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Activist asks why US police brutality enrages us but not local issues By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
AS Bahamians show solidarity with protests against excessive and deadly policing of black people in the United States, one local activist says residents should show similar interest in incidents of questionable police conduct in The Bahamas. Khandi Gibson, head of Families of All Murder Victims, said more accountability could be achieved in The Bahamas if the public
demanded it. “It’s like we Bahamians take on the US problems and ignore our own,” she said yesterday. “But we have issues here every day and people don’t pay as much attention to them.” Issues involving local policing have been longrunning themes for years. Some residents who report police abuses to the Police Complaints Unit say they never receive a response. Inquests into policeinvolved killings can take SEE PAGE FOUR
... AS ROLLE INSISTS HE IS WORKING ON POLICE IMAGE By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
COMMISSIONER of Police Paul Rolle said he is putting in place a number of policies to clean up the public’s negative perception of Royal Bahamas Police Force. His comments came as Americans continue to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while being detained by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident has reignited the
conversation about police brutality and accusations have been tossed by some Bahamians at the RBPF for unfair treatment. Several suspects have also been killed by police this year. The commissioner said yesterday that he recently reviewed the force’s professional standards. A dress code and social media policy are expected to be released soon while others are being revised. SEE PAGE FIVE
Seek ... and found
RESIDENTS in Venetian West say they are fearful for the safety of their children and pets after a toxic toad species was discovered in the community. Full story - Page 3 Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
TOURISM PAYROLL GIVEN BAHAMASAIR CUTTING ITS $2M MORE THAN NEEDED SUMMER SCHEDULE 20% By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
TOURISM minister Dionisio D’Aguilar has admitted his ministry’s payroll was over-budgeted by $2.5m for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and has now been returned to normal levels by the new Budget.
He reported that there had been no job cuts at the ministry even though the 2020-2021 budget showed a 12.5 percent year-overyear reduction in staff salaries from $20.009m in the current fiscal year to $17.499m for the upcoming 12 months.
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMASAIR yesterday said it is planning a 20 percent cut to its summer schedule after incurring $18.5m in revenue losses and unfunded costs due to the combination of Hurricane Dorian
and COVID-19. Tracy Cooper, the national flag carrier’s managing director, told Tribune Business that the nearly three-month pandemic lockdown had forced the airline to incur $10.5m worth of costs without a single cent of revenue income to fund this. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
OLYMPIC BOSS APPEALS OVER FUNDING FRONT
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
ROMELL Knowles, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, is calling on the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture not to cut the subvention of elite athletes, saying it is critical for them to receive every penny they can to prepare for the Olympic
Games. He made the appeal after it was reported in The Tribune that the subvention for elite athletes is expected to be cut by over $269,000. With the Olympics in Japan postponed until July, 2021, Knowles said Bahamian athletes needed to be supported as much as possible. “The restrictions of competitions, coupled with restrictions to train for the
most prestigious sporting event in the world brings with it a set of abnormal circumstances and expenses for our athletes,” Knowles wrote. “In addition to preparation expenses, which I believe may increase, the mental preparation may be an additional but necessary expense our athletes may be forced to endure.”
FULL STORY - SEE SPORT
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PAGE 2, Thursday, June 4, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
That’s friendly of you! Jubilee Gardens shows how to hit it off with your neighbours By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net
The Tribune
AMONG more than 400 competitors, the Jubilee Gardens Neighbourhood Watch Group achieved second place in NUSA’s 2020 “Neighbourhood of the Year’’ category. Neighbourhoods, USA (NUSA) is a conference that provides opportunities for diverse people and organisations to share their ideas, values and experiences to build stronger communities. The organisation is based in California. “The ‘Neighbourhood of the Year Award’ recognises outstanding accomplishments by neighbourhood organisations,� said Minister of National Security Marvin Dames at a press conference last week. “Awards are given based on physical or social revitalisation, beautification in a neighbourhood and multi-neighbourhood project partnerships. Judging for the ‘Neighbourhood of the Year Award’ is based on the extent of innovation, grassroots’ participation and capacity building exhibition by the nomination organisation.� Mr Dames said during this unprecedented time, the accomplishment of the Jubilee Gardens association highlights the deep engagement of people helping, sharing and caring for one another.
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ing By NEIL HARTNEs Editor $25m, five-year maximum Tribune Busines dia.net ent contract BPL managem and Minnis nhartnell@ tribuneme if the board wish it to go. Power & ation BAHAMAS board will administr which will The meeting,PowerSecure Light’s (BPL) by meeting� be attended their attorneys hold a “crunch s and cure today, key with PowerSe likely crit- executive is viewed as the from the US, with the outcome whether the to determining whethermake and ical in decidingas manager. sides will “kiss latter remainsTribune Busi- two separate. S up� or Multiple - SEE BUSINES yesterday US FULL STORY ness sources that the confirmed
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EST By AVA TURNQU Reporter Tribune Chief edia.net aturnquest@tribunem Sewerage WATER and Chairman Corporation yesterday Adrian Gibson existence the confirmed disconnect� of a “do not d by scores list populate the governof elites at utility owned to ment he pledged provider as n on initiate a crackdow accounts. delinquent told The Mr Gibson “confidential Tribune the 221accounts, list� held total of with a combined the period $175,000 for2017. ending June he plans He said that corporathe to direct all persons tion to notify arrears owing excessive or face debts to resolve disconnection.a list confi“There is the Long dential list,� Island MP said. would think “In fact, I corporations that all the year or two, over the last rly in and more particula year, there May of thisclose attenhas been that list by tion paid to ent with the managem changing the a view to lists usually way those operate. this con“As it stands, a number has fidential list on it, and of persons it’s being really and trulypersons by used to notify or letters. courtesy call that as the I can say toothe corporachairman of to direct tion I am going owing that all personswho are excessive arrears EIGHT SEE PAGE at the end of
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Watch the film - every agonising, wrenching, awful second. Then give up Eugene’s killer
DAMIAN GOMEZ OBIE $3,413 WILCHCOMBE CLEOLA $4,911 HAMILTON they owed $6,118 list and the amount since that date. disconnect� BPL “do not made or further debt incurred named on the NINE individualsdo not include any payments July. The sums
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not be officials could to press time. EST reached up By AVA TURNQU to sources Reporter of According Tribune Chief matter, as media.net close to the Wells has since aturnquest@tribune Mr Progres- Monday his accounts FOUR former Cabinet paid $9,000 on ng balParty an outstandi ARNOLD sive Liberal more than with $8,600. FORBES ministers owedat Bahamas ance of some also said as $62,023 The source Forbes was one $20,000 each Mr Light, with Power and in arrears of Monday the company former minister as of July, in talks with balance over settle the Mr for some $60,000 a list obtained to three-month period. a according to PLP Mount d by The Tribune.and Collec- Forbes, former appointe was The Credit ent listing of Moriah MP, January 2015, in tions Departm and board to Cabinet y served as the MPs, senators the period and previousl the Bahamas of for l members 31, revealed chairman and Industria ending July State Minister Agricultural ion. that former Works Corporat on the “do not of Others in the Ministry owed BPL list are: former Dr disconnect� Arnold Forbes of Health Tall $62,023.14. by The Minister former The list obtained delin- Perry Gomez, Leslie Miller, Tribune contains of six Pines MP Youth Minister of former quent accounts Cabinet minis- former Johnson, Dion former PLP PLP MPs, Dr Danny Village MP ters, two former Tourism DR DANIEL entities, and Nassau be, two private Cabinet min- Smith, former JOHNSON Obie Wilchcom one sitting $24,413 Town MP Minister South Beach MP and former ister: Bamboo Hamilton State Renward Wells. who owed Cleola of Mr Wells, $3,703.96 at former Minister Damian Affairs $9,277.07 and locations - for Legal two separatetotal – did not Gomez. SEE PAGE EIGHT $12,981.03 in yesterwant to comment other former day, and the
were spent under ers’ dollars administration. the Christie is evidence new He said if there lity�, the of “crimina will allow the government course. its his law to take after Moments as the namaiden speech Minleader, Dr tion’s next that under promised will nis Bahamians his watch, to fear from have nothing g the
A VIRGIL By KHRISN Reporter Deputy Chief ia.net kvirgil@tribunemed his parAFTER leadinglandslide ty to a stunning dealing a paravictory and to the Progreslysing blow Party last night, sive Liberal Prime Minister incoming Minnis declared Dr Hubert have abused that those who trust “have of positions to fear�. something to thousands of Speaking rs at the Q House today. pledged that jubilant supporte last night, ment Dr Minnis will give E Sports Centre administration Terrance National Movethe Free also announced his General it ment leader be sworn in as Auditor the resources that he will ’ fourth prime Bastianto probe how taxpayThe Bahamas at Govern- needs 5pm minister at
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2017
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safes as well as T homicide the residents of SKA DORSET guarding By SANCHE Reporter in Fox Hill. Tribune Staff walkabout tribunemedia.net During a Acting prepared. live national sdorsett@ on Tuesday, ROLLE During a Ferguson Commissioner Fox Hill ioner his office By RASHAD Reporter ACTING Fergu- Commiss and address from Dr Minnis Tribune Staff Anti-Gang Police Anthony a.net yesterday said the Inveslast night, ne Maria is of rrolle@tribunemedi Tracing and announced dev- son establishment of two Firearms Unit will operate fore- said: “Hurrica the potentially the Bahamas tigation WITH Detece Maria another hurricane that we Royal Central the e Hurrican of separate the cast for Force anti-crimng out Unit (CDU) while storm to pass astating monitor.� tive projecting the t Baha- must carefully Though most Police aimed at eliminati SEE PAGE 11 He added: near the Southeas Prime spared units activity in the counwas morning, of gang mas Friday Hubert Minnis of the Bahamas the number try, reducing Minister Dr of those SEE PAGE TWO and is urging residents be vigilant islands to
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for this . Yes I feel ility our countries than I can say.� has a responsib one mother more said he will ensure Each citizen to information Dr Minnis is provided . and whateverbring that forward. re. medical attention he felt the famthe composu us.� we must e, who is pregnant after live among Dr Minnis said makes me feel has Mrs Woodsid the grieving and days Three These criminals who emphasised country’s he “You can see of those pushed the ily’s pain. “What Mrs Minnis, that her appeargoing through,� is that most during murder that violent crime into ROLLE pain she’s I, even worse that someBy RASHAD Reporter the family the yard, struggle with spotlight yet again, was not a assured her will have doctor, to we see in we Tribune Staff before them on women said. “I medical a.net national a ance (Friday) the as acute. today called years rrolle@tribunemedi l come to look g her pain remained live a life, my my political move,one day this week time medical personne and comfortin she’s preg“He ain’t even to wear blackfor murder victims. Dr e cried. THE hugs her because sure that Prime Minister wife God,� Mrs Woodsid give my upon after make mourning of to in calling have I’m words I and his infant are a baby. I could my really nant. “As a mother, Hubert Minnis couldn’t answer “He’s right now just for because I this,� her and her unborn also make take all mothers stop and we will sure the Patricia Minnis that consumed breath be right here. They mothers can was tearful both well make to to believe as baby questions ents l who the e yesterday out my body. who arrangem medical personne said Mrs Minnis, eight- my heart my only son. They Kendera Woodsid have our sons on a too for her son, killed times. “We birth and as they necessary her and see her “This after she grieved of them at my daughter from the safety who was still with look almost shoot (the house) with would’ve delivered most knowing we cradle basis to ensure infant.� year-old Eugene, men we are to me with regular they inside four days ago. people ain’t tell- and What they do to my family? so they are closer patients,� Dr becomeWe have to speakshould of her and her unborn PAGE TWO SEE are my former ogist by pro- them. I think all women “Why these bringing my son me. they do to us? me? I they them. this week ain’ carry ing me they she cried between What Minnis, a gynaecol message we wear black one day in “Why they said. “The happening a baby.� tried to right now?� entire Bahamas and mourn what’s 29 years, He’s e, Eugene’s fession, Dr Minnis send to the Rose- live screams as fight this alone. Tonio Woodsidhis wife even must can’t family at theirEugene the is the police console consoled home where on father, struggled to maintain bud Road a stray bullet as he was shot by did his homework. he Monday as
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with correctnow engaged the voter ROLLE ing and editing it of its By RASHAD Reporter register, ridding errors. Tribune Staff a.net much-publicised staff to rrolle@tribunemedi “We have enough “We 170,000 peo- do this,� Mr Hall said.certiJUST over d to vote have to make sure it’s toafter ple have registere 10 general elec- fied some 14 daysdate.� for the May ntary Com- day’s (Tuesday’s) said tion, Parliame ce with the Hall accordan In Elections missioner Sherlyn pubParliamentary yesterday. what he de- Act, Mr Hall will give of This follows election in the rush� of “mad a statlic notice scribed as g to vote newspapers this week, conof people registerin place in the last day ing the date, times when on Monday, and s registration. 172,000 peo- stituencieon papers must be There were to vote in the nominati . d delivered ple registere election. SEE PAGE THREE 2012 general ntary Regis The Parliame Department istration
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AL BASIS FOR ROLLINS: NO LEG REBEL SEVEN DISCIPLINING THE
HUSBAND KILLED AFTER GUNMEN FORCED COUPLE TO STOP CAR T SKA DORSET By SANCHE Reporter Tribune Staff dia.net sdorsett@ tribuneme
and T of Bimini toSKA DORSET the islands ndent r By SANCHE bringing the EST Eleuthera, d cases Tribune Staff Reporte CHIEF Superinte By AVA TURNQU r, officerdia.net Reporter tal to 25 confirme Clayton Fernande Tribune Chief sdorsett@ tribuneme media.net of the Central nationwide. in-charge Unit, warned a lull, quiet aturnquest@tribune MP “This is like said. Detective FORT Charlotte last to be “exDr McMillan samofficials yesRollins said no get HEALT H residents to period,� drivers yesterday Dr Andre after armed will be continue to tra cautious� couple to stop terday urged against en- “We they send them in for night that “there taken a as fur- disciplinary action� men forced in the middle remain vigilantfactors that ples Nawe have no testing but the seven Free who good. their vehicle vironmental shooting es despite ther cases, which is and against nt MPs road before breed mosquito tional Moveme Leader Dr Key, Rich- of the transmis- We’re still monitoring driver. the Edison local in killing ce. Chipman, the “lull� ousted party as leader of Fernander Theo Neilly, and and from left, Hubert Zika virus. doing our surveillan Chief Supt have been Hubert Minnis Staff be- THE REBEL SEVEN of, Butler-Turner, Neko Grant, sion of the believe armed Public Health Opposition, Hanna/Tribune “I think we as it relates Director of said police be the motive the Official basis ard Lightbourn, Loretta yesterPhoto: Shawn well may out cause there is no legal progressing Dr Pearl McMillan Executive Committhe message He said the Andre Rollins. case robbery d that there the killing. have “hapheeding for such a move. a formal support FNM’s not have a day confirmeno new con- to getting widespread tee would group’s actions for and persons that could came He added been lodged solidify a new leader.� have been since the de- there Zika thing the incidentto anyone�. because the around on it. This July, which is when objection has pened firmed cases came in an “were consistent with took place press release protected His remarks case against “the bogus charges� down in The murder to quespartment’s and the get our first 9pm on Tuesconstitutionally ntarians to 5, which raised against him e-mail in response shorty after December of cases in New we usually SEE PAGE SIX levelled members of Parliaright of parliame leadarea of Millenfrom The Tribune. the tions Rollins echoed the recall a parliamentary have day in the the number six other off Tonique from 22 to 23.on took part in Dr longer , nium Gardens, Providence ment who of Long Island er when they no Dr Mincase each ability Williams Darling Highway rner sentiments There is one ce in his/her action of removing country’s Dr Rollins MP Loretta Butler-Tu the confiden post. the Hubert and brought to 109 for the nis from number of and St Anne’s MP week to lead.� count said a growing who last SEE PAGE THREE murder g to The Tribadmitting “that were Chipman, year, accordin FNMs are of action for said the if the matter the une’s records. court, the the best course Fernander take under to to be taken to Chief Supt the party to nces is victim, identisaid the present circumsta as Kendrick police by with fied was driving of the foreign Simms, when another car re- his wife, mians, most committee former employees won’t of them forcmonth, ahead them. tee next Smith said ceive all that is due to will, pulled to stop. ROLLE ing them Chairman James said they was drivBy RASHAD Reporter Mr Smith a “high “The man Millennium yesterday. money was givTribune Staff a.net however, receive Since the ing through basis by rrolle@tribunemedi SEE PAGE FIVE en on an ex-gratia mport figure�. SEE PAGE FIVE former em- the China Export-Iwas inFOREIGN will and Baha Mar ent Bank (EXIM) for Bahaployees of the governm tended primarily be paid by Commitappointed Claims
