Independent Senator Reverend Dr John Rogers has warned that Barbados’ escalating gun violence cannot be solved by legislation alone, arguing that it reflects deeper failures within the family, education system and church.
In debate on the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Bill, Senator Rogers supported the creation of a new court and the appointment of additional judges to ease criminal case backlogs. But, he said such measures address only the symptoms of a wider social crisis.
“I’ve pointed that out because it segues into this bill that we’re dealing with here and what some people consider to be the underlying challenges, and that is the underlying societal issues,” Senator Rogers said.
“Gun crime in Barbados has become a chronic wound. And I believe that in Bajan parlance, it has been going on so long now that we can call it a life sore.”
He noted that the problem spans decades, recalling illicit firearm production in St George, the 2001 police task force and cultural warnings in calypso.
“All that has happened is that it has seemingly gotten worse,” he observed. “Barbados is 166 square miles. The difference between the block and the heights is a chain-link fence. And so when it starts getting over the chain-link fence, that’s when things start getting serious for some.”
The Anglican cleric-lawmaker called for national introspection, insisting responsibility extends beyond offenders. Quoting scripture, he said: “Judgment begins with the household of God.”
He criticised the historic role of the church in reinforcing colonial norms and urged faith-based organisations to help reshape values. He also argued that the education system has come to prioritise academic achievement over technical skills.
“Our mindset has shifted to the point where academia is held as being more important and more prestigious than the arts.”
He pointed to an initiative at Frederick Smith Secondary School, where 15 at-risk boys were placed in an agriculture and hydroponics programme rather than suspended.
“There is something good in honest work, and we ought to encourage that.”
The senator further cited weakened family structures and the influence of social media.
“Every little bad boy out there who wields a gun now at 14 or 15… if I could go back to his first day at school, somebody was holding his hand,” he said. “Somehow, the ball has been dropped.”
Citing Mighty Sparrow’s 1971 calypso Good Citizen, he questioned those enabling the flow of illegal firearms.
“Who in Barbados so abhors the peace of this society that they would bring guns in to destroy our citizens? Who are you?”
While welcoming judicial reforms, Senator Rogers warned that delays undermine justice, recalling a case that stretched from third to sixth form. He concluded with a stark assessment:
“Whether we wish to admit it or not, we live in two Barbadoses. And there are two economies. There are also two justice systems. The justice system for which this legislation is being created is a justice system that has backlogs. The other justice system, justice is swift and final. If backlogs are going to continue to be a part of the culture, we will not be a part of the solution; we’ll just be adding to the problem.” (RR)
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