Public Safety Minister On Anti-Gang Measures
[Updated with video] Government is working on an array of measures to combat gang violence including a faith based approach, an anti-gang programme in the schools, providing incentives to get guns off the street, and the implementation of an Operation Ceasefire, Minister of Public Safety Michael Dunkley said today [Jan 29].
The Minister was speaking after the brutal double murder of Haile Outerbridge and Ricco Furbert inside the Belvin’s Store on Happy Valley Road last week Wednesday. That was the second shooting which resulted in injury this month, following after the shooting of a man and dog in Warwick on January 16th.
“As the Government considers a faith based approach a key element in curtailing gang violence I am in the process of organizing a meeting of area ministers to hear from them on how we in Government can help mobilize and assist their on-going efforts,” said Minister Dunkley.
“With my colleague the Minister of Education, we have set about preparing to introduce a full anti-gang programme at all levels of our school system,” the Minister continued.
“In addition within the Ministry, targeted programmes aimed at providing incentives to get guns off the street have been devised and will be implemented this Spring.
“The people of Bermuda know that we promised the implementation of an Operation Ceasefire for Bermuda. That commitment remains firm and we have already taken steps to create the programme.”
“A difference in address, race or education does not absolve any of us of the responsibility to fix this problem,” said Minister Dunkley. “We are all affected.”
“Families, friends, individuals, neighbourhoods and businesses. We can and must do all that we are able to prevent young people from falling into the spiral that leads to gun violence.”
Minister Dunkley’s full statement follows below:
Good afternoon and thank you for coming.
The impact of the events of last Wednesday night continues to be felt by families, friends and the community.
The pain of the loss is real and we must continue to keep the victims’ families in our thoughts and prayers.
Our responsibility as a community is to help heal their heartbreak and to fill the void with our love and an outpouring of genuine comfort during these challenging days.
The Government is especially grateful to those elements of the society who have walked the talk in the last week.
Ministers of Religion have come together to speak peace into these troubled times and to calm the tensions of the affected neighbourhoods. This is an essential part of how we as a community will restore our peaceful way of life. Their efforts are most appreciated by everyone in the community and especially the Government.
As the Government considers a faith based approach a key element in curtailing gang violence I am in the process of organizing a meeting of area ministers to hear from them on how we in Government can help mobilize and assist their on-going efforts.
As the Police continue their enforcement and investigative work, I renew the call for anyone with information about these or even other shootings to come forward. People with information can call the Police directly or use the confidential CrimeStoppers hotline which is 800-8477. As I said last Thursday, we must meet violence with truth and courage.
Since the election in December the Premier has charged each member of the Cabinet with devising a means by which to positively affect this fight against gun violence and the gang lifestyle.
The Ministry of Public Safety has taken a leading role in this regard. The Police have our full support for the “round the clock” action being taken to both prevent and investigate crime. Their actions have prevented further crimes and the strong enforcement speaks to their courage in the face of our changed community.
I promised the people of Bermuda that we would not rest.
With my colleague the Minister of Education, we have set about preparing to introduce a full anti-gang programme at all levels of our school system. The programme will seek to help students avoid gang membership, violence and delinquent behavior and teaches students how to resist gang pressure and develop positive attitudes about law enforcement.
In addition, Teachers and Principals will be well equipped to recognize at-risk behavior and make early interventions to prevent what has become the shocking exposure of younger and younger children to the gang lifestyle.
The social safety-net will be the subject of a focused discussion we will lead with Education, Community & Cultural Development and Health this week.
When someone decides to exit the gang lifestyle or when a teacher calls for help having spotted at-risk behaviors, we must ensure that the best help is available urgently and effectively.
In addition within the Ministry, targeted programmes aimed at providing incentives to get guns off the street have been devised and will be implemented this Spring.
The people of Bermuda know that we promised the implementation of an Operation Ceasefire for Bermuda. That commitment remains firm and we have already taken steps to create the programme.
Ceasefire is the name given to a multi-faceted approach that combines strong enforcement, a strong social safety-net, the emphasis of available alternatives to the gang lifestyle and the mobilization of community voices at various levels. It will take some time to build the programme fully but I wish the people of Bermuda to know that all elements that can be engaged immediately will be. This includes gang mediation and, as I mentioned earlier, the faith-based community.