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SKA BROWN By SANCHE Reporter Tribune Staff dia.net sdorsett@ tribuneme
are dead, SIX people ju15-year-old including a another man is venile, and his life in hosfighting for four separate pital after in less shooting incidents in the capital. than 48 hours s took the The homicide count to country’s murder 43 days of the 26 for the first g to The new year, accordin records. Tribune’s an isPolice launchedlast night of land-wide search suspected for two men dead in Yelthe shooting a man Gardens in low Elder latest incident.bloody weekDespite the Commisend, Assistant Police Stephen of of sioner “hundreds� Dean said were patrolpolice officers over the past streets the ling keep an effort to few days in well as visitors the public as safe. officer-inMeanwhile Central Decharge of theChief Superintective Unit, Fernander tendent Clayton after a implored parentsto “keep a killing on Friday on their chilwatchful eye� y their young dren, especiall boys. Fernander Chief Supt have launched said police for the a massive manhunt the weekend suspects in killings. SEE PAGE THREE
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CALL RESISTANCE TO ‘DANGEROUS’ SPYING BILL
EST By AVA TURNQU Reporter Tribune Chief media.net aturnquest@tribune Bahamas Bar FORMER President ElsAssociation yesterday worth Johnsoncalls for Bajoined activistorganise prohamians to resistance tests and public tabled Interto the recently ications he ception of Commun 2017, which Bill (ICB) us� spying called “dangero legislation. who was Mr Johnson, week as the ratified last Movement’s Free National Yamacraw, for pubcandidate the level of questioned ion on the bill, lic consultat that it imunderscoring entrenched pacted deeply SEE PAGE SIX
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TURNQUEST: CHANGES TO MONTAGU ARE SHAMELESS
EST By AVA TURNQU Reporter Tribune Chief media.net aturnquest@tribune MoveFREE National Leader Peter ment Deputyyesterday acTurnquest government of cused the gerrymander“shameless recently tabled he ing� over changes that boundary the “deliberclaims affect on of middle ate eliminati from the forclass areas� constituency. mer Montagu with The In an interview characterised Tribune he boundary and the proposed a “desperate changes as emoattempt to the perverted� te tionally manipula electorate. SEE PAGE 11
EQUIPMENT AT FAULT FOR SERIES OF BPL OUTAGES
EST By AVA TURNQU Reporter Tribune Chief media.net aturnquest@tribune “catastrophic� THE outages that island-wide Providence plagued Newstemmed from late last year equipment Pier widespread the Clifton g to failures at accordin Power Station, and Light. vehicle. Bahamas Power reported escape in a were taken The companyof its investo reports, The victims are According midnight on where they T on the findings islandSKA DORSET but stable tigation into two another shortly after officers re- to hospital By SANCHE Reporter in serious and Sunday, the domestic inci- listed wide outages, Tribune Staff occurred a dia.net condition. that shortly major outage that r 29 and sponded to Valentine said sdorsett@ tribuneme in Police Novembe dent at a homeoff Johnson an officers arrested officers, a on also between r 4 last year, in after 4am, TWO police wife, are in Subdivisi . While at the the shooter, who was Decembe to the a gunshot internal memo sent Terrance with a from husband and armed obtained condition stable ent and also recovhome, a man the of- suffering serious but shot multiapproached them wounds. Police from the governmTribune. by The after they were responding shotgun both of a shotgun SEE PAGE 11 ficers and shot to flee ered ple times while attempting c incident�. The suspect. SEE PAGE 12 to a “domesti an adult male, before police said. HowPolice have by one of the the scene, returned fire. con- officers suspect was able to who was shot custody in ever the officers, in the shooting. nection with
shootings one of six fatal area on Friday, in the Englerston in the calendar above. bune Staff W. Carey/:Tri as shown at Peardale Park Photos: Terrel from the scene to be a deadly February, boy is taken a 15-year-old 12 so far in what has proven THE BODY of and one of over the weekend,
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to “fully undo much more senseless set derstand this and have law of killings,� respond “as enforcement and in as possible� in Perry quickly meaningful way� neighbourhoods� PRIME Ministerlikened a “very fighting efforts. T certain suggestion to do so their crime SKA DORSET Mr ChrisChristie yesterday no and the ’ crime situBy SANCHE Reporter These efforts,would likely al and makes the Bahamas “Wild West,� , is “emotion Tribune Staff dia.net tie suggested to the g a “subation wave tribuneme sense�. came dedicatin recent s sdorsett@ the as he said in the capital include number of officHis comment rethe country after the country streets of of murders a “major� and stantial� DESPIT E homicides in hours its 27th homicide for to patrol the and sice must solicit effort by his ers corded people have recording 13 ioner of New Providen them “continuous� the year. Seven to “flood multaneously giving 13 days, Commiss Greenslade been killed since Friday. n, to interdict administration officers in Police Ellison is not in Monday afternoo streets� with is neces- “the capacity ts of people a the On Bahamas that the that the said movemen “crisis� and con- police also reportedoutside incorporata bid to do “all this madness the a state of on the streets,� police ofn can was stabbed Nassau sary to bring on day man average Bahamia y� ing more reserve about their the an establishment men were to a halt�. speaking and “if necessar tinue to “go two without Mr Christie, yesterday, ficers, ating Royal BahaStreet while area of as normal day� attacked. ce shot while in the victims with reporters s� occur- incorpor Force marines fear of being mas Defence conferen Corner. These said the “madnes At a press to gang activity in policing efforts. said he ters on Ross said to be in stable ring is due n. also of were at police headquar Mr Christie with in hospital. a weekend and retaliatio past bloody be speaking Monday afterCommissioner condition ioner He said the a “shocking would Commiss is simso“carnage�, SEE PAGE THREE de said it said the only weekend is that will reGreenslade country’s crime Greenslaenough for people not development� ent to at the lution to the “keep prolific ply the finger at a press quire the governm to “point is speaking to e crisis� of He problem Greenslad bars�. une Staff in times their of Police Ellison Terrel W. Carey/Trib offenders behind Bahamas police to “manage Photo: COMMISSIONER not yet refuse yesterday. said the Royal (RBPF) is Act, Chapter SEE PAGE THREE conference Police Force implementing Suppression g. considering “locking down boxer was of human traffickin 53, of 106. a curfew or The former with three JOHNSON James Coakley, Andros By LAMECH Reporter also charged filed under on Ross Staff Cargill Creek, of rape before Chief a double shooting, lamented Tribune tribunemedia.net was broughtJoyann Fergu- counts 6(a) of the Sexual ljohnson@ recent inciyesterday te Section 99. It nature of the three mosthave left one Corner in Magistra to answer to two Offences Act, Chapter in “too bold� in the capappeared O WELLS he engaged dents, which three others the g in perA MAN yester- son-Pratt By RICARD Reporter occurring of traffickin Section is alleged that man dead andserious condi- crimes as he insisted Magistrate’s Court as- counts to Tribune Staff SEE PAGE SIX in ia.net ital recently, of prolific day accused of sexually sons contrary Trafficking in hospital during rwells@tribunemed “handful the a woman 3(1)(a) of Prevention and of the that � remain hell-bent saulting a and po- tion. s holidays. Officer-in-charge Unit, offenders g the public. AS the country the Christmato be a victim in Persons Detective to grapple on terrorisin lice continue spate of vio- CentralSuperintendent ClayPAGE THREE She is alleged SEE speaking to with the latest law enforce- Chief Fernander, scene of lent crimes, are seeking ton media on the ment officials assistance in the T the public’s SKA DORSET By SANCHE Reporter Tribune Staff dia.net sdorsett@ tribuneme placed authorof an law as it investigatallow the ity solely in the hands , POLICE are nces sura judiciary The bill will of police, or independent ICB met ing the circumsta EST of a commissioner on his behalf, the the death that the By AVA TURNQU Reporter standards rounding r-old boy who was person actingwarrant from a adding onal Tribune Chief media.net d recent three-yea sive in a car to obtain a to in- internati aturnquest@tribune Court judge per- and also addresseListening found unrespondaycare yess of the General Supremeand examine a front of his n. from criticism Act by the Privy in ATTOR NEY -Gibson tercept terday afternoo communications the toddler of opera- Devices s Allyson Maynard the In- son’s body The unication suggestion and Council. d shortly af-a ica- telecomm yesterday defended She said any n was a was discovere of Commun t tors, internet providers Monday by terception the legislatio ter 2pm on an importan postal services. t yesterday, that SEE PAGE SIX bill� was false. tions Bill as tool that would In a statemen-Gibson ex- “spying anti-crime privacy of lawSEE PAGE FIVE was Mrs Maynard enhance the rather than that this move abiding citizensit, as detrac- plained ented in Bahamiunpreced encroach upon FOR YOU... tors claim. 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as Hurriis so devastat on the island home has Ragged Island “Every those who remained Minnis warns . The homes last week. discussion with Minister Dr Hubert has been destroyed battered their icken Raghas been health facility s on storm-strPrime Min- cane Irma teachers’ residence no water. destroyed. The te, and safety condition to deteriora urged the 18 been has been destroyed. The is no light. There is HEALT H he smell the school will only continue destroyed. There about, you can yesterday as The in the afterged Island Minnis said to evacuate “As we walk , dead animals. ister Dr Hubert on the island reduced ls will dehas T stench of dead carcasses s of the individua remaining residents them e Irma, whichof rubble and SPECIA L REPOR that we get health condition Russell, math of Hurrican it’s essential s there to piles Words: Khrisna W Carey teriorate and Dr Minnis said. most structureisland unlivable. the only Pictures: Terrel Minnis off this island,� reluctant to leave for here,� Dr for the rendered the stay concern ndably g n saw understa “They cannot as home, expressin Many were and a delegatio and days ever known through said after he damage left by Irma residences, place they’ve gs. hurricane ripped safety of their first time the Five monster personal belongin d about the left behind. We will have by the smell after the Category island. Defence “They are concerne may have , exacerbated on of all eshere and the the same materials they the small southern physical condition dispatch a vessel and at the destructi still whatever The island’s carcasses andto strongly urge those can the Defence Forcecommence the cleanup said. animal ity Dr Minnis try to of rotting led Dr Minnis Force will that there is security,� small commun SEE PAGE THREE sential services, to leave until the ensure Island been time on Ragged Island has and Ragged be restored. to the residents; a walk through “I’ve spoken Minnis said following Dr devastated,�
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ROLLE By RASHAD Reporter Tribune Staff a.net rrolle@tribunemedi Nottage’s DR Bernard forever be will “footprints the Bahamian etched on landscape� fordevelopmental work as a through his of the Bahamer presidention of Athletic Associat mas the Bahamas Associations, ion, the Medical Associatand as a Union afMinDoctors’ consumer FORMER Prime reminister for , health and to accept the ister Perry Christie a defeat, was as I did when I fairs, education Opposifor it arrears, into security, pictured yesterday. W. in to ity was national who tenant Photo: Terrel Philip “Brave� recent sponsibil � he said in response ns airport Staff levelled described tion Leader resigned, ay. Carey/Tribune from accusatio Mr Christieby the government as questions on the criticism in recent Davis said Wednesd , misfea71, died administration moves made by a party pandering at his administration ible spending Dr Nottage, the Cleveof irrespons O WELLS . at a “misstep� thought By RICARD Reporter Wednesday He will receive sance and cronyism that weeks. never any he was “disap- to its base. maintained Tribune Staff “There was land Clinic. was acceptia.net arrangeHe also said allegations being Mr Christie ts relating on my part that I any degree funeral in the by state ed, rwells@tribunemed gova documen would ility for Per- pointed� be announcsecby the new that a review of ments to controversies of any ing responsibof criminality, irrePrime Minister ed tossed around the press ng matters er to these two FORMER ration according to Office of the yesterday condemnra- ernment concerni his last term as absolve his administ that much whatsoev spending and the notion ry Christie during retary for the and prove as noth- sponsible Minnis administ Anthony is bare’ is just transpired is wrongdoing efforts by the his government in Prime Minister, that ‘the cupboard prime minister.at accusations from of the FNM’s rhetoric l slogans.� tion to portray as he challenged Newbold. political slogans.� Hitting back Minnis administhan “politica light, SEE PAGE SIX SEE PAGE THREE a negative leader to carry out a of the r- ing more of the challenges I have of the members ng the controveto “One the nation’s led the governexamination tration concerni ent than $8m person who “dispassionate out of more up as the led the governm at sial pay hurricane clean ment and who for record�. interview an to vendor one off of $1.2m During a lengthy home on Thursand the write his Cable Beach defended his day, Mr Christie
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traditions. just a short ROLLE “Earlier today,present ParBy RASHAD Reporter the while ago, Tribune Staff officially disa.net liament was Christie said. rrolle@tribunemedi Mr of Perry solved,�seat in the House “Every PRIME Minister the prover- Assembly is now vacant. the to you, Christie rang morning, “It is now left beloved bial bell yesterday that the 2017 citizenry of our who will announcing be held on nation, to decide in the next election willMay 10. seats fill those y. In doWednesday, address, givof Assembl His televisedOffice of the House you will also be dethe ing so, en live at the came mowho will form Prime Minister, Commis- ciding ent of the BahaPolice governm five years. ments after Greenslade, for the next that mosioner Ellison as provost mas make will “You what in his capacity decision in pray proclamations marshal, readHouse of As- mentous hope and fair elecoutside the Governor Gen- I earnestly be free and a spirited Pin- will sembly from Marguerite nt. tions following . Let eral Dame Parliame peaceful campaign ing dling dissolving said he is but the forthcom contest vigour Mr Christie election will us with all the confident the and will fol- elections d.� fair at our comman be free and and peaceful SEE PAGE TWO low a spirited is consistent campaign that political with this country’s
IS • FORMER PM BY DAVIS TRIBUTE OF ‘DISAPPOINTED’ S TO LEGACY FNM ALLEGATION COLLEAGUE • SAYS GOVT DIDG NOTHING WRON UT PAYO $8M OVER W • CALLS FOR REVIE OF DOCUMENTS
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O WELLS By RICARD Reporter Tribune Staff ia.net rwells@tribunemed concern ADMIT TING Bernard Notin over what Dr have battled last tage may his isolation during Prime Minisdays, former yesterday for ter Perry Christie admiration the expressed forth by the effort put security to former national build-up the minister in election. the May general from his Breaking away being since public silence office in hisof a voted out last month, toric fashion ChrisMr his visibly troubled portions of tie detailed tion with his last conversa longand friend childhood colleague on time political Thursday. Centreville The former Nottage as Dr MP saw “fought tesomeone who ut his througho naciously� he loved and life for thosetrait he said he a supported, up to their saw on display tion. last conversa SEE PAGE SIX
