Mr. Silbert Ferguson,

Do you not think that the police already have their hands full?

Why can't your organization, with its ample resources, carry out an investigation of this mere festival parade?

Whatever decision your organization take, that should be it and it would show that you and your organization take responsibility for your appointees: the judges.

Stop kicking the proverbial 'can of responsibility' down the road to others; especially, the tax payers. You and your Committee are being paid to make, however tough, decision that affect the parade and its outcome. We don't need you to further perpetuate that The Royal Bahamas Police Force has to resolve every issue for the Bahamian public, including Junkanoo disputes.

Canon Lightbourne delivered an uncompromising and excellent charge in his sermon at the opening of the Judiciary in Grand Bahama. However, his statement to the effect - "***but until we are able to deal with home and family life our efforts will be to no avail***,” - accounts for an external civil contact between two persons.

Each of our citizens, as an individual, needs to find value to their own life so that they of themselves would know whether or not they are indeed fit material to take on, or, be part of a family unit.

The world has change Canon. LGBT movement is now the new reality to include into the family unit. Can the Church handle that? The role of women have evolved in the affairs of life and the world at large. What then may become the role or collaborating position of the men in the "home & family"?

What would then be the Church teaching as far as male/female roles in the "home"?

To go into marriage with the traditional view of male/female roles will spell disaster. Inevitably it will fail or end up in divorce. Therefore, it cannot be business as usual, or can it?

The Court and Judicial system of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is the principle tool in the creation of criminals and the perpetuation of crime throughout The Bahamas. No among of speech can do away with the facts.

Either by way of incompetence, negligence and malfeasance, the officers of the Courts, including the judges, are complacent in criminalizing our citizens: creating criminals out of them. I, Godson A. Johnson, have and can still show and establish why this is the case.

The court system, and by extension, the judiciary was originally and essentially established to provide a civil forum for dueling parties to resolve issues and have acts of injustice redress; and the system was developed with the view to end hostile persons resorting to violence and physically aggressive means as a resolve.

In The Bahamas, the judicial system serves to the benefit of certain families and class. Remember when Craig Flowers was caught red handed operating illegal gambling? He is now a leading citizen! When the mandatory sentencing for possession of a firearm was two (2) years, 'The Meat Man' (of Blue Hill Rd.) received probation. The Court, the Registrars and its officers continue to compromise persons and their cases.

I could only wish that I, Godson Andrew Johnson, be brought before the Court for contempt. Unlike Omar Archer or Chrissy Love, I can further firmly establish the complacency of Our Courts and the Judicial System in criminalizing our citizens. But they won't.

Though I sympathize with the laid off workers, the trickle effect of this closure is far beyond this redundancy. Consider how tough it is going to be to supplement and find the supplies, parts and trained professional services that this business provided

Whether "our sons" are guilty or not, nor whether there is potential for compensation for wrongful death, this should not be the expectation among the Bahamian populace, even as it pertains to those who are wayward. How can our youths dream and aspire to be productive citizens if this happens to be a factor in our social equation. This whole idea of declaring "war" on your disenfranchised citizenry reeks of despair and hopelessness on a national scale.

I resent wholeheartedly the notion and expression that The Royal Bahamas Police Force is in a state of "war" with the citizenry who are disenfranchised due to no fault of their own. The people, and by extension, its military forces ought to be at "war' with a common enemy. The citizenry, irrespective of their waywardness, is not the enemy. the police force was establish to '***police***' and '***enforce***' the laws among the civilian population - The fact of the matter is that those elected, and otherwise in office of authority, have opted and have taken on the task of governance which happens to far beyond their call, comprehension or capabilities. The people are merely mimicking their leaders as to what they witness or perceive is the essence of life. What our leaders place their emphasis on is exactly what the youths are bound to pursue as important (money, pleasure and material gains). this is not a justified reason to kill them. You restrain, educate and discipline the unruly citizens - they should not be slaughtered as the enemy and then termed "the casualty of war".

Readers, this issue of contraband in the prison is a symptom, and not a cause (primary problem). If those who are at the helm, or rather, in the driving seat of power, had insight as to what, in and of itself, is driving the appetite or need for contraband, then they might really decide to apply and appeal to other institutional breakdowns to identify the solution. Implicitly, the Minister by his comments has conceded that he is clueless as to this or any other problem solution in Our Countries' national security. But for now, it must remain as it is until the people demand better. Things might have to bottom out before there is a resolve to address the root cause as apart from injecting temporary intervening cosmetics, i.e. strip searching the officers. leaders ought to lead the people. and leaders can only lead as far as they, themselves, have gone. When a leader says he/she is leading people but then turns about to discover that no one is following; it must then be concluded that he/she is only out for a walk. Or rather, a private excursion of and on their own.

The police (proper), in this and in all other respect, ought not be seen as the enemy of people. It is the ignorance by which they ply themselves in the profession - that (ignorance) is the enemy of the people. Ignorance combine with power seems to imbibe within the rank and file of the RBPF; and the Minister, he lacks insight and foresight. The young men and women of the police force are not being trained and guided wholesomely. There's no role model among the higher ranks. A bunch of beggars and hustlers. I don't think we should prime our minds or the minds of other citizens towards any aggressive behavior towards OUR police officers. But as a whole society, we got to promote some general realignment with the Golden Rule. And further, the officers, as well as, unruly civilians, needs to be enlighten as to the direct or indirect affect that their behavior have on themselves and the greater community.

I think the white tourist could video the police but I don't recommend that a colored tourist should do the same. Remember, The young man that the police officer slapped - near the entrance to the cruise terminal - was actually a tourist from the Caribbean who, unfortunately, fit the profile of a young black Bahamian male for whom the police seem inclined to slap.

...hence, their (the police officers) deferment from knowledge and the understanding which underpins the duties that entails the office; the role of which ought to be deployed to make us in society safe. Unfortunately, this is not the case.