More details can be sourced @caribbeansignal.com.
Read full report @caribbeansignal.com
Keeping an Eye on the Murder Rate (2)
More details can be sourced @caribbeansignal.com. Read full report @caribbeansignal.com
38 responses to “Keeping an Eye on the Murder Rate (2)”
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Here we go, managing crime by the statistics!
Police seeing rise in theft
By Colville Mounsey colvillemounsey@nationnews.com
With the rising cost of living, police are bracing for an uptick in crime.
In fact, Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce told the Sunday Sun that the Barbados Police Service has already seen a rise in theft.
“We are seeing an increase recently in persons breaking into homes and stealing jewellery, cash and sometimes they steal food stuff. Whether or not it is a direct link to the increased prices that we are seeing, is something that will probably need more examination and analysis. There may be that link but we need that further in-depth study to say definitely that it is there, but for sure there has been an increase in that area,” he said.
The Commissioner did not disclose the figures for this year thus far, but a check into last year’s crime statistics showed that robberies and thefts recorded the largest decline. A 48 per cent drop in robberies and 53 per cent decrease in theft from individuals was reported then.
Boyce explained that lawmen were concerned that an increase in crime, especially “time-consuming”, financiallyrelated offences such as cheque fraud, could mean their already limited resources would be further stretched.
“In times like these when there is increased cost of living, the Barbados Police Service by its very nature and mandate will have to take stock of the situation. We must examine the likely challenges which such an event would have on our resources, as we deal with these increased calls for services.
“We are well aware that any long-term increase in the cost of living will have an impact on the most vulnerable persons in society, persons who are finding it difficult to make ends meet for themselves and their families. We are aware that if there isn’t that supporting structure to help them, more are likely to gravitate to crime,” he added.
Boyce said based on the trends during previous challenging financial cycles, as well as current reports, police would be on the lookout for spikes in bogus cheques, shoplifting and praedial larceny.
Crop theives
“We are concerned about an increase in persons who may write cheques and don’t have the funds in their savings. This will impact negatively on us because we will have to dedicate the manpower and resources to investigate these crimes. We are also looking at the issue of increased shoplifting because as persons grow desperate in these strained cycles, they are likely to take chances. More often than not these persons are caught, and we would find ourselves having to investigate. We are also looking at crop thieves, as we are seeing an increase
in persons stealing vegetables,” he said.
He said while Barbados was not at that point, police were also mindful that drugrelated as well as violent offences could also be influenced by the rise in inflation.
“There is the possibility that persons will seek other avenues to get that extra dollar. Criminal action, whether it be drug running or persons snatching jewellery from others on the road, are all possibilities that can happen due to the rise in cost of living. Any time there is any increase in cost of living, there are always persons who would take advantage and blame their action on the strained circumstances that they are in. This is something we would also have to look at and put appropriate measures in place,” he said.
The Commissioner also revealed that plans were in the works to increase mediation where possible, so too much of a heavy-handed approach by police did not add to the public tension, while at the same time ensuring the courts were not further clogged.
“Wherever it is possible that we can bring mediation, we will seek to engage in that area. We will be talking to the public, holding their hand until we get through this cycle. We see this as a good option to practise. The main thing for us is to ensure that no one we come in contact with is worse off than when we make that initial contact,” he said, noting police officers were being mentally prepared for the potential increased workload.
“We understand the situation and we will not wait until it gets out of hand, because I have seen in other countries that when prices rise, persons, instead of talking through the process, tend to become violent and riotous. We do not want to see that happening here and that’s why we will take that gentle approach so we can come together and get through this process,” Boyce stressed.Source: Nation
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Here we go again, the parroting of the usual message from the BAR.
Bar: Not all lawyers bad
By Colville Mounsey
colvillemounsey@nationnews. com
President of the Barbados Bar Association, Rosalind Smith Millar QC, does not believe the public trust in the legal fraternity will be eroded following a recent string of guilty verdicts for attorneys accused of stealing money.
Making it clear that a single act of dishonesty was one too many, Smith Millar questioned whether it would be fair to treat all lawyers with mistrust because of the actions of a few. She said the convictions to date represent less than one per cent of the BAR’s membership.
