What was really intended with Independence?
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net:
THE year before independence was successfully negotiated for the Bahamas, the government published a road map for independence in the form of a White Paper.
Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling presented the White Paper to the House of Assembly on October 18, 1972. It indicated what would stay the same after independence, what would change, and the vision for the future of the Bahamas.
What was the meaning of independence from the perspective of the founding fathers? By his own admission, Sir Lynden did not envisage that the Independence Constitution would be dramatically different from the 1969 Constitution, either in form or content.
So what really was the promise of independence? Perhaps the answer lies in an examination of the issues and implications of Independence as they were conceived in 1972.
“Independence is necessary and desirable now for reasons which affect both national development and international relations. Above all, independence will enable the Bahamian people to find their true identity and to establish that freedom towards which all men aspire and to which all are entitled.”
What was set to stay the same following Independence
Monarchy to be retained. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be invited to be Head of State, Queen of our Independent Bahamas.
Conditions for the Prorogation and Dissolution of Parliament will stand.
Bi-cameral form of legislature to be retained. In the main, qualifications for appointment or election to remain unchanged.
Composition of the Executive to be retained.
The Supreme Court and The Court of Appeal for the Bahamas to continue as is.
Appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to continue.
Royal Bahamas Police Force to retain responsibility for enforcing the Constitution, law enforcement, and the protection of person and property.
The three Service Commissions – Public Service, Police Service and Judicial and Legal Service – to continue.
Membership on Commonwealth Caribbean Secretariat and Caribbean Development Bank to continue.
Automatic succession of treaties, conventions and agreements (dealing with postal activity, telecommunications, road traffic, broadcasting, health service, customs, commerce, visa requirements, racial discrimination, navigation, etc.) on the condition that within a reasonable time and after critical examination of every detail of every treaty or agreement concerned, the government would confirm its succession to some treaties an discontinue others.
Government to retain ownership of Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation, the Bahamas Electricity Corporation and ZNS.
Oil exploration by major oil companies.
Industrial Encouragement Act.
Maintain tax-haven status.
Continue to encourage hotel development and industrial diversification.
What was set to change following Independence
Governor-General to represent the Queen and exercise her executive authority, acting on the advice of the Cabinet or a minister empowered by the Cabinet.
One general election every five years or less except in times of national emergency.
Constituencies Commission to replace Boundaries Commission.
New constitutional clause to make provision for amending the Constitution only through democratic process.
The United Kingdom government will cease to have any responsibility foreign relations, defense and internal security, except by any treaty arrangement that might be made with the Bahamas government to become effective upon or after Independence.
Re-negotiate foreign military base and related agreements (specifically, those between the governments of the UK and the USA, covering installations on several Bahamian islands of missile tracking stations, United States Navy and Coast Guard stations and the Atlantic Underwater Test and Evaluation Center on Andros).
Wider distribution of police throughout the Family Islands and revitalization of Police Volunteer Reserve Strengthen Marine Division.
Eliminate Common Entrance examinations and institute a single ladder system. Introduce a system of senior high schools.
Open central schools up to junior secondary level in the Family Islands.
National Insurance Act to make provisions for cash benefits to specified beneficiary groups.
Central Bank to evolve from Monetary Authority.
Reorganize and reconstitute Post Office Savings Bank as National Savings Bank.
Institute a Development Bank of the Bahamas.
Institute a Bahamas Development Corporation to be responsible for the acquisition, improvement and disposal of land and for the redevelopment of areas cited as physical, economic or social liabilities.
Crown land or government land will no longer be available to non-Bahamians except on the basis of equity participation at the land’s full economic value.
Make public land available to Bahamians to enable them to make an effective start in business.
New sub-division legislation and real estate agents legislation will be introduced to protect the Bahamians and buyers of Bahamian land.
Government to seek equity participation in utility corporations operating in Family Islands.
Establish a national flag carrier that will be substantially owned and controlled by Bahamians.
Encourage more international carriers to install regular services from Europe to the Bahamas.
Stop indiscriminate proliferation of local charter, freight or passenger carriers.
Air Transport Licensing Authority to review all licenses and permits held by airlines not operating in services in the Bahamas. Licenses or permits may be suspended or terminated for airlines inactive for a year.
In the past, certain private institutions have taken the viewpoint that they can dictate their own terms; even that they are doing us a favour simply by setting up an interest within our shores. Such attitudes amount to gross irresponsibility and cannot be justified.
What was envisioned for the future in an independent Bahamas
Improve the facilities for administration of justice in the scattered Family Islands, whereby the courts are taken to the people rather bringing the people to the courts.
Arrangements to be made to ensure safe custody and proper treatment of dangerous criminals.
Seek membership of the ILO, FAO, WHO, UNESCO, IBRD, IMF, GATT (the former name of the World Bank), WTO, Commonwealth Secretariat and other Commonwealth Organizations.
Strive for closer relationship with the Commonwealth Caribbean countries.
Aim of the government to remain at peace with all nations and in co-operation with them, to promote the welfare of mankind all over the world.
It is not practical to suggest that an independent Bahamas would play or attempt to play a major role in the political affairs of the world … (but) our small nation can and will hold a respected place among the nations of the world
Priority matters relating to the law of the sea: The extent of territorial waters; the extent of national jurisdiction over the seabed; and the defense implications of the former matters. Determination of designated national waters, high seas areas, continental shelf. The Bahamas government will strive to have archipelagic principle applied in determining its territorial sea.
Improve efficiency of Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Provide equal opportunity for all Bahamians in a system of education designed to promote progress and unity.
The proposed College of the Bahamas.
A national system of education that will bring about improvements in standards of learning, and provide a more equitable assessment of students’ abilities, achievements and potential.
Primary teacher training facilities to be extended, secondary teacher training facilities to be developed.
The need for expatriate teachers will remain for some years ahead, but the ultimate objective is that of self-sufficiency with qualified Bahamian teachers.
Provision of vocational training in such subjects as hotel management, transport management, banking, business administration, and others.
Improve and extend hospital and medical facilities along the most modern and best tested lines.
Implementation of ILO 1970 recommendations
Introduction of national health insurance scheme.
Community Development Centers will be progressively and systematically established in densely populated areas to cater for pre-natal and post-natal needs, child day-care needs and the recreational needs of young people.
Economic independence:
Properly developed fisheries industry will generate a turnover of some B$10 million per annum.
Co-operative societies to provide credit and marketing facilities to fishermen and farmers.
For many years past, agricultural developments in the Bahamas have been minimal. The government is determined that this shall change. Of the three and a half million acres of land in the Bahamas, nearly half a million acres are now believed to have a high agricultural potential. The national food bill in 1970 was approximately $57 million of which $47.5 million was imported. At least a further B$8 million worth of food, at present imported, can and must be produced internally.
The expert opinion of the UK Land Resources Division states there is no reason why we cannot become self-supporting in poultry, eggs, milk, mutton and pork, citrus and garden products.
Improve means of marketing foodstuffs. New marketing system to account for quality control, grades and standards, price stabilization, storage and handling facilities and a reliable two-way flow of marketing information.
Improve circumstances of small farmers.
Implement programme to encourage consumers to buy Bahamian.
Negotiate loans and financial assistance for new transport facilities, the development and/or redevelopment of urban areas, new and improved amenities for the Family Islands, housing projects, schools, hospitals, roads and sanitation.
Provide monetary support to ensure the preservation of both man-made and natural attractions in the tourism sector and implement major extension to tourist facilities throughout the islands.
Vigorously pursue industrial diversification.
Provide land for small hotels to be owned and operated by local families, especially in the Family islands.
Provide land for enterprising Bahamians seriously interested in farming, commercial and industrial enterprises.
Aragonite mining to represent a source of income for many years ahead. The estimated world demand is 2,000 million tons. The Bahamas probably possesses reserves of this mineral of the order of 50,000 million tons.
Emergence of the Bahamas as a maritime nation.
Encourage food processing and canning, garment manufacture, household furnishings production, light engineering and metal and plastics fabrication.