t. A TRIBUNE medical treatmen Liberal were obtaineda from a ther’s PROGR ESSIVE The emails n Bradley EMAILS leaked following of China Con- by The Tribune Party Chairma out at his highdata breach ’s (CCA) story in December Roberts lashed of CCA struction America colleague Vinthat from the breach former party night, accusservers show2013, Jerome lighting by a San Francisco cent Peet last North Anto servers China Construction as early as was seeking ing the former Islands MP hacker. Fitzgerald of dollars eventually paid 24 bitcoins dros and Berry l enemy� and of $24,000) secure millions equivalent e, trucking, of being a “politica an independ in brokerag at Baha (thehave access to their servwho mounted because he to it apa relimousine contracts however, Cabinet in showing campaign sat on ent ers restored; forwarded leaked emails a nominati Mar while he of Educathat emails ONE of the Education, Scil was denied g party. Minister of as the Minister and Tech- pears relating to personne quest from or from the governin y Jerome Fitzgerald. tion, Science Tribune has to, to PLP supcompromised, ence and Technolog Speaking at CCA were in The nology, The a rally in North officials at Baha porters at night, Mr Robagent for Limolink despite top they were not learned. which his Bahamas. You are encourcontradict the saying at from Andros last is war� as The emails this week de- Mar clientele with was faa reference d by the hack if erts said “this aged to get d writes, “I limousine company crowd to vote of Viacom Minister, who his office to concerne Mr Fitzgeral matime. free he urged the t Dr Perry the president miliar. nied ever using to himself the an email dated May 18, am aware that interior regard the you wish. Please feel to arrive ly for incumben that a vote In “Also with we have began direct contracts me personal the multo Mr Izmirlian adding terials really business sent from contact e to 2013, contact Gomez, d, with for the hotel. I would a vote for the or his family resort. be limousin meet with or have your agents Mr Fitzgeral g for Mr Peet is Curit if we couldbro- are ready to he Movement. ti-billion dollard - the Pro- by our Managin Porter, Shelly appreciate anytime,� Free National Mr Porter Mr Fitzgeral Party MP QuentinAlarice Fill copied, appointed your official your people SEE PAGE SIX his 2013.� Director directly.� also tis and gressive Liberal d indicates e ker for June 1st a request writes. we really n - appears TWO & THREE Mr Fitzgeral “As indicated cusSEE PAGES for Maratho He then makesfor limoug $20,000 readiness to start brokerag to highend for only cater to be requestin official Baha Mar’s and trucking services and of Mr Izmirlian Baha Mar, tomers and are the project a month from services at of r Sarkis Baha Mar of re- sinehe touted the level original develope the ex- the as the brokers citing Izmirlian, were necessary remain property. the for penses that cost of his fa- cord to cover the Healthcare hisMarsh Harbour a tortured ROLLE Centre has missed deadBy RASHAD Reporter tory, one of of shoddy Tribune Staff a.net lines and claimsall without rrolle@tribunemedi ship, of- workman accountability. any clear original GOVER NMENT ioned the The facility’sbankrupt. ficials commiss Healththe contractor went of Marsh Harbour in Abaco yesConstruction began care Centre e centre it as a longIngraham terday, touting to the island healthcar under the former awaited boost adminisration. and the Christie Health administ the Christie adcentre in National When RY the new health une Staff power, tration’s RASPBER ion came to Christie tours W. Carey/Trib Insuranc e plans. and Ado- ministrat$1m renovating the PRIME Minister Perry Photo: Terrel ICED TEA it spent Like the Child SEE PAGE SIX Abaco yesterday. Robert Smith and lescent that was (CARS) Complex last year, the commissioned
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T SKA DORSET By SANCHE Reporter Tribune Staff dia.net sdorsett@ tribuneme yesFIREFIGHTERS a large blaze terday battled Providence at the New three weeks Landfill, nearly a massive that after tackling city dump fire at the month. a nearly burned for Charge of Fire Officer in Chief SuperinServices, Evans said tendent Walter is “not confire the the current any way to this nected� in and at previous blazedo not know time officials the fire. Howwhat caused ent Minister ever Environm told rehe Kenred Dorsett the site that porters at “sabotage� in said suspected the fire. He relation to ed� the team he “instructrs to have the of firefighte hed “before and blaze extinguis day� today nomination Baha Mar’s certainly before Friday. opening on started shortly The blaze and ay Wednesd after 3am officEvans said Chief Supt battle the fire to but ers expect another day for at least wind is a “huge� he said the factor. SIX PAGE SEE
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ManEmergency actiThe National after they agement Agency (NEMA) ent the police y managem n cations with from entering the vated its emergenc T and an evacuatio were blocked plan yesterday ed at the Kenarea. were also shelter was establish um at the Several persons with respira- dal G L Isaacs Gymnasi Centre Sports to the hospital Gar- rushed Queen Elizabeth shelter during ts. in Jubilee tory complain Tribune arrived on which was used as a for displaced RESIDENTS to evacuate their When The residents were the last hurricane dens were forced after a massive the scene, several as the is believed on their roofs,homes. residents. landfill ce dump homes yesterday water the Providen pouring their a smaller The fire at fire at the Newcommunity in thick, blaze grew closer to nt for Tall started by to have been Road. Parliame blanketed the s smoke. Member of Miller was also assist- bush fire off Fire Trail black hazardou the Royal Bahamas Pines Leslie in hosing down their TWO AND THREE entrance Members of SEE PAGES blocked the visibility ing residentsproviding transportaPolice Force on as homes and who needed help. residents to the subdivisi tion for those zero. Angry dropped to in verbal alterbecame involved fire off Fire a smaller bush to the city a spread have ed by yesterday after Movement fre- Trail Road that blanketed Jubilee in Jubilee Gardens Fire Trail Road. the Free National areas in prevent the ce dump. The fire from the smoke started in bushes off to T surrounding d A YOUNGSTER flees done enough the New Providen SKA DORSET e landfill that Gardens and at and threatene By SANCHE Reporter New Providenc to evacuate their homes. Hanna/Tribune Staff quent fires have caused some of thick, black smoke g officials fire at the were asked Photos: Shawn Tribune Staff dia.net ry issues. several homes, promptin Landfill that Many residents sdorsett@ tribuneme masto develop respirato SEE PAGE THREE s came as a Jubi- them owners in Their comment at the landfill, raging ANGRY home was startyesterday expressed sive fire was lee Gardens concern that neither which officials believe disgust and ive Liberal Party nor the Progress had any redespite not having purchase many O WELLS sponse to his Mar’s former r By RICARD offers, as Baha Izmirlian said cases of im- Tribune Staff Reporte enced alleged ibunemedia.net developer, Mr “stands ready, officials solicitROLLE migration from migrants rwells@tr By RASHAD Reporter his company buy Baha developer ing bribes and able to Tribune Staff beatings of a.net THE originalMar resort willing complete it and alleged prisoners in today and Bahamian rrolle@tribunemedi of the Baha the resort’s Mar ely with migrants and n conStates has de- immediat yesterday said THE United Bahamas custody. y, the Ministry continued completiondates workers and Bahamia delays the Yesterda the The chronic opening highlighted “intimida- of Foreign Affairs said te� lays, missed stag- tractors. by CCA for either government’s created “inaccura incom“now supposed rnmental report had cases “incom- and opening� of the en- self interest or patent tion of non-gove now. The and efforts gered in some into late next petence must stop organisations� ent and au- and information. property better.� tire Sarkis plete� an incident year shows that superi- Bahamas deserves by the governm inhibit “free Referring to SEE PAGE SIX n Min’s offer “is thorities to criminal d Izmirlian current situation. in which Educatio Fitzgeral for speech through the to and or� as problems this, ister Jerome libel laws� However, despite SEE PAGE 12 in its latest the Bahamas report. human rights also referThe report
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“The issues which face our communities can only be addressed by commitment to betterment of the same, volunteering, service learning and civic engagement,� Mr Dames continued. “It should be noted that the Jubilee Gardens Watch Group falls under the umbrella of the National Neighbourhood Watch Council (NNWC) of The Bahamas. The Council is also an international affiliate member of NUSA since May 2019 and this made it possible for the watch group to enter the respective categories.� Debbie Lightbourne, president of the Jubilee Gardens group, said she was happy for the recognition. “I am elated,� she said. “Thanks to the hard work of those in the community, out of four hundred plus neighbourhood watch teams, we have won second place. That is a major accomplishment and we are very proud. I cannot forget the young people of Jubilee. They are to be commended. Tenaj Strachan, Eric Stubbs and others work very hard in our area. They are a serious part of our organisation. They are instrumental in us winning our second place award.� Mr Dames also said The Bahamas is also a leading contender for the International Association of Chiefs of Police or IACP award scheduled to be announced in mid-October.
THE TRIBUNE By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net RIGHTS Bahamas is calling for better treatment of distressed and anxious migrants at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre. The call comes after Haitian migrants began a hunger strike at the facility on Tuesday, demanding they be returned to their country. In a statement yesterday, Rights Bahamas connected the migrants’ plea to better conditions to what has played out around the world over the years, including the recent death of George Floyd in Minnesota which has sparked tensions over how black people in that country are treated by police. The group said: “The Bahamas prides itself on being a country where ‘it is better.’ Rights Bahamas asks: for whom is it better? For decades, this country has been a part of dehumanising blacks. We saw it up to the 19th century as thousands of Africans were unwillingly transported to these shores and forced into slavery. When freed these now Afro-Bahamians were marginalised and denied universal rights such as the right to own property,
Thursday, June 4, 2020, PAGE 3
Activists call for better treatment of migrants at detention centre to vote or to live in certain areas. Now we, like our brethren in the United States, are angrily speaking out about those who are racially profiled, police brutalised and killed in America. We are all supporting #blacklivesmatter. “But, sadly we all know, that Haitian black lives do not matter to many Bahamians. “Last year, we saw heart wrenching videos of police officers caning young black men and photos of young black women after they had been reportedly attacked by a senior officer during a traffic stop. In 2014, we saw hundreds of lawful residents and citizens detained at the detention centre because they were a little too dark
or their surnames a little too French. Now, we see an attempt to vilify Haitian men and women who, as some would argue, were protesting like our neighbours in the United States for their civil rights and right to be treated properly by police. “Rights Bahamas has seen how our Bahamian people are so quick to defend those in Central and South America being forced to live like animals in the southern United States as a result of US President Donald Trump’s draconian immigration policies. But we say nothing but despicable disparages about Haitians and worse, Haitian Bahamians.” According to a Royal Bahamas Defence Force
statement, detainees at the centre were behaving belligerently until marines de-escalated the situation for a short period of time. “Some two hours later... a fight between two Haitian nationals erupted,” the RBDF said. “Some of the detainees were able to escape the dormitories, destroying several fences and other minor infrastructure in the process. The situation was contained, the detainees separated and several of them are expected to be charged with destruction of government property as well as to be placed at Her Majesty’s correctional facility.” Sixty-seven Haitian men and 18 Haitian women represent 56 percent of the detention centre population
Families worry as toxic toads found in gardens By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net RESIDENTS in Venetian West say they are fearful for the safety of their children and pets after an invasive and toxic toad species was recently discovered in the western community. This comes after Ministry of Environment officials confirmed the discovery of the cane toad in the newly developed gated condominium complex. The toad can release toxins that are harmful to humans and can kill small animals. Earlier yesterday, The Tribune canvassed the area and spotted several toads hopping in the community’s pond. A child was also seen holding one of the frogs. Lloyd Wong, a resident in the area, told The Tribune yesterday that while members of the community are fearful about the dangers the toad poses, many are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that their pets and loved ones do not come into harm’s way. He said: “The condominium association put out a statement saying stay away from the pond area and keep your pets in. “…People don’t want to leave their pets out because if there is a cane toad and if the dog eats it or their cats eat it or lick it then they can die from it and if there’s children and it somehow
gets in their mouths or they can also get sick and possibly die. “That is one of the major concerns and the cane toads grow up to one foot you know and it’s not from The Bahamas. I think it’s from South America and then some people took it to Australia, but how it got here I don’t know.” Another resident expressed similar comments to The Tribune, saying she has been keeping her small dog indoors out of fear of it eating the potentially deadly toad. Mr Wong added that residents are also fearful of a possible spread in the community. “I haven’t really seen the frogs because it came up with the COVID and I really haven’t been out there and looked for it..but I do have pets,” he noted. “And I am afraid that if the frogs move more east then it would get to the main population of the Bahamas and then lots of people’s dogs and animals would die from this invasive frog. “…So, it’s not just a Venetian problem, it’s a Bahamas problem.” The cane toad was previously identified in 2013 in Lyford Cay, another gated community, and was believed to have entered the country by way of imported plant material. In an effort to prevent the spread of invasive species, environment officials
said they re-activated a task force on Friday to deal with its re-emergence in western New Providence. “Efforts will be undertaken to attempt to identify if the toads may have been transported inadvertently from one location to the other or whether a new importation event has occurred,” the ministry said in a statement.
and some of the detainees were in the facility since February, the RBDF said. Other migrants include people from Colombia, Jamaica, Gambia, Cuba, Sierra Leone and Cameroon. For his part, Progressive Liberal Party Senator and Chairman Fred Mitchell, the former minister of foreign affairs and immigration, said incidents like the drama at the detention centre happen from time to time. He said he is seeking clarity about what happened. “The backstory is these people have been there for some time and the pressure of being in the facility, I’m told they may have had some complaints about the types of food
and this led to some social tensions. I gather the Haitian government may not have given the approval for them to come home. I suppose Haiti has its own challenges so this may have led to what happened. This happens from time to time when people are in a facility too long. The detention centre was not meant to be a long-term facility, it was meant to be a holding place for people in a short term solution and usually the Haitian government in my experience turns people around quite quickly so if the reason is that they’ve been there too long it probably has to do with the issues in Haiti and the inability to accommodate the requests on a more speedy basis.”
THE TOAD can release toxins that are harmful to humans and can kill small animals. Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira added: “It is our ultimate desire to eradicate this pest but at the very least we need to stop its spread. “…The task force will be looking at implementing a long-term monitoring and control programme with landscaping companies working in the west and identifying border control
methods to prevent any additional importations.” In a separate release, the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) confirmed it met with government representatives and other agencies on the matter. For his part, BNT Executive Director Eric Carey said: “The re-emergence of the cane toad is a major concern for our vulnerable
native wildlife. I believe that with immediate action, the elimination of invasive cane toads from our islands is possible and necessary to mitigate further threats before the unwelcomed species gets out of control.” Anyone who spots a cane toad is asked to contact Ministry of Environment officials.