In closing, I wish to emphasize the importance of combating this gang problem and its effects on the community.
A difference in address, race or education does not absolve any of us of the responsibility to fix this problem.
We are all affected.
Families, friends, individuals, neighbourhoods and businesses. We can and must do all that we are able to prevent young people from falling into the spiral that leads to gun violence.
To those who may want to get out of this lifestyle, the community is willing and able to help you. Reach out for a pastor, a community leader or a family member you respect; Bermuda wants you to be positive and productive; talent is too precious to waste.
Bermuda can be made safe again and we must commit to each doing our part to achieve that.
Thank you.
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“Faith” won’t stop the violence, only give people a reason to repent.
Agreed! Religion never stopped terrorist groups like the IRA, Mafia & Al-Qaeda. In fact these groups have used religion like many others as their extenuation. The Bermuda wankster’s religion is westernized gangsterism, their god is money, their priest is the shot caller, their sacraments are drugs, their redeemer is a gun & their holy land is westgate.
Religion is one reason there is a lot of fighting going on in the world. Especially in the Middle East. Just think about it.
Let us pray
Lord,
Help the OBA who talked tough before the election and now are on their knees.
Lord help
Help now all of us to see the folly of Faith based tourism and now faith based crime from church leaders who dropped the ball by spending more time building empty youth centres and empty air-conditioned churches when they should have been walking house to house meeting people and helping.
No Lord they were in their BMW cars cooling out.
Lord,
I pray for the OBA
Please get them to get their education Minister to show his qualifications or resign and for the Minister responsible for crime to show the police cars during the day. we know they are being cleaned when they should be on the road.
lord.
Do you hear me.
Or are you confused by the OBA.
Enough talk Dunkley. Give some Action! You had a lot to say in opposition, now get on with it and stop giving us
“I am in the process of organizing a meeting ..with devising a means by which to positively affect…we have set about preparing to introduce…will be the subject of a focused discussion we will lead”
What the hell does that all mean
It means they will tell you what you want to hear to ease peoples fear and they will go back to business as usual,another day another black bye either being killed or going to jail.as long as you dont step across de line and start hitting dem people you will see no change,hit one of them and you would think the end of the world arrived,brits be here faster then you shake a leg and if they cant find the culprit,they would frame one and have they not done that back in the 70′s
I won’t mince words, you idiotic in just about every post you do on Bernews. “hit one of them” for action to be taken? you think this is one giant conspiracy theory to have black youths kill each other Duane? Need i remind you that it was a different government who presided over the rise of gun violence in this country. the brits would come and frame somebody? Duane come back to reality.
@Huh: FYI. There is documented proof, that it was said on a video interview by the then head of MTV that “we are putting gangster style Hip Hop videos on or network for the sole purpose of having the black youth imitate the lifestyle and destroy each other.” And yes also to increase ratings.
you are a racist and a moron. as a matter of fact one of “dem people” did get shot and killed on North Shore almost 2 years ago from a mistaken identity case. you sir are the reason bermuda is failing. you. now f**k off.
Exactly.
Can we pray first.
Then fire.
bullcrap – Jeff Baron and Alexis Swan stated government knew who the gang are and they could stop crime?; now they are government, do tell. Ceasefire is a crock of doo doo. Perinchief was the only one who I trust to deal with all this drama not these jokers.
iT means he is a chicken.
Milk drinker when he needs a dark and stormy
For some reason, the sound on the video above is just providing feedback and high pitched noises. Any issues Bernews?
Because its B.S
Mr Dunkley with all due respect I support you and the initative by Government to include the Island churches,my only firm warning is that our spiritual leaders need to come together first on the issues before they can think about taking on such a task.
We have seen down through the years how three main churches has taken the lead to combat many issues and other churches sat by and did not or critize that which was trying to be accomplished.I have to also stress that this is not a popularity contest for those ministers who like to be in the lime light of things,only to make themselves out to be doing something when they are not.
