The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK 

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

WITH the country’s murder count at a new national record, Grand Bahama activist Paul Joseph said the nation is in “a state of national crisis”.

He warned that crime and violence is consuming the society and its young men in the process, and called on Bahamians to “wake up” and be part of the solution, not the problem.

Mr Joseph, who is passionate about reaching out to Bahamians through his posters on crime, released his eighth — a new poster titled “Arrest the Violence and Release the Peace.”

Wearing his camouflage fatigues, he went throughout the streets of Nassau and distributed some 500 of the posters last week.

“It is a mission that God has placed in my heart and I hope the posters will inspire a change in Bahamians to do their part to save our Bahamaland,” he said.

He said that too many Bahamians are content with sitting in the comfort of their homes and church, as long as crime does not affect them.

“We all have to own this problem and do something about it; the police alone can’t do it, and elected politicians can’t solve the crime problem with their strategies, unless we as a people come together, take responsibility, and do our part to bring about a change,” he stressed.

Mr Joseph started his poster mission eight years ago with the release of his first “Stop the Violence” poster, highlighting the country’s murders and murder victims. He also compiles a personal record of murders that are committed in the country.

Up to press time, the country had recorded 135 murders for the year, according to The Tribune’s records, beating the previous murder record of 127 killings in 2011.

“We have four more weeks left in the year. Our nation is truly in a state of national crisis. We did not get in this position overnight and there is no quick fix solution to this problem,” Mr Joseph said.

“No finger-pointing and playing the political blame game is going to repair the great rift in the social fabric of our society. We are all in this together and every responsible citizen must take a position to impact the nation for the greater good of his fellowman. We must become the change we want to see.”

Suggesting that the year of 2015 will be remembered as the “year of infamy” with the highest recorded murders in Bahamian history, Mr Joseph stressed that the country is losing many of its young men to gun violence and crime.

The local activist also talked about how crime is often politicized.

He said: “The PLP in its election manual ‘A Charter for Governance’ on page 22 entitled ‘The first 100 days’ article 1, promised to ‘launch key elements of Project Safe Bahamas and Operation Cease Fire, including the reintroduction of Urban Renewal, to immediately reinvigorate the fight against crime and violence.’

“The manuals were professionally prepared and along with the billboards, together were well executed. The strategies presented by the PLP guaranteed an election win. But the social, moral and spiritual landscape of our country has sunken to its lowest levels in the history of this country as an independent nation.”

Mr Joseph emphasized that the solutions to crime and violence remains elusive because they are not political, and politicians with all their good intentions and passionate promises cannot change the landscape without a united front to save The Bahamas.

“Everyone who has reached the age of accountability is responsible for his or her own choices and individual actions. The high murder count in our nation is the result of the poor choices our people continue to make in resolving conflicts.

“To rescue our nation and turn it around we must change our mindsets and put the country above personal interest and ambition. We must give the next generation hope and the chance to succeed.”