Public/private partnership in oil industry development to put the country in the forefront of leading international centres for the deepwater terminalling and transshipment of oil, for oil refining and for the manufacture of petrochemicals.
Nationalisation shall not be an instrument of the government’s economic policy.
Investors should make a proper contribution to the economic and social development of the Bahamas.
Commercial organisations should indicate a sincere intent to train Bahamians. The use of foreign personnel should be limited.
Foreign investors should seek partnership with Bahamians.
July 11, 2010
tribune242
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
3,000 high school graduates estimated to have entered the workforce this month without the basic literacy and numeracy skills
3,000 graduates 'lack literacy & math skills'
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
AROUND 3,000 high school graduates estimated to have entered the workforce this month may be doing so without the basic literacy and numeracy skills required for further education.
Estimates based on the Ministry of Education's 2008 statistics predict around 40 per cent of 5,000 graduates from public and private schools will continue their studies at the College of the Bahamas (COB), Bahamas Vocational and Technical Institute (BTVI) or at colleges and universities abroad.
Around 20 per cent of government school leavers are thought to continue with their education after high school, while the remaining 80 per cent either choose not to enroll in tertiary education or lack the basic literacy and numeracy skills required, Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Elma Garraway said.
Education department statistics show 41.6 per cent of around 5,000 graduates went on to tertiary education in 2008, and it is estimated this year's figures will be similar.
Mrs Garraway said many government school graduates who may want to continue their studies at COB, or develop practical job skills at BTVI, are often held back by a low level of literacy and mathematics.
"Those students who would normally go to BTVI because they are skilled can't go if they do not have that level of numeracy and literacy required, because all of the institutions require a certain level of reading and comprehension," said Mrs Garraway.
"If people are not reading it impacts their ability to solve a problem because it determines how wide your array of knowledge is to help them understand a problem.
"And it places a restriction on the numbers that go to BTVI and participate in the certification courses."
Schools are now working hard to improve students' basic literacy and numeracy skills before they graduate so they can have the option of going on to further education, Mrs Garraway said.
The computer programme "Autoskills" has been launched throughout government schools for students to practice English and mathematics in their own time.
And CV Bethel has launched another computer programme named "Novanet" to help students with language and math skills.
But high school students could also do with a little encouragement from parents, the said Mrs Garraway.
"Even by just reading the newspaper with your child, and expanding their knowledge will help," she said.
"If you start when they are young they will go on to read and gather knowledge so they will not be leaving school in this position.
"It's such a pity when this should be known from primary school level, and with the parenting and directive intervention they should have no problem in developing that.
"Too many parents abandon the children once they reach seventh, eighth or ninth grade, and we need to keep the parents engaged with students."
Parents who do not have the time to spend reading with their children or helping them develop essential job skills should take advantage of after-school programmes and summer vacation programmes orchestrated by the Ministry of Education, urban renewal associations or churches, youth and community groups, Mrs Garraway said.
Those who have graduated without the literacy and numeracy skills they need - can enroll in specialist catchment programmes at BTVI.
July 10, 2010
tribune242
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
AROUND 3,000 high school graduates estimated to have entered the workforce this month may be doing so without the basic literacy and numeracy skills required for further education.
Estimates based on the Ministry of Education's 2008 statistics predict around 40 per cent of 5,000 graduates from public and private schools will continue their studies at the College of the Bahamas (COB), Bahamas Vocational and Technical Institute (BTVI) or at colleges and universities abroad.
Around 20 per cent of government school leavers are thought to continue with their education after high school, while the remaining 80 per cent either choose not to enroll in tertiary education or lack the basic literacy and numeracy skills required, Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary Elma Garraway said.
Education department statistics show 41.6 per cent of around 5,000 graduates went on to tertiary education in 2008, and it is estimated this year's figures will be similar.
Mrs Garraway said many government school graduates who may want to continue their studies at COB, or develop practical job skills at BTVI, are often held back by a low level of literacy and mathematics.
"Those students who would normally go to BTVI because they are skilled can't go if they do not have that level of numeracy and literacy required, because all of the institutions require a certain level of reading and comprehension," said Mrs Garraway.
"If people are not reading it impacts their ability to solve a problem because it determines how wide your array of knowledge is to help them understand a problem.
"And it places a restriction on the numbers that go to BTVI and participate in the certification courses."
Schools are now working hard to improve students' basic literacy and numeracy skills before they graduate so they can have the option of going on to further education, Mrs Garraway said.
The computer programme "Autoskills" has been launched throughout government schools for students to practice English and mathematics in their own time.
And CV Bethel has launched another computer programme named "Novanet" to help students with language and math skills.
But high school students could also do with a little encouragement from parents, the said Mrs Garraway.
"Even by just reading the newspaper with your child, and expanding their knowledge will help," she said.
"If you start when they are young they will go on to read and gather knowledge so they will not be leaving school in this position.
"It's such a pity when this should be known from primary school level, and with the parenting and directive intervention they should have no problem in developing that.
"Too many parents abandon the children once they reach seventh, eighth or ninth grade, and we need to keep the parents engaged with students."
Parents who do not have the time to spend reading with their children or helping them develop essential job skills should take advantage of after-school programmes and summer vacation programmes orchestrated by the Ministry of Education, urban renewal associations or churches, youth and community groups, Mrs Garraway said.
Those who have graduated without the literacy and numeracy skills they need - can enroll in specialist catchment programmes at BTVI.
July 10, 2010
tribune242
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Bahamas Government is determined to amend the law to extend the time suspected murderers are held in Her Majesty's Prison Fox Hill without trial
Govt determined to amend bail law
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net:
THE government is determined to amend the law to extend the period of time suspected murderers can be held in Her Majesty's Prison without trial, despite the criticism from some in the legal community, said Attorney General John Delaney.
He said so responding to speaker after speaker at the Bahamian Forum who lambasted the legal system for allowing too many charged people to go free on bail. The public discussion forum was hosted by psychiatrist Dr David Allen.
"Our circumstances have outgrown our present system," said Mr Delaney. He said the government had to respond to the demands of the time.
Currently, a person charged with murder or another serious offence can be granted bail if they have not been brought to trial in a reasonable amount of time, based on their constitutional rights.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has indicated that his administration plans to specify in law that a reasonable amount of time would be three years. The effort is aimed at cutting down the number of those charged who re-offend while on bail, and assuage public outcry.
The government's efforts were fully endorsed by Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade, who said: "It is time we stop releasing people on bail.
"We are very surprised some days to find a person lying dead in our streets murdered by a person who is on bail for murder and the victim is on bail for murder."
He said he had no shortage of examples of charged offenders who posed a threat to society being out on bail; reoffending while out on bail; or being murdered while out on bail.
There was an arrest made of a Bahamian man who was investigated based on photographs on the social networking website, Facebook. He posed in photographs dressed in a bullet-proof vest, with a marijuana cigarette in his mouth, an AK-47 in one hand and two pistols in the other. Upon investigation, police recovered the illegal guns and drugs. Commissioner Greenslade said if he were asked where that person is today, the answer would be out on bail.
The police recovered $2 million stored in a house in a drug-related incident that resulted in a prosecution. The man charged was a victim of murder while out on bail. The same fate met a man charged in a drug-related incident, where $300,000 worth of cash proceeds of crime were recovered.
Commissioner Greenslade said the obligation of the police was to arrest and charge suspected criminals. He said the police had a high rate of detection and was doing its part. Charges were filed by the police in 103 of 147 cases of illegal weapons since the start of the year. Charges were filed by the police in 35 of 48 murder cases.
Mr Delaney said the Bahamas is experiencing a crime wave on top of having a court system in backlog with laws that are outdated. He said a complex web of problems was working against efforts to control crime, however there has been no other time in history when the government has contributed so "much capital resources to the court system."
In order to solve the problem of a backlog, the government is seeking to double the capacity of the Supreme Court so more cases can he heard simultaneously.