PAGE 4, Thursday, June 4, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
SPOTLIGHT ON LAW AND ORDER
STEER CLEAR OF PROTESTS - MINISTRY By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright@tribunemedia.net
DEMONSTRATORS protesting in downtown Los Angeles yesterday
Activist asks why does US police brutality enrage us but not problems at home from page one years to complete and unlawful killing verdicts at the Coroner’s Court may not translate into the prosecutions desired by grieving families. Defence lawyers have also long lamented the harsh interrogation tactics sometimes used, which they say amount to unconstitutional forced confessions. Just in January, videos of officers beating several people on the sidelines of the 2020 New Year’s Junkanoo Parade went viral and sparked outrage because the men were beaten while standing
against a wall and were not resisting arrest. The results of the investigation into the matter have not been revealed. “I want to see more local police officers held accountable,” Ms Gibson said. “Many times the difference between the US and here is they have videos. Over here we don’t have videos showing what’s happening and when you do try to record the police, they often tell you you can’t record them or they take your phone. The people who record then become the issue. If what happened with George Floyd was in Nassau and
the police saw people recording, you think they would let them record? No they wouldn’t. But people are outraged because they could see the police put his knee on that man’s neck.” Police Commissioner Paul Rolle told reporters yesterday the arrival of the long promised body cameras for police has been delayed because of COVID-19. “I think we would’ve taken possession already of some of the equipment, but we’re just waiting for completion of the real time crime centre,” he said. He also said the force was putting in place policies to deal with
the negative perception of police amid complaints of brutality and excessive force. Ms Gibson said she will wait and see if the body cam system earns the trust of Bahamians. “I don’t think that will be up and running,” she said. “From Marvin Dames been talking about this, you trying to tell me COVID-19 stop all that? I give Bahamians every right to be alarmed at all injustices in America, but we want the body cameras and we want accountability here too.” Editorial View - Page 6
MINISTRY of Foreign Affairs officials are urging Bahamians living in or visiting the United States not to get involved in ongoing protests. “Our consulates have contacted all nationals on our register to advise them to follow safety and security measures where they reside and to refrain from getting involved,” Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sharon Brennen-Haylock said. “They have also been advised to contact the consulate immediately if they experience any problems. Please be mindful that there might be Bahamians in the USA who have become US citizens or obtained permanent resident status; as such they may not be on one of our registers.” Protests have sprung up nationwide in the US over the killing of George Floyd while he was being detained by police in Minneapolis last week. A bystander’s cell phone footage showed an officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as he was handcuffed and lying on the ground. Other officers had their knees on Mr Floyd’s back. Mr Floyd repeatedly told police he could not breathe. Protests erupted because the officers, who were fired, had not been immediately charged with his murder. All four have since been charged in relation to his killing; one with second degree murder and three others with aiding and abetting. One Bahamian living in Washington, DC, said the protests have been eyeopening. “It’s really bad,” said Yvonne Pierre. “These people are angry and sick and tired of the abuse. I am here working so I am not getting in it. I feel for them, mind you, but I can’t get into that sort of thing. You know we, as Bahamians, tend to take our frustrations out at the polls by voting out whomever, but I’ve never seen so many angry people gathered anywhere.” Ms Pierre said she tried to get out of her building briefly to check on someone this week, but had to turn back quickly as someone ran past the door screaming they could not see. The person was sprayed with pepper spray. “The lady was running and screaming and I felt helpless,” she said. “She ran right past the door and ran into a sign. Several people were behind her trying to help. I turned around and went back inside. Looking at things like this makes me appreciate my country all the more. Even though I came to America for better opportunities, I don’t have to worry about this type of thing in The Bahamas.” Ms Pierre said she was staying inside her apartment as much as possible to avoid confrontation. “Looking at the long history of blacks getting killed by white police officers here in America, it seems like your skin (colour) is your sin. I will be up in my apartment watching it from a bird’s eye view. I am staying safe.”
DAVIS: WE SUPPORT WORLDWIDE PROTESTS OVER FLOYD KILLING By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis said yesterday his party stands in solidarity with the protests across the world over the killing of George Floyd, the African American who died last week while being
detained by police officers in Minnesota. Videos of Floyd’s death made its rounds on social media early last week, showing a white police officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes while other officers knelt on his back. Mr Floyd repeatedly gasped “I can’t breathe” before he died.
The incident has since sparked public outrage and protests nationwide in the US and elsewhere in recent days, with reignited calls for justice against police brutality and an end to racial discrimination. Calling the protests a recognition that police violence against African Americans is “rarely prosecuted”, Mr Davis yesterday pledged the PLP’s support against police brutality and injustice against black people. Local activists have said while Bahamians are rightly outraged over Mr Floyd’s killing, the spotlight must also be shone on the Bahamas’ issues with police brutality and excessive force. Speaking during his monthly press conference at the PLP headquarters, Mr Davis said: “Many Bahamian families have a son, or daughter or nephew or cousin or grandchild who study or work in the United States. We stand in solidarity with the peaceful protestors. “We understand how high the stakes are. We know the costs of systematic racism, the costs of justices postponed. It is not just policing that needs reform. Racial inequality remains widespread in housing, employment and education.” Mr Davis continued: “This is true here at home as well. The wealthy and well-connected have been
able to weather the storm with their lives mostly untouched. This is not the case for the large majority of Bahamian families, however - for whom these lockdowns and economic crises are catastrophic.” Mr Davis said if the PLP is elected to office in the upcoming election, the party hopes to bridge the gap of economic inequality. “We intend to through intervention and through our social programmes to reach and ensure that the aspirations of many Bahamians is not stifled in any way,” he told reporters yesterday. “And we hope to be able to bring those who have to understand and appreciate that they have a role to play in ensuring that the common good requires meaning that which is good for them as well requires them to give back and to reach their hands down and pick up their brothers and sisters.” Saying Bahamians have lost confidence in the Minnis administration, Mr Davis also called for the government to be more transparent with the Bahamian people concerning the future of the country in the aftermath of COVID-19. “The Bahamas is reeling from the impact of COVID19, but the government continues with its ad hoc, imbalanced and scattered approach to the re-opening of our economy,” he said. “…The number of cases
PLP leader Philip Davis continues to rise in 20 US states. This is before the projected increase from the protests, the size which we will not know for several weeks. What the Minister of Tourism and the Prime Minister owe the Bahamian people right now is honesty about the challenge before us.” He added: “It may be true we cannot afford to wait for a vaccine to open our borders. But it may be that in order to protect Bahamians, we need a faster, more reliable way to test people seeking in.” During yesterday’s press conference, Mr Davis also responded to Finance Minister Peter Turnquest’s recent comments about the government’s rental assistance programme. Last week, Mr Turnquest revealed that the government does not plan to intervene in and settle disputes between landlords and tenants who qualify for the COVID-19 rental assistance programme. “This is still a landlord and tenant relationship,” Mr Turnquest said. “The
government is not minded to get involved with it from a legal point of view.” Saying the government is “bad at prescribing solutions”, Mr Davis told reporters: “No lie lasts forever.” “…This government has been prone for their, (what) I call, for their propaganda and twisting of the truth and their continuing description of how they are feeling, and you just have to follow what they’re saying. “As I was telling others this morning, they are good at describing problems… but they are very bad at giving or prescribing the solutions.” The Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP was also critical of government’s continued enforcement of the COVID-19 curfew measures, saying the measures are no longer necessary now that the country has already begun re-starting its economy. “I think Bahamians now understand what we are faced with,” he said. “They have been cooperating, but it is more palatable for them to feel that way that they are cooperating rather than them being coerced to cooperate and if you put more emphasis on cooperating than coercing then I think we will be better able to fight this virus and pandemic. “And so, as we reopen the economy and as we reopen the borders, I think curfew should go.”
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, June 4, 2020, PAGE 5
SPOTLIGHT ON LAW AND ORDER
Rolle: I’m working on police’s image from page one “We have been addressing that and taken a more proactive approach to dealing with breaches of discipline in the Royal Bahamas Police Force and trying to clean that up and I think we’ve been making some good progress internally. You’re gonna see some things,” he responded when asked about complaints of unfair
treatment by police. We’ve also been meeting with the Police Inspectorate. That is the process that we have ongoing but I’ve also put out a number of policies to kind of address the shortcomings, the breaches that were not really provided for. So I’m now codifying some of them so that officers can know their limitations. “..There’s a whole
compendium of legislations or what we call ‘for standing orders’ and I’m reviewing and revising many of those because times have changed and so we have to modernise them in order to address issues that we encounter today.” His policing plan for 2020 is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon. The police chief also had a stern warning to persons who have the intention of
committing crimes. He said: “Look, the reality is we are putting measures in place to prevent crime because we want the criminal element to know that we are going to be there. I expect some persons who may wish to commit crime and I want to discourage them. That’s why I could say that because we are going to be there and we’ll deal with it.” The Ministry of National
Security signed a contract with AE Tactical in January for 400 body worn and dash cameras. It was expected the equipment would be used by police officers this year, but Commissioner Rolle admitted the process has been slow due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The Real-Time Crime Centre that we have, we entered into COVID and
that affected the suppliers and the ability to move forward at the pace which we wanted that slowed us,” he explained. “I think we would’ve taken possession already of some of the equipment we’re just waiting for the completion of the RealTime Crime Centre... it’s almost finished.” Editorial View - Page 6
Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
RBPF DELIVERS CARE PACKAGES ACROSS ISLAND By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE ROYAL Bahamas Police Force delivered care packages to people in a few New Providence communities yesterday. Great Commission Ministries, which feeds the needy, was one of the recipients. Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said each of the divisional commanders were asked to identify at least 20 people within their community that might be in need. He explained charitable giving is something the force has been doing for some time. Commissioner Rolle insisted the donations were on the agenda for a while and not in light of the US protests
against police brutality after George Floyd’s death. He commented: “The police have always partnered with the community. The community involvement and involving police activities with them and yeah I think it is a good gesture but we’re not watching the United States... This was something that was planned from a couple of weeks ago and was postponed due to some other things.” Great Commission Ministries received a special presentation of 15 cases of chicken, ten bales of rice, and other items. Bishop Walter S. Hanchell of the Commission thanked the commissioner and officers for the donations and stated they will go a long way in feeding their clients.
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS FORCE DELAY IN PROMOTIONS By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE country’s economic situation has caused the Royal Bahamas Police Force to have to fill vacancies “incrementally” and wait for sufficient funds to address shortages. Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle told reporters yesterday that a few Chief Superintendents and Superintendents have received or will receive a letter advising them to begin their leave. Back in April, the police
chief indicated to The Tribune there was a need for additional promotions of Chief Superintendents and Superintendents during 2021 and 2022 to replace those due to retire during those same periods. His comments came in view of 68 senior officers going up the ranks in the force – explaining it was a part of his succession plan to have the best officers in the RBPF long after his May 2023 retirement. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an
economic crisis for The Bahamas, which is still recovering financially from Hurricane Dorian. Yet, Commissioner Rolle said there is still a need to have enough officers in certain ranks, but the “ship has sailed” for more executive promotions this year. “The Royal Bahamas Police Force, we have an establishment and as I restructured the force in trying to put a structure in place to manage the crime and keep the Bahamian people safe, that structure calls for certain
amounts of ranks. We have just had promotions, for example, in the senior core, since that we already had two Chief Superintendents, who just yesterday, I served one his letter advising him to begin leave. “Last month, there was one. I have two Superintendents that will be going home in June. They’ll be receiving their letters either today or tomorrow. I have another Superintendent who starts in September. Two in November, two in January – so we are really short.
“So we have to then replace those. We also have the lower level – the vacancies that exist is too much to do one time and we take into account the conditions that they are in the economy and so we would not be able to do all of them at once. So you have to incrementally try to get the numbers to where we want.” Commissioner Rolle noted there are some austerity measures to curtail costs in the RBPF such as restoring old vehicles.
He said: “When you pass police headquarters, you see all of the motorcycles? Well they were vehicles that were written off and damaged. We have a team working over at the garage and we have restored them and that is now 17 cycles that have been restored that will go back into the fleet. You go to the police college and there were a number of vehicles that were destroyed in accidents. . .we are restoring those and putting them back into the fleet.”
PAGE 6, Thursday, June 4, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
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Facing up to police problems in The Bahamas THE protests in the United States have rightly drawn support from Bahamians – joining in the stand against racism and police brutality. But why does our activism end when it comes to our own shores? Khandi Gibson has long been on the front lines of activism when it comes to violence in our own society – as the head of Families of All Murder Victims, she has reached out to the loved ones of victim after victim in The Bahamas to offer support. She is in a good place then to point out our lack of response to issues here at home. Those issues have been detailed in The Tribune extensively over the years, and sadly we fear we will continue to detail more in years to come. Her focus at present is in the failure of the police to tackle brutality here in The Bahamas. How many of you have heard of instances of police brutality? We would imagine all of you, whether it’s reading about such cases here in The Tribune or talking about instances with friends down at the bar – or worse, being a witness or a victim to such. Suspects in court frequently claim they have been beaten by police – some may be lying of course, but if even one in 20 is telling the truth, it makes police beatings commonplace. And yet, what have we done to prevent brutality? The long-promised body cameras for police are still not here – the latest delay being blamed on COVID-19. As Ms Gibson points out, “From Marvin Dames been talking about this, you trying to tell me COVID-19 stop all that?” This shouldn’t be terribly complicated – body cameras are used around the world, this isn’t rocket science. The contract was signed in January – but frankly it could have been signed much earlier if the government had made it a priority. Even then, we must be clear on the rules for use of body cameras. In the US protests, officers involved in a fatal shooting in West Louisville, killing David McAtee, did not have their
body cameras activated at the time. As a result, the mayor fired the chief of police. Simply having the body cameras is not enough – there must be strict rules making sure they are turned on and the footage is available as evidence. Turning off a body camera during an incident that leads to a death or a claim of brutality ought to be a firing offence. As for inside police stations, how are beatings still possible there? Why is every room where a prisoner might be located not covered with cameras, with the footage also easily available as evidence? Not only does that protect a prisoner, it also means if a false claim of being beaten in the station is made at court, officers can quickly provide the video to disprove it. The Police Complaints Unit also needs an overhaul – and an active independent civilian oversight group able to carry out spot inspections would be a positive thing. What we will say is that the new Commissioner of Police, Paul Rolle, is saying the right things. Yesterday, he talked of a “more proactive approach to dealing with breaches of discipline” and promised “You’re gonna see some things” when asked about complaints of unfair treatment by police. He also talked of tackling dress code and social media policy – which when unlawful killings remain undealt with might raise questions of priorities. However, Commissioner Rolle has to be given a chance to create change at all levels within the force. Simply put, we need to do all we can to prevent all crimes – because offences committed by police officers are crimes just the same as any other. Good officers want to stop crimes. Only the bad ones need to fear appropriate monitoring. As for the rest of us? As the Bible says, before we try to cast out the mote in our brother’s eye, we have to cast out the beam in our own. It’s time to channel some of the outrage we have focused elsewhere on the problems we have here at home.
