Minister Weeks Urges People To Speak Up

“Speaking up is one of the most powerful things we can do. Every time someone comes forward with information, no matter how small, we move one step closer to solving a crime,” Minister of National Security Michael Weeks said

Speaking in the House of Assembly, the Minister said, “Let me begin with a truth that we all know, but sometimes hesitate to say out loud: violent crime is hurting Bermuda! Physical violence, gun violence, stabbings, assaults—these are not abstract problems. These are not distant headlines.

“They are tragedies unfolding in our own backyards, in our own families, in our own communities—sometimes next door—and they are rendering us asunder. They are tearing at our moral fiber, our character and our identity as a people.

“The hardest part to accept in all this is that in virtually every incident that blights our community, someone knows who did it.

“Someone saw something. Someone heard something. Someone has a piece of the puzzle that could bring justice to a grieving family. But too often, that someone stays silent and in doing so, they are actively aiding and abetting this heinous and destructive behaviour.

“I want to say clearly and with every ounce of compassion in my body: Bermuda, our silence is costing lives.

“Speaking up is one of the most powerful things we can do. Every time someone comes forward with information, no matter how small, we move one step closer to solving a crime. One step closer to holding a callous killer accountable. One step closer to preventing the next act of violence.

“Even a whisper can start a movement. We need to start a movement! We need to do all that we can do to save lives. At the heart of my plea today is for us to work together to put an end to this madness and to save lives.”

The Minister’s full statement follows below:

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank those in this House and the listening audience for lending me their ear.

Mr. Speaker, I come before you, not just as a public servant, but as a community member: a neighbor, a parent, a brother, an uncle and a friend.

Like you, Mr. Speaker, I love this country! I love my people! I believe in our potential. And I know, deep in my heart, that we are better than the senseless violence that threatens to tear us apart.

Today, Mr. Speaker, I want to speak to you plainly and from the heart, because this is not just another speech. This is a call to action, a call for courage, a call to our collective conscience!

Mr. Speaker, we must decide together, right here and right now—who we are and for what we are going to stand! I am pleading to all of us, with these simple but powerful six [6] words: Stand Up, Speak Up, Save lives!

Mr. Speaker, let me begin with a truth that we all know, but sometimes hesitate to say out loud: violent crime is hurting Bermuda! Physical violence, gun violence, stabbings, assaults—these are not abstract problems. These are not distant headlines. They are tragedies unfolding in our own backyards, in our own families, in our own communities—sometimes next door—and they are rendering us asunder! They are tearing at our moral fiber, our character and our identity as a people.

Mr. Speaker, each act of violence is a wound on our ‘National Soul’. Each life lost is not just a number, but a name. A son, a daughter, a brother, a cousin, a friend. Some of them were bright lights in their communities. Some were trying to turn their lives around. Some were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and yes, some may have been “caught up in the game”. But all of them had value. All of them deserved a future.

Mr. Speaker, the hardest part to accept in all this is that in virtually every incident that blights our community, someone knows who did it.

Someone saw something!

Someone heard something!

Someone has a piece of the puzzle that could bring justice to a grieving family.

But too often, that someone stays silent and in doing so, they are actively aiding and abetting this heinous and destructive behaviour.

Why? Perhaps because of fear. Maybe because of distrust, or maybe they just do not care. Or, because of a culture that has, over time, told us that it is safer to look the other way.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that fear is real. But today, I want to say clearly and with every ounce of compassion in my body: Bermuda, our silence is costing lives!

The first step, Mr. Speaker, we must take is to Stand Up! Standing up means refusing to accept violence as “just the way things are.” It means saying, “Not in my neighbourhood. Not in my school. Not in my home. Not on my watch.”

Mr. Speaker, we have to stand up for our youth, many of whom are being lured into dangerous paths before they ever get a fair shot at life. We must stand up for the mothers burying their sons. For the children growing up without fathers. For the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Mr. Speaker, standing up means showing that we are not afraid to say that “enough is really enough”.

Standing up also means standing with each other. We must stand up as a community—united, not divided by fear or frustration.

• When we see a young man drifting toward the streets, we intervene and offer assistance or guidance.
• When we see a young woman being lured into gang life, we pull her back by pointing her in a positive direction.
• When someone is in danger, we do not wait for the authorities—we become our brother’s and sister’s keeper.

Do not get me wrong, Mr. Speaker, this is not about vigilante justice. This is about community strength. This is about reclaiming the streets, the schools, the parks, the corners—and our peace and security.

Mr. Speaker, we must speak up! Yes, the second step is to speak up!

This is perhaps the hardest part, because speaking up requires courage. It requires trust. It requires faith that your voice will matter and that it will be protected.

But let me tell you this, Mr. Speaker: speaking up is one of the most powerful things we can do. Every time someone comes forward with information, no matter how small, we move one step closer to solving a crime. One step closer to holding a callous killer accountable. One step closer to preventing the next act of violence.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps one may think that “It’s not my business.” But if someone out there has taken a life, it is my business, and as a matter of fact and for the record—it is all of our business!

