Guns, guns and more guns… Welcome to the new Barbados

We’ve seen it bad before, but never this bad.

We’ve had shootings before, but never so many and never have we seen so many young people so casually willing to murder others. Or try to.

Folks shooting each other in the legs like that makes it okay. Guess these little wild animals never heard of the femoral artery – one little poke an a person bleeds out in two minutes if nothing is done. And considering how long it takes to get an ambulance to respond anywhere on this rock, my advice is to do everything you can to get the shooting victim to the Queen Elizabeth right away.

Way things are going, before they are taught to read the children should be taught to duck and cover, and after the shooting ends to apply pressure to the wound. Way things are going, learning how to apply a tourniquet early on is far more valuable than the three Rs… reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic.

What the hell is happening ’bout hey?

debajan has some thoughts…

I Gun Talk Straight!

ENOUGH. Let me start again. TOO MUCH!

The gun situation or more precisely the shooting situation is horrendous. When submachine guns turn up in Nelson Street, it gives deeper meaning to the term gung ho.

What is the seeming fascination with guns? A feeling of power? Needed for protection? Status symbol? Bloodlust? Imagine all of these in a single person. Whatever the reasons, recent history has brought even the loudest advocates of privacy, and individual rights to the point of volunteering to surrender some rights and be willing to submit to random stop and search in order to tackle the gun problem.

Quite frankly, I don’t care whether gun amnesty only nets a small fraction of illegal weapons. Try it. If increased police patrols only detect a small amount of crime, do them. If police are short of vans, have more foot, bike and segway patrols. Any and all of this would do more than having a station full of desk jockeys telling callers “We have no vehicle” or “The car has gone to a more serious matter” or “There are several reports ahead of yours” when the gunman who just broke into your home can still be seen halfway down your lane.

The criminals are bolder and more aggressive. They are also often more stupid. For a start, in believing that they are going to get away with their crimes. So we, the citizenry, have to be smarter – in the way we prevent, detect, report, prosecute and punish crime. Our response has to be that we will not let up. What are we going to do?

… continue reading I Gun Talk Straight at debajan

Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler’s sleazy conflict of interest

Kickback? What kickback? Wuhloss! Surely you jest! It’s a CONSULTING FEE!!! For consulting. Plus the politician owns a piece of the company getting the government contract. Just another business entrepreneur. Nothing to see here folks. Move along, move along…

Should a Minister of Government have a financial interest in the outcome of a company’s bid for a government contract?

Finance Minister Chris Sinckler smiles. You’d smile too with a piece of a $700 million dollar government contract!

Anywhere in the civilized world the answer to that question is a resounding “NO!!!!”

But not in Barbados.

In Barbados we have no conflict of interest laws. No Integrity Legislation. No disclosure of assets for elected and appointed officials. No transparency laws that allow citizens to monitor elected or appointed government officials.

So if our DLP Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler stands to personally profit from the awarding of a government contract to his own company to build a $700 million dollar waste-to-energy plant… that’s just too bad for you taxpayers and ordinary citizens.

Barbadians accept that elected politicians become wealthy in office. This is so ingrained in our culture that when former Prime Minister Owen Arthur donated US$150,000 in after-tax dollars to Cricket Legends of Barbados, some folks said what a wonderful man he was. Only a few in the blogging world and none in the oldstream news media bothered to say “Think about the wealth it takes to give away US$150,ooo.”

Where the Hell did Owen Arthur get that kind of money?

When Owen Arthur was caught money-laundering campaign donations through his personal bank account, what was the official response of Barbados? Ha! The DLP government appointed former BLP Prime Minister Arthur as head of a Commonwealth team in the Maldives tasked with ensuring the elections were conducted legally! HA!

So back to Finance Minister Chris Sinckler…

According to news reports, Sinckler has an interest in a company looking for a $700 million dollar government contract, and the true cost of the project will be $4.8 BILLION over the next 30 years.

How corrupt. In the USA or UK he’d be headed for jail. But not in Bim!

No laws being broken here folks… because there are no laws about this kind of thing. Nothing to see. Move along… move along…

“Members of the DLP and BLP had an opportunity to remedy this vulnerability with the passing of integrity legislation… but we all know how that turned out.”

Elvis Graham shot but okay. Monsta Grill owner targeted in late night attack.

by Passin Thru

Damn.