Why have we waited so long? EDITOR, The Tribune “COMMON sense ain’t common”. It takes a Hurricane, Covid 19, and a broke country to make people think. In 1982, when I first went to the House of Assembly, I was made Shadow Minister of Health. At every Budget debate for the ten years I was Shadow Minister of Health, money was being wasted on clinics in the Family Islands. The clinics cost millions and had state of the art x-ray equipment installed. The only problem was that there was nobody who knew how to operate it. They had operating theaters with no doctors to operate them. In short, they were spending millions of the people’s money for a good photo op for the politician, and then it rotted. I suggested that the concrete clinic be replaced by a bus specially equipped to perform the duties of a clinic. I suggested that since the Americans had the most reliable telecoms network here, they be asked to let us tie into their system. We could then communicate with the Hospital in Nassau. If a person in one town complained of a pain in the chest, the specially equipped bus could go to the person’s home, hook up the patient’s vital signs and
transmit them to a specialist in Nassau who would read them and diagnose the patient. If the diagnosis was a heart attack, the specialist in Nassau would instruct the operator what to do in order to stabilize the person until arrangements could be made to fly the patient to Nassau. If the diagnosis was that it was indigestion, the specialist in Nassau would advise the operator to give the patient two TUMS and send him home. This would be good medicine. It would be comparatively cheap, and the patient would have the services of a specialist. They said I was a nut case and continued spending millions of dollars on nonfunctional clinics. My advice was given 38 years ago. Then came Dorian. It literally wiped out Abaco. It completely destroyed Dr James Hull’s clinic. He had a choice, staying in Abaco or going back to Canada where he was born. He decided to stay and help the people. He devised a plan. He got some donors together and bought a second-hand United Way bus. Equipment was purchased that would be compact enough to fit on the bus and allow it to provide a wide variety of care. He made a rolling clinic. In it is an
X-Ray machine, ultra sound machine, an office, an examining room, a waiting room for seven people, an EKG machine and a lift to bring a wheel chair into the clinic. Yes, the works, and it moves!! And it costs, fully equipped, less than $200,000.00!!! With it he services the people of Abaco from one end to the other. And when he needs a second opinion he simply dials into a specialist in Nassau or anywhere in the world, especially his cousin, Dr Leon Dupuch who is an OBGN here. Since the lockdown, and travel to the islands was limited, Dr Leon Dupuch operates his clinic in Spanish Wells from his office in Nassau. Dr Hull is my nephew; Dr Dupuch is my son. Am I proud of them? Yes, very proud. Am I disappointed? Yes, because it has taken 38 years and millions of dollars of the people’s money, one hurricane and a pandemic to do something that should have been done years ago. I must say, I had nothing to do with what they have done. Common sense is common sometimes! PIERRE DUPUCH Former FNM M.P., Nassau, June 3, 2020
We must speak against injustice EDITOR, The Tribune LIKE me, I am sure you have been following the news story unfolding in the USA – our neighbours to the north. The death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer is not being taken lightly and has only ripped open the racial wound which can never seem to heal. The racial wound has been festering, and as I write the pus is oozing out in “the land of the free and home of the brave”. The entire world is following the news/development and the handling of this new racial killing. What should be our response as believers? Should the Church remain silent? Genesis tells us that God created male and female in His own image and likeness. God created one race – the human race. Regrettably, sin has caused us to create many races which have divided us as a people. According to the worldly standards, the vast majority of us in the Caribbean belong to the negroid race – black race. Some of us, however, have tried to find ways to escape our Africanity. We gladly and proudly embrace and can trace our European ancestry but shun the black part of us. Sadly, the black part is demonised by some – a ‘sin’ which must be avoided and never spoken of in private or public. Some of us have secretly wished we were of a lighter hue while others have resorted to bleaching. We do not believe that our complexion or hair texture is good enough unless it is closely related to our European counterparts. Mentally, we are still enslaved in the region. In the story of Esther written in the Bible, Mordecai gets wind of the devious scheme planned by Haman to annihilate the Jewish people throughout the Persian Kingdom. Esther, having been crowned queen is also a Jew and is now in a prominent position in the kingdom. Mordecai tries to get her to plead for clemency at the highest level, but she hesitates, preferring not to get involved. Mordecai tells Esther if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NIV) Mordecai’s statement to Esther echoes exactly what us as the Church (believers) and black people around the world should be doing – seeking redress for all people regardless of their skin coloration since ALL LIVES MATTER. For if you remain silent Silence is a very typical behaviour when we fear losing our privileged position, not wanting to suffer, not wanting to speak up for fear of repercussions. As the Church, we have been called to be salt and light in this world. The Church is called to make a difference, to share with God’s people regardless of where they are. You may ask, who then are God’s people? All people groupings are God’s people. God is a God of variety. Every person on planet Earth is being affected by the coronavirus. The virus does not discriminate. Caucasians, negroes, mongoloids are all affected, and many lives have been snuffed out by the deadly Covid19 virus. So, if we are the same, why should the laws favour one above another? We cannot and must never ever believe that one race should arrogate upon itself a so-called superior position while others are trampled on. That is certainly not what the Bible teaches. Jesus Christ died to save sinners. Paul reminds us in Romans 6:23 that all people groupings have sin and fall short of the glory of God. The situation in Mordecai’s days required urgent action. Should Esther fail to play her part in saving the Jewish people, she herself might perish as well. As the Church, we cannot stand aside and say/do nothing because what is unfolding in the USA has nothing to do with us since that country is not ours. May I remind you that if you have ever travelled to the US and/or have made plans to do so in the near future you are seen not as a nationality but as race – black (regardless of the shade of blackness). We are affected by the situation and therefore as a
region and the Church, we ought to speak out against injustices. In a globalised world, people should be able to travel around freely without being discriminated against and the judicial system should represent objective truth rather than subjective truth. Whenever the system does not work, anarchy and chaos will reign. There is some reassurance from Mordecai that God is well able to bring the salvation of His people by other means. For the days we are living in the Church is the solution and Christians need to stand up to unjust laws. We have a mandate to speak up for the voiceless. The sanctity of life is present all throughout the Bible. The same Bible that most western countries use to take their oath to public offices tells us that we should speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor. Proverbs 31:8-10 (CEB). The Church should be the voice to speak up and march if need be to get better laws which are equitable to all and not just to favour one grouping over another. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Isaiah 1:17a (NIV) As the Church, we need to rise up and speak out with one voice. God belongs to everyone regardless of where we find ourselves. We must never forget that the LORD is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit. ( Ps. 34:18 ESV) It is good to pray. Let us pray that God will have His way. The same way we pray for the persecuted church, we ought to be praying for all people groupings who are being denied justice, marginalized, relegated to the proverbial back of the bus. Prayer works but we need to act as well. Action does not need to be violence. The Church must never stop until justice rolls on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” -Amos 5:24 (NIV) CARLYLE PEART, B.A. M.Div. Associate Pastor of Christian Education Grace Community Church, Palmetto Village, Nassau.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, June 4, 2020, PAGE 7
PAIR FINED AFTER ADMITTING JAMAICAN STILL ON THE RUN, DRUG POSSESSION CHARGES TWO WEEKS AFTER ESCAPING By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
TWO men were fined yesterday after being arraigned in the Magistrate’s Court on drug possession charges. Brian Farrington, 25, appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest Deveaux charged with possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply after he was found with 18 grams of Indian hemp on June 2. He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or six months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. Prosecutor Thompson said around 5pm that day, officers, acting on information, went to the Elizabeth Estates area. There, they observed Farrington acting in a suspicious manner. Sgt Thompson said when the defendant saw the officers, he dropped a clear plastic bag on the ground. The
officers then retrieved the bag and examined its contents. During their search, they discovered eight foil wraps containing a quantity of suspected marijuana. As a result, Farrington was cautioned and arrested. During an interview in a nearby station, he told the officers he had bought the drugs for $20 from a Haitian village. However, the prosecution said the drugs had an estimated street value of $90. When given an opportunity to speak, Farrington told the magistrate that he bought the drugs for his personal use because he had “health issues and headaches” and smoking marijuana helped him keep calm. J’son Armbrister, 23, also appeared before Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux after officers seized seven grams of Indian hemp from him
on May 29. He pleaded guilty and was fined $150 or one month at BDCS. Prosecutor Kenny Thompson told the court around 11.20am that day, officers on mobile patrol in the Fox Hill area saw Armbrister sitting under a tree with a group of males. Sgt Thompson said the defendant appeared to look in the direction of the police before walking off. While he was walking away, Armbrister appeared to be fumbling with a white plastic bag. As a result, the officers stopped Armbrister and informed him that they would search him in reference to dangerous drugs and firearms. During the search, officers found the white plastic bag, which contained a quantity of suspected marijuana, in his right pants pocket. The drugs had an estimated street value of $35.
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net JAMAICAN Anthony Lee who escaped from the Eight Mile Rock Police Station about two weeks ago is still at large, according to a senior police official in Grand Bahama. Lee, 27, also known as Shaquille Aamal Lewis, who resided at Jones Town, Eight Mile Rock, was arrested accused of fraud and possession of dangerous drugs. He broke out of jail on the evening of May 22 and has not been seen since. “We are still aggressively looking for the suspect,” Superintendent of Police Terecita Pinder told The
Tribune on Wednesday. Ms Pinder again warned that anyone harbouring or assisting the escapee would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Not much is known about Lee, pictured, however, it is believed that the suspect may have had a fraudulent NIB card in his possession. Police have issued a wanted poster with a description of the escaped suspect, but the COVID-19 restrictions and measures could be making it difficult for people to recognize him. Some GB residents also believe that if the suspect hasn’t already left the island by boat, it is possible he could be disguising
his appearance because of the COVID-19 restrictions require the wearing of facial masks. “He could be anywhere amongst us as everyone is required to wear a mask when out in public, and when you put on a head covering such as a hat, cap, or scarf, and eyes shades, it is very difficult to recognize anyone these days,” said a resident. The suspect is about 5ft, 10 inches tall of slim build, weighs 175lbs, with dark brown eyes and dark brown complexion. He speaks with a Bahamian accent. Police are appealing to anyone with information that can assist them in locating the suspect to call Central Detective Unit at 350-3106/12, 919, 911, or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS(8477) in New Providence or 1-242-3008477 in the Family Islands.
Couple admit posting video of naked woman By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN and woman were charged in Magistrate’s Court yesterday after posting a nude video of the man’s ex-girlfriend on his Whatsapp status last month. Alexia Forbes, 26, and Dennis Watson, 23, appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux charged with one count of voyeurism after they were accused of publishing a video of Watson’s ex-girlfriend, showing her nude in a bath, without her permission sometime in May. Forbes was also charged with intentional libel for publishing the nude video on Watson’s WhatsApp status in an attempt to embarrass the woman. Both of the defendants pleaded guilty to the charge
of voyeurism. Forbes was fined $1,000 or six months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, while Watson was fined $500 or six months at BDCS. Forbes was also fined an additional $500 for committing intentional libel. Prosecutor Kenny Thompson told the court around 2.10pm on May 21, the complainant reported the mother of Watson’s child sent her voice notes on WhatsApp saying that she would release nude videos of her. Sgt Thompson said the complainant was later informed a nude video of her had been posted on Watson’s WhatsApp status and was sent screenshots of her laying nude in a bath. On May 24, Forbes was interviewed at the Central Detective Unit (CDU). While being questioned, she
admitted to knowing Watson’s phone password and said she had read messages between Watson and the complainant. Forbes told the officers she found the nude photos while she was looking through Watson’s phone and decided to post them on his WhatsApp status. During his interview, Watson admitted to recording the complainant while she was in the bath, but said he only did it so he could show Forbes how the complainant was when she was under the influence of alcohol. He also said his child’s mother had hacked his phone and posted the video on his status. During the hearing, both defendants were represented by attorney Alfred Gray. He said the incident “arose at a party where the complainant was alleged to have gotten pissy drunk”.
MAGISTRATE DISCHARGES MAN DELAYED BY ‘CRAZY TRAFFIC’ By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAGISTRATE discharged a man who violated the weekend lockdown after the accused said he was on his way home but had got stuck in heavy traffic. Shaquille Austin, 26, appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux after officers found him on Baillou Hill Road around 9.35pm on May 29. He pleaded guilty, but said he was on his way home after dropping off a few groceries at his uncle’s house. Austin insisted he was trying to make it back home in time, but said “traffic was crazy” on the road last Friday. As a result, Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux discharged Austin and dismissed the case. Still, she warned him to run his errands earlier to avoid running the risk of violating the emergency orders in the future. Meanwhile, Ramont Knowles, 24, was charged after officers found him on Cordeaux Avenue around 2am on May 30. He also pleaded guilty to violating the lockdown and was fined $500 or three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. Prosecutor Kenny Thompson said at the time of Knowles’
arrest, he told officers that he went outside to get water from a woman across the road. A few people also appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain for curfew and lockdown infractions yesterday. Lisa Sumner, 40, and Raquisa Russell, 22, were charged after officers found them on Alexandria Boulevard around 6.55pm on Saturday, May 30. They both pleaded guilty and were each fined $250 or 30 days at BDCS. Prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie told the court that evening, officers on mobile patrol in the Nassau Village area saw two females sitting in a vehicle near Budget Food Store. When approached and questioned, one of the women told the officers they had come outdoors to buy crabs. They were subsequently taken to a nearby station where they admitted to the offence in an interview with police. During the hearing, Sumner said that she did drywall construction and went to drop off one of her workers. She also said her daughter, Raquisa Russell, came with her because she wanted to get a few things from the store. Sumner
then showed the prosecutor a letter from the Public Hospitals Authority which gave her permission to be outdoors. Still, Sgt McKenzie said that the letter only allowed Sumner to work between 6am and 1pm and noted that officers found her and her daughter after 6pm that evening. Magistrate Swain also pointed out that the letter only gave Sumner permission to be on the road during the time allotted and could not be used as an exemption for Russell. Officers found Quincy Fowler on McCullough Corner around 11pm on May 31. He pleaded guilty to violating the weekend lockdown and was fined $500 or 30 days in prison. Prosecutor McKenzie said when officers questioned Fowler that night, he told them he had just come from a friend’s house and was heading home. When given an opportunity to speak during the hearing, Fowler told Magistrate Swain that his female friend had asked him to escort her home and after doing so, he headed back to his house. Fowler said on his way there, he was stopped by officers. He also claimed that he was not aware of the time because he was doing yard work.
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He said the complainant had vomited all over herself and in an attempt to help her, Watson had taken her to the bathroom, before taking her soiled clothes off and placing her in a bath. Stating Watson’s “intent was not criminal,” Mr Gray insisted he had only recorded the video to show the complainant “what she looked like when she was very drunk”. Mr Gray also said it appeared
as if Watson was seeing Forbes and the complainant at the same time. He admitted when Forbes went into Watson’s phone and saw the video, she posted it out of jealousy. Still, Mr Gray insisted his clients had made a “foolish mistake” and were extremely remorseful for their actions. He also said Forbes understood she should not have accessed Watson’s phone.
After sentencing the defendants, Magistrate TurnquestDeveaux reminded them of the severity of their offence. She also noted Forbes and Watson were a part of Generation Z which is known for people posting and sharing things online, and urged them to think about the complainant who would have to relive the embarrassment every time the video resurfaced.
Seriously, where does this version of history come from?
PAGE 8, Thursday, June 4, 2020
ONCE again University of The Bahamas professor Dr Nicolette Bethel has me scratching my head wondering at her interpretation of our history and how confused our young students must be. Her latest argument was reported on the Eyewitness News website and had me wringing my hands and slowly counting to 10. She stated at a recent forum: “One of the things COVID-19 has shown us is exactly how unequal our country is, how different our country is and how poor we are as individuals and government of understanding the whole. … “New Providence is under two percent of the land mass and yes we have 70 percent of the population but that is because we haven’t developed anywhere else. We haven’t developed the whole. We haven’t focused on the whole. That fragmentation we have to reckon with.” The Eyewitness News report continued: “Bethel noted that with various islands being subjected to different lockdowns and COVID-19 orders, the plight of the Family Islands has now been brought to the forefront.”
