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Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, Robert ‘Bobby’ Morris

Stop the black-on-black violence

One of this island’s top diplomats is adamant that steps have to be taken to stop black-on-black violence in this country.

Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, Robert ‘Bobby’ Morris spoke to the need to reduce criminal activity among the country’s working class and to rid Barbados of guns, as he delivered the Democratic Labour Party’s lunchtime lecture on the topic ‘Platform for Change at 50: What’s Next”.
 
Using the opportunity to reflect on the most recent episodes of gun play that have taken place in Barbados, he told those gathered that there is a disturbing trend emerging in our island, where persons are not valuing human life as they did when he was growing up. He is warning that if this trend continues it will not bode well for our nation.
 
Some of these shooting incidents, including that at Wotton, Christ Church earlier this week have reportedly involved high powered weapons, which Morris admits is frightening. As such, the Ambassador said he hopes that this is not part of what is in store for Barbados over the next five decades.
 
“If there is one thing that we have to stop is Black on Black violence; you understand what I’m saying? Black on Black violence, poor on poor violence – understand the violence that we are having about here. Over spliffs, over territory, that is the most serious thing I am seeing here,” he said.
 
Morris added, “…We have working class boys and girls killing each other and there is a certain disdain in society to the extent that you almost see people say ‘let them do it to themselves, once it doesn’t bother me’. And I am saying that is the greatest challenge to our society right now, just as I’ve said that education is the greatest thing to take us forward, the greatest challenge to our society is Black-on-Black crime.”
 
Morris explained that in bygone years there was not a high level of Black-on-Black violence, not that violence did not occur he said, but it was mainly at the domestic level. Now, he lamented, the violence being exhibited has gone beyond that and he is laying the blame squarely at the feet of those involved in drug trafficking.
 
“I believe all the guns are coming from the drug trade, and if I am to believe that at this time in our society we can’t get a greater handle on that; then I am very sorry. I can’t think that the people who should be stopping it would be complicit in it; I don’t think that we don’t want to come down on these people because they are working class, because that doesn’t make sense. So I really feel we have to have an answer to that,” he said.
 
Morris’ comments came as he suggested that many of the old housing areas are also “hot beds” for this type of violence, due to the socio-economic difficulties brought on by inter-generational poverty and overcrowding in those communities. The CARICOM Ambassador believes strongly that these factors need to be addressed to bring about a turnaround in those communities which would aid in reducing the incidence of violence in this country.
 
To that end, he maintained that we have to rid Barbados of the guns by any means possible, and believes that with concerted efforts the use of drugs in this country can also be reduced. He is warning however, that as long as drugs and guns continue to increase in importance, the crime and violence will prevail and put the next 50 years at risk. (JRT)

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