Mr. Speaker, someone may worry, “What if I become a target?” But there are safe, anonymous ways to report what you know. We are strengthening our witness protection systems to allow people to freely and safely provide useful information.

Mr. Speaker, we are also investing in community policing. We are working hard daily to build a system of justice that does not just demand information but earns trust as well. Our voice could be the difference between another cold case and a family finally getting answers and justice.

Our words could help stop the cycle of retaliation and revenge.

Our courage could inspire others to come forward as well.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot build safer communities with silence!! We need people to speak up—in homes, in churches, in WhatsApp chats, on social media, at town halls, in our neighbor’s yards. Say something. Ask questions. Share what you know.

Mr. Speaker, even a whisper can start a movement. We need to start a movement! We need to do all that we can do to save lives. At the heart of my plea today is for us to work together to put an end to this madness and to save lives.

When we stand up and when we speak up, we are not just solving crimes—we are preventing them.

We are saving the next young man from picking up a gun.

We are saving the next family from that knock on the door or phone call that every parent fears.

We are saving Bermuda from becoming a place where violence becomes normal.

Mr. Speaker, we are not there yet but we must be relentless in preventing this from occurring.

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everyone that justice is not just about punishment—it is about prevention.

When someone is held accountable, it sends a message:

• It tells our youth that there are consequences.
• It tells our communities that their pain matters.
• It tells the perpetrators that THIS community will not protect them in their wrongdoing.
• And just as importantly, it tells the victims that we see them, we honour them, and we will not forget them.

Mr. Speaker:

• We are not powerless.
• We are not helpless.
• We are not alone.
• We can save lives—not through magic, not through slogans, but through action.

Mr. Speaker—the solution is found in community effort. Now let me be clear, I have said this repeatedly and I will say it again here now—this is not just the responsibility of the police. It is not just the job of government. It is not just about laws and sentences. It is about all of us.

Teachers and Pastors; Coaches and Neighbours; Parents and Friends. The people who run barbershops and beauty salons. The elders sitting on the porch; the youth on the block. Everyone has a role to play.

Mr. Speaker, I implore families to talk to their children as children often know more than we think. Listen to them! Teach them that it is right to tell—there is no such thing as a snitch, because telling the truth is always a good thing! We must teach our children about conflict resolution. Show them alternatives to violence. Support them in their school programs; get them involved in community programmes. Let us support rehabilitation and reintegration for those young men or women who are trying to leave a life of violence behind. Hold all leaders accountable.

And yes, if you know something, say something.

Mr. Speaker, we must build a Bermuda where there is no safe haven for violent criminals, no code of silence that protects murderers, no adding and abetting those who are physically harming others; and no corner where justice cannot reach.

Mr. Speaker, let me share a story of hope. Recently, a mother whose son was killed in a senseless act of violence came forward and said, “I don’t want revenge. I want justice. I want no other mother to go through what I’ve gone through.”

And do you know what gave her strength, Mr. Speaker? It was her community. People who stood up and spoke up—not with anger, but with truth. And because of that, her son’s killer was brought to justice. It did not bring her son back, but it brought some peace for her. It helped her to take a step towards healing.

Mr. Speaker, that is the power of standing up. That is the power of speaking up. That is the power of saving lives.

Mr. Speaker, I send out an urgent call to action!

• To all in this Honorable House.
• To those listening right now to their radios [whether in your car or in your home].
• To those listening right now, by way of social media.
• To families who know that their loved ones are caught up or involved but are afraid to speak up.
• To those young men and women who want to do more than just talk about what they know in their living rooms or in the halls of their schools.
• And, even to those involved in violent acts who are fed up with a lifestyle of guns and violence and want to change! It is time to come home—as the Pastors would say! Put down your weapons and come home!
• To all of us—we are all tired of these senseless acts of violence and I know that we have had enough!

Mr. Speaker, and all of Bermuda, I leave you with this, as I shared up at the vigil held at Legends just a few short days ago:

• If you know something—stand up.
• If you see something—speak up.
• If you care about Bermuda—help save lives.
• Do not wait for the next tragedy to hit closer to home.
• Do not wait for the headlines to carry the name of someone we love.
• Do not wait until it is too late.

Mr. Speaker, the silence of those who have information has allowed this problem to grow, but from this moment forward, our voices—united, determined and fearless—can bring about change.

• Let us build a Bermuda where children can play without fear.
• Where families can walk the streets in peace and safety.
• Where parents do not have to worry about whether or not their son will return home safely when they leave the house.
• Where we can leave our doors open again and not have to worry—do we remember those times?
• Where justice is not delayed, and truth is not buried in silence.

Mr. Speaker, we are better than this violence. We are stronger than this fear. And we must not be bystanders in our own story.

Mr. Speaker—again I implore our people to:

Stand up. Speak up. Save lives.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker!

Thank you, Bermuda!

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