The Tribune

THE news over the past few weeks has, given the number of murders record just in the first month of 2024, lingered on the issue of safety. Several politicians have expressed concern about the level of crime — with some even calling for capital punishment as if that is a solution — while the prime minister has promised more intrusive policing, the US Embassy has issued its travel advisory, and Chief Superintendent reportedly said The Bahamas is still a safe place.

What is safety? It is defined in different ways by different people, usually discussed and assessed in relative terms. What is considered safe in New Providence is much different, for example, from Cat Island. Someone living in New Providence may consider an area safe because they feel confident that they can get out of their vehicle, lock it, unlock the door to their home, enter, lock it, and go to sleep with ease. Someone living in a Family Island, like Cat Island, may consider an area unsafe because they have to concern themselves with locks and be more cautious when moving about outside of daylight hours.

Being on some of the Family Islands is like entering different worlds. It is almost automatic to slow down—walking, driving, grocery shopping, conversations, and thoughts — as daily activities seem to be less of a race. People often attribute the marked difference between New Providence and Grand Bahama and the Family Islands to the population density and the degree to which life is and can be simple in ways that are almost unimaginable in New Providence. Population alone, though, cannot be the full story. The sense of community in the Family Islands is an outstanding feature, and it does not exist in New Providence. In fact, it seems that New Providence has given up on that kind of community as people find themselves able to buy safety for themselves. We have leaned heavily into neoliberalism, ignoring problems as long as we can prevent ourselves from experiencing them.

A drive around New Providence is evidence of the number of people who, when they can afford it, choose to buy safety within the walls of gated communities. Vacant land and houses within them are exorbitantly priced, and the maintenance fees are like another mortgage payment. Security at the entrance, whether controlled by technology or human beings, is a major selling point. Shared amenities like swimming pools, tennis courts, and clubhouses are another big draw. Once limited to the wealthy and “deep west” where no one wants to drive unless without good reason, these gated communities started popping up in the east two decades ago. Now they can be found in other parts of the island with different price points, but similar concepts.

Gated communities are more than just sets of houses. They are neighbourhoods all on their own. They seem to do a better job of upholding their own rules and maintaining the common space than the government does outside of those walls. There are playgrounds with equipment that is clean, replaced when needed, and regularly used by children. The swimming pools are cleaned on a set schedule and the surrounding areas are kept clean, so there is no litter blowing in the wind. Sidewalks are clear, making it possible for people to go on walks and runs, to use strollers and wheelchairs, and to enjoy the outdoors. Speed bumps control traffic and repair of roads saves drivers the stress of dropping into holes and need new tyres far too often. Gated communities seem to be, in most cases, places where things simply work as they should.

The people who live in gated communities, of course, pay for the experience, but taxpayers also pay for things to simply work out here in the outside world. We pay for the streetlights to come on when it is dark, properly illuminating the area. We pay for the roads to be maintained. We pay for bushes to be cut back. We pay for sidewalks that continue for the length of the road instead of suddenly ending without so much as a ramp for wheeled devices. We pay for crosswalks to be properly painted and marked with signs. We pay for public goods and services that we do not get at a reasonable standard, and this affects our safety, both perceived and real.

Safety in relationships is a common workaround for living in a place that does not inspire confidence that victims of crimes are all criminals. People who might otherwise choose to live alone decide that it would be better to live with at least one other person. Sometimes a parent or two, sometimes a sibling, sometimes a partner, sometimes a friend, and sometimes a complete stranger. There is someone to stand by the door and watch while they walk to or from the driveway. There is someone to call and ask to turn on the outside light when they realize they will get home a bit later than planned. There is someone, in a worse scenario, to notice that they did not get home at the usual time, or an hour later, or two hours later.

More and more, LGBTQI+ people leave The Bahamas to find safety. Some of them have parents who send them to university and help them to stay wherever they go. Some are able to get transfers through work for multinational corporations. Some seek asylum in countries like Canada. Some take the risk of completely starting over without having a longterm plan. What is most important is that they escape the violence and discrimination experienced here and that, even if reported, is not counted as a specific form of violence that must be addressed.

Most of us look out for ourselves. Some of us have the money to make that easy. Some of us find ways to escape. Some of us choose to ignore because there seems to be nothing else we can do. Some of us are doing what we have to do to survive. Others are doing everything possible to live separate and apart from who they consider “other.” Money makes it easy to build new communities and decide not to drive past a certain street. Relationships make it a bit easier to have some comfort, even if it is not freedom, much like living within walls is not true freedom. Safety is not something we can snap our fingers and create for all of us to enjoy. Safety is a condition that we have to build, transforming our environment and the people in it. We have to address the root causes of crime, and this requires investment in community.

Recommendations

1 Donate an eSIM to someone in Palestine. This gives Palestinians a way to communicate with one another, access information, and share their experiences with the rest of the world while they resist the occupation and genocide enacted by Israel that has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. There are several apps that can be used to donate eSIMs with data. Go to gazaesims.com for detailed instructions.

2 Read a book about the history of Palestine and the aggression the Palestinian people have experienced from Israel and the imperialist countries that support it. There are numerous reading lists available online including plutobooks.com/free-palestine-reading-list and lithium.com/40-books-to-understand-palestine. Free ebooks, including Palestine Speaks and The Case for Sanctions Against Israel, are available for download at versobooks.com.