Mr Dunkley I would also advise that you become very familiar with the term street walkers,they are those that stand between you and the street.there have been far to many initatives suggested on paper and around the round table,mostof which was ignored as far back as the U.B.P and then by the P.L.P,To mant people want the credit of being seen to be as they are really doing something.
Finally if you never have walked in the shoes or ran in the circuit of the rat race,you wont understand rat culture.so yes it takes an old rat to catch a young rat and that is something you all need to get with but you cant expect the old rat to get involved with a system that will only mark them for their own demise later,one thing you might find of interest,is that you may want to take and sit down and talk with some of those old rats.
They are not hard to fine,just start by looking at the ones that retired from the police force when we had a force.now we have a police service,also suits and ties can help you also,the ones that are getting on in years and dont have nothing to loose and the only thing ahead of them is the grave anyway.
Well Michael you should not expect to much different out of my mouth because when you get serious and start dealing with the real rats,you will be able to catch the little mice that seems to be to difficult to do at this point.the fact of the matter I am just sick and tired that we keep focusing on these young black males and we get a number of them and things go quiet and it starts back up again,with all the guns that have surfaced and ammunittion seized and people going to court and prison,we dont see the activity slowing ,we see it growing.
P.L.P was accused were is the real war on drugs,I say were is the real enforcement that we should be getting from the U.K. and any other place we can get it.well I will see what you come up with and then go from there but I hope you prove me wrong.
It sounds as tho you have tryng to deter the younger ones but what about the animals that are out here shootint that you cannot reach out to better approach Dunkley.
Bring back Commissioner Coxall, he was the only one with the balls to do anything, and just because he stepped on some white Bermudian Front and Reid Street names he got sent back and the rest of Bermuda lost out, he or someone like him is what’s needed to rid us of this crime wave, the people employed can’t do it so start listening newly appointed Minister, it has only got worse over the last 5 years, doesn’t that tell you anything?
IIRC, Coxall was sent on his way for stepping on some UBP black toes.
you said it all y-gurl.
And wasn’t he the one who cut the bermuda police force down when many officers told him this was a mistake???…..
Colin Coxall’s Operation Cleansweep is the reason we have the gang problem we do today. All Coxall did was push the drug dealers out of wealthy areas of Bermuda letting them set up bigger & better organized operations in the low income areas. It’s true that he brought — skeletons out but he also turned a blind eye to the skeletons of –’s lighter skinned counterparts. In a nutshell Coxall ghettoized Bermuda.
Too bad democracy IS a popularity contest.
Sleep well my child,
God
Begin a WAR on DRUGS – follow the MONEY!! Too many people have profited of the SALE of drugs on this island – buying homes, transport and luxury vehicles with CASH! Follow those LIVING ABOVE their MEANS!!! Research/Investigate persons/family members who have purchased homes off the dead and addicted bodies of BERMUDA These young men are PUPPETS who WORK for older men who have MADE MILLIONS selling drugs to OUR children while their children EAT,LIVE and PARTAKE in some of the finest purchases DIRTY MONEY can buy!!
Do WE REALLY want to get to the root of the problems in BERMUDA??
Lets have HONEST DIALOGUE about the men who have RAPED and MESSED up COUNTLESS minds of young people
Fathers who have impregnated the children and grandchildren
Lets discuss those who YEARLY bring PROSTITUTES to BERMUDA from OVERSEAS to PLEASURE OUR HUSBANDS/BOYFRIENDS
LETS DISCUSS theose who have made W#$RES out of OUR SISTERS and BROTHERS so that they could buy the LATEST RIMS
Lets discuss how BOTH of the PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS LACKED COMPASSION for the CITIZENS of this COUNTRY because of their OWN SELFISH EGOS
Lets talk about how many of these “gang members/associates” have WITNESSED their PARENT(s) STRUNG OUT on drugs and had to LIVE with the EMBARRASSMENT of being MOCKED
Bermuda are WE READY to DEAL with the REAL ISSUES or will WE tackle this new WAVE of TERROR WE are EXPERIENCING??
Who has cared for the child whose mother was using CRACK to cope with her OWN demons of being MOLESTED by a FAMILY MEMBER only to have to be RE-VICTIMISED by him because the WOMEN in her life were too AFRAID to EXPOSE him for the PERVERT he WAS??
