Living like a prisoner in my own home since an incident at my home…I am prepared to march. I remember in 1981 telling my good friend, the late Jeanette Layne-Clarke that the days of keeping one’s doors open even in the day were done. Drugs had taken over the area I lived in then. She was shocked at my words but soon after was convinced that I was right. Things have escalated since then…guns have come into play. But one should ask how do the drugs and guns get in here so easily? And yes! I am ready to march for my freedom ’cause I want it back…I want to be safe. I want my children to be safe. I want my grandchildren and great-grandchild to be safe. I want all my family to be safe. I want all of Barbados to be safe.

And it is my human right to want it.

My heart goes out to the Chadderton family at this horrible time. May they find strength in their love for each other.

Hi Caswell can you update your Unity Trade Union Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unity-Trade-Union-Barbados/113721648680510

Reinstitute felony murder!

The problem in Barbados is that we “react” to shocking acts after the fact, rather than act against the little “not so bad ones” over time. Andrew brought another perspective to the issue. The outrage here is understandable, but how many of us are truly willing to “walk the walk” ourselves, while “talking the talk” to our officials in authority and at the same time “keeping our own houses in good order.” Nothing less than all three of these at the same time will solve or ease our problems.

Nice try Str8 Up. But people commenting here actually have commonsense and are serious about the deadly turn our society is taking, and we are devastated by the loss of more innocent lives. No one today has time for ignorant trolls like you who are trying to divert attention away from the real issues affecting us.

Ok, moving on……
We allowed too much rot to sink in for far too long and now it is too late. The steps Andrew Pilgrin outlined above are what is needed, but will take a lifetime to sort out.
We need to start by policing our communities more. Many communities turn a blind eye to lawless behaviour – i.e. smoking weed, cursing, etc. I read the column in The Friday Nation where they visit neighbourhoods that are considered “undesirable.” Many of the people there are like: “Oh, the fellas does smoke a little weed from time to time, but everybody here does live peaceful.”
Hello, how do you think the murderous behaviour we are witnessing now starts? From these so-called harmless acts. We need to set moral boundaries and have zero tolerance for this type of thing.

Let’s face it Jamaica, T&T, St lucia, all those countries have seen a spiral rise in crime, it is just a matter of time that Barbados falls in line. Our administration, mainly polic, are sticking their heads in the sand, yes, crime might be down but the seriousness of crime is increasing and unless be accept that and put measures in place to curb it, it will get out of hand quickly. We have to stop slapping criminals on their hands when they commit serious crime, I’m afraid is something is not done soon Barbados can seen a vigilante backlash developing here. The big problem, we now have a large number of regionalists living here, some are here looking for work others are here for devientcy.

This is my personal view as I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me that for some time now, punishment and crime do not correlate. I would not want to go so far as to say that the authorities have gotten soft on crime, but it would be interesting to do an analysis of court cases involving murders committed during the last fifteen years and see whether by using scientific methods, some pattern can be demonstrated to prove what is essentially a gut hypothesis on my part.i.e. that sentences handed down for murders committed have become more lenient over time. Are victim’s rights watered down and de-emphasized in the new dispensation of rehabilitation and criminal’s rights?
Yes, we now live in dangerous times..I still don’t feel my personal security here in Barbados as threatened as I did during the eleven years I spent in Jamaica, but I do have a growing sense of unease.
The issue of crime and punishment is a complex one, but over the years, I have taught many secondary school teachers and like a mantra, they have told me of the consensus among so many of their young students who attempted to explain attitudes to violence among their peers by saying that..”Miss, murder is easy to commit..they don’t hang and you just spend a few years and come out.”
It is interesting to see that in the UK, the politicians are now talking of revamping the law to give householders greater protection, if in the course of protecting their homes against criminal invasion, some injury to or death of the perpetrator results.But is it too late? Are we facing an inevitable slide as Toynbee forecast into chaos? Events seem to be overtaking us…the slaughter in Norway is but one example or the beheadings in Jamaica…are the stable doors open and all the horses gone? We need to debate these issues and arrive at some consensus.

