News over the weekend that warring gangs in urban Barbados had finally pledged to put their differences aside was welcomed – for some at least. Others are sceptical, believing it to be mere lip service.It was reported that 200 men from different blocks and communities gathered in The City last Thursday and promised an end to the recent spate of violent incidents that resulted from their wars.The well-known group Red Sea and a break-out faction 64 from Deacons Farm, St Michael, and the Choppers of Chapman Lane, The City reportedly signed a peace treaty and were later seen together in photos posted on social media.
By Anesta Henry
Self-proclaimed gang interventionist Roger Husbands is claiming that major players who should have attended a recent meeting between warring groups were absent from the dialogue.
Husbands told Barbados TODAY that while he preferred not to give a detailed response to the agreement between the rival gangs, he is struggling to understand the relevance of the “peace deal”, if those
Last week we had the unfortunate and grim task of reporting on a stabbing incident at the Parkinson Secondary School. Contrary to popular belief, the media, takes no pleasure in having to present these types of details to you. Reality is that the incident not only affected those physically involved, but the entire student body, the school and their relatives as well. These violent acts are not isolated and therefore the impact is great.It was in October that an altercation between two male students took place just miles away at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI). That incident left one of them with stab wounds to his abdomen and neck.We recall that in our October 14, 2022 Editorial headlined: “Authorities must get ahead of school violence” we urged parents, education and law enforcement authorities to be more proactive and less reactive.We reminded all concerned that on November 8, 2019, when a stabbing death at the Frederick Smith Secondary School was report
On Tuesday, an altercation between two male students at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) left one of them with stab wounds to his abdomen and neck.It was another instance of violence within this island’s educational institutions.In many situations, scenes of violence are captured on video and circulated via social media. We see them, we watch them and some even share them. But when the unimaginable happens, we all join the chorus of condemnation.In January 2020, a 14-year-old boy was one of two people charged with the shooting death of Marlon Holder as he was dropping his son off at St Alban’s Primary School.We would also recall that dark day on November 8, 2019, when a stabbing death at the Frederick Smith Secondary School was reported. Two students, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, were involved in a fight. The 16-year-old, Temario Holder of Checker Hall, St Lucy, died on the spot.A repeat of days like those is something none of us wants to witness or hea
The Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) is calling on education authorities to ramp up security at schools ahead of the September 19 start of classes, amid concern about the possibility of gunplay reaching the island’s educational institutions.BUT president Rudy Lovell said in a statement that while the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the teaching and learning process remain foremost in educators’ minds, the union is worried about the recent spike in gun crime in society and how that might make its way into schools.He noted that some primary schools are without security guards, which leaves students and teachers exposed if the violence should reach school compounds.“There have been instances reported by members and even on record in the media of violent crimes perpetrated in close proximity to schools. It is against this backdrop that we urge those in authority to be proactive and not wait until something happens to respond to this issue,” Lovell said.