I am not going to get into the specifics of what took place on Tudor Street on Friday evening. You can read about it yourself here: http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=local&NewsID=12531
I will instead seek to address what this says about the nation I love.
The number of things in Barbadian society that had to go WRONG for this tragedy to have occurred is frightening. It speaks to systemic failures across important sectors of the country.
- The culture of lawlessness and ignorance among large groups of young people is frightening. I'll bet that when those two thieves tossed those Molotov cocktails into the store ostensibly to cover their getaway, they thought to themselves "Yeah soldier. That was tight." and it never occurred to them that people could die due to their folly.
- There is a fundamental lack of training, understanding, proper equipment and logistical support on the part of first responders. The incident took place right next to central police station. The area of the store should have been swarming with police within 10 minutes and fire fighters within 15. On 9/11 fire fighters rescued thousands of people from two burning skyscrapers, yet we were unable to rescue 6 people from the ground floor of a relatively small burning building. Instead, in the news paper I see them practising "mass casualty exercises" taking place in an open field (YEAH, THAT'S LIKELY *steupse*). Suppose that had taken place in Cave Shephard in mid afternoon with 800 people inside. How many would be dead right now? (Not that I in any way mean to belittle what happened here.)
- Unsatisfactory building/workplace safety codes and a lack of enforcement. It's not rocket science. For every X square feet of space you need a working exit of Y size per floor. In North America your house needs a sprinkler system if it is over a certain size, furthermore commercial buildings. Inspectors randomly show up ever few months to ensure that things are in working order and fine the building OWNERS if they are not. What we had instead was essentially a concrete box, with a single door, packed floor to ceiling with kindling in the form of clothes. In hindsight it was really just a matter of time.
- I am tired of politicians of both parties paying lip service to the serious issues that affect our country while using events like these as photo opportunities.
- I am tired of them making promises about legislation (*cough integrity*) that they have no intention of making law.
- I am tired of the laws we already have not being enforced.
- I am tired of the political nepotism that allows incompetent party supporters to take up important positions for which they are completely unqualified, while deserving persons with vision and ability are passed over.
- I am tired of the unions and public sector, the so called "army of occupation" holding this country to ransom over petty issues. It sickens me that port workers/customs officers can decide to strike WITH UNION BACKING over security cameras being installed in the port, while Barbadians' goods can go missing from that same port on a daily basis.
- I am tired of the piss poor service I get wherever I go in this country. Phrases like "good day", "how may I help you", "please", "thank you" seem to have become passé.
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With you on the tiredness, David. The country seems to be going to hell and no-one seems to be ACTUALLY doing anything about it.
ReplyDeleteReports say that the criminals threw Molotov cocktails into the store. As I see it, this shows pre-meditation as these items of destruction as not standard pants-pocket fare.
This incident has escalated the level of violence associated with robbery in the country and it is very worrisome. On Saturday, BBC news ran Friday's incident as one of their HEADLINES! As a country which has become WAY too dependent on the tourism dollar, this is not the way want want our name to be heard on the international scene.
Perhaps I am just getting old but a lot of the things my mother and others of her generation used to say are popping into my heard more and more these days and making sense. Right now, one of her favourites is going around in my thoughts:
"'Too late! Too late!' Shall be the cry"
Are we as a country going to wait until it is too late to do something about what is happening? Wait until the level of violence has dragged us down into the depths of an abyss from which we cannot return?
It seems to me that things only get done when someone in power is directly affected. Are we going to wait until some idiot decides that he wants to make a point or has a bone to pick (or just feels he can get away with it) and walks into a government office to hold everyone ransom? We see that already happening in the lands of our northern neighbours. It can happen here and I think we need to put a stop to it before we get there.
I want to know what will happen to Friday's criminals if and when they are caught. Will they be sent to jail for a period of time only to come back out with new "tricks of the trade" which they learnt during their incarceration? Will they be put on death row and the human rights activists speak for them and get them off? What about the rights of those who were harmed/killed?
Barbados still has the death penalty on the books but we have not carried out a sentence in as long as I can remember. Does this mean that criminals no longer see this as a deterrent because they know they will not lose their lives but rather sit a cell and be housed and fed at the taxpayers' expense?
What about the cat-o-nine? Many years ago there was a calypso asking that we "bring back the cat". Perhaps serious consideration needs to be entered into about using this form of punishment for certain crimes (in addition to jail time).
I fear for the future of this country.
I fear for the next generation.
I fear for those I love.
I fear ... and I am tired.