BERMUDA you NEED HEALING! REAL GUT WRENCHING DISCUSSION ARE NEEDED! There has been WAY TOO MANY INJUSTICES COMMITTED on this little island!!
Time to take your head out of the sand the STORM has been OVER!!!!
REAL TALK BUT AT THE SAME TIME THAT WOULD B LIKE BRINGING COLIN COXALL BACK N U KNO WAT HAPPEN TO HIM WHEN HE STARTED DIGGING AT THE TOP OF THE PILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
START WITH BLACKSTOCK….MOTHER’S STOP COVERING UP YA KIDS $hit !!!! IF THEY STAY WITH YOU AND DON’T WORK & THEY DRESS IN NAME BRAND EVERY DAY CHECK YA KIDS , IF THEY DRIVE A $35, 000 PLUS CAR AN YA GETTING THE BUS CHECK YA KIDS , U ALL GET THE PICTURE.. STOP THE NOT MY CHILD $$%T!
This is soooooo true !!!!!!!
We began a war on drugs years ago & this is what has caused the criminal & most social problems we have today. Just look at America’s war on drugs & see where it got them. We need to change the ways we “try” to control drugs. These ways make drugs profitable to those you mention with the fancy house & car. We need to look at addicts differently also & look at addiction as a disease that like many other diseases needs the infection to create a cure. This is in governments hands to do not the police as they are the law makers. Take the hard drug supply out of the hands of those greedy traffickers & dealers who don’t care & put them in the hands of clinical professionals who do.
—- DUNKELY ALL UR WORRIED ABOUT IS MILK PROCEEDS N YOUR UBP PARTY ONLY WORRIED ABOUT BEIN IN POWER
DUNKELY WHEN R U GONNA TALK ABOUT THE INJUSTICE THAT THE BURGESS FAMILY HAS HAD TO ANDORE FRM THAT #$%$#@! JUDGES RULING, LAST WEEK FRIDAY F%$# OFF I DNT WANNA HERE BOUT NO DOG GETTN SHOT OR DROWNED U — AND BERNEWS PRINT MY S$#@ UP U B PUTTING UP PPL STUPID TALK IM GOT REAL S$#@ PPL NEEDA HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
F#%$ You . any lowlife dog is better than you…
Sorry, the Burgess family should have had justice.
“… a faith based approach a key element in curtailing gang violence …”
You are kidding, right…?!
Michael,we all know about faith based crap… get real Michael, do you think we can solve the gang problems buy talking to some religious ministers ? get real man… these thugs do not even know what a church is all about .
Michael, these young thugs are all about MONEY… wake up man and stop the crap… we had enough of this crap from the former gov…
Minister Michael Dunkley said…. … “Solving the crime problem is about solving Bermuda’s failures. … “We need to give change a chance and I believe this can only be started by a change of Government”.
What are you saying now Michael….. You should stop drinking Milk it is making you delusional.
go after the ammunition suppliers .. they making the most money from this and them street level members are not capable of importing ammunition with out attracting attention
That’s like asking Dunkley to get his people to look into the mirror. To take it above the street level is to take it into the living rooms of the deep-pocket Oba supporters and members. Truth be told.
i heard someone the other day on here sayin Oh yes the police need stop n search everyone and if you hadnt done any thing wrong then you need not worry…i dont see any results coming from that but if you take the criminal element out of this tiny drug trade here that every town in the world has to deal with…So if you dont do drugs then you need not worry if they become decriminalized…just like the people who do not drink but alcohol is legal which i would bet my life on that alcohol is definitley a fuse to this murderous behavior…if he smoked a spliff, he be like sheeeet! um gonna haffa shoot him 2mar bye cha…mon red ya na.
BUT…get ya liquid courage in an its on brah! huh! whathappened?! you said something?! we know its not crackheads..hahah mofo be tryin to rob for the next chip-a-roo not killin…an the heron headz might nod out in the middle of the shooting…Mainstream aint working …alternatives could not possibly be worse…all you authoritarians are jus a bunch of annoying barking dogs…and we all know what happens to annoying barking dogs ,right..?
