The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

TWO members of Parliament representing inner-city communities yesterday spoke out against violence that has resulted in numerous “senseless killings” in recent weeks.

Wayde Watson, Bain and Grants Town MP, told the House of Assembly yesterday several of the country’s recent murder victims were from his constituency, adding the killings were resulting in the loss of a generation.

As a father and mentor, the MP urged men and boys to think of peace and not war.

“While we celebrated the Royal visit our young men were engaged in a turf war killing one another on the streets of New Providence. I cannot sit in silence as we lose a generation of young men to senseless acts of violence. Over the last few weeks approximately eight to 10 young men were gunned down on the streets as though a human life has no value. It was painful to read the news on social media to learn of the details of these murders.

“Unfortunately Bains and Grants town did not escape the saga as a number of these killings happened directly in the centre of our community.

“Stop the violence, put down the guns, think peace and not war, walk away when confronted,” Mr Watson said.

Meanwhile, Centreville MP Jomo Campbell urged those in his community to seek opportunities to excel, insisting that there were many public figures who overcame the odds of the inner-city to become successful.

He said: “We have witnessed for quite a while, especially recently the escalation of senseless killings of young Bahamian men on our streets and I find this loss to our country quite alarming.

“While there is much that we all can do to make life better for many of our people, we must be mindful that our country provides many opportunities to excel no matter your background. There are countless examples of people who were overcome by what seemed to be insurmountable odds and have made a good life for themselves right here in The Bahamas and to the young men and women of The Bahamas you too can do the same thing.”

There have been 35 murders for the first three months of this year, according to this newspaper’s records. The situation prompted Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis to call an urgent conclave among stakeholders on Sunday to work on plans to address the situation.