@ Andrew Pilgrim (assuming you really are the attorney of the same name) and Amused,

When do we start to demand that each and everyone of us have a duty to abide by the law and to be our brothers’ keeper? For all its faults, Barbados makes a magnificent effort at giving all of its citizens (and then some) a chance in life – free education, free health care and many programs which attempt to help young and old get ahead, subsidized housing, school meals, free text books, free bus transport for students, free summer camps and more. The Government just spent millions repairing the homes of those whose homes were damaged by Tomas. The Government didn’t say “break fuh yuh self!” In the Barbados that I live in, people are encouraged, spoken to, lectured to, pleaded with, rewarded with prizes, accolades etc, to do the right thing. No one can honestly say that in Barbados there is any public approval of crime, violence, dishonesty or immorality except by the bleeding hearts (which includes some politicians (of dubious morality), the criminal justice system and the moral relativists like the Catholic church) who want to argue “it’s not their fault, it’s society’s fault that they kill, rob and maim!” Unfortunately they control the punishment end of the system of social control i.e. the courts and the prisons. These most evil of persons (i.e those who equivocate and defend the criminals) facilitate such absurdity as a manslaughter conviction for someone that killed (with a shot to the back of the head) a taxi man whose hands were bound and then sentence the killer to 4 years in prison because he said he was sorry! I believe it was the same Andrew Pilgrim who defended the killer if my memory serves me right. He was quoted in the press at being surprised at the leniency of the sentence which was increased to 8 years on appeal by the DPP.

Karl Watson and NIa thank you for your posts.

@Ping Pong

Much of what you said has merit and other things are open for discussion. However, I believe that you have gone away from reality and justice when you explicitly condemn a trained and practising lawyer for doing what he is qualified and expected to do. Firstly, a person is under the criminal law presumed innocent until proven guilty. Are you attempting to say that anyone who is accused of a criminal act must not have defence including that as an attorney? Is it okay that an innocent person who is not afforded a defence could be convicted? While I may understand the emotive response and sadness that I too share in respect to the crime situation in Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean, it is reprehensible to make culpable the lawyer for defending the accused and later convicted. We live in a system where the rule of law still is a principle factor. Let us try to take control of the society; let us impart strong values in the society, let us do less of condemning persons and more of promoting the need for personal responsibility in ensuring that Barbados takes a zero tolerance to crime and especially the horrendous crimes that have been recently taking place. Maybe it is not the economy, but statistics globally do show that declining employment and opportunities carry symptoms of increased crime.
For those persons who wish to bury their heads in the sand and say that the crime could not have been perpetrated by Barbadians but may be more likely the act of other nationalities, all I would say think again. What if you are wrong in this instance; and if you are right in this instance, is it a constant that horrid crimes are out of the reach of Barbadians?

@Ping Pong

Fair retort and statement. Keep talking, the discussions need inputs from persons like you who are willing to stand up for something or some cause.

This crime spree in Barbados is based on many factors. I strongly believe that parents and the whole community need to be more involved with the young folks from an early age; It seems like the days when we were raised by the whole community, and children knew what **RESPECT** was is gone; These things lacking will bring on the results that we are having now; If a person commits murder, then that person should face the death penalty and not being sent to prison with a pat on the back for taking a life; We have to make sure that crimes goes punished to the fullest extent;
Focus more on our children being responsible and respectful towards self, which will make it easier to be respectful towards others; Many parents needs to set better examples for their children. And make them accountable for their actions; It seems like the days of family is gone, and the children are grown at an early age doing whatever they care to do; I am not blaming all parents, but some don’t give a shit as long as they don’t have the problem getting something from what the children are doing that’s not legal. I do not disagree with the march against crime. But in doing so you still need to make sure that after the march steps are taken to clean up your communities collectively. If you continue to show fear towards the criminals who are in your communities, then you will become hostages in your own homes.
People are now finding it very hard to listen to the church when they aren’t even practicing what they preach. Lots of these crimes are done to be accepted as bad boys to be reckon with like what they see in the movies or see happening in other countries;
One thing is for sure if this isn’t addressed as a matter if life and death Barbados is going to gain a name that will scare people from wanting to visit which then will lead to more problems;

Read my Earlier article, “Bajan Anarchy “Laidback and Slow but Effective””, posted Jan. 5, 2011.

This is just another cog in the wheel of ANRCHY.

“If you guys do not get out and chase the criminals out of your country they are going to take over.”

George where de rass dem gine go when dem belong to wee? Home at yuh? Yuh is one nin come pooper. Shut yuh mout doo eff yuh ent got nutting sensible tah say!

@Zack…

Just putting this out there for consideration…

Is it safe to assume that you don’t actually live here in Barbados?

If you claim you do, what do you think of the “Wildey Triangle”?

And what gas station do you turn ~160 degrees around when going west when you want to go north when you are 2/3rds the way through the triangle?

