The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The recent spate of violence in New Providence I am sure does not come as a surprise to many Bahamians. We have after all had four murder records in five years and we are on the brink of another record year for crime.

We watch the news as reports suggest how thugs execute their rivals in what surely are scenes taken from a Hollywood action movie. We watch as the bodies of our nation’s future are covered in blood and wrapped in a white sheet while being placed in a hearse. It seems as if Bahamians have come to accept these acts of violence and the images of murdered men on our streets.

But where we are going now is totally out of order. The reported robbery of a grandmother and her grandchildren last Friday morning has to make the hair on your skin crawl. That is if you are not already numbed to all the senseless crimes that occur in our country. The helpless and harmless grandmother aged 70 was shot several times. According to her grandson, she was shot after the robbers already had her family’s money and material possessions. Latest reports were that she was in critical condition in the hospital.

Police reports suggest a lot of the murders are revenge killings. I do not support this type of killing. But even if you do, what has this elderly woman done to deserve being shot and left for dead? The culprits already had what they came for.

I have one living grandmother and she is 87 years old. I can’t tell you the sense of protection that I, my family and the community have for her. Many of us still have elderly family who can’t protect themselves and they should be left alone to enjoy life in their old age. They shouldn’t be looking into the barrel of a loaded gun rather they should be highly respected and taken care of in all their travails.

I am outraged that a crime of this nature has occurred and even more outraged that there are persons out there who know what happened and have not yet reported the facts to the police. Are some of us totally void of feeling or emotion? That lady could have been my grandmother.

The Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) has come up with the idea of dropping information in a box so that the police can use these tips to apprehend criminals. I think this is a very good idea.

I implore Bahamians to use the senseless shooting of this grandmother as a rallying cry so that we can collectively combat our crime issue.

No one is safe. Just two weeks ago a toddler was allegedly killed by someone known to him. Another two men were shot dead 48 hours after this grandmother was shot. Additionally, an eleven year old is now fighting for his life after being shot as well.

We have a civic duty to partake in the fight against crime. The police are only part of the solution. Let’s all do our civic duty and turn these criminals in before another of our children becomes the headline on the evening news.


DEHAVILLAND MOSS
Nassau,
May 31, 2013.