“The Bar Association makes no excuse for dishonesty or lack of integrity on the part of anyone, but especially its members, who are rightly held to a high standard of trust and professional ethics; our clients’ trust must not be broken. The fall from grace of any single attorney at law is a concern for the entire Bar,” said Smith Millar.
Small percentage
She added: “Consider that it is a very small percentage of lawyers who have been convicted of theft, less than half of one per cent of our current numbers. Consider also that the matters for which they are convicted occurred at different times over a number of years. It then becomes apparent that there are no overwhelming instances of dishonesty as the recent convictions may suggest . . . . Do all lawyers deserve to be treated with mistrust as a result of the actions of a very few? Are all professionals negligent or dishonest if a few fail in their duty?”
Unfortunate reflection
She further noted that the instances of misconduct recently highlighted occurred at different times in the past even though the convictions may have occurred within a short space of time. She lamented that this was “perhaps an unfortunate reflection of the speed at which the wheels of justice sometimes move”.
Responding to calls for these attorneys to be disbarred, Smith Millar explained: “There is no provision in law for automatic disbarment on conviction, although a request for legislative change to achieve that position has been advanced by the association to the powers that be. The trial judge
or the Registrar of the Supreme Court may apply to the Disciplinary Committee, as of right, to have a convicted attorney at Law sanctioned.
The association would have to seek leave to apply, and that action is under active consideration in appropriate cases.”
Last month attorney Ernest Jackman was found guilty of stealing $678 414.75 from HEJ Limited between June 23, 2006, and March 5, 2007, and of laundering the money between June 23, 2006, and October 18, 2011. Similarly, Norman Lynch was also recently convicted of theft. In 2020, Cheraine Parris was sentenced to four years for stealing $302 000 from a client.
Meanwhile, Vonda Pile, who is facing a second theft -related charge, is currently serving a three-year sentence for stealing $191 416.39 from a client.
Smith Millar argued that the issue at hand boils down to personal character or circumstances, more so than training. She said the association does provide training to attorneys in handling clients’ monies.
“The Bar Association is not vested with any disciplinary powers. The persons convicted are not inexperienced young lawyers who one could speculate lack training or are struggling to find their feet, but seasoned practitioners who know right from wrong. It is less a failure of training or awareness than it is of personal character or perhaps circumstance.”
“The association cannot speculate about the reasons for the actions wrongly taken. The association does provide continuing legal education specific to the issue of the proper manner in which clients’ funds are to be treated. In fact, we had one such session just a couple of months ago, led by a senior attorney at law and a practising accountant, and it was very well attended,” she said.
Source: Nation -
Congrats to former AG Michel Lashley. Full of suggestions of late.
QC: Zoom in more for court cases
By Maria Bradshaw
mariabradshaw@nationnews.comQueen’s Counsel Michael Lashley wants the courts to utilise the Zoom technology more to conduct hearings.
He told the Sunday Sun that COVID-19 cases at Dodds Prison had resulted in chronic delays in the criminal justice system and thus was even affecting inmates who had not tested positive.
“Given the fact that there is uncertainty in relation to when prisoners are coming down, the video hearing was very effective during the COVID period. However, every other week we are hearing that there is a lockdown at the prison and this is leading to delays.”
He added that even though in-person hearings had resumed, Zoom should be used more given what was happening at the St Philip prison.
“We could probably further utilise it in the magistrates’ court and the High Court. At present the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court is the only magistrates’ court that is using it. I am saying that we have issues with the availability of inmates, so why can’t we use the technology across the board so that prisoners who test negative could still have their bail hearings, rather than being automatically remanded for 28 days, which I question because I think it is wrong?”
Lashley said the courts were not usually informed about an inmate’s COVID-19 status, but if an inmate was negative there was no reason why his matter could not be heard via Zoom.
“We should have something before the court stating whether that person is negative or positive, and whether they are in isolation. I feel if the person is negative, we can do a Zoom link of the hearing particularly in cases where the person is unrepresented.”
Use technology
The senior attorney charged that the ongoing situation was leading to a further backlog in the court system, as most of the time the court was only informed on the day of the hearing that the inmate would not be available.
