Farrakhan addresses Bermuda's street organizations and inmates

By Ashahed M. Muhammad -Assistant Editor- | Last updated: Aug 7, 2009 - 1:17:48 PM

'Who benefits from your fighting and killing one another?'

Minister Farrakhan addresses the prison population at Westgate Correctional Facility on July 21. Photos: Ashahed M. Muhammad

HAMILTON, Bermuda (FinalCall.com) - Considered an island paradise with its warm sunshine, splendid shorelines, tranquil waters and beautiful beaches, the island of Bermuda is chosen by many as a prime vacation or retirement location.

However, from the moment his plane landed at Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan began his work of redemption and reformation with the desire to keep this island paradise from turning into a killing field.

Businessman, Rock Newman, a longtime friend of Min. Farrakhan and along with the Emperial Group, arranged many of the meetings during the Minister's trip to the island, told The Final Call that he and many others were concerned about Bermuda's future, and felt the need to ask for Min. Farrakhan's guidance and direction.

“I am very concerned that as I try to have an ear tuned into the community and what is going on in the street that there is a palpable sense of developing anti-social behavior, destructive behavior and violence that I think that if it is not addressed from all sectors of this community, the proliferation of membership and groups and gangs that practice anti-social behavior will spiral out of control.”

On July 19, Min. Farrakhan met with representatives from several of Bermuda's street organizations from various parts of the small island, which is only 22 miles long and 1 mile wide.

Karon Robinson (seated) presented Min. Farrakhan with a photo of her son, Kenwandee, who was killed in May. Rock Newman (left) explains details during a meeting with street organizations July 19.

The members of the street organizations said women can travel all over the island without fear of being harassed by gangs, however, the young Black men of the island are in jeopardy whenever they leave their neighborhoods, and sometimes, women are used as bait to lure them into the neighborhood of a competing gang. They also said, they are fighting for respect.

Min. Farrakhan listened carefully as the young men, one holding his 11-month old son, began to tell their stories. Then, he accurately diagnosed the problem and began to deliver divine guidance.

“Who benefits from your fighting, maiming and killing one another?” he asked the young men, most of whom were in their late teens and early 20s. “How do the drugs and guns get into Bermuda? You don't own any boats!”

Like in the U.S., many of the gang members are often related to one another, or have known each other for many years. Min. Farrakhan pointed out that the young Black men are militant by nature and have natural aggressive tendencies; however, there are no outlets similar to those found in the White communities where there are sports, and community centers for them to work off aggression by engaging in righteous and legal competition. As a result, young Black men become combatants in a war over “nonsense.” He also said the law enforcement officials will use the violence as a reason to come into their neighborhoods with stun grenades, armored personnel carriers, and high caliber automatic weaponry to eliminate the perceived threat to the social fabric of Bermuda due to the proliferation of street organizations.

(1) Min. Farrakhan enters Westgate Correctional Facility on July 21. (2) Min. Farrakhan leads the inmates and prison officials in prayer.

During an evening meeting with the 42nd Street crew, Min. Farrakhan spoke with Karon Robinson, who lost her son, Kenwandee, on May 22 after he was shot and killed on the way to pick her up from work. Ms. Robinson said her son was not a gang member. Despite her pain, she does not want revenge, she just wants the killing to stop.

“I think Min. Farrakhan sent a good message to these young people and I hope he continues doing that because we really need it,” said Ms. Robinson. “Bermuda is too small for all of this gang violence.”

Pastor Leroy Bean, founder and director of Challenging and Reclaiming the True Essence of Life (CARTEL) a charitable trust involved in gang intervention and prevention has worked with street organizations over the last 15 years, however, in just over the last two years, he has seen an escalation in the violence. While admitting that compared to the crime numbers in some cities in the U.S., it seems small, proportionally, it is alarming. Pastor Bean calls the situation in Bermuda “unique.”

Pastor Leroy Bean

“Most times in Bermuda, what they are fighting for is territory, but we also find that it's a unique gang situation. Even though they are using some of the concepts from the United States, the truth of the matter is that they are unique in that most of them have homes to go to, they have housing, clothes washed, they have the basic necessities taken care of whereas in the United States, the average gang member is fighting because of necessities, they are fighting because of identity.”

Mother Khadijah Farrakhan takes the stage on July 20.

Bermuda was first settled by English colonists headed to Jamestown, Virginia. This year marks the 400th year of the island's discovery. Statistics show that Bermuda enjoys the third highest per capita income in the world, 50 percent higher than the U.S., with its primary economic boost coming from international business in the form of offshore financial transactions. Much of the island's economy is driven by tourism, and the cost of living is high, with the average house costing $976,000. Many of the island's residents told The Final Call they have to hold more than one job simply to afford the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter.

Early in the morning on July 21, Min. Farrakhan was interviewed back to back, first with Bryan Darby, correspondent for the NBC affiliate, VSB Radio & TV News, and then Rich Lathan of the CBS affiliate ZBM News and this reporter before being whisked away on a 20-minute ferry ride to the historic Bermuda Maritime Museum for a brief tour of the museum which houses aspects of the island's history and culture. In fact, the entire first floor of the museum is dedicated to the impact of the Slave Trade in Bermuda. There, the Minister was hosted by Bermuda's Premier, the Hon. Dr. Ewart F. Brown of the Progressive Labour Party, and Min. Farrakhan spoke with high-ranking members of Bermuda's Government.

