The Tribune

Twenty years ago, gang leaders and politicians were of one accord in trying to tackle the rise in crime together. But, as Lamech Johnson hears, the failure to bring peace to the streets today is a consequence of politicians not fulfilling promises of economic opportunities for younger generations.

LAST December’s “heinous” drive-by shooting at Freedom Park in Fox Hill, which killed four people and injured seven others, was met with a quick response by the government.

The government held a press conference after a special Cabinet meeting and outlined more than 20 initiatives that were part of its efforts to accelerate the war on crime.

Among the plans were increased police saturation patrols in crime hot spots, promises to introduce legislation that will give career criminals stiffer penalties for gun crimes and consideration of legislation to restrict the granting of bail for those charged with violent crimes.

However, a former gang leader-turned community activist has told The Tribune what he believes is behind the “kill or be killed” mentality of today’s at-risk youth that turned them to a life of crime.

Ex-Border Boys gang leader Valentino “Scrooge” Brown said the failure to bring peace to the streets is a consequence of politicians not fulfilling promises of bringing economic opportunities to the younger generations.

Mr Brown lived through 13 years of the criminal activity and gang culture and survived being shot 18 times. He left that chapter of his life behind him when a friend and former gangster was killed after giving a speech in which he sought forgiveness from those he had wronged.

He currently hosts a community centre at his home off Market Street. His ultimate goal is create a “Jubilee Garden” for that inner-city community as the late Edmund Moxey did with the Jumbey Village.

“I was working directly with these political leaders, I’m talking about people like the (late) honourable Sir Lynden Pindling I used to work with,” said Mr Brown. “Then he turned me on to the honourable Perry Gladstone Christie and then I was turned on to the Honourable Dr Bernard Nottage throughout the years.

“I’ve consulted with these men on numerous occasions on how to help develop the area and deal with the crime issue in the country. Unfortunately, they gave a bunch of words, and it never came to reality. They could have made a big change in this country. They could have pursued the ideas and ideals because we made a pledge to them coming from this community as well as other different communities with gang leaders.”

Though unsure of the exact date, Mr Brown recalled a meeting between a number of elected officials and gang leaders prior to the 1992 general election that was supposed to put an end to the violence.

While the public record is scant on the details of such a meeting, an article in The Tribune on March 24, 1995, entitled ‘Pindling Suggests Peace Accord with Gangs’ reports remarks made by Sir Lynden during a PLP Women’s Conference.

The then-former Opposition Leader suggested an amnesty for all offences except murder and rapes in exchange for participation in a comprehensive system of national service programmes. He stressed the need to be proactive because the violence had reached a critical stage.

In the article “Leaders of ‘most violent gangs’ move towards peace Saturday” published in the May 24, 1993, edition of The Tribune, it reports a meeting with clergymen, police and three gangs to discuss a number of issues, including the administration of justice and treatment at the hands of police.

The meeting was headed by lawyer Michael Kemp, who noted that the young men in the gangs wanted “to be given an opportunity”.

Mr Brown continued that the gang leaders “met Sir Lynden along with his whole cabinet out by St Agnes in-between Market Street; it was Sir Lynden Pindling, Dr Bernard Nottage, Kendal Nottage, the honourable Prime Minister Perry Christie.”

He claimed that 100 gang leaders – including Rebellion Raiders, Gun Dogs, the Gun Hawks and the Border Boys – were present and “we were very successful in coming together as a group and saying ‘hey, we’re gonna stop the gang warfare, and try to work with one another to make a better country’.”

“When we were on one accord, there were promises made to employ us; to give us landscaping jobs and to get rid of the drug culture we had inside, and they promised to give us landscaping jobs to help us maintain our areas.

“It was very exciting for us because we knew that there was legit money to be made and it could have benefited the communities. All of us were very excited and they said they were going to give us paint jobs to paint the schools, so we had a lot of promises made to us that could have worked.”

Mr Brown said although the proposed solution did not work out over the long haul, the gang leaders continued working with the PLP until Mr Christie became the leader of the party following Sir Lynden’s retirement.

“When we worked with him to get elected, those promises were not fulfilled. All of those guys went rogue again. All of the leaders went rogue again,” he added.

“We were just gang bangers and we ended up losing faith in the politicians at that particular era and we decided to take matters in our own hands and all of us turned drug dealers; every one of us. Stephen ‘Die’ Stubbs, Samuel Moultrin McKenzie, Marvin Mortimer, Marvin Bodie, James Charles alias Chuckie ... and you could put their names down because it’s good to know the history and all of those guys went from being gang leaders to drug dealers now.”

“Now we had money so we were able to buy firearms, and start to give it to our younger generation and start selling it to our younger generation because it was the only way to make a few dollars living in these communities.”

Hours after the country’s murder count for 2014 reached 83, when the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary and Deputy Director of Bahamas Information Services Latore Mackey was shot and killed while driving through Market Street, Mr Christie said the government would hold several special meetings with the police commissioner and the minister of national security to decide what could be done immediately about the crime situation.

Mr Christie also admitted that his administration has to go back to the “drawing board” as it grapples with violent crime.

Mr Brown is of the view that “when people have a good income, I don’t see them doing a lot of violent crime and doing things that are unlawful in this country. I feel that if they were given more opportunities, we would see a better Bahamas”.