One of this island’s High Court judges is adamant that prayer alone was not enough to address the crime and violence plaguing our society.
Addressing jurors today as they completed their civic duty on the final day of the sitting at the No. 3 Supreme Court at White Park Road, St Michael, Justice Carlisle Greaves made it clear that every citizen must do his part and act if countries are to arrest the worrying problem.
“Youth are the ones who are causing this grief in these societies and the issues out there,” said Justice Greaves who was one of the judges recently appointed to deal with the backlog of cases clogging the judicial system.
Greaves was speaking moments after Roger Rommel Stephen Sealy, of No. 11 Martindale’s Road, St Michael had a murder case against him dismissed after legal arguments made in the absence of the jury where upheld. Sealy had been accused of murdering Anderson Brathwaite on January 2, 2011 in St George.
The judge pointed out how easy it was to get into trouble but how difficult it was to sometimes get out. He said citizens must realise that tempers and egos must be curbed.
His comments come as law enforcement officials continue to seek solutions to arrest spiralling crime and violence, often with the use of firearms. Barbados recorded 49 murders in 2019 and five so far this year.
His comments also came moments before the Royal Barbados Police Force issued a statement about a number of schoolboys being involved in a fight at the Oistins Bus Terminal. Two of those students were transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment following the morning incident while another seven were assisting with investigations in the matter.
“What contribution are we as adults making . . . to the state of affairs that we have found ourselves in these countries with our youthful people? From this, you must be convinced about how you must rear your children. You must now realise it is not just for the teachers to do, not just for the Church to do.
“It is never going to happen by prayer alone. I saw . . . recently something that suggests that the only thing that can help us is prayer. I disagree,” the High Court Judge said.
“I think that even by He who taught us to prayer ‘Our Father which art in Heaven . . .’ even by Him, He also shows that it is our duty to get up and act. So He did not wait when the sheep went astray . . . and pray for it to come back. He told them ‘you should go and look for your sheep and bring it back’.
He didn’t wait when the multitude was starving and pray that manna would come down. He didn’t wait and pray to see if fish would come out the seas. No, He stood up and reached out His hands and said ‘cast out thy nets’. He didn’t say wait let dem fish jump in de boat. He didn’t say that. He said ‘cast out thy nets’ . . . that’s action.
“So prayer alone will not help us,” the judge added.
He said the onus was on each individual, to take action to ensure societies are safer and citizens behave in the manner that they should.
“So, if you see something, say something. You know people are doing foolishness; you know they have the guns around in the houses . . . around the place, do something about it. That is what you have to do. Every single one of us must act.
“Speak to your sons, and your daughters, and your nephews, and your cousins about how to be good citizens regardless of the challenges that we face. And I think when you do that and you could save but one, then you would have done your duty. I think if everyone was to do that we would make a worthwhile contribution to the betterment of this country because the one thing I think we have learnt is that today it is somebody else, tomorrow is us,” Justice Greaves said.