FRONT PORCH
BY SIMON It reported Bethel as saying: “It’s very difficult to have a collective sense of integrity when [when] the government hasn’t been thinking about the citizenry of as the whole. “When one does public one should be making the policy with the view for the public good but that has not generally been the culture of governments in The Bahamas for a generation. “We have witnessed governments cede their responsibility to the public through privatisation, foreign direct investment and
all sort of things. Government has not been the primary actor to providing services to the citizenry for 30 years. This has forced government to look at the Bahamian public.” The story continued: “According to Bethel, in the post-COVID-19 Bahamas, focus must be placed on the country as a whole and not just New Providence or Grand Bahama and Abaco.” This, to me, is the same dismissal of the country’s achievements that she has offered on other occasions. She continues to depreciate and downplay the many advancements made by The Bahamas as a developing nation. This is a troubling condition for any academic and does a disservice to those who have poured their lifeblood and energy into developing the country including the Family Islands. There is inequality in the country including economic and social inequality. But the country has made tremendous progress since majority rule including universal education from primary to high school. Prior to majority rule most Bahamians ended their
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education at the equivalent of grade seven. Of course there is much work to be done to improve education in the government-operated system, but the system has made progress, including huge investments throughout the archipelago during Hubert Ingraham’s tenure as head of government. The Hubert Minnis Administration has broadened access to university education by offering free tuition for qualifying students at UB and BTVI, a groundbreaking achievement. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who grew up in Abaco, dedicated much of his time as prime minister to the development of the Family Islands, pouring an extraordinary amount of resources into roads, docks, upgrades to airports, potable water, electrical generation and supply and many health facilities including clinics. Mr Ingraham used to tell visitors to Ragged Island not to let people in Nassau know the millions the government spent to upgrade the tarmac, runway and roads on the southern island with a population of under 100. The upgrade was to provide for a base for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Ragged Island is now a test case for the installation of solar power, at considerable expense. Basic public infrastructure is being rebuilt at the cost of millions in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur noted to Ingraham after
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DR Nicolette Bethel pictured speaking in June 2018 Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
visiting Abaco that the island had certain infrastructure that was more advanced than a number of Caribbean countries. Ingraham also instituted local government to help in the development of the Family Islands. Dr Bethel stated: “Focus must be placed on the country as a whole and not just New Providence or Grand Bahama and Abaco.” It is curious she upended her argument with this comment. She acknowledges that the three most populous island are the most developed precisely because this is where the vast majority of Bahamians live. Perhaps Dr Bethel thinks the country should build a $100 million dollar airport on Crooked Island. Dr Bethel seems unaware of the cost of development. Privatisation and foreign direct investment are essential for national development for a country like The Bahamas with limited resources and the need to replicate basic services in an expansive archipelago. The privatisation of the hotels once owned by the Government of The Bahamas removed a tremendous financial burden on the country. Moreover public/private partnerships are critical for national development, including the development of a residential dorm at UB, which will reap financial benefits for the University. By privatising certain entities governments can use those funds for other essential purposes. Successful countries
grow and develop through foreign direct investment (FDI). One of the largest recipients of FDI is the United States. China, India, Singapore and many countries in Africa have made tremendous gains and lifted scores of people out of poverty because of FDI. Foreign investment is often a measure of the attractiveness of a country for investments. Apparently this is something to be avoided to Dr Bethel’s eyes. At last count, we had some 1.7 million small foreign direct investors called stopover tourists who invested on average $1,500 per person. Why? Because they found The Bahamas an attractive place for their vacation investments. The government has not ceded responsibility. Responsible and sensible government utilise FDI and privatisation as a means of deriving funds especially for capital projects and as a means of wealth and job-creation. Yes, we must do all that we can to reduce income inequality and we must find ways to reduce the cost of living. Inequality may be reduced through FDI. Both LPIA and the redevelopment of the Port of Nassau will enhance our tourism product. The latter is issuing shares for Bahamians and will provide jobs and wealth-creation, with many of the funds coming from private enterprise and FDI. Developing The Bahamas archipelago is very expensive. We need to develop more of our islands with more infrastructure and Bahamians returning to the Family Islands. There is still much work to be done and sometimes people in New Providence can be too Nassau-centric. But it is incorrect to suggest governments have not thought of the citizenry as a whole, especially as most citizens live on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco. At great expense the Bahamas government replicates basic services, including schools on cays and islands throughout the country. A visitor to Long Cay in the southern Bahamas quickly learns that the cay with a population of approximately 30 or so also has a school and other government infrastructure. Perhaps to help bring our country closer together Dr Bethel might consider a teaching assignment at the Long Cay All Age School, where she can research the economics of development and write about the hundreds and hundreds of millions successive government have invested in our family of islands.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, June 4, 2020, PAGE 9
PRESIDENT Donald Trump on his visit to St John’s Church across from the White House on Monday; right: Dr Martin Luther King Jr at a rally in 1963
AS America writhes in agony over the death of George Floyd and its bloody aftermath, politicians, pundits, journalists, observers and just plain citizens are trying to make sense of all the chaos, confusion and heartbreak. One way of doing this is to compare what’s happening today with sometime in the nation’s past. Since the US survived that comparable period, it will survive the current collection of calamities. Or so the thinking goes. For many, the most accurate point of comparison is America in April 1968. Then, amid the social and cultural pandemic of the Vietnam War and continuing backlash at landmark civil rights legislation pushed through Congress three years earlier by President Lyndon Johnson, the nation was horrified by the assassination in Memphis of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. As news of this unimaginable tragedy spread through the country, riots erupted in major cities everywhere in America. There were news accounts for weeks of angry, often violent confrontations between demonstrators and police and national guard units. Property damage from looting and arson was extensive in cities, usually in African American neighbourhoods. Most Americans, by then inured to violent protests against the unpopular war in Vietnam, were nevertheless shocked by the intensity and violence of the demonstrations that followed King’s death. Today, television and print news are still full of reports of the latest developments in the matter of the May 25 death of African American George Floyd on a Minneapolis street corner at the hands and knee of a city police officer against whom 18 complaints had been filed by citizens in his roughly 19 years of service on the force. Onlookers’ cell phone video recordings of Floyd’s death by asphyxiation quickly guaranteed this case would be sensational and inflammatory. Peaceful - and sometimes violent - demonstrations against police killings of black Americans now continue more than a week after the death of 46-yearold Floyd, a onetime star high school athlete in Houston who had lived in the Minneapolis area for six years before losing his job as a restaurant security guard after COVID-related layoffs. Floyd had been confronted by police after store owners accused him of passing counterfeit currency to pay for a purchase. But this is not 1968. Comparisons are mostly, but not entirely, circumstantial. Today’s events and those of spring 1968 are linked mostly by the appalling murders of two different black men and the resulting unrest, protests and violent confrontations with law
In ’68 when America burned, voters turned to Nixon - now Trump will be praying they’ll do the same for him
STATESIDE with Charlie Harper enforcement authorities in American cities. The main differences should not be overlooked, but there is one similarity we’ll discuss later. Dr King is one of the most significant figures in the history of American public life. A Nobel Prize winner whose eloquence and consistent, principled dedication to justice and equality make most Americans proud more than 50 years after his death - he was a truly transformational figure. In death, he was martyred as an individual. The nation’s loss was personal. George Floyd will take his sad place in the sordid history of police violence against minorities in the US, as one more senseless victim. Yet the deaths of both Floyd and King sparked historic responses from the American people. Also, America in 1968 was riven by generational social change. President Johnson’s civil rights legislation had inspired both pride and angry resentment, setting in motion a political upheaval which compelled the Democratic Party to cast off their traditional Southern orientation and embrace African Americans and their political influence. Republican conservatism, meanwhile, began to move from the classical, doctrinaire views of Barry Goldwater to a more subtle, pro-white orientation that persists to this day. At the same time, the US was mired around the chronological midpoint of its long, costly involvement in a Vietnam War that most historians agree it could never win. Hundreds of thousands of young men were conscripted to fight an elusive, experienced, committed enemy on his own turf. Although the US today is still nominally committed to a similar losing effort in Afghanistan which is the longest-running war in American history, that fight is waged by volunteers, not conscripts. And with relatively few American forces remaining, the war in Afghanistan is an afterthought for most. America is instead beset
PRESIDENT Richard Nixon
by a public health emergency which has claimed over 110,000 lives. Added to this domestic political divisions have deepened over 25 years of open partisan discord, to a degree that would have been almost inconceivable in 1968. The cultural and social violence in 2020 has been compared with what happened in 1968. We will see what the eventual toll of today’s confrontations will be. But it is interesting and perhaps instructive to take a look at the political reaction to that violence. In 1968, the loser in the 1960 presidential election saw an opportunity. As cities burned and the Democratic convention in Chicago turned into the most violent political gathering in modern American history, Richard Nixon became the law and order candidate for President. Promising an end to the summer of civic unrest and disorder that left many Americans profoundly frightened and confused, Nixon won the general election in 1968 and was reelected four years later. Now, with his plan to run for re-election on the strength of the American economy having run aground and his attempts to hoodwink the electorate with lies and discredited conspiracy theories having temporarily run out of steam, US President Trump has decided to take advantage of the current situation to try to run on Nixon’s old law and order platform. It actually suits him. As a would-be strongman deriding “weak” Democratic governors and mayors for insufficient deployment of force in crushing peaceful protesters as well as criminal opportunists who loot and damage private property, Trump is trying to reassert his tough guy persona and regain some re-election momentum. There is no requirement in such a portrayal for empathy. There is no need to even pretend to care about the underlying causes of the protests. It adds up to the figurative equivalent of not wearing a protective mask in the time of the coronavirus. Will Trump’s latest gambit be successful? It didn’t help that one of his first moves was to pose at a church across Lafayette Square from the White House. As curfew hour approached Monday evening in Washington, Trump decided to order federal forces to clear out a path among protesters for him to walk to an Episcopal church
that has often hosted other presidents and that was damaged in the current civil unrest. Holding a Bible as though unaccustomed to doing so, Trump stood awkwardly before the church’s boarded-up windows and proclaimed his intention to crush the protests. He said he would use the US military if necessary. Reactions were swift and unflattering. In an often-cited response, a prominent Jesuit priest said to reporters that “using the Bible as a prop while talking about sending in the military, bragging about how your country is the greatest in the
world, and publicly mocking people on a daily basis, is pretty much the opposite of all Jesus stood for. “Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. And God is not a plaything.” But religion has in fact become a political tool in the US, and the Republicans have used it to great advantage. Trump’s support among white evangelicals in particular remains strong and his insistence that churches be permitted to defy public stay-at-home orders is clearly what it seems to be – cynical
pandering to an important part of his base of support. Meanwhile, a new poll revealed that only 35 percent of Americans say Trump is honest and trustworthy, compared with 62 percent who say he is not. And in addition to the worst public health crisis since 1918 and the worst economic crisis since 1933, Trump now faces the worst civil unrest since 1968. On his record so far, Trump hasn’t handled any of these crises very well. Time might be running low for a dramatic political recovery, tough guy or not. Photo ops and bombastic claims might not be enough.
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PAGE 10, Thursday, June 4, 2020 by KACEY ERNST, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and PALOMA BEAMER, Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Arizona WE don’t know about you, but we’re ready to travel. And that typically means flying. We have been thinking through this issue as moms and as an exposure scientist and infectious disease epidemiologist. While we’ve decided personally that we’re not going to fly right now, we will walk you through our thought process on what to consider and how to minimise your risks.
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Now things are easing up, is it safe to fly? When the ventilation system on planes is operating, planes have a very high ratio of outside fresh air to recirculated air – about 10 times higher than most commercial buildings. Plus, most planes’ ventilation systems have HEPA filters. These are at least 99.9 percent effective at removing particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter and more efficient at removing both smaller and larger particles.
Why the fear of flying? The primary concern with flying – or travelling by bus or train – is sitting within six feet of an infected person. Remember: Even asymptomatic people can transmit. Your risk of infection directly corresponds to your dose of exposure, which is determined by your duration of time exposed and the amount of virus-contaminated droplets in the air. A secondary concern is contact with contaminated surfaces. When an infected person contaminates a shared armrest, airport restroom handle, seat tray or other item, the virus can survive for hours though it degrades over time. If you touch that surface and then touch your mouth or nose, you put yourself at risk of infection. Before you book, think While there is no way to make air travel 100 percent safe, there are ways to make it safer. It’s important to think through the particulars for each trip. One approach to your decision-making is to use what occupational health experts call the hierarchy
How to be safe from shuttle to seat
of controls. This approach does two things. It focuses on strategies to control exposures close to the source. Second, it minimises how much you have to rely on individual human behaviour to control exposure. It’s important to remember you may be infectious and everyone around you may also be infectious. The best way to control exposure is to eliminate the hazard. Since we cannot eliminate the new coronavirus, ask yourself if you can eliminate the trip. Think extra hard if you are older or have pre-existing conditions, or if you are going to visit someone in that position. If you are healthy and those you visit are healthy, think about ways to substitute the hazard. Is it possible to drive? This would allow you to have more control over
minimising your exposures, particularly if the distance is less than a day of travel. You’re going, now what? If you choose to fly, check out airlines’ policies on seating and boarding. Some are minimising capacity and spacing passengers by not using middle seats and having empty rows. Others are boarding from the back of the plane. Some that were criticised for filling their planes to capacity have announced plans to allow customers to cancel their flights if the flight goes over 70 percent passenger seating capacity. US federal and state guidance is changing constantly, so make sure you look up the most recent guidance from government agencies and the airlines and airport you are using for additional advice, and
current policies or restrictions. While this may sound counterintuitive, consider booking multiple, shorter flights. This will decrease the likelihood of having to use the lavatory and the duration of exposure to an infectious person on the plane. After you book, select a window seat if possible. If you consider the six-foot radius circle around you, having a wall on one side would directly reduce the number of people you are exposed to during the flight in half, not to mention all the people going up and down the aisle. Also, check out your airline to see their engineering controls that are designed or put into practice to isolate hazards. These include ventilation systems, on-board barriers and electrostatic disinfectant sprays on flights.
From checking in, to going through security to boarding, you will be touching many surfaces. To minimise risk: Bring hand wipes to disinfect surfaces such as your seat belt and your personal belongings, like your passport. If you cannot find hand wipes, bring a small washcloth soaked in a bleach solution in a zip bag. This would probably freak TSA out less than your personal spray bottle, and viruses are not likely to grow on a cloth with a bleach solution. But remember: More bleach is not better and can be unsafe. You only need one tablespoon in four cups of water to be effective. Bring plastic zip bags for personal items that others may handle, such as your ID. Bring extra bags so you can put these things in a new bag after you get the chance to disinfect them. Wash your hands or use hand sanitiser as often as you can. While soap and water is most effective,
hand sanitiser is helpful after you wash to get any parts you may have missed. Once you get to your window seat, stay put. Wear a mask. If you already have an N95 respirator, consider using it but others can also provide protection. We do not recommend purchasing N95 until health care workers have an adequate supply. Technically, it should also be tested to make sure you have a good fit. We do not recommend the use of gloves, as that can lead to a false sense of security and has been associated with reduced hand hygiene practices. If you are thinking about flying with kids, there are special considerations. Getting a young child to adhere to wearing a mask and maintaining good hygiene behaviours at home is hard enough; it may be impossible to do so when flying. Children under two should not wear a mask. Each day, we are all constantly faced with decisions about our own personal comfort with risk. Arming yourself with specific knowledge about your airport and airline, and maximising your use of protective measures that you have control over, can reduce your risk. A good analogy might be that every time you get in the car to drive somewhere there is risk of an accident, but there is a big difference between driving the speed limit with your seat belt on and driving blindfolded, 60 miles an hour through the middle of town. theconversation.com
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Thursday, June 4, 2020, PAGE 11
ITALY OPENS BORDERS BUT NEARBY COUNTRIES WORRY IT’S TOO EARLY VENTIMIGLIA, Italy Associated Press
ITALY officially ended its long coronavirus lockdown yesterday, opening regional and international borders in a bid to boost summer tourism, but found itself alone as European neighbours viewed the move as premature and remained wary of visitors from Italy. Italy’s long-awaited internal and external opening after nearly three months allowed residents to finally reunite with friends and family members, and brought a flood of French shoppers across the border for less expensive groceries and cigarettes. But
normalcy was a long way off. Italy is the first European country to fully open its international borders, dropping the 14-day quarantine requirement for visitors from most of Europe. Many European nations are waiting until June 15 to open their borders, and some much later than that. Who gets to go where in Europe this summer is shaping up to be determined by where you live, what passport you carry and even how hard hit your region has been during the pandemic. Germany said that it plans to lift a travel warning for European countries
from June 15 but it may still advise against travel in some cases, for example to Britain if quarantine rules there remain. Austria said it is ending border checks with all its neighbours except for Italy, due to lingering concerns about coronavirus infections there, particularly hard-hit Lombardy. Greece has announced that visitors from 29 countries would be subject to random coronavirus testing and no quarantine. After protests from Italy, Spain and other countries not included, Greece clarified that its criteria applied to individual airports, not entire countries.