From there, the caravan traveled to the Westgate Correctional Facility, where Bermuda's Commissioner of Prisons Lt. Col. Edward Lamb received Min. Farrakhan and gave him full access to the entire inmate population. According to prison officials, approximately 20-25 percent of the inmate populations are foreign nationals, and only 20-25 percent of the inmates have graduated from high school.

Bermuda has stringent laws relating to illegal drugs and exceptionally harsh gun laws. Being in possession of a firearm gets the offender 10 years in prison, plus an additional 2 years for each bullet. Despite that, residents say, more powerful guns and drugs are making their way to the island.

When the Minister entered the prison yard, all activity stopped as the inmates began to point in the direction of his entourage. After initially greeting some of the inmates and prison guards, he even asked the prisoners on the yard to come closer to him.

“Everybody in prison has a number, but that number doesn't define who you are, and even though most of you were born in Bermuda, this little island cannot define who you are,” the Minister said.

Min. Farrakhan and reporter from the Royal Gazette René Hill.

After delivering his message, the Minister asked all of those gathered on the prison yard to join hands in a collective prayer. However, that was not the end. In fulfillment of the words written in The Gospels, in the book of Matthew chapter 25 verse 36 which reads: “I needed clothes and you clothed me; I was sick and you looked after me; I was in prison and you came to visit me,” the Minister demonstrated that type of charitable spirit by going in to greet those in the super maximum security section of the prison. He would not stop until he personally greeted every single prisoner. Many of the prisoners were visibly surprised when their cell doors opened up to see the beaming and smiling face of Min. Farrakhan there with an outstretched hand to greet them offering a caring word of encouragement to aid them in their journey to outgrow their confinement.

After leaving the prison, Min. Farrakhan traveled back to his hotel overlooking the picturesque Hamilton Harbor, where he met with Mr. William Zuill, editor-in-chief, of The Royal Gazette, and reporters from The Mid-Ocean News and the Bermuda Sun.

Discussing with reporters the possibility of a gang summit, the arrest of one of the primary go-betweens in the street organization outreach effort two days prior right in front of the very same hotel where Min. Farrakhan was staying, and the reported harassment the day before of another liaison working with another powerful Bermudian street organization, the Parkside Crew, Min. Farrakhan did not mince words, challenging members of the Bermudian press to investigate possible corruption within the government and “rogue police” officials within law enforcement who have a vested interest in seeing the gang warfare continue.

“If there are hidden forces manipulating the problem between neighborhood gangs, then there is no real desire to see this problem stop,” said Min. Farrakhan. “Somebody doesn't want to see peace. Somebody does not want us to intervene to bring these young men together to stop the bloodshed and maiming of each other.”

The next day, on July 22, Minister Farrakhan began the morning with an in-depth interview with René Hill of The Royal Gazette. During the interview, Ms. Hill asked Min. Farrakhan to respond to a July 21 press statement from The Bermuda Police Service responding to Min. Farrakhan's criticism of the island's law enforcement officials.

The release said, “The Bermuda Police Service takes great exception to the unfounded allegation that arrests made by our officers in connection with our daily duties were calculated to disrupt a community outreach effort. To further allege that arrests were made with a corrupt motive—without a shred of evidence to support the notion—is irresponsible and scandalous.”

The National Sports Centre in Bermuda was filled July 20 with many having to stand in stairwells of the stadium because there were no more seats.

Minister Farrakhan said the statement released by the police was not in accord with the facts and stood by his assertion. The Minister said the Bermuda police offered no assistance during his peacemaking efforts, additionally, the individual acting as the liaison who was arrested was released two days later with no charges, which appeared to be an attempt to disrupt the outreach effort and to intimidate those involved in the process.

“It seems to me that the police should be joyous that somebody could come from the outside that these warring factions respect on the inside, that I might be able to help to better the social climate,” said Min. Farrakhan. “We felt that the police were interfering with my meeting with these gang members and it disturbed us, because the police should be our allies, and we theirs if they are police whose desire it is to keep law and order, and our desire is to stop that which is against law and order, it would seem that we would be on the same side.”

A little over an hour later, Min. Farrakhan delivered the keynote message at a luncheon bringing together many of Bermuda's top political, religious and civic leaders. After that, he immediately went into another meeting with members of the leadership of the United Bermuda Party, the minority party in the Bermuda's Parliament. Barely taking a break, Minister Farrakhan traveled to HOTT 107.5 FM for an hour-long interview with popular radio personality Miss Thang. Caller after caller praised the Minister for his message at the National Sports Centre two days prior, and welcomed him back home. The Minister announced that he was sending back 1,000 DVD copies of the message to be distributed on the island free of charge. After leaving the studio, he was interviewed again by a young intern from Howard University, Trey Brown, who is also the son of Bermuda's Premier.

The Minister then walked up the stairs into another meeting with members of the Muslim community of Bermuda, which included immigrant Muslims, and many followers of the late Imam W.D. Mohammed. From there, Min. Farrakhan went to pay tribute to the late, Nelson Bascombe, Minister of Health and Human Services of the Progressive Labour Party, who died on July 14. As the Minister emerged from the vehicle and entered the building, many Bermudians cheered and thanked him for coming to Bermuda.

“We are truly grateful to the Minister for coming to Bermuda and speaking healing words of truth into the hearts and minds of the people,” said Michelle Kaldun, the former Permanent Secretary of Education and now the General Manager for the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation. “Whenever he spoke, the Minister encouraged self-reflection and correction as well as accountability from every sector from the top down to create a true paradise in Bermuda.”

Minister brings message of peace and unity to island nation of Bermuda (FCN, 07-30-2009)

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