Monsta Grill owner Elvis Graham was shot multiple times – reports say six times – in the wee hours after Wednesday night’s fete. He’s doing alright but one of the slugs (so says a friend) was too close to the femoral artery so will be removed after some further scans. Maybe another doctor is coming in, who knows? Nobody says anything on this rock.

Elvis Graham – shot six times, but recovering.

Four thugs made the employees lie down on the ground and threatened to kill the women, to make Elvis give up the evening deposit.

But the evening deposit had already left the place, so Elvis gave up everything he had but it wasn’t enough, so they shot he in the legs three times and also in the elbow, side of the chest and face.

Elvis is a good man: kind to employees, respected by customers for being fair, and takes no nonsense from trouble-makers, but kindly and with peace-making style.

The arrest and conviction of these four gang thugs (that is the rumour, they are from the north) should be the first priority of our police.

Surround their homes. Give they one chance to surrender.

And if they come out blasting or don’t come out…

The police should kill they dead. Six shots each.

No trial necessary. You put a pistol in the mouth of a crying pregnant woman lying face down in the dirt… you deserve to die.

Passin thru

One student critical, twenty-two injured by reckless ZR driver

More young students critically injured by another ZR maniac driver.

14 year old student Zakiyah DeFreitas lost her left hand and 21 others received lesser injuries when a ZR van overturned in The City yesterday. The van flipped near the entrance to the nursery Drive Terminal.

Twenty-two students in a ZR van? Of course it overturned at the slightest provocation. Top heavy, overloaded, too fast. Half the time driven by maniacs with dozens of convictions – or in the case of ZR driver Cyril O’Bryan Archer one hundred and ninety-eight driving convictions prior to being found guilty of dangerous driving in the death of bicyclist Errol Thornhill on route taxi AR42 in 2010.

Insurance? What’s that? Half the ZR vans don’t have insurance and the police don’t seem to care.

Yesterday’s incident is only the latest. More will follow next month. It’s been this way for a decade or more. TripAdvisor calls ZR Drivers “Hustling Pimps“.

Our leaders don’t care, and don’t do anything to stop the slaughter.

Photo courtesy of The Nation

 

New Moke in production – but will higher crime rates and Bajan gangs kill sales of open vehicles?

The Moke is in production again – this time in China – and the new version remains true to the concept launched by Austin way back in 1964. The car was originally a military version of the famous Austin Mini and was loved by tourists all over the world’s tropical zones. This time it will also have electric and auto-transmission versions.

Can the new Moke reclaim its glory days when happy tourists securely roamed Bajan roads in open vehicles with nary a thought of crime or robbery?

Or will the Boscobel Toll Gang and other Bajan criminal gangs kill sales?

Queen’s Counsel and former Barbados ‘most wanted suspect’ wins CIBC First Caribbean contest!

Now…

2013…

Mark Goodridge named Queen’s Counsel Barbados

2006…

Mark Goodridge mugshot

Barbados Lawyer Wanted For Beating Of Teen – Thoughts Of Racial Tension, White Privilege & Black Attitudes

Customer heading off to Miami thanks to CIBC FirstCaribbean

Bridgetown, Barbados, May 15, 2015 – The Barbados grand prize winner in CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank’s recent “Give More, Get More” promotion is looking forward to enjoying a trip for two to Miami.

Mark Goodridge, 62, was presented with his prize recently at the bank’s Warrens branch. Recalling how he reacted to news of the win, Mr. Goodridge said, “I was very shocked because I never expected to win, to tell you the truth. I did know there was a competition but I didn’t know what the prizes were.”

The long-standing customer said that he finds the bank’s credit card products easy to use. “They are also accepted wherever you go, which is a big plus.”

Mr. Goodridge, an attorney-at-law, isn’t sure when he will take his trip to Miami but said that he and his wife were looking forward to visiting three grandchildren there. Along with the trip for two, Mr. Goodridge also received hotel accommodation and US$500 spending money. He thanked CIBC FirstCaribbean for the “courtesies it had extended over the years.”

Barbados Police to arrange truce between two gangs – giving criminal leaders status, recognition and power.

Our police should be dismantling the gang leadership, not giving them status.

by Passin Thru

I read in the Nation that the police are brokering a meeting between the leaders of two rival gangs, to arrange a ‘truce’.

This is a huge mistake by the Royal Barbados Police Force.

The gangs are fighting over criminal profits and turf, areas of influence and gang status in the community. Any truce would have to involve establishing geographical boundaries for gang activities. After all, it’s a turf fight about criminal profits. What are the police thinking?