“It is really affecting the court system because [last] week we had to adjourn a matter that I was involved in because of a situation due to COVID at the prison. So we have to find ways and means to use the technology to get around it. There is already a backlog, so to put a backlog on top of that will just cripple the criminal justice system and push it back further,” he reasoned.
When contacted, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams said it would be better dealt with by management of the prison since he was not involved in its day-today running.
On Friday, Justice Carlisle Greaves lamented the late arrival of inmates from the prison.
“Whatever the reason is, let it be revealed. If you don’t have enough COVID-19 tests, let us find out. If you administer the COVID-19 test on mornings instead of at night, let them say that. If the Ministry of Finance or some other ministry is not providing you with transportation, let them say that and put the pressure on those people who won’t provide the equipment. But we can’t stay silent,” the frustrated High Court judge said while he waited for over an hour for inmates to arrive.
Dodds Prison is undergoing a threemonth inquiry by an independent threemember panel chaired by Queen’s Counsel Philip Pilgrim.
The team will be looking into, among other things, the general operations at Dodds, including the recruitment and promotions processes as well as the treatment of staff. They will also be examining the inmates’ medical care and protection when they are in transit or attending court or clinic.Source: Nation
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That only a small percentage of lawyers have been convicted is a negative, not a positive, as we know how many of them are crooked!
That only a few of them, notably the small fry, has been brought to justice shows just how corrupt the system is.
Steupse, Rosalind, steupse!
Yuh tink wunnuh could trick we wid dat???????????
Barbados too small an’ we know we oneanudder! De grapevine does wuk well!
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David,
How else do you want the police to manage crime but by statistics?
There is only so much the police can do.
The rest is somebody else’s responsibility.
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@Donna
The blogmaster wants to hear more about outreach/community activities being undertaken by the Barbados Police Service.
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@ Donna
Note what the Commish is saying in relation to the high cost of living etc.
That is , as you suggested, out of the police hands.
But when we sit back and paint pictures that have more to do with illusion than reality , this is what happens.
You read Adrian Greene. Today he quotes George Lamming at length. Lamming lived to ninety four and he still did not see any real change.
Note what he had to say about West Indian writers living overseas. He asked the question: What are they returning to.
Sooner or later we have to confront the real issues before us. Unless we make a real leap , we will be here fifty years from now looking at the same problems.
There is a old interview circulating given by Martin Luther King fifty five years ago. That interview is very instructive.
The problem with crime is the nasty non productive political posturing of the BLPDLP.
Like the nonsense going on with education , nobody wants to face reality.
We all seem bent on fooling ourselves that by magic it will be alright in the morning.
Here we have the president of the Bar saying what they will do to disbar attorneys. Then in the next breath she says : they really ain’t nothing they could do. Lol.
Peace. -
@ David
Are you aware that the force is nearly two hundred police short of what is required to properly execute their duties? -
@William
The blogmaster is aware of many things.
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“Here we go again, the parroting of the usual message from the BAR.”
**The blogmaster ripped the words right out of mouth.
**That only a small percentage of lawyers have been convicted is a negative, not a positive, as we know how many of them are crooked!”
The main plank of her weak argument has already been dismantled but let me add what we do not know:
We do not know how many cases are pending.
We do not know how many victims were frustrated and just walked away.I like how this apologist for a bunch of crooked lawyers would use the slow and unresponsive system to say that we have very few crooked lawyers.. “Consider also that the matters for which they are convicted occurred at different times over a number of years. It then becomes apparent that there are no overwhelming instances of dishonesty as the recent convictions may suggest . . . ”
Abuse of statistics
The recent convictions were for cases that started in 2006 (I may be wrong). But if I abuse statistics in the same way she did, and we have four crooked lawyers each year, then we have at least 64 more crooks running around.That woman is full of excuses…
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Summary of CoP statement..
Things real hard. People may act outside the law to get a little ease. But things real hard. -
The problem here is that, as a country, we are TOTALLY lost.
We have NO IDEA what we are seeking to achieve, or what we are striving to avoid, and hence we have no coherent plan of action.
Everyone is therefore after their own selfish, petty objectives.