GERMAN MAN IDENTIFIED AS SUSPECT IN CASE OF MISSING BRITISH GIRL LONDON Associated Press
BRITISH police yesterday said a German man has been identified as a suspect in the case of a three-year-old British girl who disappeared 13 years ago while on holiday in Portugal. The Metropolitan Police did not name the man, but said he is 43 and was in and around the Praia da Luz resort area on the Algarve coast at the time Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007. The long-running case of McCann, who vanished shortly before her fourth birthday, has intrigued
MISSING: Maddie Britain for years. Her parents say Madeleine went missing after they had left her and her twin siblings asleep in their holiday complex while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant. An investigation by British police has identified more than 600 people as
being potentially significant. Officers were tipped off about the German suspect following a 2017 appeal, 10 years after the girl went missing. Police said the suspect, described as white with short, blond hair and a slim build, was linked to a camper van seen in the Algarve in 2007 and was believed to be in the resort area in the days before and after May 3 that year. The suspect is currently in jail in Germany for a sexual crime. At the time of Madeleine’s disappearance he was 30. He spent numerous years in Portugal and has two previous convictions for “sexual contact with girls.”
OBAMA IN SPOTLIGHT AS NATION STRUGGLES WASHINGTON Associated Press
DEMONSTRATORS gather to protest the death of George Floyd yesterday near the White House in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers.
Floyd death: Three more officers charged MINNEAPOLIS Associated Press PROSECUTORS yesterdat filed a tougher charge against the police officer at the centre of the George Floyd case and charged three other officers, delivering a victory to protesters galvanized by a death that roused racial tensions and unleashed coast-to-coast unrest. The most serious charge was filed against Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck and now must defend himself against an accusation of second-degree murder. The three other officers at the scene — Thomas Lane, J Kueng and Tou Thao — were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All four were fired last week. The new charges were sought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called the protests unleashed by the death “dramatic and necessary” and said Floyd “should be here and he is not.”
“His life had value, and we will seek justice,” said Ellison, who cautioned that winning convictions would be hard and said that public pressure had no bearing on his decisions. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, called it “a bittersweet moment” and “a significant step forward on the road to justice.” Crump said Elison had told the family he would continue his investigation into Floyd’s death and upgrade the charge to first-degree murder if warranted. Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter The move powerfully punctuated an unprecedented week in modern American history, in which largely peaceful protests took place in communities of all sizes but were rocked by bouts of violence, including deadly attacks on officers, rampant thefts and arson in some places. Earlier yesterday, in a visit to a makeshift shrine at the street
corner where Floyd died, his family again called for the arrests of Lane, Kueng and Thao, a demand echoed by their attorney. “We are demanding justice,” Crump said. Some of the rockiness of the days since Floyd’s death May 25 dissipated on Tuesday night, with demonstrations continuing around the country, but without major reports of violence. Curfews and efforts by protesters to contain earlier flare-ups of lawlessness were credited with preventing more widespread damage to businesses in New York and other cities overnight. “Last night we took a step forward in moving out of this difficult period we’ve had the last few days and moving to a better time,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said. New York police said about 280 people were arrested on protestrelated charges on Tuesday night, compared with 700 a day earlier. Nationwide, more than 9,000 have been arrested in connection with
unrest. At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out. Some tense incidents continued on Tuesday night, but were far less prevalent than in preceding days. Police and National Guard troops used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, nonlethal rounds and other means of dispersing crowds near a police precinct in Seattle, near Centennial Park in Atlanta and at demonstrations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida. Minnesota has opened a civil rights investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against minorities. Elsewhere, Pope Francis called for national reconciliation and peace, saying he has ‘’witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest’’ in the U.S. “My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,’’ he said.
FORMER President Barack Obama is taking on an increasingly public role as the nation confronts a confluence of historic crises that has exposed deep racial and socioeconomic inequalities in America and reshaped the November election. In doing so, Obama is signaling a willingness to sharply critique his successor, President Donald Trump, and fill what many Democrats see as a national leadership void. He plans to hold a virtual town hall event with young people to discuss policing and the civil unrest that has followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Aides said Obama will call for turning the protests over Floyd’s death into policy change and will urge specific reforms to ensure safer policing and increased trust between communities and law enforcement. “We’re in a political season, but our country is also at an inflection point,” said Valerie Jarrett, a longtime friend and adviser to Obama. “President Obama is not going to shy away from that dialogue simply because he’s not in office anymore.” Obama was already beginning to emerge from political hibernation to endorse Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential bid when the coronavirus pandemic swept across the US, killing more than 100,000 people, and the economy began to crater. The crises scrambled the Biden campaign’s plans for how to begin deploying Obama as their chief surrogate ahead of the November election, but also gave the former president a clear opening to start publicly arguing what he has signalled to friends and associates privately for the past three years: that he does not believe Trump is up for the job. Addressing graduates of historically black colleges and universities recently, Obama said the pandemic had “fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing.”
PAGE 12, Thursday, June 4, 2020
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MLB rejects 114-game schedule, threatens plan of about 50 By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — If Major League Baseball and its players take the field for a coronanvirus-delayed 2020 season, it will be after acrimonious negotiations that resemble their labour war of a generation ago. MLB rejected the players’ proposal for a 114game regular season with no additional salary cuts, and will turn its attention to a shortened slate of perhaps 50 games or fewer. Owners last week proposed an 82-game schedule starting in early July. “We do not have any reason to believe that a negotiated solution for an 82-game season is possible,” Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem wrote in a letter yesterday to chief union negotiator Bruce Meyer that was obtained by The Associated Press. MLB’s plan included a sliding scale of pay decreases that would leave players at the $563,500 minimum with 47 per cent of their original salaries and top stars Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole at less than 22 per cent of the $36 million they had been set to earn. Players insisted they receive the prorated salaries agreed to in a March 26 deal, which would give them 70 per cent pay at 114 games. That agreement called for the sides to “discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators.” The union has said no additional cuts are acceptable. There has not been a schedule averaging fewer than 82 games per team since 1879. “Despite what it sounds like with some of the Twitter bickering back and forth and some of the posturing back and forth, I am optimistic that we are going to play baseball this year,” Milwaukee president of baseball operations David
CLEVELAND Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis stands on the Major League Baseball logo that serves as the on deck circle during the first inning of a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Indians, in Chicago, on April 24, 2013. Major League Baseball rejected the players’ offer for a 114-game regular season in the pandemic-delayed season with no additional salary cuts and told the union it did not plan to make a counterproposal, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday because no statements were authorised. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) Halem then subjecting players to a the completion of the postStearns said. “I’m optimis- representation,” gruelling schedule,” he said. season,” Halem wrote. tic that both sides genuinely wrote. “Nonetheless, the comPlayers made their pro“Dr Khan and his team want to play baseball this year, that there’s a path missioner is committed to posal Sunday, five days have advised us that to to doing so, even if it’s a playing baseball in 2020,” after management’s initial minimise the risk of a shorter season, even if it’s Halem added. “He has economic plan. Opening subsequent delay or cancelstarted discussions with day would be June 30 and lation of the 2020 season 50 games.” Ballparks without fans ownership about staging the regular season would we should endeavour to appear certain due to the a shorter season without end October 31, nearly five complete the season and fans.” weeks after the September postseason as early in the pandemic. Halem ended his letter 27 conclusion that MLB’s fall as possible,” he wrote. MLB claims large losses “In addition, your produe to the virus, which the by telling Meyer “we stand proposal stuck to from the posal ignores the realities union disputes, and teams ready to discuss any ideas season’s original schedule. MLB does not want to of the weather in many want additional salary you may have that might reductions. Halem said 27 lead to an agreement on play past October because parts of the country during of the 30 teams would lose resuming play without it fears a second wave of the second half of Octomoney with each additional regular fan access in our the coronavirus could dis- ber. If we schedule a full stadiums.” rupt the postseason and slate of games in late Octogame. MLB wants to start the jeopardise $787 million in ber, we will be plagued by A 50-game schedule cancellations.” would result in players season in early July, and broadcast revenue. Halem cited MLB’s infecAs part of the March receiving about 30 per cent Halem wrote an agreeof their full salaries under ment would have had to be tious disease consultant, Dr 26 deal, players got $170 reached by June 1 in order Ali Khan, Dean of the Col- million in salary advances the March 26 deal. “You confirmed for us on to reopen training camps by lege of Public Health at the — ranging from $16,500 to $286,500 — and a guarSunday that players are uni- June 10. That would leave University of Nebraska. “It is not in the collective antee that if the season fied in their view that they three to four weeks of prepwill not accept less than 100 aration, which Halem said interest of clubs or players is scrapped each player to begin a 2020 season and would get 2020 service time per cent of their prorated is the “wide consensus.” “We are opposed to rush- subsequently be forced to matching what the player salaries, and we have no choice but to accept that ing to begin the season and suspend or cancel it before accrued in 2019.
MLB’s proposal on May 26 would lower 2020 salaries from about $4 billion to approximately $1.2 billion, not including signing bonuses, termination pay or option buyouts. There would be a $200 million bonus if the postseason is completed. The union’s offer would have salaries total about $2.8 billion, leaving each player with about 70 per cent of his original salary. Halem said coronavirus testing would cost the teams $40 million to $50 million. He claimed “clubs would fare even worse economically if we were to play a significant number of doubleheaders, as your counter-proposal contemplates.” Players proposed that $100 million in salaries be deferred to 2021 and 2022 if the postseason is cancelled. “Deferring salaries, with interest, is the economic equivalent of assuming more debt,” Halem said. “Clubs already have assumed $2 billion in additional debt that must be serviced and do not have the financial capacity to push more 2020 financial obligations into future years without impacting their financial stability.” Both sides have proposed expanding the playoffs from 10 teams to 14, and the union has offered to guarantee the expansion through 2021. Both sides also are willing to widen use of the designated hitter to all games this year. The union proposed high-risk players, or players who live with a high-risk individual, be able to opt out of playing, and MLB has said it is willing to discuss the topic. MLB, however, says other players who opt out would get neither salary nor service time, which is key to eligibility for free agency and arbitration. The union proposed that group not get paid but receive service time.
SPORTS SECTION E
PAGE 12
THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020
‘Elite athletes may require more financial assistance, not less’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
R
omell Knowles, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, is calling on the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to not cut the subvention of elite athletes, considering that it is critical for them to receive every penny they can get to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games. Knowles sent a letter to the ministry after it was reported in The Tribune on Tuesday that the subvention for elite athletes is expected to be cut by over $269,000 as outlined in the budget presented in the House of Assembly last week by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest. Knowles, whose BOC is expected to receive about $40,000 in the projected budget, said with the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, being postponed until July, 2021
because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are still anticipating great performances from our athletes who are under a number of constraints. “The restrictions of KNOWLES competitions, coupled with restrictions to train for the most prestigious sporting event in the world, The Tokyo Olympic Games, brings with it a set of abnormal circumstances and expenses for our athletes,” Knowles wrote. “In addition to preparation expenses, which I believe may increase due in part to share demand, the mental preparation may be an additional but necessary expense, our athletes may be forced to endure.”
Knowles said preparation for these games have their own peculiarities and with them come additional expenses. “In this regard, we respectfully ask that you escalate our request for consideration to delay any and all reduction to elite athletes’ subvention who are in preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games,” Knowles continued. “Given these difficult set of circumstances brought on by an abnormal COVID-19 environment, elite athletes may require more financial assistance, not less,” he said. In that regard and on behalf of the elite athletes, Knowles said they are requesting that the ministry delay any reduction in subvention so that our athletes may be better positioned to prepare, qualify and ultimately perform at their optimum at the most prestigious sporting event in the world - the Olympic Games. He said they are looking forward
to engaging in a dialogue with the ministry and the government in this regard, as well as funding that is expected to be provided to the various sporting federations and associations. “Sporting federations find themselves having to provide more assistance in these most difficult times,” Knowles said. “It is our hope there are no reductions in federation grants in this Olympic cycle. Hoping to bring resolve and comfort on behalf of our elite athletes. I am available to discuss this and other matters soonest.” In the budget report, the recurrent expenditure for the ministry is estimated to be around $18,938,187, about $5,143,194 less than what was expended in last year’s budget of $24,081,380. This significant reduction in the budget is expected to drastically change the landscape of sports in the country in the aftermath of COVID-19.
HIELD’S KINGS, AYTON’S SUNS IN PROPOSED NBA RESTART By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE NBA has proposed a format to complete the 2020 season with a limited number of participating teams which will include both Buddy Hield’s Sacramento Kings and Deandre Ayton’s Phoenix Suns. According to ESPN Senior NBA Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, the league’s board of governors will vote on a proposal for the league to resume play in Orlando, Florida, featuring the 16 teams currently in playoff position, teams currently within six games of eighth place in the two conferences. The Kings are 28-36, No.10 in the Western Conference and 3.5 games behind the No.8 Memphis Grizzlies (32-33) while the Suns are 26-39, six games behind the Grizzlies. Other non-playoff Western Conference teams invited to participate in Orlando include the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs while the Washington Wizards will be the lone addition from the East. All games will be hosted at the Walt Disney World Resort. The plan will feature teams completing eight
SACRAMENTO Kings guard Buddy Hield during the second half of a game against Miami Heat in Sacramento. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) regular season games and a possible play in tournament for the final eighth and final seed. If the No.9 seed is more than four games behind the No.8 seed, No. 8 will make the playoffs. If they are fewer than games behind the teams will complete in a play-in tournament. Teams will officially begin training at team sites in July and will advance to full training camps in Orlando prior. The NBA has suspended its season since March 11, when Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert was the league’s first player to test positive for COVID-19. Players and staff will be mandated to adhere to
social distancing and the league is set to have “uniform, daily testing for the coronavirus within the Disney campus environment,” said ESPN. Should a player test positive, the plan calls for them to be individually quarantined and treated and continue to test other players. Through 64 games this season, Hield is averaging 19.8 points per game and is shooting 40 per cent from beyond the arc, making 3.8 three-point field goals in about 10 attempts per game. Hield also added 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Hield started 44 of those games and was moved
PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) gets ready to play in the first half against the Sacramento Kings in Phoenix. (AP) to the bench on January 24 and has continued his production post-All-Star break after he won the Mtn Dew 3-Point Contest at NBA All-Star weekend last February. This season, Hield has 244 three-point field goals thus far, and was on track to surpass last year’s total of 278 and possibly become just the third player in NBA history to make 300 in a single season. In his second NBA season, Ayton averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and
1.7 blocks per game while shooting 54 per cent from the field in 30 games. According to Basketball Reference, his player efficiency is ranked at No.35 in the league at 20.5. Ayton has missed time this season with a 25-game suspension due to violating the NBA’s substance abuse policy. He also missed seven games this season due to an injured ankle, including a withdrawal from the 2020 NBA Rising Stars game at NBA AllStar Weekend.