I LIKE THIS TALK IN HERE,,THE PROBLEM IS ,,IT IS JUST TALK ! WE HERE IN BERMUDA ONLY DO JUST THAT, tALK ! WHAT I FIND IS THAT IT HAS ALL TO DO WITH PRIVILIGE, CAUSE IF YOU HAVE ANY KINNA CLOUT WHETHER IT IS SOCIAL OR FININCIAL YOU ARE NOTHING ,,,HOW IS IT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE CAN GO ON TO BE MURDERED AND ITS JUST 7 O’CLOCK NEWS ,,WATER COOLER AND BARBER SHOP CONVO, FOR THE SIZE AND RATIO OF THIS ISLAND ,,ANY WHERE ELSE IT WOULD BE A ! STATE OF EMERGENCE ! IT IS SO BAD THAT IF WE HAVE BAD WHEATHER OVER THE WEEK END ,,,,ALL THIS WILL BE FORGOTTON,,,SHAME SHAME, AND THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE WITH POLITICIAN,POLICE, AND CHURCH GOER THEY ARE ALL THE SAME,,THEY JUST DONT CARE ! THE DEVIL RUNS THIS PLACE !
you all jus cant seem to grasp the concept that top level crime bosses just cant be touched, stop sounding so uneducated,wake up! with the type of comments that are being made i am just chuckling with dismay at whats gonna slam you in the face next…open your eyes…
yeah,your face, in a wall!
Ok people. I feel compelled to say my piece in all this.
Berfore I start…. I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone. I’m just asking a question.
Everyone wants to COMBAT CRIME / GANGS whatevere you want to calll it. Have any one of you realised that this whole island right now is ONE BIG GANG.. Whether it be Political – The Youth – The Churches. I say that to say this.
Political Parties: OBA – PLP – INDEPENDENTS
Somebody gets in power… the others spend the next four years doing their DAMMDEST to get get them out of power. POWER (see that word)
(political gang members)
The Churches: Gonna quote you right now Mr. Santucci…. K
“We have seen down through the years how three main churches has taken the lead to combat many issues and other churches sat by and did not or critize that which was trying to be accomplished.I have to also stress that this is not a popularity contest for those ministers who like to be in the lime light of things,only to make themselves out to be doing something when they are not.”
Churches against each other for power POWER (see that word)
(religious gang members)
The Youth:- Killing each other for what…… power POWER (see that word) (status gang members)
I say all of the above to ask……
WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???
What is it that we all really want?
Look up the true definition of the word …. GANG
Blessed evening to all.
Faith based approach, Dunkley are you out of your freaking mind, is there something in the milk your drinking, how about we Bermudians having the faith in the OBA to actually do something, stop with this Teary eyed BS and get a handle on who we are paying to do the job and hold their a$$ to the fire and get them to do their jobs. Get on the d@mn phone and start the ball rolling with a UK gang squad who can get the job done, get rid of these clowns running the BPS and get serious about protecting the security of this Country and its people!
Amen!
Forget about the churches. Bring back the death penalty!
Wasting your thoughts. It is not going to happen. Dead issue so to speak.
Stop talking and kick their butts!
Minister Dunkerley , your job is on the line . If you are not able to arrest this scourge than walk away .
Dunkley or any minister in Government is in la la land if they think for one minute a faith based approach is going to stop these gangs and gun use.
True but let them go have their vigils & thump their bibles anyway. They won’t do any good but they won’t do any harm either.
More wars have been fought. More deaths have suffered in the name of religion than any other cause.
When I heard him say they were gonna take a “faith based approach” it really irritated me. Are they proposing to pray about this problem?
Just in the small area from North Shore to the Curve there’s Vernon Lambe’s church, Heard Chapel AME, Grace Church, The Seventh Day Adventist Church, St. Monica’s Mission, St. Augustine’s, Duncan’s old church and I know I’m missing a few more. This country is packed with churches and I KNOW the congregants have been on their knees about this problem…..
But even Jesus flipped over tables and psyched out on the people there when things got out of pocket at the temple.
God’s son knew that you can’t just pray about things sometimes you have to get angry, get ornery and DO SOMETHING.
Minister Dunkley is a clown like the rest of the politricks! If u think for one second you can even curb this bs think again! Get ya mind right and deal with these issues one day at a time…let me know how progress is with this sh/t..
