BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – EACH time a life is lost to some senseless act of violence, it is normally viewed in a vacuum; untouched by and not necessarily intermingled with the emotions that were evoked by the previous.
There is “a wall”, possibly unlike any other. It catalogues – although not in detail – the victims of the carnage which threatens to characterise our communities.
On it are approximately 160 mini-posters bearing the names and faces of the slaughtered individuals.
Positioned in the room at the International University of Nursing (IUON) which is being used to facilitate Operation Future’s “Rescue From the Abyss” forum, participants of the symposium were faced with the painful reminder of the negative impact of violence.
Shamari Williams (18), Dennis Akeem Marryshaw (18), Keano Lawrence (18), Ikimba Bradley (17), Jusan Hendricks (18), Joash Smithen (16), Icimba ‘Ratty’ Bradley, Eric Weekes (16), Ken White (18), Stancia Lake (14), Bejay Dore (14), Belisha Elliott (7), Isha ‘Paper’ Caines, Kareem ‘Sleepy’ Browne (21), Lincoln Liburd (20), Venroy ‘Paulie’ Hazel (23), Kevaughn ‘Boom’ Hodge (21), Orlando Williams (25), Shermel Phillip (27), Bernard ‘Bobo Hortical’ Richards (25), Chantelica Thompson (20), Karanado ‘Kasper’ Otto (29), Alexter Eloni Jeffers (23), Delvin ‘Tubal’ Romney (22), Darren Gibson (22), Charles ‘Abaloo’ Benjamin (32), Shawn ‘X-Man’ Dias Williams, Fitzroy ‘Skelly’ Bradshaw (30), Constable Delvin ‘Big Daddy’ Nisbett (32), Leon ‘Machine’ Thompson (34), Deon Warner, Maxwell Christopher (35), Everad ‘Nitty’ Hewlette (31), Sgt. Clive Benjamin (38), Brian ‘DJ Benjie’ Farrell (43), Clive Williams (40), Laughton ‘Laffie’ Phillip (46) and Terrence ‘De Whale’ Francis (40) are some of the persons featured on the wall.
Founder of Operation Future and member of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force Constable Lauston Percival explained the purpose of the wall and the response the concept has received.
“The reason why we thought it best to put up the wall is to let people know, to sensitise persons about how many people we have lost, the age range, how they died…And we feel it is something important so we would know definitely what we are dealing with and how to go forward in dealing with the problem. We have on the wall at least 160 persons who have died as a result of violence, and bearing in mind all the pictures and names are not there. We went back for the past five years. If we had gotten all, we would have had to use another portion of the wall.
“We saw persons looking at the wall and speaking of the persons they knew. So the wall has some sort of message, especially to the young persons who were viewing it yesterday. Lots of them were looking at those of similar age to them and realising that they (the deceased) are gone yet the (the observers) are still here on the land of the living. So the best thing to do is to stay on the right path. So the wall has a deep message.”