This, Mr Delaney, said involved increasing the physical space, the number of judges and the number of jurors.
He said it is a misperception that only 12 jurors were needed for a criminal matter in the Supreme Court. He said for every 12 jurors, a pool of 50 was needed. He said the Bahamian public has a role to play, by turning up for duty.
Public participant, Felicity Ingraham, said there was also a problem of unethical defence attorneys, who manipulated the system to get criminals out on bail.
"There is a small group of attorneys, someone who is likely to commit a murder knows the attorneys, who they can pay a $5,000 retainer that in 18 months they will be back out on the street. These attorneys know how to work the system, because the system is extremely overcrowded, and the laws haven't been changed," said Ms Ingraham.
"There are certain attorneys who wouldn't do it, but there are certain attorneys who would, and they will look for every loophole to get these people out. Some of them are not even Bahamian and they don't care," she said, to a round of applause from the commissioner and Attorney General.
"I know someone who stabbed a friend of mine 52 times. This was just three years ago and I see him on the street hailing me and I don't understand and I don't necessarily feel safe. It was a domestic issue. I heard this guy before talking about what attorney he is going to go to," said Ms Ingraham.
July 09, 2010
tribune242
Friday, July 9, 2010
Rodney Moncur - The Anti-Crime Activist To Lead a 1,000 Man Anti-crime March as The Bahamas Celebrates its 37th Anniversary
Anti-Crime Activist To Lead 1,000 Man March
By Karissma Robinson:
Local anti-crime activist Rodney Moncur is seeking to lead the country back to a place where everyday citizens ultimately "chose peace above crime."
Mr. Moncur plans to host a 1,000 man anti-crime march throughout the streets of New Providence as The Bahamas celebrates its 37th anniversary this Saturday.
He is hoping to send a strong message to the criminal element.
At this point, 48 murders have already been recorded for the year, six of them in just one week.
Mr. Moncur said the issue of crime still sits front and centre in the minds of Bahamians.
"Bahamians are still trying to process what is happening. It is getting out of control," Mr. Moncur said.
He insists that The Bahamas cannot afford to celebrate its independence in this state.
"Pregnant women are now being shot for whatever reason. When is the government going to get it? There is a lot of fear in the society, particularly the fear of being killed. Every witness in a murder case is in peril. The reality is no one seems to be sounding the alarm that witnesses in The Bahamas are being assassinated," said Mr. Moncur.
It is for that reason Mr. Moncur is appealing to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and other government officials to step up to the plate in the fight against crime.
He said the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) "cannot and should not tackle the problem alone."
Earlier this week, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said police officials have devised new policing strategies.
The police force plans to conduct more walkabouts throughout New Providence and the Family Islands to become more familiar with the residents.
However, Mr. Moncur insists that it should be the Members of Parliament conducting walkabouts in their constituencies.
"It is time for the government to step up. It is now time to issue a state of emergency. We now have to pull other military forces together, such as the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBPF) to intervene. Law enforcement should be dispatched at every corner. This has to happen before it is too late," said Mr. Moncur.
Mr. Moncur asserted that the solution to the problem is very simple.
"First, the prime minister needs to stop granting murderers bail. Secondly, he needs to hang all murderers. This is where the problem ends. If these two things are done there will be a drastic reduction in criminal activity," said Mr. Moncur.
He admitted it would not be easy, but believes it is highly possible to reduce the country’s crippling crime problem.
Mr. Moncur stressed the significance of hosting such a march during the country’s 37th birthday.
"This is the time when all patriotic Bahamians should come out in full force. Independence is the time for Bahamians to unite. Bahamians should take this time to send a strong message to the government that they are not safe," he said.
Mr. Moncur said he intends to continue to march until change comes.
He is calling on Bahamians from every fabric of society to join him at the R.M. Bailey High School at 9:00 a.m. this Saturday.
He wants participants to wear paraphernalia that would best represent The Bahamas.
July 8th, 2010
jonesbahamas
By Karissma Robinson:
Local anti-crime activist Rodney Moncur is seeking to lead the country back to a place where everyday citizens ultimately "chose peace above crime."
Mr. Moncur plans to host a 1,000 man anti-crime march throughout the streets of New Providence as The Bahamas celebrates its 37th anniversary this Saturday.
He is hoping to send a strong message to the criminal element.
At this point, 48 murders have already been recorded for the year, six of them in just one week.
Mr. Moncur said the issue of crime still sits front and centre in the minds of Bahamians.
"Bahamians are still trying to process what is happening. It is getting out of control," Mr. Moncur said.
He insists that The Bahamas cannot afford to celebrate its independence in this state.
"Pregnant women are now being shot for whatever reason. When is the government going to get it? There is a lot of fear in the society, particularly the fear of being killed. Every witness in a murder case is in peril. The reality is no one seems to be sounding the alarm that witnesses in The Bahamas are being assassinated," said Mr. Moncur.
It is for that reason Mr. Moncur is appealing to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and other government officials to step up to the plate in the fight against crime.
He said the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) "cannot and should not tackle the problem alone."
Earlier this week, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said police officials have devised new policing strategies.
The police force plans to conduct more walkabouts throughout New Providence and the Family Islands to become more familiar with the residents.
However, Mr. Moncur insists that it should be the Members of Parliament conducting walkabouts in their constituencies.
"It is time for the government to step up. It is now time to issue a state of emergency. We now have to pull other military forces together, such as the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBPF) to intervene. Law enforcement should be dispatched at every corner. This has to happen before it is too late," said Mr. Moncur.
Mr. Moncur asserted that the solution to the problem is very simple.
"First, the prime minister needs to stop granting murderers bail. Secondly, he needs to hang all murderers. This is where the problem ends. If these two things are done there will be a drastic reduction in criminal activity," said Mr. Moncur.
He admitted it would not be easy, but believes it is highly possible to reduce the country’s crippling crime problem.
Mr. Moncur stressed the significance of hosting such a march during the country’s 37th birthday.
"This is the time when all patriotic Bahamians should come out in full force. Independence is the time for Bahamians to unite. Bahamians should take this time to send a strong message to the government that they are not safe," he said.
Mr. Moncur said he intends to continue to march until change comes.
He is calling on Bahamians from every fabric of society to join him at the R.M. Bailey High School at 9:00 a.m. this Saturday.
He wants participants to wear paraphernalia that would best represent The Bahamas.
July 8th, 2010
jonesbahamas
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The United States State Department's international travel web site has detailed The Bahamas' grim crime problem
US documents Bahamas' crime problem on web site
By KRYSTEL ROLLE ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ krystel@nasguard.com:
The U.S. State Department's international travel web site has detailed The Bahamas' crime problem, painting an accurately grim picture of last year's criminal activities.
The report states, "The Bahamas has a high crime rate. New Providence island in particular has experienced a spike in crime that has adversely affected the traveling public. Pick-pocketing and theft remain the most common crimes perpetrated against tourists.
"However, there has been a spate of more violent criminal activity in 2009. Three separate groups of tourists were held at gunpoint and robbed at popular tourist sites in and near Nassau; each of these incidents occurred during daylight hours and involved groups of more than eight persons. Several other groups of tourists allegedly were victims of armed robbery at more remote locations."
Co-owner of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Sir Jack Hayward recently warned that the Government of The Bahamas must find solutions to the escalating crime problem in the country before countries such as the United States issue travel advisories warning their citizens not to come to this jurisdiction.
"Any moment now the American Embassy could be advising American citizens that this is an unsafe country to travel (to)," said Sir Jack last week during an interview with The Nassau Guardian.
Sir Jack said the disturbing crime trend in the country could threaten both tourism to, and investment in, the country.
The U.S. State Department said in its country overview that the U.S. Embassy has received reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, in diverse areas such as in casinos, outside hotels, or on cruise ships.
"In several incidents the victim had reportedly been drugged. The Bahamas has the highest incidence of rape in the Caribbean according to a 2007 United Nations report on crime, violence, and development trends. Much of the violent crime occurs outside of areas frequented by tourists, such as the 'Over-the-Hill' section of Nassau."