Young blacks (males) are tired of the broken promises! You dont know wtf the average black boy/male goes through ona day to day basis! Ya a$$ is used to having so u dnt know htf to make a dollar out of 50cents!!! Blacks have endured years of bs from white folks who robbed our forfathers u understand??? Can u effin hear me now! OBA wants to say drop the race card…htf u want a black person to drop that n forgive a white person if memories still exist from stories our ancestors told blacks over the years…reality is racism will simply always be around!
Blacks are killing each other here in bda u already know ya not god u cant save no one person! Blacks are just dealing with society like a deck of cards. U think u can make a change??? Lol ya a big clown… Yeah u boast “with ya broad shoulders” but when sh/t hits ya doorstep then go mourn with those blacks whose lost sons to this violence! U and Craig send ya condolences to the families …that s^%$ dnt means f&^% to a mama when she looses her child! Wtf can u do? Nothing! In situations like that u should just stfu serious! OBA is just another ONE BUL%^$# ALLIANCE…PLP is just PEOPLES LAZY PETS… Two gov’ts im seen and aint no one did any justice to my country! I say my country cause i pay taxes on this bit?h, ima middle class citizen who’s not benefiting from free day care and s%$#…i work for mine and wtf i deserve so read what i say! Im entitled to stand on wtf i beleive! Im sure alot of people can relate to my post today! I’m fed up with loosing friends i grew up with! Enough is enough!
people like you are the problem..you want everything you dont have that was taken from your ancestors..thats right your ancestors, many you never met or grew up with..in fact wanting everything that was denied from them is an insult to their memory as the only way in which you remember them is by getting more material goods for yourself, which is in fact having nothing to do with the memory of those before you and what they went through
@Will I think you missed some of the point and got stuck on the part that too many of us are uncomfortable with. Keeping it 100% is expressing a feeling held by many that many more can not relate to.
Criticising those sentiments does little to make the feelings change as a matter of fact it probably makes the emotions and resentment even stronger.
@keeping it 100%
You do have some very valid points in your post.. 99% of it…..but….. where you (don’t wanna use the word FAIL) lack vision is in your quote about.
“Blacks have endured years of bs from white folks who robbed our forfathers u understand??? ”
My question to you is… Why can we not move on from this 400 year old BAD memories and prove to the OTHER people that in the 21st century we are just as equal (and some even better) then they think us to be. What can be achieved by dwelling on the past??
Absolutely no disrespect is intended, just try and help me understand and i’m 50+ yrs. I too was also told of all the horrid stories of days past but I refuse to let that dictate the rest of MY life. I will prove to them (i actually don’t have to prove a thing) – they have NO CHOICE but to accept that I am a very VALID and ACTIVE MEMBER of SOCIETY and I deserve all that I strive for and so far all that I have gotten was gotten by ME / MYSELF and I. No-one out here has done any of that for me.
Blessings to all
You have to be kidding me! OBA is failing already…they obviously never had a plan to tackle crime. NEXT!!!!
This is your plan!! Wow! What happen to your BIG Plan during the election.
faith and religion DO NOT STOP VIOLENCE!!! if History has taught you anything at all, its that religion and faith cause more violence and spread bigotry..next thing you know East will be Catholic and West will be protestant…smh
if these guys wont listen to their parents or elders why the f$#@ do you think they will listen to an invisible man? ive heard some stupid ideas in my life, but this faith based crap tops it all…and has FAIL written all over it.
make gang membership and any gang activities punishable by mandatory death sentence,in public, by hanging or firing squad.
MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VOTE IT INTO EFFECT NOW!!!!!!!!
it is the only way to stop them hard
The death penalty is NOT going to happen. It is a waste of time to even think about it.
Got any ideas of IS actually possible?
public floggings, public humiliation..ive said it before, bring back the stocks. Put them in front of City Hall and St.Geo and Dockyard..that way each gang has their own public gallery. Farmers can sell fruits and veg to tourists and locals alike and we can throw it at them..everyone wins..we the citizens of Bermuda get happiness out of our misery, farmers make some money, tourists have a laugh..and the gangsters are extremely humiliated in public! (oh and they arent housed in westgate all day which decreases spending)
Got my vote for that one.