STRACHAN FEATURED BY NFL DRAFT BLITZ By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net HEADING into his senior season with the University of Charleston Golden Eagles football programme, Mike Strachan looks to continue to rewrite the record books and boost his stock for the 2021 NFL Draft. Strachan was featured by NFL Draft Blitz and the standout wide receiver detailed his offseason struggles as he continues. “I have my brother here with me. We know some quarterbacks in the area. We work out together at a local field. We are working on the fundamentals. I am focusing on my hands and route running,” he said. “I am doing conditioning on my own.” In his junior season, he was named an NCAA Division II Second Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. Following his breakout season, Strachan shared the all-time Charleston touchdown record of 27 with Joey Augustin. The Grand Bahama native finished with 78 receptions for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns. He set new school records, led the Mountain East Conference in each category and was second in all of DII in both receiving yards and touchdowns. His breakout season achieved Division II Top-10 marks for the 2019 season in receiving touchdowns (second), receiving yards (sixth), receptions (ninth), and receiving yards per game (fifth). Strachan was also named All-Mountain East Conference First Team when the conference announced its annual awards and all-conference teams. At 6’5” 225 pounds, Strachan has reportedly run a best time of 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash but continues to work toward his development for the upcoming season and beyond. “At the next level, you have to have two things. Route running and creating separation. If you can run routes very smoothly, you can be successful at the next level. I have been working on it
SEE PAGE 14
Kai Jones No.30 on top prospects list for 2021 NBA Draft By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net DESPITE a freshman season where he received inconsistent playing time from the Texas Longhorns coaching staff, Kai Jones has been listed as a highly coveted prospect for the 2021 NBA Draft by Sports Illustrated. The publication listed Jones, the 19-year-old, 6’11” 215 pound Longhorns forward, at No.30 among the top prospects for next year’s draft. “Admittedly, Jones is still pretty much a wild card, but NBA teams are well aware of what he brings to the table athletically, and he showed signs of figuring things out toward the end of this season. He should figure more prominently into the rotation as a sophomore, but will still have to compete for minutes with a host of other bigs,” SI’s
Jeremy Woo said. “Jones has to add strength, but he’s wiry and explosive and has shown flashes of skill development from a faceup standpoint that hints at some future versatility. But he’s yet to take the next step and, until he does, he’ll remain more of an idea in the eyes of the NBA.” Jones concluded the season with a career high night in the regular season finale when he scored a career-high 20 points in Texas’ 81-59 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Jones converted a career-best 8-12 field goals, including 2-5 on threepointers. He also added seven rebounds (one shy of his career high) and two steals in 32 minutes. The Longhorns ended the season 19-12 (9-9 in the Big 12). At the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament in March, Jones and the Longhorns were going through
KAI Jones has been listed as a highly coveted prospect for the 2021 NBA Draft by Sports Illustrated.
pre-game warmups with the Texas Tech Red Raiders when news broke that the Power Five conferences all cancelled their basketball tournaments due to the threats of further spread of the coronavirus. For the season, Jones averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The season finale was his second career high outing against the Cowboys on the year after he posted a team-leading five blocked shots in just 16 minutes of the Longhorns’ 76-64 win in January. Earlier in the season, Texas head coach Shaka Smart lauded Jones’ effort following a win over the Central Michigan Chippewas. “One thing about Kai, he has the best work ethic of any 6’11 player I have ever coached. That really is going to serve him well moving forward. A lot of guys 6’0, 6’2” they get in
the gym and work on their game, but he really works,” Smart said. “He works like a guard, most bigs don’t work great at that age. They’re still learning to work. All those guys that we’ve had at that position developed so much better work ethic during their time here and beyond. But Kai came in with a work ethic and drive to get better and he has big goals, so that says a lot about him.” Jones entered Texas as one of the top 50 Prep Basketball recruits in America. He was listed at No. 49 in the final ranking of the ESPN Top 100 for the Class of 2019 following his standout season at Brewster Prep Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. A consensus four-star recruit, Jones earned a scout grade of 88 overall and was ranked No.13 among all centres, No.12 in his region and No.1 in the state of New Hampshire.
PAGE 14, Thursday, June 4, 2020
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MLS, players reach new labour deal By ANNE M PETERSON AP Sports Writer MAJOR League Soccer and its players’ union reached an agreement that paves the way for a summer tournament in Florida after the season was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic. The deal was announced by the Major League Soccer Players Association yesterday following tense talks that led to some players skipping voluntary workouts and the league threatening a lockout. MLS and the union agreed February 6 to a fiveyear labour contract, but the deal had not been ratified when the season was stopped on March 12 after only two matches had been played by each team. The ratified collectivebargaining agreement was announced in the midst of nationwide protests over police brutality and injustice against African Americans sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Both sides noted the unrest in announcing the contract. “There are problems we face collectively that are both more urgent, and more important, than competing on the field,” the union said in a statement. “We hope our return to the field will allow fans a momentary release and a semblance of normalcy.” MLS Commissioner Don Garber vowed the league will go further with its public stance for equality. “We’ve tried to create programmes that would address some of the things that are important to our core values. I have to say that it’s not enough to produce ads, it’s not enough just to have programmes that talk about these issues,” he said.
MAJOR League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber speaks during the leagues 25th Season kickoff event in New York. (AP) Garber said the league expects to take a $1 billion revenue hit because of the coronavirus. The revised CBA, a sixyear deal through 2025, includes across-the-board pay cuts and reduced bonuses. One of the sticking points was a clause that allows either side to opt out of the deal because of unforeseen circumstances, like a pandemic. The agreement does not tie the clause to attendance, something the league had sought. The agreement also changes the players’ share of media rights negotiated in the original CBA. The share will drop from 25 per cent to 12.5 per cent in 2023, but will be restored to 25 per cent in 2024. Details of the Florida tournament were still being finalised. The league’s 26 teams and limited staff would be based in the Orlando area and matches played without fans at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World. Garber said the tournament would last no longer than 35 days but he would not reveal additional details.
The union announced Sunday night that players had voted for an agreement but MLS pushed back on the terms and imposed a deadline for a lockout. As a result, players from teams including Atlanta, Miami, Minnesota and Vancouver did not report to voluntary training Monday. Garber said it was his decision to threaten the lockout, a move that was criticised. “It’s not something that I did without a lot of thought and without a lot of concern and a lot of understanding as to what impact that would have on our players and on the negotiation. But it was something, as the leader of this league that I believed was necessary in order for us to get to the point today,” Garber said. Nashville defender Eric Miller said on social media that he was proud of the players, “although the process and tactics used by MLS left a mark.” “Players showed commitment and strength throughout this entire process,” Miller said. “We are all excited to get back on the field and be a positive force for change in our communities.”
AP SOURCE: GERMANY, PORTUGAL CONTENDERS TO HOST CL FINAL By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer GERMANY and Portugal are contenders to host the delayed Champions League final which is due to be moved from Istanbul, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press yesterday. A June 17 meeting of UEFA’s executive committee will decide the new location for the August final – with that country also set to stage the quarterfinals and semi-finals, the person said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of
STRACHAN from PAGE 13
this offseason,” he said. Currently a two-sport star for the Golden Eagles, Strachan also competes in the 400m and 200m. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a premature end to the NCAA Indoor season. He had plans of representing the country one day on the track at the Olympics. “It is my other main sport besides football. I participated in the 200 and 400 metres,” he said. “When I lived in the Bahamas, I had aspirations to run track professionally. I had a goal to compete in outdoor track this spring before everything shut down. I placed first in indoor track this past year. I wanted to participate in the 2020 Olympics. That was the goal. I wanted to run for my country. I feel like I would have done it, but we didn’t have an outdoor track season.” Strachan caught touchdown passes in 10 of 11 games this season, including six multi touchdown games. He currently holds school records in receiving yards, breaking his own previous record of 1,007 set in 2018. His 19 receiving touchdowns broke the 70-year record of 13 held by Charlie Hubbard in 1950. His 78 receptions broke the record
the planning for the competition that was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The priority for the remaining Champions League matches is choosing a location accessible to players and officials as fans are unlikely to be allowed in due to COVID-19 restrictions. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the president of Portugal, this week referenced potential “good news” for football in the Iberian nation in August. Two stadiums in Lisbon have been floated – with Benfica hosting the final
and Sporting Lisbon’s venue also used. German newspaper Bild reported last night that Frankfurt is a potential location for the final if Germany is chosen. The Champions League final was due to be staged last Saturday at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. The AP reported Friday that the final was poised to be moved from Istanbul. Usually, only the final is held at a neutral venue. But to complete the competition during the pandemic, UEFA shifted planning to back a single country for the last eight.
of 60 set by Terrance Spencer in 2006. “I bring energy. I am confident and I am a positive example for everybody. I am a team player. I am willing to do whatever for the team and the coaches. I am a playmaker. They can come to me in any situation. I have the ability to make plays,” Strachan said. “There is definitely a lot of pressure playing the game. I embrace the pressure. Football is the greatest sport. It is the ultimate team sport.” In addition to single-season records, Strachan broke the single-game records of: Receptions (13) – Set against Urbana on September 12 and also holds the second place spot of 12 receptions set a month later against Notre Dame College and receiving yards (207) also set on October 12 against Notre Dame College, breaking the previous record of 186 set in 2010 by Andre Higgins. “Different schools were looking at me for football and track... I went to a few camps for football. Eastern Kentucky and East Carolina were looking at me. I went to a Miami camp, and they were impressed by me. JMU stopped by at my high school. Delaware was interested,” Strachan said. “Coming from the Bahamas, the school system is different. I didn’t have the SAT or ACT. I took them
pretty late in the process. I didn’t know much about it. There is a certain time period when you have to take those test scores between D-I and D-II. Charleston was patient with me. I took a visit and I liked it.” He was a redshirt in his true freshman season and saw the first playing time of his collegiate career as a redshirt freshman when he finished with just one reception. As a sophomore, he had a breakout season when he finished as the only player in the MEC to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark. On the season, he totalled 48 receptions for 1,007 yards and eight touchdowns. He led the conference in receiving yards, was third in both average yards per catch at 21 and average yards per game at 91.5. His touchdown total finished fourth. Strachan has begun to generate buzz from the Division II level. “My dad, Jerome Strachan, he played football at Bethune-Cookman under head coach Larry Little. He was part of the Dolphins team that went undefeated in the 70s. My dad learned a lot from him. He also played wide receiver in college,” Strachan said. “He taught me how to be tough. The major thing is having the mental toughness.”
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, June 4, 2020, PAGE 15
AP source: NBA presents players with plan for restart of season By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer THE NBA has told the National Basketball Players Association that it will present a 22-team plan for restarting the season to the league’s board of governors on Thursday (today), a person with knowledge of the situation said. The teams that will be going to the ESPN Wide World Of Sports complex on the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida would play eight games to determine playoff seeding starting around July 31 before the postseason begins, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity yesterday because the league has not released its proposal publicly. The plan, once approved, would have 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams going to Disney and the cutoff being that teams must be within six games of a playoff spot at this point. Playoffs would start in August, and the NBA Finals will likely stretch into October, the person said.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics already have clinched playoff spots — and, if only eight games are left, that would mean the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets would theoretically have clinched spots as well. The Dallas Mavericks would be virtually assured of clinching a West spot, holding a seven-game lead over eighth-place Memphis. So that would mean the Grizzlies, Portland, New Orleans, Sacramento, San Antonio and Phoenix all would be in the running for the No. 8 seed out West. In the East, Washington is six games behind No. 7 Brooklyn and 5-1/2 games behind No. 8 Orlando — so within range of triggering a play-in series. “I’m all in from the state’s perspective,” Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference in Central Florida yesterday. “I don’t think you could find a better place than Orlando to do this. I think it’s very exciting.”
AP Sportlight By The Associated Press June 4 1988 — West Germany’s Steffi Graf beats 17-year-old Natalia Zvereva of the Soviet Union in 32 minutes with a 6-0, 6-0 victory to win the French Open women’s title for the second straight year. Graf loses only 13 points in the match. 1990 — Penn State officially is voted into the Big Ten. The school becomes the 11th member of the league and first addition to the
A SIGN at the entrance to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World is seen yesterday in Kissimmee, Florida. The NBA has told the National Basketball Players Association that it will present a 22-team plan for restarting the season at Disney. (AP Photo/John Raoux) DeSantis met by phone ninth-place team would with NBA Deputy Com- have to be within four missioner Mark Tatum on games of eighth place once Tuesday. The governor the eight-game schedule of also said the state helped lead-in games is completed. If a play-in series occurs, with the plans to make a golf match last month fea- it would basically be a bestturing Tiger Woods, Phil of-two — where the No. 9 Mickelson, Tom Brady seed would have to win two and Peyton Manning head-to-head matchups to — one that raised $20 mil- take over the No. 8 spot. There would also be lion for coronavirus relief — happen. And Major some jostling for playoff League Soccer announced positioning happening in yesterday a plan to restart the eight-game restart. In the East, Toronto and its season in Orlando. “Orlando really could Boston are separated by be the epicentre of the three games for the No. 2 comeback of professional spot and Miami, Indiana and Philadelphia are sepasports,” DeSantis said. For an NBA play-in rated by two games for the series to happen to deter- No. 4 spot. Out West, the Clippers, mine the No. 8 seed on either playoff bracket, the Denver, Utah, Oklahoma
Midwest-based conference since Michigan State in 1949. 1994 — Haile Gebrselassie becomes the first Ethiopian to set a world track record with a time of 12:56.96 in the men’s 5,000-metre race at Hengelo, Netherlands. 1997 — Spain’s Sergi Bruguera, No. 16, is the only seeded player left in the French Open after a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Morocco’s Hicham Arazi in the quarter-finals. The three unseeded players in the semi-finals is a first for the tournament. 2005 — Justine Henin-Hardenne beats a rattled and fumbling Mary Pierce 6-1, 6-1 to win the French
Open women’s singles title, capping a remarkable comeback from a blood virus with her fourth Grand Slam title and her second at Roland Garros. 2005 — Jockey Eddie Castro sets a North American record for most wins by a jockey in a single day at one racetrack by winning nine races on the 13-race card at Miami’s Calder Race Course. 2008 — The Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in 11 seasons with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the finals. Detroit defenceman Henrik Zetterberg, who had a goal and assist in the
City and Houston are all within four games of one another in the race for the No. 2 seed on that bracket. There are still some elements of the restart plan that could be changed, and other matters are still being negotiated — such as how much of a percentage of their salaries that players will lose because some regular season games will be cancelled. If 15 per cent of the regular season is not played, which would be the current estimate based on the proposal, players would have to give up roughly $610 million in salary for this season. It’s also unclear what will happen to the eight teams that would not be vying for a postseason berth under the proposed format — Charlotte, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, New York, Cleveland, Minnesota and Golden State. If the 2020-21 NBA season doesn’t start until December at the earliest, which would seem to be a very real possibility, those teams could go about nine months without playing games and some have expressed concerns over what that will mean for player development.
Cup clincher, wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. 2009 — Randy Johnson earns his 300th win, becoming the 24th major league pitcher to reach the milestone by leading San Francisco to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals in the first game of a doubleheader. 2011 — China’s Li Na captures her first Grand Slam singles title, becoming the first tennis player from China, man or woman, to achieve such a feat. Na beats Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the French Open final. The title is only Li’s fifth in her career, and first on clay.
F1 SAYS RACING WILL CONTINUE IF DRIVER TESTS POSITIVE LONDON (AP) — Formula One races won’t be cancelled if a driver tests positive for the coronavirus or if a team withdraws, CEO Chase Carey says. F1 wants to avoid a repeat of the season opener in Australia in March, which was cancelled when the McLaren team withdrew after a staff member tested positive for the virus. The season is now set to start with two races in Austria on July 5 and 12. “A team not being able to race wouldn’t cancel the race. I don’t think I could sit here and lay out the consequences. But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation,” Carey said on the F1 website Tuesday. “If a driver has an infection, (teams have) reserve drivers available.” F1 teams have a tougher time returning to competition than teams in many other sports because of the dozens of people who usually travel to a race and the regular international journeys involved. Carey said team members will be tested for the coronavirus before they depart for a race and then every two days. Teams will live in a “bubble” system, likely with “sub bubbles” to keep people apart if they do different jobs, he added. “Clearly we recognise our sport is one which at times, we can’t have two metres between every individual on a team,” he said. “When a car pulls into a pit and has to change four tires, there won’t be two metres between every individual. We need to make sure we have procedures to manage all those risks as soon as possible.”