Our ‘leaders’ just happen to be the most aggressively selfish and the most flamboyant among us, but they don’t know one shiite more than the average brass bowl about what to doThe poor Commissioner is just keeping his head low and praying for his term to go without any major embarrassment. The AG is probably just focused on ensuring that there are no investigations into land fraud or client accounts of lawyers pursued… and the Supreme Leader is happy to collect loans that she can lavish on the brass bowls who worship her…
HER children won’t have to pay the cost when repayment time comes…But since 99.9% of us only ‘live’ to use up the time until we die… Does it REALLY matter?
Now if we understood the ACTUAL INTENT of ‘Project Life on Earth’, and the phenomenon POTENTIALITIES that can arise therefrom, THEN we could see a different outcome altogether – with ACTUAL progress towards SUCCESS, especially to such issues as crime and poverty.
But the problem with being ‘blind,’ is that there is NO WAY that a rainbow or a sunset can be effectively explained to you…
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@Bush Tea
Agree with your first half, will leave Pacha to feedback on the second .
We live in a society that is driven by conspicuous consumption. The other point is that the society because of the political polarization places disproportionate weight on enforcement. Parental delinquency and nurturing the family unit is not prioritized.
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“But we can’t stay silent,” the frustrated High Court judge said while he waited for over an hour for inmates to arrive.
What wrong with this judge? Sick people waiting 9 hours for an emergency vehicle and he is complaining about a one hour wait?
But he may have solved one problem… use prison transport as emergency vehicles
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There is a logical fallacy drawn on by the Bar Association president which needs context
One, sometimes an exception proves the rule. So if there is one thiefing lawyer it may be right to conclude that all are thieves.
Two, the general tendency of some to find personal experience or interaction to contend that all lawyers are not bad or that all White people are not racist continues to miss the central point.
Three. Certainly, one has not to be bitten by a lion to know that all lions have sharp teeth but as a general tendency we accept that lions could bite.
So why engage in escapism when there is the clear general tendency or culture of thief or other injurious certainties when dealing with Bsjan lawyers?
And this is systemic. And needs not to be so if the entire legal profession is disempowered.
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More Statistics from the CoP
A review of the murders reveal that majority occurred in a month beginning with a M. As May is the last month beginning with M we expect a sudden and dramatic decrease in the number of murders.Press release RoBPF.
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Bushie
You are but a one trick pony😇
For every question you give the same non answer -
Barbadians also have a responsibility to assist in the reduction of crime.
The police cannot investigate and solve crimes without cooperation of the public.But, Barbados is a small society, in which, as some people suggest, ‘everybody know everybody.’
So, there maybe some reluctance by citizens to assist the police through fear of retaliation by criminals, whom they believe may have methods of learning their identities.
The condescending attitudes of police officers and intimidatory tactics used by them, also play a role in people being uncooperative.Additionally, policing seems to be an unattractive career choice for Barbadians. Some persons who apply, although qualified,
often fail the vetting process.
The police hierarchy have so far avoided recruiting prospective police officers from other Caribbean jurisdictions, similarly to Antigua, Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands.On another note, although there is a Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit, of which former Police Sergeant Cheryl Willoughby is Director, this current Mia Mottley led BLP administration hired former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin as a consultant on crime.
I maybe mistaken, but to date, I haven’t heard about anything he has done or any reports he may have compiled that would, ‘more or less,’ justify him receiving consultancy fees at the expense of Barbadian taxpayers. -
@Pacha
Isn’t it a case of the Bar circling the wagon?
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The crime situation in Barbados is reverting to precovid levels, that is all. Curfews and restricted movements made it easier for the police to manage as well as dampened criminal activity associated with movement. The cost of living argument must be a consideration but it is unlikely the government or any government for that matter can implement policies to significantly make a dent given that we import almost all of our food and fuel.
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Have a great day Barbados.
I am sharing this bit with you because I believe the Desiderata is all you need. You don’t need 66 books …Desiderata (a part)
“Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.”
Have a great day.
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@ David
“The cost of living argument” is applicable to crimes such as theft, burglary and probably aggravated robbery.
If one makes an analytical assessment of crime, then murders cannot be reasonably associated with the high cost of living.
