.
So many of us talk about solutions, causes of the problems and who is to blame. How many of us are actually out there in the middle, talking to these young men and trying to honestly find a way to open dialogue with them. We hear a lot of hot air in this medium, the newspapers and from people “in the know” but why aren’t we getting anywhere?
Everyone is looking for the quick fix to a problem that has been decades in the making and expecting our politicians to produce some miracle program that will make it all better overnight. Sorry guys but this is a problem WE ALL need to tackle.
Why can’t us as progressive and positive citizens stand up and reach out to 1 each of the suspected 100+ “gangsters” and talk to them and mentor on a regular basis? Why do we need another external entity to come to our island and tell us how to talk to our brothers, cousins, relatives or personal acquaintances?
Bermuda it’s time to stand up and fight for your island, if you really care as much as you say you do.
good day my respected brother Diallo..i read with intrest what you wrote.i would like to share another side of this..i am a black bermudian ,come from poor background and all the disfunction that come with it..what i dont understand is when are we going to reach out to the victims of such acts.we all have chioces.now it seems we dont have a choice but to accept this..the real is what about our right to protect and preserve our families and what litte we dont have,,people are feel the need to arm themselves,,how do you fight back when there is a gun or machete in your face? i agree that it we all need to tackle this..shall the next resort be razor wire and electric fences.i also like you ibelieve we dont need an external presence to deal with our own situation..,,each one reach one we all move forward..thanks for showing you care my brother..lots of peace to you and those close to you
So Mr Rabain , exactly how am ”I” supposed to help these guys ? How did ”I” collectively contribute to their position ?
I wasn’t a school teacher to any of them. I have no business that could employ them. I own no property to rent out at a truely affordable price to anyone. I’ve never harrassed or in any way made life difficult for them.
When you say the problem has been in the making for decades I have no argument with that .. Just not in the superficial way that you want it to sound though.
Most of us do know that the problem has been in ‘the making’ for decades , nothing new about that revelation.
And do you really , really think that these guys want to be spoken to ? To be listend to ? Especially by people in suits and ties ?
How do you propose we even identify who any of them are if they haven’t yet committed any crimes ? Can you just imagine showing up on granma’s doorstep saying ‘we want to talk to your gangsta grandson because he really wants to be spoken to and we can help him ?’
It is indeed ‘everyone’s problem’ , just not in the way that you (politicise it) make it sound.
I agree! I’m a black Bermudian who is tired of hearing how this is ‘society’s problem’ and that we all caused this! That is just another pathetic way of passing the buck instead of laying it where it belongs-solely at the feet of these thugs and the people who raised them. I didn’t raise these thugs so how the heck can I be held responsible?
This all starts in the home. I won’t even say it’s due to young moms because I had my son when I was 16 years old-he’s grown now and works in law enforcement and not out there being a bully to society. These women have kids with multiple ‘baby daddies’ who aren’t in their kids’ lives. The moms struggle to survive because there’s no father there and leave these boys to raise themselves. The moms lack discipline so how do they expect the kids to have any? The kids run amok and fall in with the wrong crowd. The moms don’t take much interest in their lives, school, friends, etc. When teachers try and discilpine the kids, mom runs up to the school to tell the teacher off! Back in the day, the kids would at least get that little bit of guidance/discipline in school but now the teachers hesiate to because they’ll get told off.
I get really irriated when I get told this is society’s fault-stop blaming society for your kids’ criminal behaviour! When your sons get in trouble, stop standing outside court shouting at them to ‘hold their head up’! Are you kidding me? If that was my son doing the walk of shame, I’d die of embarrassment, not shout out with pride like he’s in the Regiment passing-out parade or something. I could go on and on. Women-mothers, get it together. You birthed these boys-you do the job God gave you and raise them up right!!!
Many thanks for your replies,
I think the point has been missed by the person who said I was presenting a politicized view point. I am saying that every single one of us knows or is related to a person who is doing wrong. Instead of waiting for someone else to present solutions, start with yourselves. Spent some time talking to a person you know who is headed down or already gone down the wrong path. @not news, why wait for a suit an tie to try an talk when a person who is already a peer would be more effective.
All I am saying is that we as a community can effect change collectively. Sharing our successes and what we have done to overcome difficult situations can go a long way. I have personally seen the positive effects a result of having a straight conversation with wtroubled youth, even in a casual setting. You personally are not goin to reach everyone you talk to but at least you can get them to think outside the box.
Diallo…it starts with the man in the mirror. If you and PLP care sooooo much, then I will have respect for your comments when each and every PLP MP and Senator “adopt a gangstaa” and begin the healing process which you spoke so much about. I raised my family to respect the law, and I voluteer in the community. I you and PLP are the leaders that you claim you are, then START LEADING BY EXAMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!