The report added that two American citizens were murdered in New Providence in 2009.
Anna Garrison, a 33-year-old West Palm Beach woman, was found killed in New Providence last year. Her body was found on July 4, wrapped in a plastic bag and bed sheet on the side of a road. Police said she had been killed months before her body was found.
The Guardian was unable to identify the alleged second American victim.
"The upsurge in criminal activity has also led to incidents which, while not directed at tourists, could place innocent bystanders at risk. An altercation at a major resort resulted in the shooting of two security officers, while several daytime robberies in Nassau led to exchanges of gunfire on busy streets," the report said.
The two security officers were shot in the Atlantis Marina Village in November 2009. Additionally, several shootings have occurred in the downtown area and on West Bay Street.
The report also noted the low prevalence of crime in the Family Islands. However, it added that the embassy has received reports of burglaries and thefts on Abaco and Bimini.
The Embassy has reportedly also received reports of "harassment of persons based on sexual orientation. In addition, women have reported incidents of verbal harassment and unwanted attention".
The crime report ended by advising visitors to report crime to the police force as quickly as possible.
It said, the "Royal Bahamian Police Force is responsive to reports of crime and takes the threat of crime against tourists very seriously. However, the police response is sometimes slowed by a lack of resources or by the physical constraints imposed by geography and infrastructure."
The high level of crime has been highlighted internationally on several occasions, most recently in The Washington Post, which quoted State Department's report in an article published in April.
The government has attempted, in terms of personnel changes and infrastructure investments, to address the crime problem, which has worsened in recent years.
Since the Free National Movement (FNM) came to office in 2007, there have been three commissioners of police; three attorneys general; two chief justices; and the second director of the Department of Public Prosecutions is soon to take office.
The government has bought the police a new fleet of vehicles and it is spending more than $20 million upgrading the court system.
The new Magistrates Court complex at Nassau Street is expected to be completed within the next few months.
July 8, 2010
thenassauguardian
By KRYSTEL ROLLE ~ Guardian Staff Reporter ~ krystel@nasguard.com:
The U.S. State Department's international travel web site has detailed The Bahamas' crime problem, painting an accurately grim picture of last year's criminal activities.
The report states, "The Bahamas has a high crime rate. New Providence island in particular has experienced a spike in crime that has adversely affected the traveling public. Pick-pocketing and theft remain the most common crimes perpetrated against tourists.
"However, there has been a spate of more violent criminal activity in 2009. Three separate groups of tourists were held at gunpoint and robbed at popular tourist sites in and near Nassau; each of these incidents occurred during daylight hours and involved groups of more than eight persons. Several other groups of tourists allegedly were victims of armed robbery at more remote locations."
Co-owner of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Sir Jack Hayward recently warned that the Government of The Bahamas must find solutions to the escalating crime problem in the country before countries such as the United States issue travel advisories warning their citizens not to come to this jurisdiction.
"Any moment now the American Embassy could be advising American citizens that this is an unsafe country to travel (to)," said Sir Jack last week during an interview with The Nassau Guardian.
Sir Jack said the disturbing crime trend in the country could threaten both tourism to, and investment in, the country.
The U.S. State Department said in its country overview that the U.S. Embassy has received reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, in diverse areas such as in casinos, outside hotels, or on cruise ships.
"In several incidents the victim had reportedly been drugged. The Bahamas has the highest incidence of rape in the Caribbean according to a 2007 United Nations report on crime, violence, and development trends. Much of the violent crime occurs outside of areas frequented by tourists, such as the 'Over-the-Hill' section of Nassau."
The report added that two American citizens were murdered in New Providence in 2009.
Anna Garrison, a 33-year-old West Palm Beach woman, was found killed in New Providence last year. Her body was found on July 4, wrapped in a plastic bag and bed sheet on the side of a road. Police said she had been killed months before her body was found.
The Guardian was unable to identify the alleged second American victim.
"The upsurge in criminal activity has also led to incidents which, while not directed at tourists, could place innocent bystanders at risk. An altercation at a major resort resulted in the shooting of two security officers, while several daytime robberies in Nassau led to exchanges of gunfire on busy streets," the report said.
The two security officers were shot in the Atlantis Marina Village in November 2009. Additionally, several shootings have occurred in the downtown area and on West Bay Street.
The report also noted the low prevalence of crime in the Family Islands. However, it added that the embassy has received reports of burglaries and thefts on Abaco and Bimini.
The Embassy has reportedly also received reports of "harassment of persons based on sexual orientation. In addition, women have reported incidents of verbal harassment and unwanted attention".
The crime report ended by advising visitors to report crime to the police force as quickly as possible.
It said, the "Royal Bahamian Police Force is responsive to reports of crime and takes the threat of crime against tourists very seriously. However, the police response is sometimes slowed by a lack of resources or by the physical constraints imposed by geography and infrastructure."
The high level of crime has been highlighted internationally on several occasions, most recently in The Washington Post, which quoted State Department's report in an article published in April.
The government has attempted, in terms of personnel changes and infrastructure investments, to address the crime problem, which has worsened in recent years.
Since the Free National Movement (FNM) came to office in 2007, there have been three commissioners of police; three attorneys general; two chief justices; and the second director of the Department of Public Prosecutions is soon to take office.
The government has bought the police a new fleet of vehicles and it is spending more than $20 million upgrading the court system.
The new Magistrates Court complex at Nassau Street is expected to be completed within the next few months.
July 8, 2010
thenassauguardian
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Charles Maynard accused Philip "Brave" Davis of hiring bloggers to post "scandalous lies" of alleged corruption and extra-marital affairs about him
PLP Deputy accused of 'Internet lies'
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net:
CULTURE Minister Charles Maynard yesterday accused Opposition Deputy Leader Philip "Brave" Davis of hiring Internet bloggers to post "scandalous lies" that link him to alleged corruption and extra-marital affairs.
Mr Davis strongly denied the allegations when contacted by The Tribune yesterday morning and said he had no idea who is behind the website in question. He added that he had no time for - and did not condone - smear campaigns or personal attacks on fellow politicians.
The post in question, published on Monday, lashed out at Mr Maynard for criticisms made on a talk show earlier this week - and also in the House of Assembly last month - alleging that criminal defense attorneys and Mr Davis specifically who "profited" from and "manipulated" the slow-moving legal system.
According to Mr Maynard, every time he publicly criticises Mr Davis a scathing story about him appears on the website, making it "obvious" to him who is driving the rumours.
"I know as a fact that Brave Davis is behind it, that the person who does this works directly for him." Mr Davis emphatically denied the accusation.
"I don't think that it's fair for me to say something in the House - generally speaking and also directed to him in terms of how I felt about what he would have done earlier in his law practice - and his way of dealing with it is to have these scandalous things on blogs.
"It was so obvious in this latest attack, yesterday I appeared on a talk show and said something about him and they allude to that (in the blog) and it makes it obvious. It's immature (and) does nothing to forward the political system," Mr Maynard said.
Mr Davis, on the other hand, said he had no part in the disparaging remarks made against the minister adding that he cannot control the thoughts and actions of persons who may support him.
"That's unfortunate if he thinks every time he talks negatively about me he is negatively attacked - then he ought to consider whether he should be negatively attacking me. If he is attacking me and he finds himself being attacked, just as he has supporters out there I have supporters too. I have no interest in nor will I condone negative attacks on anyone. I have no interest in running any negative campaign - we have too many challenges in our country," the PLP Member of Parliament for Cat Island and Rum Cay said when asked about the allegations.
He continued:" "I don't need anyone to respond for me...But I am heartened to know that people feel sufficiently warm about me to come to my defence if they feel I am unduly attacked. Of course I am not going to sit by idly and allow people to attack (others)."
When asked directly if the website is run by PLP operatives, Mr Davis said: "I wouldn't say that's the case." He told The Tribune that the comments posted were "crossing the line."
