In an emotional address to the country, Prime Minister Mia Mottley strongly condemned the tragic death of 13-year-old Shawnaton Chase who was shot while watching a netball game in Silver Hill, Christ Church on Tuesday night..
“Last night, an innocent child lost his life having been caught in the crossfire of senseless violence,” Prime Minister Mottley said, her voice shaky at times. “A young life full of promise has been extinguished prematurely.”
She lamented that some persons appeared bent on perpetrating crime, and insisted that the fight against violence cannot be won a single entity but requires a collective response from citizens.
“I say it all the time. Guns do not walk, nor do they talk. They are wielded by people who choose to settle disputes through violence, rather than through dialog.”
Directly addressing those involved in crime, the Prime Minister pleaded for an end to the senseless violence. “To those who believe that guns are the answer, I beseech you, I beg you to consider the innocent lives that you are endangering. You were not brought into this world to do this to the mothers, the fathers, the sisters, the brothers, the friends, the grandmothers, grandparents, godparents, anybody, somebody. On the brink of making these choices, bring them back, intervene, talk with them, have the difficult but necessary conversations. Encourage them to put down the weapons and seek peaceful resolutions.”
Mottley also stressed the need to protect the nation’s children, calling for sacred spaces and a violence-free society. “There must still be things in this world that are sacred, places that are off limits, moments that are not to be violated, and above all else, our children, our future, our sons and our daughters must remain untouched by the madness that is seeking to tear our communities apart. There’s enough madness in this world. We don’t need to have it here. A child should never have to run from gunfire. Should never be caught in the crosshairs of vengeance. Should never have their laughter silenced by bullets. And if we can’t agree on anything else. If we can agree on anything else, let us agree on this. Our children are not and must never be our targets. They’re not to be collateral damage. Our children and our elderly are the lines that we must never cross, and we have to come to a pact in this country about it.”
The Prime Minister assured the public of the government’s commitment to curbing violence while appealing to each citizen to play their part to stop violence.
“As your Prime Minister, but more importantly, as a fellow citizen, as a fellow Bajan, we have to lead all of us by example, and I commit sort of to do. We will continue as a government to implement and support initiatives aimed at curbing violence and providing opportunities for our young people. But my friends believe you me, policies are not enough, and I can say it over and over and over when I am in this office, out of this office, policies will never be enough. It is the actions that each of us take in our homes, in our schools, in our communities, that is what is going to bring about real change.”
Mottley extended her deepest condolences to the bereaved family. “I want to extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family. I’ve already spoken to his father. I want to extend my condolences to his friends, his schoolmates, his teachers, all of them today are going to be feeling and grieving the loss. No words, no words can ease the pain of losing a child, a brother, a grandchild, a friend, but please. Please know that you are not going to walk alone. I hope to continue to provide this support,” she said.
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