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David
And that is her job we presume. However, no amount of wagon circling will make the slightest dent in the culture created by lawyers of stealing people’s property.Maybe we should also elevate a president of the association of murderers, a president of the association of drug running, a president of the association of house breaking and so on. To defend their members crimes.
What we see here is the equivalent of a mafia Don conducting a propaganda campaign for the Mob.
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@Artax
On the matter you raised you will get competing arguments from the analysts. The challenge we have in Barbados is that the narrow political debate drowns out dispassionate discussion.
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@Pacha
BU’s body of work on this matter supports your position.
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David
Must agree wholeheartedly!
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@ Pacha
For every question you give the same non answer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because…
All roads lead to the common CENTRAL TRUTH.
You always get different answers when you are headed in the WRONG direction…AWAY from ‘central’…In our universe, the Sun represents our ‘central’ truth. ALL life depends on it…
When you head off into space you can get all kinds of exotic destinations…
…but your donkey is grass. -
Two paragraphs from BT
In relation to Jackman and Lynch who were recently found guilty of similar theft offences, Smith-Millar gave the assurance that the Bar Association would also be taking similar action. Quote.“We intend to treat everybody the same. We are not picking bad guys and letting off good guys. We are happy, though, that the wheels of justice are turning and that something is being done,” she said.
Short and simple. Is she saying Jackman and Lynch are good guys?
If 2/4 are good guys then she overstate the number of bad lawyers. The bad lawyers are less than a quarter percent.
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On the issue of crime, I read where a Bajan resident in the US was convicted in the US of shipping guns to Barbados not “attempting” but shipping as some of the consignments were discovered in Barbados at facilities of FedEx and DHL. My question is as before, to whom were these items directed? Is there a name or address that the authorities could target? I would have expected some Press release announcing some local charges about the importation of illegal weapons in a country where having a single bullet can lead to jail or heavy fines but in Barbados “Mum” is the word.
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There is a old interview circulating given by Martin Luther King fifty five years ago. That interview is very instructive.
Xxxxxxxxxx
UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS A SEGMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE IN THE USA MAINLY RAPPERS AND THEIR FOLLOWERS THAT HAVE SPUN A PANDEMIC OF MURDERS IN ATLANTA, CHICAGO, LA AND OTHER CITIES KILLING AND TARGETING THEIR OWN IN GANGS.
26 WAS JUST INDICTED BY A GRAND JURY IN ATLANTA UNDER RICO INCLUDING 3 RAPPERS OF FAME.
WE ARE BOMBARDED BY WHITE POLICE KILLINGS OR SHOOTINGS OF BLACK OR SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. HOWEVER THE BIGGEST DANGER IS BLACKS KILLING OF EACH OTHER.
WE HAVE TO BE THE STUPIDEST RACE OF PEOPLE INSTEAD OF UNITING WE DESTROY EACH OTHER.
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Jamaican national Rennord Augustus Rose admitted to burglary when he faced the court on two charges on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.
Rose, who resides at Coral Land, Haggatt Hall, St Michael, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Kim Butcher to entering the house of Geraldine Harewood as a trespasser between October 12, 2021, and May 17 this year and stealing a Bluetooth speaker, a watch, two bangles, a cellular phone, four chains, a foot chain, a laptop, four rings, two pendants, three pairs of earrings and four bracelets, at a total value of $8 745.
However attorney-at-law Neville Reid, after speaking to the accused, told the court that Rose indicated that he intended to plead guilty to the aggravated burglary charge before the High Court.
“He has very limited resources . . . and was doing odd jobs and construction work,” Reid informed the magistrate.A Jamaican man who snatched a handbag from a woman’s motor car says he committed the offence because he was in “a bit of a spot” with his rent.
Garvin Lenoy Seaton, who resides at Bristol Road, Cave Hill, St Michael pleaded guilty to the charge before Magistrate Kim Butcher on Friday, June 10, but denied another theft charge and could not enter pleas to eight other indictable fraud charges.
The 31-year-old labourer stole the handbag on May 26. It contained $200 cash and a driver’s licence. The items including the cash totaled $340 and belonged to Abiola Blackett.