Among other things, the post also alleges that the minister engaged in extra-marital affairs while on official duty at the World Cup match in South Africa and benefited from alleged criminal proceeds passed down to him by his father, Andrew "Dud" Maynard, a former PLP chairman.
Mr Maynard said his father, a veteran politician, can handle the aspersions but they take a harder toll on his wife.
"From my father's point of view he's been in politics all his life and knows it gets dirty. My wife is new to politics and not very happy about it - to me it's a new low.
"It goes out into the public domain, despite the fact that it's lies, it's still something that nobody would like to be said about them."
Still it doesn't appear that Mr Maynard plans to sue the handlers of the website for defamation.
He explained that Bahamian law has not caught up with the influence of the world wide web.
He said he hopes the Ingraham administration can advance some sort of legislative reform to address these matters, particularly before the next general election when campaigns on both sides of the party divide will heat up.
July 07, 2010
tribune242
By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
tthompson@tribunemedia.net:
CULTURE Minister Charles Maynard yesterday accused Opposition Deputy Leader Philip "Brave" Davis of hiring Internet bloggers to post "scandalous lies" that link him to alleged corruption and extra-marital affairs.
Mr Davis strongly denied the allegations when contacted by The Tribune yesterday morning and said he had no idea who is behind the website in question. He added that he had no time for - and did not condone - smear campaigns or personal attacks on fellow politicians.
The post in question, published on Monday, lashed out at Mr Maynard for criticisms made on a talk show earlier this week - and also in the House of Assembly last month - alleging that criminal defense attorneys and Mr Davis specifically who "profited" from and "manipulated" the slow-moving legal system.
According to Mr Maynard, every time he publicly criticises Mr Davis a scathing story about him appears on the website, making it "obvious" to him who is driving the rumours.
"I know as a fact that Brave Davis is behind it, that the person who does this works directly for him." Mr Davis emphatically denied the accusation.
"I don't think that it's fair for me to say something in the House - generally speaking and also directed to him in terms of how I felt about what he would have done earlier in his law practice - and his way of dealing with it is to have these scandalous things on blogs.
"It was so obvious in this latest attack, yesterday I appeared on a talk show and said something about him and they allude to that (in the blog) and it makes it obvious. It's immature (and) does nothing to forward the political system," Mr Maynard said.
Mr Davis, on the other hand, said he had no part in the disparaging remarks made against the minister adding that he cannot control the thoughts and actions of persons who may support him.
"That's unfortunate if he thinks every time he talks negatively about me he is negatively attacked - then he ought to consider whether he should be negatively attacking me. If he is attacking me and he finds himself being attacked, just as he has supporters out there I have supporters too. I have no interest in nor will I condone negative attacks on anyone. I have no interest in running any negative campaign - we have too many challenges in our country," the PLP Member of Parliament for Cat Island and Rum Cay said when asked about the allegations.
He continued:" "I don't need anyone to respond for me...But I am heartened to know that people feel sufficiently warm about me to come to my defence if they feel I am unduly attacked. Of course I am not going to sit by idly and allow people to attack (others)."
When asked directly if the website is run by PLP operatives, Mr Davis said: "I wouldn't say that's the case." He told The Tribune that the comments posted were "crossing the line."
Among other things, the post also alleges that the minister engaged in extra-marital affairs while on official duty at the World Cup match in South Africa and benefited from alleged criminal proceeds passed down to him by his father, Andrew "Dud" Maynard, a former PLP chairman.
Mr Maynard said his father, a veteran politician, can handle the aspersions but they take a harder toll on his wife.
"From my father's point of view he's been in politics all his life and knows it gets dirty. My wife is new to politics and not very happy about it - to me it's a new low.
"It goes out into the public domain, despite the fact that it's lies, it's still something that nobody would like to be said about them."
Still it doesn't appear that Mr Maynard plans to sue the handlers of the website for defamation.
He explained that Bahamian law has not caught up with the influence of the world wide web.
He said he hopes the Ingraham administration can advance some sort of legislative reform to address these matters, particularly before the next general election when campaigns on both sides of the party divide will heat up.
July 07, 2010
tribune242
Bahamian Communities have called for police to stop the bloodshed
'Stop the bloodshed'
It is also up to the Bahamian People in The Bahamas to ensure the place in which they live is a community
By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
A spike in murders once again has everyone on the alert. Communities have called for police to stop the bloodshed.
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net:
They want to see more officers on the streets preventing the murders - like the six that occurred in a space of just six days last week - from happening in the first place.
This is a challenge police will struggle to face on their own,
Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade explained as he sought to reassure residents of Pinewood in a walkabout with his senior officers on Tuesday...
But as residents saw the convoy of shiny police cars crawling through their corners with a small fleet of media vehicles, they closed their doors.
One young man came out to talk to Mr Greenslade, but upon seeing the magnitude of the procession, the swarm of police officers, and reporters with television cameras, others ducked back in behind the safety of their own four walls.
Talking to the police does not look good in Pinewood.
A man was gunned down here just days ago and that was the latest in a string of violent killings over the years.
Although the majority of people say they feel safe in Pinewood (85 per cent according to MP Byran Woodside's August 2009 survey), it is also well known that being too cosy with law-enforcement does not make you popular with "the people in power."
By "the people in power" they do not mean the police, or Mr Woodside and the political big-wigs, but the young men, and less frequently women, who are arrested, charged and arraigned in connection with crimes as serious as firearm possession, armed robbery, or violent assaults, and then walk freely from jail, their bail bonds secured by self-interested lawyers.
They are released and welcomed back into the working-class families of Pinewood Gardens, and other neighbourhoods like it.
These criminals are not foreign to us, Mr Greenslade said.
They are not from the immigrant Haitian or Jamaican communities who Bahamians so willingly blame for our social strains and rising violent crime.
None of the six murders over six days bear signs of Jamaican-style "yardie" killings.
The deaths were not connected to any particular ethnic group or nationality.
They were simply committed by people with "evil in their hearts", the Commissioner concluded.
He also said the bloodshed is not confined to "hot spots" or no-go danger zones to be avoided in order to avoid gunfire.
No, the senseless killings, the unconscionable shootings, such as that of pregnant Marie Claude-Saintilien, 23, and of 30-year-old Fresh Creek, Andros, resident Tevaris Minnis, the week before last, are not indicative of good neighbourhoods turning bad.
The deaths are not happening as a result of an influx of violent foreigners carrying out an attack in an otherwise peace-loving nation.
No, these violent crimes are being committed by people in our own families, living in our homes and in our neighbour's homes, in suburban areas like Pinewood Gardens, where they are not only known to us, but they are known to their local police officers, detectives, prosecutors, magistrates and prison guards.
"These are people known to you," Mr Greenslade said.
"These are our relatives, and they are in and out of the system, having been arrested and then allowed to walk freely in our communities. That is very powerful."
How or why those suspected of such serious crimes are released into communities at the risk of being a menace to society - which the Commissioner asserts they are - begs a bigger question and one the Commissioner was unwilling, or unable, to answer.
But his unnerving assertion, said to reassure Pinewood residents and other neighbours of the most heinous crimes that it is not their community that poses a threat but people in it, is still not the most comforting of statements.
Nor is it any comfort to know many of those who have been killed have also been through the wheels of the criminal justice system.
Because several of them are also due to appear as witnesses in court, or like the four-year-old boy shot in Pinewood recently, they just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Perhaps Mr Greenslade wanted to somewhat diminish the power these bailed criminals have by showing the people being killed are also not strangers to crime.
It certainly puts a damper on the attraction of the gangster lifestyle presented by these freed suspects who serve as examples of just how much Bahamians can get away with.
Sadly they become role models for the most vulnerable youngsters who lack the support and protection of good parents and guardians who might tell them any different, Pinewood resident Angelo King, 21, told me last week.
They show these youth how easy it is to get by in a bad economy if armed with a handgun.
Dealing drugs, robbing people in the street and breaking into their homes at opportune times to steal whatever may be worth selling will surely help you get by without having to worry about the high unemployment rate, taxes, traffic, and all those other hassles and stresses associated with having a job and being a functional and productive member of society.