@Ping Pong | August 3, 2011 at 10:16 AM. I am not suggesting for one moment that the “fault” for crime lies solely at the feet of society. That would be ridiculous. From one second to another societal pressures change and Barbados is no longer a forgotten little island. Barbados is a part of the global community. 50 years ago, our tourism industry was small and now it isn’t. Our people on the lower and middle end of the financial spectrum have the opportunity of seeing their counterparts from other countries (who do the same jobs in those countries) availing themselves of things in Barbados which those same Bajans could not hope to afford themselves. The fact that some of these same tourists who manage to afford their holidays in Barbados are unemployed and dependant on handouts from the governments of their countries merely widens the issue. The “envy factor” has to be recognized. This is just one example of the pressures of Barbados today as a part of the global community. The only real solution is social change. However, social change, like society itself, requires constant review and updating.

Sentencing has to reflect the increasing options available to society. Psychiatric medicine and counselling is constantly improving and if we start to look on sentencing not only as punishment, but also work towards rehabilitation, this is far better. Punish by all means, but also we need to provide the framework of counselling so that, once released, the chances of reoffending are reduced so that these heretofore criminals can live lives that are of service to the community. I would rather have it this way than see my tax dollars go to support an increasingly large prison community. One is a drain on society and the other enhances it.

It is a terrible up-hill task to work on the basis of the problem and as far as possible cure it, rather than just locking the problem away and throwing away the key.

Also, sentencing is not as arbitrary as you may think. Once a guilty verdict is handed down by the jury, the judge then has to work hard. He or she has to examine many factors from both the convicted persons and the victims. In doing this, the judge must weigh so many different variables with the main consideration being the ultimate good of society as a whole. I think it is timely, for the public good, for judges when delivering sentences to explain fully their rationale for those sentences. This transparency is another necessary change that needs to happen in a highly educated society like Barbados.

@Zack: “What does the Wildey triangle have to do with the topic at hand? Did someone get shoot there recently?

The point is, Zack, to connect the dots since you don’t seem to be able to (or choose not to) is…

Perhaps, just perhaps, Zack, you are trying to spread what is known as “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt” (FUD) here on BU.

I’m happy to be proven wrong….

@David: “Let us keep the lobby going, you will never* get everybody onboard.

I asked you this on another of your blogs: “Could you (or anyone) tell us all when was the last time the Peoples of Barbados mobilized since Independence (1966.11.30)?

It seems a little strange that you haven’t answered this question.

It has been stated already, the pedestrian la de dah approach to fight a new type of crime taking root in Barbados is best left for the PR gallery. The nice speeches designed to placate and deliveries from Commish Dottin is bullshit at work and lack imagination.

@BU.David: “It has been stated already, the pedestrian la de dah approach to fight a new type of crime taking root in Barbados is best left for the PR gallery.

So, then, are you saying that Barbados is not willing to fight it’s position?

Roll over; play dead?

When it occurred in Guyana we sat back and said it can’t happened here.
When it occurred in Jamaica we sat back and said it can’t happened here.
When it occurred in Trinidad and Tobago , we again sat back and said it can’t happened here.
Now its on our own door steps.
Reminds me of the time when cane fires on the island was still a spectacle drawing large crowd. A lady ventured about 5 miles from her home to watch a fire, and as it began to threatened a home and she was called upon to assist in putting the fire out, she let them know ” Not me boah, my house is five miles away.” Her house was safe ,she did not need to take precaution ,monitor the situation or assist those in need. As (bad)luck would have it the wind speed picked up and the fire was soon at this very woman’s door step and now she was calling on heaven, hell and the moon to assist her. Many of us who live in our enclaves are like that woman.

Do a search of BU to find the blogs which are about weeds which have started to protrude on our lawns for a while now.

@Zack: “There is good reason to fear what’s happening in Bim these days…don’t you think Chris?

@Zack… I don’t agree there is good reason.

@Zack… Perhaps you can inform me as to why you think there’s value in fear here in Bim (or, for that matter, anywhere)…

@Zack: “Pardon me for being frank, but you really come across as the nerdy eccentric person.

I take that as a complement.

@Zack: “Fear can sometimes be very useless, it can save your life in some cases. Fear makes people more cautious…take less unnecessary chances.

On the other hand, freedom from fear can be quiet liberating.

@Zack: “I hope you never have to confront the masked men with guns at your own home.

I have very little likelihood of that.

BTW, you haven’t yet answered me if you live in Barbados….

Someone today suggested a fine of 15 to 20 years for some-one caught with a gun. While this might sound harsh, some drastic measure has to be taken as every little Tom, Dick or Harry from these gangs are sporting a gun. As more drugs are taken in police raids, there will be more violence as these guys have to find the money to repay the “big boys”.

@Zack… Fear comes as a result of threatening elements. Fear is not a preferred state to be in, but it is sometimes forced upon us. Remove the threats and then you can feel more liberated. Until then we will have reason to fear. I live in Barbados Chris…anything else?

Yes.

Why are you fearful?