I got “goose bumps” last week as I listened to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Rudolph Proctor, deliver an awesome speech at the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting. The Chamber President, Mr. Keithley F.T. Lake, spoke very candidly and forcefully about the social and economic challenges facing Anguilla at this time and, in doing so, he set the stage for the Commissioner to speak passionately about the requirements for addressing crime and violence in our society. He (the Commissioner) then made the very important point that crime and violence will always exist but we must endeavour to contain it at minimum levels. He further went on to suggest that human and financial resources deployed in the right places would greatly improve the effectiveness of the Royal Anguilla Police Force. And even though his comments held all stakeholders equally responsible for the dire situation in which we find ourselves — he received an enthusiastic standing ovation.
I must admit that the Commissioner allayed many of my concerns about the cohesiveness of the Police Force in the face of negative perceptions in the community. I had come to believe that the very unfair statements being made regularly about their performance, in the local broadcast media, might have frustrated them. I was therefore encouraged by the professional response of the Commissioner by taking responsibility for his approach and defending it with the facts. His success rate for bringing the criminals to justice is probably the highest in the region and could improve with better resources and more community support. And a key observation: “Only negative comments get airplay!”
The tragic and senseless murder of another youngster in North Valley, this weekend, could appear to have placed a damper on the positive sentiments expressed by the Commissioner. But how could the Commissioner be held responsible for such irrational acts of violence against another human being? This incident occurred on the anniversary, almost to the day, of the senseless killings of the late Jordel Gumbs and Gustave Hodge. My young friend Troy “Ratchet” Connor was never a problem to anyone — his issues affected only he himself. And on the occasion of that fatal incident he was struggling to manage them — but they were such that required help, which his state of mind prevented him from accepting. Troy was helpless to manage the vicissitudes of his own behaviour — but he was not a threat to anyone. The question is: Who could have carried out such a brutal and heinous crime on a young man walking listlessly along the streets of his village — simply struggling to find peace with himself? What could possibly have been the motive? From whence the demons which drive our young people to commit such merciless acts? May his soul now rest in peace!
But the Commissioner also spoke about the positive aspects of our young people and bemoaned the fact that they are often not adequately encouraged. It was a great opportunity for him to celebrate a true mentor in the person of the late James Beard who brought together the young people of the Farrington Community in the early 1980’s to develop their potential in sports and other social and cultural activities. His efforts propelled The Farrington youth to other spheres of endeavour in their personal lives that resulted in many success stories including the Commissioner himself. In that part of his presentation the Commissioner spoke about Shara Proctor; Chesney Hughes; Omari Banks; Zharnel Hughes; Jahmar Hamilton; Montcin Hodge; as well as the other youngsters preparing for Caribbean Premier League. The point he made was that if we pay more attention, and gave more support, to these successful young people we could most likely motivate many others to follow in their footsteps.
But the sadness associated with the passing of Troy Connor last weekend also puts a damper on a very positive event that took place at Anacaona Boutique Hotel where Omari Banks, former West Indian Cricketer, moved on into his new career as a professional musician with the launch of his first Album: Move On. Omari epitomizes what is required to achieve success and excellence in any field of endeavour. It was a point that the Commissioner took the time to mention in his presentation. Just as in his career as a cricketer, Omari spent time everyday honing his skills — so too he now does the same thing with his music. But he had many mentors some of whom he sought out — but there were also others who noticed him and supported and celebrated his attitude and achievements. Which is, of course, another point that the Commissioner made, namely, that we should be willing as good citizens to provide mentoring and support for our young people.
So a very disciplined and amiable young man (Omari) with the support and guidance of his older brother, Olaide Banks, staged a very professional launching event to celebrate a milestone in his music career. It was attended and supported by family, relatives, friends, fans; sponsors; visitors; and other well-wishers. My personal observation (not colored by the pride I wallow in as being his uncle) is that it was a most wholesome event that exuded humility, honesty, family and sheer talent. And any pride that any of the audience or broadcast listeners felt, by virtue of some form of association or relationship, was quite understandable. It was as if Omari made the West Indies Team all over again. All of the compositions on the Album were of his creation, and although I am certain that he sought out the assistance of his father, Bankie Banx, and other associates in fine-tuning the end product —- Omari produced what he wanted to communicate to his audience. And he also did so in a Live Concert on the Anacaona Hotel lawn that kept the audience spellbound. Like Roxanne Webster before him, in her historic video launching, the entire event was symbolic of an appreciation of excellence. In this very competitive field of endeavour we can only wish them all well.
But policing is not about containing the conduct of young people alone. As Omari Banks expresses it in his composition: “(Still) The Youth You Blame”, many of these issues stem from dereliction of duty and neglect by parents, teachers, community leaders and other authoritative adults in the community. As the Commissioner put it in his speech: “Shrugging off their moral, social, and political responsibilities to the community”. The youth arrive at their modes of behaviour through the environments which we create or that we allow to develop for them. The Comissioner explained the importance of the business sector securing its investments by contributing to programs and equipment that will enhance the quality of the environment in which their businesses must operate and thrive. Have we as a community come to accept that the problems we are now experiencing have come as a result the choices we make as adults — and that in most cases they are not simply law and order issues? We seem to derive a sense of comfort from being able to blame someone; some group or something else for the challenges of youth in our communities. As the Commissioner put, it is time to have a conversation about the issues rather than continuing to look for scapegoats. We all must support one another. It is a joint effort.
We have come to take the Police Band for granted. But it is one of the few groups that truly symbolize the community; the police; the old; and the young; the men; and the women working together to create harmony in music. Perhaps we need more collaboration like this in other critical areas of cooperation.
I made this segue as a “lead in” of celebrating the contribution of my friend Wycliffe “Robbie” Robinson who also departed this life in a rather untimely manner on the weekend. He was a prominent and longstanding member of the Royal Anguilla Police Force (RAPF) Community Band. Since his decision to become resident in Anguilla he has used his prowess as a musician of more than six decades to contribute to the development of music in the community and in the church. He was a part of the Ebenezer Methodist Church Music Ministry and a member of the Ebenezer Men’s Fellowship. We will miss him even more than the RAPF Community Band. His several saxophones will not echo in the walls of Ebenezer any longer — and we will all miss his passing. But we are fortunate to have great memories with which to celebrate his life. Needless to say, we are but a few of the lives he has touched through his music over the years. May his soul rest in peace!
As Omari sums it up: Truly over this pass weekend — “We’ve seen it all!”