And with no repercussions - at least not in the criminal justice system - it would seem to many a smart path to choose.
Children as young as 10 are drawn into housebreaking rings and trained to steal anything worth selling instead of going to school.
Mr King said the only thing that saved him from the influence of this path was his basketball talent, which he developed and worked hard at to earn a university scholarship and then graduate degree in psychology.
He said more positive role models are needed, and the police Commissioner tried to live up to this need when he invited the 4ft members of the Bahamas American Football Alliance team to Police Headquarters to meet some positive role models.
He explained how it is possible to carry a gun on the right side of the law and still get to play in Nassau's great game of the Wild West.
Certainly police appear to be stepping up to the plate as the Commissioner responds to calls from the public to speak out when they need reassurance, and shake-up the force as necessary, increasing the number of detectives on the homicide squad from two to five in recent months.
Duty officers have taken more than 133 illegal firearms and over 2,600 rounds of ammunition off the streets since January.
And as the rate of crime continues to plateau at a stomach-churning level, with the occasional peaks and troughs making us feel either less sick or more so, police are consistently charging suspected criminals and bringing them before the courts.
As of Friday, at least three people had been charged in connection with three of the six murders, which took place between June 21 and 26, and the Commissioner expects investigations will result in the charging of suspects in the remaining cases.
Among those arraigned last week was Kendrick Sands, 33, of Matthew Street, Nassau Village, who was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Atlantis worker Kifftino Davis, 20.
Mr Davis, of Peardale Street off Wulff Road, was gunned down by an unknown assailant, near his home at around 2am last Sunday.
His mother said he was due to testify in the upcoming murder trial of Pinewood Gardens resident George Carey, 21, a friend and colleague of Mr Davis' who was stabbed multiple times near Lockhart's Bar, Wulff Road, in May.
For Sands it is the second murder charge he has faced in just over a year, as he was arraigned on charges in connection with the January 2009 Nassau Village shooting of Onando Newbold in February last year and had been released on bail.
After his arraignment on Thursday he was remanded in custody. Police also charged Prince McPhee, 34, of High Vista Estates, last week, in connection with the fatal shooting of murder-accused Bradley Ferguson in Sequoia Street, Pinewood Gardens, on Saturday June 26.
Ferguson had been acquitted of murder charges earlier this year, having been accused of killing pregnant Rosemary Bennett-Wright and her five-year-old son Jakeel Wright in March 2002, as well as of the attempted murders of Devonna Brown and Omega Fox.
Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade and his team stopped near Ferguson's home during their procession through Pinewood, which is within site of the crossroads where seven murders had occurred in recent memory - including the double murder of a mother and son in January last year.
But police did not make clear whether this unmarked road - first said to be Sequoia Street and then Avocado Street - was also the place where Ferguson - armed with a handgun and bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot wounds - forced himself into the parked car of a mother and her three children and severely traumatised the whole family before he became the country's 47th homicide victim last Saturday.
Mr Greenslade spoke to people in the strip-mall business places on that corner in an effort to reassure upstanding members of the community that police were doing their utmost to prevent violent crimes, but he also had to remind the suffering public there is only so much he and his men can do.
With the criminal justice system bursting with a whopping 257 murder cases pending as of April this year - and areas of the prison also oversubscribed - the crime level is more than just a policing issue.
As Mr Greenslade said in his roundabout way - there are other executive bodies to also be held accountable.
Just last week Magistrate Carolita Bethel granted $10,000 bail to a suspect arraigned on several serious charges, including the shooting of a child in Pinewood Gardens two weeks ago.
Pinewood resident Tyson Deveaux, was charged in connection with the shooting of a four-year-old boy in Brazilletta Street, on June 14, an incident in which he also was shot.
He had previously been accused of the murder of Marlon Smith on April 19, 2009, and was also accused of the murder of Corrie Bethel on May 10, 2007.
When he was first arraigned on June 18, Deveaux was remanded in custody by Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez.
But when he reappeared before Magistrate Bethel, facing two additional firearms possession charges in connection with the Pinewood shooting on June 24, he was freed on $10,000 bail with two sureties - one being that he had to surrender his travel documents to ensure he stayed in the country.
Why the suspect in connection with such a serious succession of crimes was granted bail by a magistrate regarded as one of the strictest in Nassau's court system is not known, but the public has no choice but to welcome him back into their communities until he returns to court on August 14 for the rest of his future to be decided - or adjourned.
Because if some of them are not welcomed with open arms, the fear is that by resisting their return we will become the next bloody mess, and murder victim number 48, 49 or 50 - no small number for halfway through the year.
The Commissioner was right when he said their bail release is very powerful indeed.
Perhaps this is why Bahamians are so "tolerant" as the Commissioner said.
"I am very concerned that we as Bahamians are so tolerant," said Mr Greenslade.
"We cannot allow young Bahamian men to continue to walk the streets of our country 24/7 with illegal weapons, selling drugs in our communities, and poisoning our children.
"That's not a policing problem - that's a Bahamian problem.
"If a person is walking our streets on bail and believes he or she is above everybody else, I don't know how policing will prevent that.
"It's very important that all Bahamians report these matters.
"This is about all of us as Bahamians saying 'enough is enough'."
I am certain for many of those who heard or read his statements genuinely feel "enough is enough" whether they have experienced murder and violent crime directly, read about them daily in the newspapers, or choose to avoid the news altogether in an effort to protect themselves from having to digest the unsavoury facts.
I am sure the residents of Pinewood who were intrigued by the uniformed police chiefs parading through the area, but were too intimidated - either by the police officers themselves or the criminals living in their neighbourhoods - to speak to Mr Greenslade and his colleagues, have had enough of the crime.
Who wants to live in a community where you are afraid to speak out?
Where if you witness a murder, you could be the next victim?
Perhaps it is a situation people have become used to, but surely it's not the lifestyle of choice - and, yes, you do have one.
Unfortunately the intimidation of witnesses has become so common it may seem to be the only way of going about things.
As suspects' families celebrate the homecoming of their bailed loved-ones, witnesses of crimes that the suspects may or may not have been involved in, cower in their homes and lock their doors.
Pinewood mother Maria Scott lost her son Marcian Clarke, 31, four years ago. He was shot dead outside their Willow Tree Avenue home in Pinewood Gardens shortly before he was due to testify as a key witness in the murder of his former police patrol partner.
It's hardly surprising that after his partner was killed Mr Clarke left the police force for a job at Atlantis, but changing jobs was not enough to leave the front-line.
As a key witness, even his own efforts and the efforts of police could not protect him.
And with the recent case of Mr Davis's killing, it's little wonder people are so unwilling to come forward when it comes to informing the police.
As a reporter I have walked through neighbourhoods in Pinewood, off Wulff Road or East Street, to try to talk to residents about the latest crime, and the dozens of people sitting around who may or may not know something about it will not say a word.
Sometimes an unwary child will point me in the right direction, or divulge some interesting details, and very occasionally someone bold enough to speak out will do so.
But the long and short of it is - they do not feel safe to appear to be on the right side of the law.
Just as witnesses in murder cases whose names appear on court dockets and are called to testify in court may be vulnerable to freedom-hungry predators with blood on their hands, anyone who happens to see one of the dozens of cold-blooded killings committed in public places, and often in broad daylight, is also exposed to the vulnerability of a witness.
Ways of protecting witnesses could be worked out - by removing their names from the dockets, and having them sign a sworn statement rather than appear in court.
Ways of protecting people from bailed suspects could also be maintained by keeping enough officers on foot patrols in neighbourhoods to ensure the criminals are the ones who are cowering and not the law-abiding citizens.
This simple suggestion was put to me by a pair of bright young men who spoke candidly about Pinewood, the home they know and love, as a place neglected by anyone with the power to change it, as it lies hidden from critical eyes in some central south-eastern area of New Providence to be visited only by those who live there.