In his application for bail Seaton said, “Miss, I am a working man. I got my children home (Jamaica) and my mother that I take care of. I can report seven days a week. I have no problem with you putting me under house arrest. My mother is sick and I am the one who maintains she.”Seems as though this Jamaican guy wants to easy way out to support his sick mother, by defrauding and stealing from Bajans.
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Another attempt at a mass shooting in the US
Motive not clear at the moment but does not appear to be white supremacy.
Also, the shooter is no teen, he is 40 odd.
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Youth and violence
by JOHN GODDARD A MAJOR PROBLEM confronting our society is the increasing number of deviant and violent young men who see gun and knife as indispensable requirements for their survival.
The print, electronic and social media regularly report incidents of shootings and stabbings of youth cut down by other young people in what should be their most productive years. Violence perpetrated by men on men and on their wives and girlfriends no longer shocks Barbadians as was the case two decades ago.
The question which we need to ask is what factors have contributed to the present state of anomie?
I start with the home. Raised mainly by their mothers, owing to absentee fathers, too many of our young males have been brought up in dysfunctional homes where tired, disillusioned and frustrated mothers struggle to feed, clothe, educate and discipline them.
Quite a few boys have to endure the abuse of mothers who have been hurt by the children’s fathers and constantly tell the boys that they will turn out just like their “worthless fathers”. I doubt whether such mothers are conscious of the negative impact their words can have on their sons.
A couple years ago, the Men’s Educational Support Association reported that a survey done among boys showed that 43 per cent of them believe that their sisters are treated better than they are, and that their mothers are abusive. The absence of fathers hurts all, but it can have a devastating effect on boys.
The point I am trying to make is that children are the products of their upbringing, and as Red Plastic Bag reminds us, “If you plant potato, you will reap potato. That’s what is meant when they say you will reap whatever you sow”.
Adults have the power to influence children positively or negatively and should take the responsibility seriously.
Key factor
Another key factor affecting the development of boys is the school. Having been exposed at home to a woman only, boys find that, particularly at primary level, they are, in many cases, under the control of female head teachers and, most definitely, female class teachers. Thus up to age 11, some of our boys have had their lives shaped by women.
How can they learn what authentic masculinity is?
Even at secondary school, chances are that they are going to be exposed to a disproportionate number of women. So, they are left to learn what it is to be a man from their peers, who do not know themselves; village men, incapable of modelling real masculinity, or television characters who may be drop outs from society.
Furthermore, the school system alienates many males who are turned off from education at an early age, and who leave school without the tools needed for gainful employment and productive lives.
The Common Entrance Examination, which many feel is the fairest system for transferring children from primary to secondary school, is, in fact, a major cause of the problem of frustrated and delinquent men. How can we continue to support a system which allocates the high flyers to the so-called prestigious schools and places the struggling majority into less regarded schools? Don’t we realise the damage done to the psyche of those pupils who are sent to the schools which Barbadians regard as institutions for “duncey”children? No wonder these schools produce so many disenchanted and violent young men.
After leaving school, the marginalised youth, who feel that they have no stake in the society, gravitate to the blocks where they can, at least, feel appreciated. Their youthful energies are often channelled into destructive behaviour.
While an increasing number of girls go to the university, Barbados Community College, Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute Of Technology and other educational institutions, too many young men have no use for further formal education.
Increasingly, even the traditionally male dominated areas of masonry, carpentry, tiling and plumbing are attracting larger numbers of females but a fast declining number of males?
Church largely ignored
The Church which, previously influenced the development of Barbadians is now largely ignored.
Most parents do not bother to take or send their children to church. So, where do they get their moral and spiritual training from? Parents do not insist on their saying prayers, and certainly, our young people do not listen to devotions on Q 100. FM or Voice of Barbados 92.9 FM. Many of our boys are growing up without being touched by religion.
There has been a marked change in our value system; no longer do we teach that “a little with content is great gain”, “honesty is the best policy” or “manners maketh man”. In a materialistic society, only money counts and short cuts to success are the norm.
Why sweat when young women (girls) can depend on “sugar daddies”, and their male counterparts can sell dope, rob and, of rising popularity, sell themselves to men with money. In any case, they witness or hear of corrupt practices by those in positions of power and authority.