This must start with stopping the culture of anger and confrontation that raises Bermudians and plagues us. Family and parental planning should be made law. Churches involvment will just be a bandaid.
All you angry bloggers are complaining about MD’s approach. But if he were to get a UK or US task force here to bang on doors you would complain about that too and call him an elitist. Let me ask you this. What did Perichief do??
It’s like Rick Woolridge said on ‘Lets Talk’ the other night, “this culture has become angry…”
You can’t bang the doors down at 4AM without just cause. You can’t shake them down in the street because they wear baggy pants or have a certain colour on. You can’t make a small group of guys hanging out move just because they are hanging out.
You can harass them by hanging out watching them & make sure they know they are being watched. Take pictures of them. Any police vehicle if going past a gang hanging out area should stop for awhile, just to watch, take a picture or two, generally get in the way of them doing whatever they do.
We wont fix this problem until we can agree on the root cause. Many young people claim it started in the Mega school when we put too many bad apples together and did not manage the unintended consequences. We have sat and allowed too many young men to fail year after year and now we are reaping what we sowed. Once we accept our failure we can begin to seek solutions but it wont be easy.
WTF???? SO WHILE PEOPLE ARE GETTING SHOT LETS GET ALL THE PRIEST TOGETHER TO GATHER WITH FAMILES AND FRIENDS TO PRAY FOR THE VICTIMS, IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, AND DUNKELY WILL OFFER AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF CANDLES AND SOME HOT CHOCOLATE MILK……GIVE ME A BREAK..THIS IS HOW YOU ATTACK GANG VIOLENCE..THIS IS YOUR BIG PLAN….THIS IS YOUR FIRST MAJOR START TO GANG VIOLENCE WTH???….THE PASTORS AND COMMUNITY IS PERFECTLY FINE WITH PRAYING AND GETTING TOGETHER ALL BY THEMSELVES….
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO TACKLE THE GANGS BOTTOM LINE…..NOT PIGGY BACK OFF OF A WEAK POSITION AND RESPONSE TO GANG VIOLENCE…….
PRAYING AND COMING TOGETHER AND KUM BY YA’S IS THE WEAK RESPONSE TO GANG VIOLENCE….I BET IF THE SAME PEOPLE HAD LICENSED GUNS THERE WONT BE NO COMING TOGETHER WITH CANDLES, …..
IF THE SAME DECENT PEOPLE HAD LICENSED GUNS WE WILL COME TOGETHER AND VISIT EVERY “KNOWN” DRUG DEALER AND GANG MEMBERS HOUSE AND TELL THEM IF YOU DON’T STOP DOING WHAT YOUR DOING WE WILL DEAL WITH YOU AS A MASSIVE GROUP……
BUT WE DONT HAVE LICENSED GUNS..THE POLICE DO..
AND DUNKELY YOU CAN DAMN WELL MAKE SURE THAT THE POLICE ENFORCE THAT AND DONOT LET KNOWN GANG MEMBERS AND DRUG DEALERS FEEL SAFE….
IF YOU DONT DO THAT THEN TAKE HEED BECAUSE THOSE SAME PEACEFUL GATHERINGS WITH CANDLES WILL TURN QUICKLY INTO ANGRY LYNCH MOBS!!!!!
It is a combination of things including the modern media image of Thug glorification. If you grew up during the era of Tupac and Biggie Smalls, since then the mainstream music and film media has glorified the role of the gangster, guns and drug dealing. Youngsters who see no path in life through education and have no guiding hand through parenting are increasingly susceptible to the influence of organized crime. Drug dealing in Bermuda is a highly profitable business. Where there is high margins in any commerce then man will seek to exploit it. At the same time incarceration does not necessarily lead to rehabilitation especially for young offenders. We lock up and criminalize young people for a minor drug conviction and the path of crime opens as we ostracize them from normal society.