They brushed off the police "walkabout" as a PR exercise that would not change the problems of their community, because under the scorching mid-morning sun, there is little criminal activity for them to survey in Pinewood Park.
The officers need to be there on the streets day and night if they are going to maximize police efforts to stop the bloodshed; then even if the criminals are going to be freed on bail, at least they will not get the opportunity to strike again.
As Mr Greenslade said, without these "evil-hearted" individuals the neighbourhoods would be safe, so the balance has to be altered to bring it back to the good.
Young people in Pinewood want more resources to be given to community groups, or invested in the beautification of the community, and they need positive role models.
They criticised their FNM MP for not doing enough to support community groups, and for letting community resources fall into disrepair.
And taking the criticism with the sensitivity of an insecure teenager, or a politician, Mr Woodside chose not to return my call to answer questions about why the swings in Pinewood Park hang broken, why the basketball hoop has not been repaired for years, or why the garbage cans are overflowing, and the grass is overgrown and dumping is so common on empty lots, home to rusting abandoned vehicles.
Instead, Mr Woodside released a press statement highlighting what he had done to clean up the area, including spending nearly all of the $200,000 allotted to the community between 2007 and 2009 on community projects, including a clean-up campaign ($34,500).
And to be fair to Mr Woodside, it's not really up to him to baby-sit the children, teenagers and young adults who keep breaking the basketball hoops, or are reluctant to stop tinkering with rusted broken down cars over the decades so new cars may feed off their old parts.
It is also up to the people themselves to ensure the place in which they live is a community.
If Kevin Moss, the 20-year-old Pinewood resident who spoke to me this week, is as passionate about helping the young people in the community as he said he is, surely he can do that without a handout from his MP.
Yes, he needs support, but if the handful of families who want to keep Pinewood crime free can work together, perhaps they can crystallise those common ideals they have for their children and their neighbours' children, and realize those opportunity for the next generation.
By taking their own angle on the fight against crime, through increasing positive activities, showing they are not afraid, and being courageous enough to reclaim their neighbourhoods, they can help improve their communities while the police keep an eye on those system-worn suspects they know to look out for, and court administrators can get to work on addressing that mammoth backlog churning out bailed suspects who put us all at risk.
July 05, 2010
tribune242
This is a challenge police will struggle to face on their own,
Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade explained as he sought to reassure residents of Pinewood in a walkabout with his senior officers on Tuesday...
But as residents saw the convoy of shiny police cars crawling through their corners with a small fleet of media vehicles, they closed their doors.
One young man came out to talk to Mr Greenslade, but upon seeing the magnitude of the procession, the swarm of police officers, and reporters with television cameras, others ducked back in behind the safety of their own four walls.
Talking to the police does not look good in Pinewood.
A man was gunned down here just days ago and that was the latest in a string of violent killings over the years.
Although the majority of people say they feel safe in Pinewood (85 per cent according to MP Byran Woodside's August 2009 survey), it is also well known that being too cosy with law-enforcement does not make you popular with "the people in power."
By "the people in power" they do not mean the police, or Mr Woodside and the political big-wigs, but the young men, and less frequently women, who are arrested, charged and arraigned in connection with crimes as serious as firearm possession, armed robbery, or violent assaults, and then walk freely from jail, their bail bonds secured by self-interested lawyers.
They are released and welcomed back into the working-class families of Pinewood Gardens, and other neighbourhoods like it.
These criminals are not foreign to us, Mr Greenslade said.
They are not from the immigrant Haitian or Jamaican communities who Bahamians so willingly blame for our social strains and rising violent crime.
None of the six murders over six days bear signs of Jamaican-style "yardie" killings.
The deaths were not connected to any particular ethnic group or nationality.
They were simply committed by people with "evil in their hearts", the Commissioner concluded.
He also said the bloodshed is not confined to "hot spots" or no-go danger zones to be avoided in order to avoid gunfire.
No, the senseless killings, the unconscionable shootings, such as that of pregnant Marie Claude-Saintilien, 23, and of 30-year-old Fresh Creek, Andros, resident Tevaris Minnis, the week before last, are not indicative of good neighbourhoods turning bad.
The deaths are not happening as a result of an influx of violent foreigners carrying out an attack in an otherwise peace-loving nation.
No, these violent crimes are being committed by people in our own families, living in our homes and in our neighbour's homes, in suburban areas like Pinewood Gardens, where they are not only known to us, but they are known to their local police officers, detectives, prosecutors, magistrates and prison guards.
"These are people known to you," Mr Greenslade said.
"These are our relatives, and they are in and out of the system, having been arrested and then allowed to walk freely in our communities. That is very powerful."
How or why those suspected of such serious crimes are released into communities at the risk of being a menace to society - which the Commissioner asserts they are - begs a bigger question and one the Commissioner was unwilling, or unable, to answer.
But his unnerving assertion, said to reassure Pinewood residents and other neighbours of the most heinous crimes that it is not their community that poses a threat but people in it, is still not the most comforting of statements.
Nor is it any comfort to know many of those who have been killed have also been through the wheels of the criminal justice system.
Because several of them are also due to appear as witnesses in court, or like the four-year-old boy shot in Pinewood recently, they just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Perhaps Mr Greenslade wanted to somewhat diminish the power these bailed criminals have by showing the people being killed are also not strangers to crime.
It certainly puts a damper on the attraction of the gangster lifestyle presented by these freed suspects who serve as examples of just how much Bahamians can get away with.
Sadly they become role models for the most vulnerable youngsters who lack the support and protection of good parents and guardians who might tell them any different, Pinewood resident Angelo King, 21, told me last week.
They show these youth how easy it is to get by in a bad economy if armed with a handgun.
Dealing drugs, robbing people in the street and breaking into their homes at opportune times to steal whatever may be worth selling will surely help you get by without having to worry about the high unemployment rate, taxes, traffic, and all those other hassles and stresses associated with having a job and being a functional and productive member of society.
And with no repercussions - at least not in the criminal justice system - it would seem to many a smart path to choose.
Children as young as 10 are drawn into housebreaking rings and trained to steal anything worth selling instead of going to school.
Mr King said the only thing that saved him from the influence of this path was his basketball talent, which he developed and worked hard at to earn a university scholarship and then graduate degree in psychology.
He said more positive role models are needed, and the police Commissioner tried to live up to this need when he invited the 4ft members of the Bahamas American Football Alliance team to Police Headquarters to meet some positive role models.
He explained how it is possible to carry a gun on the right side of the law and still get to play in Nassau's great game of the Wild West.
Certainly police appear to be stepping up to the plate as the Commissioner responds to calls from the public to speak out when they need reassurance, and shake-up the force as necessary, increasing the number of detectives on the homicide squad from two to five in recent months.
Duty officers have taken more than 133 illegal firearms and over 2,600 rounds of ammunition off the streets since January.
And as the rate of crime continues to plateau at a stomach-churning level, with the occasional peaks and troughs making us feel either less sick or more so, police are consistently charging suspected criminals and bringing them before the courts.
As of Friday, at least three people had been charged in connection with three of the six murders, which took place between June 21 and 26, and the Commissioner expects investigations will result in the charging of suspects in the remaining cases.
Among those arraigned last week was Kendrick Sands, 33, of Matthew Street, Nassau Village, who was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Atlantis worker Kifftino Davis, 20.
Mr Davis, of Peardale Street off Wulff Road, was gunned down by an unknown assailant, near his home at around 2am last Sunday.
His mother said he was due to testify in the upcoming murder trial of Pinewood Gardens resident George Carey, 21, a friend and colleague of Mr Davis' who was stabbed multiple times near Lockhart's Bar, Wulff Road, in May.
For Sands it is the second murder charge he has faced in just over a year, as he was arraigned on charges in connection with the January 2009 Nassau Village shooting of Onando Newbold in February last year and had been released on bail.
After his arraignment on Thursday he was remanded in custody. Police also charged Prince McPhee, 34, of High Vista Estates, last week, in connection with the fatal shooting of murder-accused Bradley Ferguson in Sequoia Street, Pinewood Gardens, on Saturday June 26.
