The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

ORGANISERS of an anti-crime protest yesterday accused the Christie administration of “giving a deaf ear to the cries of the people” as the country’s murder rate continues to climb.

Chanting “enough is enough” and “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” protesters occupied Rawson Square from 9am to 5pm.

During the House of Assembly’s afternoon recess, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage walked past protesters as they chanted: “Help us Nottage, help us”, offering only a thumbs up and a smile.

When pressed by The Tribune for a comment on the state of crime, Dr Nottage refused to give a statement.

The Bain and Grant’s Town MP has been noticeably silent in recent weeks despite a spike in homicides.

According to The Tribune’s records, 15 homicides happened in July, making the month one of the deadliest for the year.

Khandi Gibson, president of Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), one of the groups responsible for the event, said the “hurt of violence” has become too much to bear for many people.

Reflecting on the country’s murder toll, which stood at 90 up to press time, Ms Gibson said Bahamians are beginning to develop a passive nature towards violent crimes.

“We are out here today to let the government know that we are sick and tired of where the murder rate is going now, we are sick and tired of ‘Marco’s law’ not being (implemented) as yet,” she insisted.

“Marco’s law” was passed in Parliament in 2013 as an amendment to the Child Protection Act and the Sexual Offences Act.

The amendments were expected to create a MARCO alert system, similar to the United States’ AMBER alert for missing children, and a sex offender registry implemented for the first time in the Bahamas. Despite being promised by the government, the amendments have not been enacted and the changes have not come into effect.

“We are mostly sick and tired of the government acting as if they don’t hear our cries,” Ms Gibson added. “A lot of persons are being murdered in the Bahamas and we (as a country) have become so passive that we keep going as if it is a cat or a dog; but that is someone’s life. We aren’t out here in many numbers, but we are here and we want the government to know that we care and this issue matters.”

FOAM was founded in 2012 with the aim of assisting persons affected by violent crimes.

FNM Leader Hubert Minnis who spoke to the protestors moments before entering the House of Assembly endorsed their stance, calling it an important step to defeating crime in the country.

“When an individual is murdered within a particular family, you must remember that not just him is affected by his death, the whole family is affected by his death,” he said.

“Members of that family may internalise that and we are missing that aspect of the picture in that we are not reaching out to the families.

“We have to reach them, we have to counsel them and ensure that they aren’t internalising anger.

“I think we are missing the big picture. If anger is internalised and suppressed it can overtime manifest itself in violent ways. Then we see the picture years later and wonder what happened,” he said.

Dr Minnis maintained that the opposition party remains greatly concerned with crime.

The Killarney MP said as far as he was concerned, “one murder is too much”.

The group Rise Bahamas, founded by activist Terneille Burrows, also helped to organise the protest.