Sadly a lot of the root of our current problem is a lack of a family unit during upbringing, which stems from children born into a world where their parents cannot dedicate time and effort to bring them up in a healthy environment. If you do not instill a sense of consequences for actions at a young age, then you will have issues during a child’s adolescence. When you throw in the secondary School factor which pools a large portion of the adolescent population under one roof, you will have issues. Gangs thrive in small environments, and the tit for tat behavior stems initially from school. Rivalry between young men in school then manifests outside of school, due to Bermuda’s close social structure this rivalry then grows as boys get older and develops further under a gang structure.
It is not as simple as the Police locking people up and busting heads. We need a generation of effort and a change in community. People must be educated about having children when they are able to commit properly to raising that child and also financially.
The Mega school is an issue and needs to be rethought. As a facility it would make an excellent university were secondary schools to return to the parishes.
Also, what are we going to do when all these guys get out in 20 years with no skills to find a job and live in society?
Part of the problem is Bermuda just isn’t for Bermudians. You look at Americans, they all talk about the “American Dream’ but what can young (mainly blacks)look forward too. People may bash others when they talk about their ancestors and what was stolen from them, but it’s partially true. When you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, have the best in education, a good home, a mother that probably doesn’t work and can be home for you at the end of the day, it helps. The average Bermudian is struggling daily. Rents have tripled in the last fifteen years. Look at the price of food, a loaf of bread is six bucks and a box of cereal can run eight to ten dollars. We can all say to get an education, but even those with good paying jobs are scratching their a$$ every month. What do youngsters have to look forward to on this island? Will the average youngster be able to afford a piece of the rock? Even if you make say four or five thousand a month, try walking into the bank for a mortgage and they will laugh right in your face. A foreigner can come here and rent a house for ten grand a month and get all sorts of perks. A Bermudian has no suck luck. It is all about survival, and as long as people are struggling, we will have drug dealing and women turning a blind eye because they rely financially on this thugs. I am not making excuses, just keeping it real. People are desperate, and many are turning to a lifestyle they never would have dreamed of. Until we get to the root cause, we will continue to see a decline in our social values.
WTF???? SO WHILE PEOPLE ARE GETTING SHOT LETS GET ALL THE PRIEST TOGETHER TO GATHER WITH FAMILES AND FRIENDS TO PRAY FOR THE VICTIMS, IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, AND DUNKELY WILL OFFER AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF CANDLES AND SOME HOT CHOCOLATE MILK……GIVE ME A BREAK..THIS IS HOW YOU ATTACK GANG VIOLENCE..THIS IS YOUR BIG PLAN….THIS IS YOUR FIRST MAJOR START TO GANG VIOLENCE WTH???….THE PASTORS AND COMMUNITY IS PERFECTLY FINE WITH PRAYING AND GETTING TOGETHER ALL BY THEMSELVES….
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO TACKLE THE GANGS BOTTOM LINE…..NOT PIGGY BACK OFF OF A WEAK POSITION AND RESPONSE TO GANG VIOLENCE…….
PRAYING AND COMING TOGETHER AND KUM BY YA’S IS THE WEAK RESPONSE TO GANG VIOLENCE….I BET IF THE SAME PEOPLE HAD LICENSED GUNS THERE WONT BE NO COMING TOGETHER WITH CANDLES, …..
IF THE SAME DECENT PEOPLE HAD LICENSED GUNS WE WILL COME TOGETHER AND VISIT EVERY “KNOWN” DRUG DEALER AND GANG MEMBERS HOUSE AND TELL THEM IF YOU DON’T STOP DOING WHAT YOUR DOING WE WILL DEAL WITH YOU AS A MASSIVE GROUP……
BUT WE DONT HAVE LICENSED GUNS..THE POLICE DO..
AND DUNKELY YOU CAN DAMN WELL MAKE SURE THAT THE POLICE ENFORCE THAT AND DONOT LET KNOWN GANG MEMBERS AND DRUG DEALERS FEEL SAFE….
IF YOU DONT DO THAT THEN TAKE HEED BECAUSE THOSE SAME PEACEFUL GATHERINGS WITH CANDLES WILL TURN QUICKLY INTO ANGRY LYNCH MOBS!!!!!
Anti Gang measures you aren’t going to curb the crime M.Dunkley the loss of these black brothers are playing into your hands boy. Police and thieves in the streets o yes fighting with their guns n ammunition