Ferguson had been acquitted of murder charges earlier this year, having been accused of killing pregnant Rosemary Bennett-Wright and her five-year-old son Jakeel Wright in March 2002, as well as of the attempted murders of Devonna Brown and Omega Fox.
Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade and his team stopped near Ferguson's home during their procession through Pinewood, which is within site of the crossroads where seven murders had occurred in recent memory - including the double murder of a mother and son in January last year.
But police did not make clear whether this unmarked road - first said to be Sequoia Street and then Avocado Street - was also the place where Ferguson - armed with a handgun and bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot wounds - forced himself into the parked car of a mother and her three children and severely traumatised the whole family before he became the country's 47th homicide victim last Saturday.
Mr Greenslade spoke to people in the strip-mall business places on that corner in an effort to reassure upstanding members of the community that police were doing their utmost to prevent violent crimes, but he also had to remind the suffering public there is only so much he and his men can do.
With the criminal justice system bursting with a whopping 257 murder cases pending as of April this year - and areas of the prison also oversubscribed - the crime level is more than just a policing issue.
As Mr Greenslade said in his roundabout way - there are other executive bodies to also be held accountable.
Just last week Magistrate Carolita Bethel granted $10,000 bail to a suspect arraigned on several serious charges, including the shooting of a child in Pinewood Gardens two weeks ago.
Pinewood resident Tyson Deveaux, was charged in connection with the shooting of a four-year-old boy in Brazilletta Street, on June 14, an incident in which he also was shot.
He had previously been accused of the murder of Marlon Smith on April 19, 2009, and was also accused of the murder of Corrie Bethel on May 10, 2007.
When he was first arraigned on June 18, Deveaux was remanded in custody by Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez.
But when he reappeared before Magistrate Bethel, facing two additional firearms possession charges in connection with the Pinewood shooting on June 24, he was freed on $10,000 bail with two sureties - one being that he had to surrender his travel documents to ensure he stayed in the country.
Why the suspect in connection with such a serious succession of crimes was granted bail by a magistrate regarded as one of the strictest in Nassau's court system is not known, but the public has no choice but to welcome him back into their communities until he returns to court on August 14 for the rest of his future to be decided - or adjourned.
Because if some of them are not welcomed with open arms, the fear is that by resisting their return we will become the next bloody mess, and murder victim number 48, 49 or 50 - no small number for halfway through the year.
The Commissioner was right when he said their bail release is very powerful indeed.
Perhaps this is why Bahamians are so "tolerant" as the Commissioner said.
"I am very concerned that we as Bahamians are so tolerant," said Mr Greenslade.
"We cannot allow young Bahamian men to continue to walk the streets of our country 24/7 with illegal weapons, selling drugs in our communities, and poisoning our children.
"That's not a policing problem - that's a Bahamian problem.
"If a person is walking our streets on bail and believes he or she is above everybody else, I don't know how policing will prevent that.
"It's very important that all Bahamians report these matters.
"This is about all of us as Bahamians saying 'enough is enough'."
I am certain for many of those who heard or read his statements genuinely feel "enough is enough" whether they have experienced murder and violent crime directly, read about them daily in the newspapers, or choose to avoid the news altogether in an effort to protect themselves from having to digest the unsavoury facts.
I am sure the residents of Pinewood who were intrigued by the uniformed police chiefs parading through the area, but were too intimidated - either by the police officers themselves or the criminals living in their neighbourhoods - to speak to Mr Greenslade and his colleagues, have had enough of the crime.
Who wants to live in a community where you are afraid to speak out?
Where if you witness a murder, you could be the next victim?
Perhaps it is a situation people have become used to, but surely it's not the lifestyle of choice - and, yes, you do have one.
Unfortunately the intimidation of witnesses has become so common it may seem to be the only way of going about things.
As suspects' families celebrate the homecoming of their bailed loved-ones, witnesses of crimes that the suspects may or may not have been involved in, cower in their homes and lock their doors.
Pinewood mother Maria Scott lost her son Marcian Clarke, 31, four years ago. He was shot dead outside their Willow Tree Avenue home in Pinewood Gardens shortly before he was due to testify as a key witness in the murder of his former police patrol partner.
It's hardly surprising that after his partner was killed Mr Clarke left the police force for a job at Atlantis, but changing jobs was not enough to leave the front-line.
As a key witness, even his own efforts and the efforts of police could not protect him.
And with the recent case of Mr Davis's killing, it's little wonder people are so unwilling to come forward when it comes to informing the police.
As a reporter I have walked through neighbourhoods in Pinewood, off Wulff Road or East Street, to try to talk to residents about the latest crime, and the dozens of people sitting around who may or may not know something about it will not say a word.
Sometimes an unwary child will point me in the right direction, or divulge some interesting details, and very occasionally someone bold enough to speak out will do so.
But the long and short of it is - they do not feel safe to appear to be on the right side of the law.
Just as witnesses in murder cases whose names appear on court dockets and are called to testify in court may be vulnerable to freedom-hungry predators with blood on their hands, anyone who happens to see one of the dozens of cold-blooded killings committed in public places, and often in broad daylight, is also exposed to the vulnerability of a witness.
Ways of protecting witnesses could be worked out - by removing their names from the dockets, and having them sign a sworn statement rather than appear in court.
Ways of protecting people from bailed suspects could also be maintained by keeping enough officers on foot patrols in neighbourhoods to ensure the criminals are the ones who are cowering and not the law-abiding citizens.
This simple suggestion was put to me by a pair of bright young men who spoke candidly about Pinewood, the home they know and love, as a place neglected by anyone with the power to change it, as it lies hidden from critical eyes in some central south-eastern area of New Providence to be visited only by those who live there.
They brushed off the police "walkabout" as a PR exercise that would not change the problems of their community, because under the scorching mid-morning sun, there is little criminal activity for them to survey in Pinewood Park.
The officers need to be there on the streets day and night if they are going to maximize police efforts to stop the bloodshed; then even if the criminals are going to be freed on bail, at least they will not get the opportunity to strike again.
As Mr Greenslade said, without these "evil-hearted" individuals the neighbourhoods would be safe, so the balance has to be altered to bring it back to the good.
Young people in Pinewood want more resources to be given to community groups, or invested in the beautification of the community, and they need positive role models.
They criticised their FNM MP for not doing enough to support community groups, and for letting community resources fall into disrepair.
And taking the criticism with the sensitivity of an insecure teenager, or a politician, Mr Woodside chose not to return my call to answer questions about why the swings in Pinewood Park hang broken, why the basketball hoop has not been repaired for years, or why the garbage cans are overflowing, and the grass is overgrown and dumping is so common on empty lots, home to rusting abandoned vehicles.
Instead, Mr Woodside released a press statement highlighting what he had done to clean up the area, including spending nearly all of the $200,000 allotted to the community between 2007 and 2009 on community projects, including a clean-up campaign ($34,500).
And to be fair to Mr Woodside, it's not really up to him to baby-sit the children, teenagers and young adults who keep breaking the basketball hoops, or are reluctant to stop tinkering with rusted broken down cars over the decades so new cars may feed off their old parts.
It is also up to the people themselves to ensure the place in which they live is a community.
If Kevin Moss, the 20-year-old Pinewood resident who spoke to me this week, is as passionate about helping the young people in the community as he said he is, surely he can do that without a handout from his MP.
Yes, he needs support, but if the handful of families who want to keep Pinewood crime free can work together, perhaps they can crystallise those common ideals they have for their children and their neighbours' children, and realize those opportunity for the next generation.
By taking their own angle on the fight against crime, through increasing positive activities, showing they are not afraid, and being courageous enough to reclaim their neighbourhoods, they can help improve their communities while the police keep an eye on those system-worn suspects they know to look out for, and court administrators can get to work on addressing that mammoth backlog churning out bailed suspects who put us all at risk.
July 05, 2010
tribune242
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