@yup….I have mentored in primary, middle, high schools and at the coed facility. I spend every Friday talking to young men in my constituency and I volunteer my time in many organizations. However, I will always state that if we continue to assume our politicians have the magic answer to everything, we are in lala land.
You are right that it starts with the man in the mirror, and guess what? There isn’t a politician standing behind him either!
This isn’t the first time in recent years this gas station has been robbed. They should make a door for you to get buzzed into to enter or something. For the safety of all the persons that work there.
Bermuda – it is far beyond the time to wake up and reclaim our country!
If we do not act (and I mean soon), these acts of violence will only continue to grow in number and severity.
My suggestions:
1. We as a country need to accept the fact that Bermuda is not immunne to the “ills” of the rest of the world.
2. We need to reinstitute the Police “Force” versus the “service” we have now.
3. A possible mandatory curfew instituted for 2 months to assist in curbing anti-social behaviors.
4. The Government needs to assist with tax relief and/or assistance with cost control – i.e. Mortgages, loans, cost for groceries, etc. This country needs help – we are living in a country in which we cannot survive!
Bermuda – wake up and pledge to do what you can to assist. We can do this together!
Yng Black Mind
(those who know understand)
I feel you on this one, but number four stands out to me the most. Government needs to step in an make our country an easier place to live in. The cost of living is way to high, banks require 20% downpayment on a house witch is crazy and interest rates are even crazier. And they wonder why people are doing what they have to do to survive. Government step in before its to late trust me.
I hear you…but respectfully disagree with bank allowing the purchase of a house with less that 20% down. Part of the reason that so many in the us have lost homes is because they were attracted to the 0% down that many mortgage companies offered. Many became hostgage to the high interest payments..one hiccup in life, and house is gone!
I do agree something should be done….but i m not sure what.
I’m not too sure about the cerfew but, you’re on the right track I would also monitor what comes on our television and the media of the island. TV programs like Gangland and other forms of garbage media need not brain wash the small mind of a lot of our young people.
That’s what started it all in the first place… TV shows that’s glorify the gangster lifestyle.
and that could have been eradicated easily if the lazy parents would have just turned the tv off instead of letting the tv baby sit. Yes Parents, we DO have control over what our kids have access to. Exercise your control.
Time to enforce the hood’s law.
I agree with what you have posted and think measures such as these should be taken. Also to add to this, organized neighbourhood watch programs should be put in place, with empowerment from the government to allow us to make citizen arrests or captures until the police arrive. Sort of a neighbourhood sheriff… We need to think of things like this and outside of the box in order to make a difference. Until the “gangstas” think the general public means business and is tired of this as a whole, this type of behaviour will continue and get worse. And to the folks (parents and family) out there enabling this behaviour with the “not my child” attitude. Wake up and smell the coffee, It is your child, they are not good boys. They are horrible boys and girls that you have allowed to get out of control and have no morals!
It is going to be a tough 2012! Thanks PLP for your lack of; financial management,foresight, planning and leadership!
Farrakhan said it best.. ‘its only a matter of time…until they turn the guns on us’ (sigh)
This person was very desperate cause this Gas station is not in a secluded area where there is a quick escape route. I mean there are only two ways to go. Unless he was on a boat?
5 ways to go if he was smart
Bump dat curfew bs aint every1 doin wrong hell if um stayn home on a curfew for others dumb s***!
The curfew should apply to everyone except you and people like you, who will be allowed to stay in school and learn English.
the platinum period maybe?????
Well, I do believe they have cameras at that gas station so hopefully the fool will be identified!!
Gangsta land..third world status not far behind….
Hey at least he didn’t use a GUN !!!
OLD TIME ROBBERY ATTEMPT !!
@ outkasted who are ppl like “us”?
What we need are stiff sentences once these thugs are caught so that they will not do it again
a specific Sharia law comes to mind – specifically chopping off the hands etc. if you commit a robbery. Ok I said it. Bring it on.
Won’t work in Bermuda. Half the island would not be able to drive, text, change chanels or work. Family values………
The most worrying problem is that Bermuda is so small which meaning there are no safe areas, no jobs, more crime and the only way to escape this is to go abroad. Which many people cant afford do right now. Bermuda is becoming like Jamaica when it can fit in one of their small towns… lord help us.
It starts in the home. Parents (particularly mothers!) stop making excuses for your thuggish offspring and open your eyes! They are destroying this island! If you don’t care about anything else, think of your grandkids and what kind of life they will have when this island goes to hell. I grew up poor and black but my parents taught me values and morals. Get a grip on your children and stop expecting somebody else to do it. You know what your kids are doing yet you turn a blind eye, then you’re crying and carrying on when they’re locked up or six feet under…going on TV saying they’re good boys and expecting everybody to feel sorry for your loss. Enough is enough already!!!