Are the police going to broker a deal where gang members stay in one are to work their crimes, and not interfere with the next gang’s turf?

This is a huge mistake that gives status to gang leaders and gangs, and unfortunately shows how impotent the police have become in the face of a crime wave the likes of which this island has never seen before. Guns, Guns Guns and our police strategy is to assist gangs to carve up territories? This is INSANE!

Our police should be causing havoc in the gangs, arresting the leaders and making criminals fear extra police attention that gang membership brings. Our police should be dismantling the gang leadership, not giving them status.

From the Nation…

AFFECTING A TRUCE between the leaders of two gangs is high on the agenda for community policing.

Head of the Chapman Lane and New Orleans Mobile Unit Sergeant Jamal Mohan said the two men are known to have a major influence on the youth of the area. Mohan was speaking earlier today at the launch of the second phase of the Reading and Learning in Harmony programme which is being done in conjunction with the Pan-American International Insurance Corporation. He said the truce would redound to making the community safer. (YB)

Nation: Police want truce between gang leaders

Anna Druzhinina murder: Barbados killer appeals 21 year sentence May 5, 2015

Terrath Persaud should have been hung. It’s what he did to Anna.

On May 5, the Court of Appeals of Barbados (in the new High Court building) will hear the appeal of Teerath Persaud for the length of his sentence for manslaughter of Anna Druzhinina.  It took family friend, Amy Beam two years (and a new Registrar of the Court) to obtain the transcripts from the trials of the two murderers (McCollin and Persaud) of Anna Druzhinina; a popular and loved 16-year-old Russian girl who lived in Barbados and was hanged in her home November 8, 2008.

Appeals are heard by 3 judges, including the Chief Justice.  Court opens at 9AM and is open to the public.  Beam wrote about the murder of her friend, Anna Druzhinina, in 2013, after the manslaughter trial of Teerath Persaud was completed and he was sentenced to 21 years of which he has now served six-and-a-half years.

Counting one year as actually only 9 months for “good behavior,” Persaud could be eligible for release in under 10 years.

BFP published the story written by Dr. Amy L. Beam in 3 parts in 2013:

Barbados murder of Russian teen Anna Druzhinina: Censorship and Travesty of Justice

The Barbados Nation News also published the story which is no longer online, but the cache is still available here: Death’s Load

Acting Commissioner of Police confirms Barbados crime up 14% first quarter of 2015

Recipe for Social Disaster

Combine a broken court system with understaffed, under-trained & underfunded police force. Throw in some crook politicians, a general rise in societal violence, and mass unemployment.

Bake for a year in the hot Bajan sun. Top with some drug profits and rum.

It’s a wonder that the Royal Barbados Police Force was able to hold the serious crimes rise to only 14% over 2014.

Lord, we better get some mass job creation ’bout this place and soon.

Nation: Police chief confirms rise in crime against Bajans

New TripAdvisor discussion forum – Boscobel Toll Gang still frightening tourists with demands for money

“The bottom line is that we were terrified, and vowed never to explore anywhere near that part of the island again.”

Comment on TripAdvisor by Canadian tourist MelvaOntario_Canada, January 8, 2015

“Just got back from an amazing trip to Barbados. The only negative part was that we ran into the Boscobel toll gang. Reading some of the accounts I have read online, I think we got off pretty lightly, but it was still a pretty scary experience. Steer clear of Boscobel unless you want to get mugged!”

Comment on TripAdvisor by UK tourist wintersun2010, June 27, 2012

“This has been happening in Barbados for many years. It happened to us near north point in St Lucy same thing, road closed etc. Lost money and a camera.”

Comment on TripAdvisor by UK tourist footychick, June 18, 2009

Barbados Police helpless to stop Boscobel Toll Gang

The Boscobel “Road Toll Gang” has been terrorizing and extorting tourists and outsiders for at least ten years. Thousands of tourists have been accosted and frightened into paying money to pass.

Hotels and car hire agencies regularly warn tourists to avoid the Boscobel area, lest the tourists be frightened when the gang blocks the road and demands money to pass. As they do each and every day at the “TEE” intersection.

These thugs have been subjects of discussions at Trip Advisor and other travel forums for a full ten years. Writing to a Canadian tourist in 2010, Prime Minister David Thompson declared the matter closed, telling the tourist “I believe that this matter has been investigated and I have certainly received no other negative reports.”

The Prime Minister unfortunately was either uninformed or shining on the Canadian – because Toll Gang activity continued and grew.