Politicians have contributed to the breakdown in discipline; they use young people at election time, attracting them to meetings by inviting calypsonians and dub artists to provide entertainment. Hardly any effort is made to discuss youth challenges and there is no coherent plan by either of the two major parties to address the issues affecting youth, generally, and males in particular.
Fewer and fewer men are voting, and they have no interest in politics or government.
What they have is a mendicancy mentality which encourages them to seek hand-outs rather than productive employment. And if reports are to be believed, some are prepared to sell their votes to the highest bidder.
And what about the media? Globalised television presents imagery of men as thugs and drug pushers with powerful guns and enough cash to buy anything including pretty women. There are now many movies portraying homosexuality as a highly desirable alternative lifestyle. A growing number of our young men are attracted to such images.
Reverend Leslie Lett, writing in the NATION newspaper a few years ago, put it this way: “We are a society adrift and are fast becoming a people who know the dollar price of everything but the value of nothing. Success is judged by wealth or promise of wealth.” Should we be surprised, then, that our young men reject hard work which does not bring the quick financial returns necessary for them to live the life of glamour?
Where do we go from here? It is clear that we need to find solutions and fast. We have to urgently set about the task of rescuing our young males as well as females. I will offer suggestions for tackling the challenges in another article.John Goddard is a retired educator.
Source: Nation
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Attack unwarranted
30 PLUS YEARS FOR KILLING SOLDIER
The three young people who killed Barbados Defence Force (BDF) Private David Blenman over five years ago were on Tuesday punished for the crime.
Faith Angelica Pile and her partner Shaquan Sherwin Omar Crichlow were given 30-year starting sentences, while Faith’s brother Jamar Pile got a starting sentence of 33 years in prison.
The killers, all of Skeete’s Road, St Michael pleaded guilty to non-capital murder. The 26-year-old Blenman, of Golden Mile, Heywoods, St Peter lost his life between November 30 and December 1, 2016. His nude body was discovered at Foul Bay Beach, St Philip around 5:45 a.m. on December 1.
“This is a tragic case. It is tragic in that reason escaped all three of you on that night in question and this resulted in the death of a person who basically you all really hadn’t known.
“This man lost his life. It is a grave offence and as a result of that, society has to be protected from persons like yourself.
“People must be allowed to go about their normal lives regardless of whether they are doing bad, ill or good and you will bear that in mind. Whether it was that Mr Blenman wanted sex, was to pay for sex or whatever, that does not mean that he should have lost his life on December 1, 2016,” Justice Worrell stated during the virtual sitting of the No. 2 Supreme Court.
The judge told the convicts they were “all part and parcel” of the offence with Jamar Pile being more responsible than the other two.
“What transpired was an unwarranted attack on the deceased. The trauma he must have been exposed to is unconscionable. . .
“The talk of, cutting his throat, pelting him in a gully; going backward and forth to the ATM . . . to get money, tying him up, placing him in the trunk of the car and then drowning him – what an ordeal he must have gone through.
“I am wavering as to whether this was not premediated – that is the murder. Why would you go back for him after cleaning his bank account basically? Why would you then go back for him and speak of whatever you want to do to him? This court is not satisfied that that is really not premeditated.
“If it was not premeditated, it was spontaneous stupidity which resulted in the death of Mr Blenman. He could have been left in that vehicle, you didn’t have to drown him.
You didn’t have to put him through the ordeal that he was put through.”Jamar Pile meanwhile was given a starting sentence of 33 years in jail as he played “the major role” in the unwarranted attack, the judge said.
“The last act taking him out of the vehicle and putting him into the sea, you Mr Pile . . . indicated you basically held him down until he wasn’t kicking any more. It is a serious offence, a callous offence.” -
Man shot and killed at Fairview Heights
https://www.nationnews.com/2022/06/16/man-shot-killed-fairview-heights/
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For those who like to elevate Jamaica over Barbados, it is a matter of perspective.
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Jamaica declares SOE in St Catherine
https://www.nationnews.com/2022/06/17/jamaica-declares-soe-st-catherine/
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