_

Boscobel, Barbados – home turf of the Boscobel Toll Gang       

The Bajan way? Set the house on fire – shoot the intended victim when they try to put out the fire

Dear Barbados Free Press,

Or should I say “Dear Lord, OH LORD!”

Is there something I’m missing about living on this rock? Have you ever seen and heard of so much violence?

Neipaul Trotman (above) is shot and murdered at Fitts Beach in broad daylight at 11am while playing with his infant son. A dozen tourists witness his execution. Then a day or two later Cyprian Payne was sleeping when somebody firebombed the home. The man comes out to fight the fire and is shot numerous times, and is hanging onto his life by a thread at the hospital.

We built a pedestrian overpass at The Pine so that folks could safely cross the ABC highway and now thugs are throwing concrete building blocks onto the vehicles below. There have been several serious incidents and injured motorists.

A week ago Dwayne Johnson was traveling in a ZR van when he had words with another man. Only words. That man shot him in the back right in the ZR van!

Am I going crazy, or is this island going crazy? It never used to be like this.

Yours truly,

Mr. Meters.

British hero soldier Brian Mulligan stabbed to death in Barbados

No arrests reported

Brian Mulligan has been worth only a paragraph or two if that in the local news media since his stabbing death early Sunday morning at the tourist-popular St. Lawrence Gap, Christ Church. Today the British papers are full of his photos in Barbados and holding his new-born. (London Evening Standard: London father-of-two stabbed to death in Barbados…)

At this point, who knows what happened? Mr. Mulligan was mostly deaf after having both ears ruptured by a grenade in Iraq. He had been here for a few weeks working for Lime Telecom.

One thing we do know though: this island does not feel the way it felt even five years ago, and ignoring the problem is no solution.

Today the world’s newspapers are full of Brian Mulligan’s death in Barbados, but once again a foreign national has died at a Bajan tourist area and we see nothing in our own news media. No words from the PM or the Tourism Minister. No press conference by the police to communicate that Barbados is horrified and doing everything it can to find the culprits.

Nope. None of that… while the world’s news media goes big on the story. Just like what happened when Canadian tourist Terry Schwarzfeld was murdered.

How long until our leaders recognize that you can’t hide stuff like this anymore?

Barbados Attorney Philip Vernon Nicholls arrested for Money Laundering, Theft of $675,000 from client real estate deal

The last anyone saw of this case in the Bajan news outlets was when Lawyer Philip Vernon Nicholls was freed on bail for Money Laundering and Theft of $675,000 from a client. Nicholls was due back in court on February 25, 2014, but the news media didn’t cover that appearance. Can anyone advise what happened?

Or… is this yet another case of charges being dropped for no reason?

Here’s BFP’s original November 2, 2013 article when he was released on bail…

Barbados Free Press

Prominent Barbados attorney-at-law Philip Vernon Nicholls is free on $200,000 bail and will return to court on February 25, 2014 to face charges of money laundering and theft of $674,172.

The offenses are said to involve a foreign real estate client – a method of stealing money that seems all too prevalent amongst Bajan lawyers. (Check out some of BFP’s past stories on this topic: here, here, here, here, here, here and here – get the picture?)

In the past many Bajan lawyers bought their way out of similar theft charges. Until recently most of these complaints were dealt with internally by the Barbados Bar Association until the volume of thieving lawyers walking free so undermined the reputation of Bajan lawyers that the association and the police were forced to really do something. Still though, most lawyers end up buying their way out in a…

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Headlines: Mottley says ‘no rampant crime’. British national stabbed to death at Gap tourist area. Pregnant mother shot.

On Saturday night, Opposition Leader Mia Mottley told a Brooklyn, New York town hall meeting that although there have been publicised isolated incidents, crime is not running rampant in Barbados.

Folks in Grape Hall might have a different opinion because you can’t leave a shirt hanging out to dry without keeping an eye out for it, and it’s not wise to walk in the evening unless you are in a group or sure of yourself. Five years ago things were different. Tell me if I’m wrong! While a few Brit tourists have said very public goodbyes to Bim, most don’t write letters when they make that decision.

Looking at some of the headlines from the 24 hours after Mia’s message, and knowing how things are – you have to ask yourself if Mia and some of her fellow political class really believe what they say publicly. Or, do they think they can ‘solve’ the crime problem by denial?

Nation News: Mottley: No rampant crime.

Telegraph UK: Briton fatally stabbed in Barbados

Nation News: Guns Ablaze

UPDATE: One month after Canadian tourist shot – no excuse for 1 hour ambulance wait

Somebody should be sacked

by Passin Thru

On March 12, 2014, four gunmen burst into a rented beach apartment at Bath and shot Canadian tourist Johnathan Huddle in front of his wife and 11 month old daughter. Fortunately Mr. Huddle survived – according to various reports because he and his wife are both trained soldiers with tours in Afghanistan.

On the good side, our Royal Barbados Police Force arrested three adults and one 15 year old less than two weeks later. Excellent work – assuming that they have the right thugs. (That is always a realistic concern in Barbados when a tourist is harmed. The police sometimes beat confessions from the ‘usual suspects’ by default.)

As bad as the story is though, the Canadian press is still playing up the fact that Mrs. Huddle kept her husband alive for AN HOUR that it took the ambulance to arrive.

That’s right: an hour for an ambulance to arrive when they knew that a tourist had been shot.

Concerning the hour for an ambulance to arrive, there are two messages that Barbados can deliver to Canada and our other tourism markets:

1/ This is acceptable and standard in Barbados, and tourists should know that if they get hurt it may take an hour or more for an ambulance to reach them.

or

2/ An hour is unacceptable, and the persons responsible have been sacked.

If Barbados doesn’t sack someone over this, then any assurances and apologies are pure cow turd.

Prime Minister Stuart… watcha gonna do?

Gunmen ambush patrolling Barbados police – one officer slightly shot

“One officer slightly shot” sounds a bit strange, but it’s just about what the police and papers are saying happened on Tuesday night. The story only deserves four sentences in the Nation and Barbados Today because that is all the information released by the police.

Think about that folks: Gunmen saw patrolling police officers, then started shooting in an ambush. If that doesn’t sound like Kingston, Jamaica I don’t know what does.

But the police and the news media are playing down the incident, I suppose because the injured officer was only ‘slightly’ shot.

Strange times ’bout this place. Sometimes I swear somebody stole my country and put this new one under my feet. It looks like the same old place, but it isn’t.

A police detective was “slightly injured” when gunmen opened fire on a group of officers last night.

Police public relations officer Inspector David Welch says members of the Criminal Investigations Department were on patrol in Chapman Lane, the City around 11 pm when unknown assailants shot at them several times before running away.

He said police returned fire.

The incident is being investigated.

… from Barbados Today Men Shoot at Police

Barbados Labour Party organising protests against government

A train called CIVIL UNREST

“Dear Barbados Free Press,

You should have been at the BLP meeting at St. George Secondary School. The Nation is soft selling the talk about marching in the streets. More nuff than talk is happening when former cabinet ministers telling people to organise marches.”

Received from an anonymous reader

‘Unrest’ word spoken again

Crime is already rising in proportion to the closed businesses and potholed roads. The Royal Barbados Police Force and the Defense forces recently increased crowd control training and joint practices.

The government hears it coming. Law enforcement and defense hear it coming. Private security patrol companies hear it coming.

Now you listen… Hear that train in the distance? It’s not so faint anymore, you can really hear it now. It’s coming…

Marching ‘may be only way’

Some prominent members of the Barbados Labour Party have come out in support of civil protest against the Government, despite recommendations to the contrary from the trade union movement.

During one of the party’s The People’s Assembly meetings at St George Secondary School last night, various speakers said taking to the streets in protest might be the only way for Barbadians to get their message across to the Freundel Stuart administration.

One such speaker was former Cabinet minister Anthony Wood, who said the imposition of university fees and the planned layoff of thousands of public servants were reason enough. 

How long since we had an actual MURDER TRIAL in Barbados?

Charles Leacock, DPP frightened of murder trials?

“The Director of Public Prosecutions will probably justify each individual decision, but he cannot justify his overall cowardliness.“

Folks, I woke up this morning and for some reason a fact and a question came into my mind:

Fact: All persons accused of murder in Barbados are allowed to plead guilty to a lessor crime. Always.

Question: How long has it been since we had a real murder trial in this country?

Whether you talk about Anna Druzhinina murder or the Camus Trendz firebombing mass murder or any murder in Barbados, one truth comes to the surface: DPP Charles Leacock always makes a deal in murder cases to allow the accused to plead to a minor offense.

NEVER do we have a trial.

WHY?

The justice system wants my respect? Then the justice system should get real or STFU!

The Director of Public Prosecutions will probably justify each individual decision, but he cannot justify his overall cowardliness.

Cliverton