标签： Barbados

A Barbados magistrate has ordered the incarceration of a repeat offender following his failure to comply with court-mandated bail requirements. Richarre Rossini Steve Angelo Martin, a 47-year-old individual without a permanent residence, faced judicial consequences in the District ‘A’ Traffic Court on Thursday after violating the terms of his release.

The sequence of events began when Martin initially appeared before the court on November 17, where he entered guilty pleas for three distinct criminal charges. These included possession of equipment intended for cannabis use, obstructing Police Constable Terron Greenidge in performing official duties, and unlawfully wounding the officer during an incident on November 14.

During his November court appearance, Martin successfully petitioned Magistrate Alison Burke for personal bail, claiming sole responsibility for an elderly relative’s care and asserting he had no immediate access to a surety. The court granted his release under a $1,000 bail arrangement with instructions to return on November 19—a commitment Martin failed to honor, prompting the issuance of an arrest warrant.

When finally brought before the Bridgetown court, Martin presented a mitigation plea citing his father’s medical emergency, claiming the elder suffered multiple strokes beginning on November 19. Magistrate Burke demonstrated limited tolerance for this explanation, noting the defendant had an entire month to communicate with the court regarding his circumstances but chose not to do so.

The court also considered Martin’s extensive criminal history, which includes seventeen prior convictions. Despite his apologetic appeal for another chance based on personal difficulties, Magistrate Burke remained unwavering in her decision. She ordered Martin remanded to Dodds Prison, where he will remain incarcerated until his next scheduled court appearance on January 16, 2026.

A tranquil afternoon in Merricks, St Philip, was shattered by a burst of gunfire on Wednesday, leaving a 25-year-old man hospitalized and a community grappling with fear and frustration. The incident, occurring near Bayleys Primary School at approximately 2:25 p.m., has exposed deepening concerns about public safety and social decay in this Barbadian parish.

According to official police reports, the violence erupted when a vehicle approached a group socializing outside a local business establishment. An occupant from the vehicle discharged multiple rounds before speeding away from the scene. Eyewitness accounts provided to Barbados TODAY indicate the same assailants, described as masked men, subsequently traveled to the River Land area where additional shots were fired, allegedly injuring more victims.

Local residents described the scene with visceral horror. One man, interrupted while preparing his lunch, recounted the terrifying moments: ‘A fella got shot in his hand and the other in some other part of his body. He was hollering real loud. It was really loud, a heavy gun too, about 20 shots.’ The victim required emergency medical attention, with first responders taking measures to treat what appeared to be an air embolism in the wound.

The shooting marks the second such incident in the community within three months, ending what elderly residents describe as decades of peaceful coexistence. An 89-year-old lifelong resident expressed her disbelief: ‘I was eating soup. I live here all my life and I never see a thing like that.’ Her daughter, living elsewhere, immediately called to check on her safety, highlighting how news of the violence spread rapidly through concerned family networks.

Community members are now speaking out about what they perceive as a dangerous cultural shift. One male resident voiced his disgust at the normalization of violence: ‘This thing cruel, man. When a man could be hollering so hard, he in the ambulance, and you hear him hollering.’ He criticized the culture of idleness among young men, stating, ‘Get work. Work never does anybody anything. When you always liming on the block, what you expect going to happen? Gunshots have no direction.’

The concerned neighbor drew troubling comparisons to Jamaica’s gang violence, suggesting Barbados is mirroring negative regional trends: ‘We going on like Jamaica, they practicing to be like Jamaica… a lot of turf wars does be going on. Barbados too small for that.’ As a father of two, he issued an urgent plea for government intervention to ‘clear out blocks across the country,’ describing the situation as ‘out of hand.’

Parents also came under scrutiny for what community members perceive as inadequate supervision. ‘The children leave home on a morning and come out on a block to smoke. You don’t befriend your children, you need to be stern,’ one resident admonished, emphasizing the importance of instilling discipline and work ethic in youth.

The aftermath has transformed the typically vibrant neighborhood into what residents describe as a ‘ghost town,’ with the usual sounds of music and socializing replaced by an uneasy silence. In River Land, where the shooting continued, residents maintained a wall of silence when approached for information, reflecting widespread fears about retaliation.

One woman who was at work during the incident proposed establishing an anonymous hotline separate from police channels, noting that residents are too frightened to speak openly. While grateful her family remained unharmed, she joined growing calls for concrete solutions to address what many now describe as a crisis threatening the very fabric of their community.

The community of Martins Bay in St John faces severe disruption to daily life due to chronically unreliable bus services, forcing residents to adopt extreme measures for basic mobility. Workers and commuters report leaving home hours early and incurring substantial expenses for alternative transportation amid complete uncertainty about bus arrivals.

Local resident Danesha Maxwell, 26, characterized the service as ‘exceptionally poor,’ particularly during daytime and evening operations. ‘There are days with two-hour gaps between buses,’ Maxwell explained. ‘This creates tremendous frustration for workers with fixed schedules, requiring us to depart at least an hour earlier than necessary since missing one bus doesn’t guarantee another will arrive.’

Multiple residents interviewed near Newcastle junction detailed systematic service failures. Buses supposedly scheduled hourly often fail to materialize, with particularly severe gaps between 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM. The transportation breakdown creates safety concerns and severely restricts mobility, with commuters sometimes not reaching home until 7:30 PM despite theoretically earlier departures.

The inadequate service forces residents into difficult choices: walking long distances, seeking rides from neighbors, or paying exorbitant taxi fares exceeding $100 for trips from Bridgetown to Martins Bay. Some residents allege certain drivers refuse to service the Martins Bay route despite instructions, a claim Transport Board Chief Operations Officer Lynda Holder says will undergo internal investigation.

While road conditions in the area show gradual improvement through the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation project—funded by a BDS$230 million loan from China’s Export-Import Bank—residents emphasize that transportation reliability remains the immediate crisis. Beyond infrastructure, community members advocate for enhanced social facilities, including parks and youth engagement programs to address broader community needs.

In a significant policy reversal, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has declared the government’s intention to restore long leave benefits for educators beginning in 2026. The announcement, delivered during parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday, aims to resolve what the Prime Minister characterized as a “long and vexatious matter” that has plagued the education sector since the benefit’s suspension in 2014.

The educational community has responded with measured optimism. Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS) President Robin Douglas expressed that administrators and teachers were “extremely encouraged” by the commitment, noting that the reinstatement would allow educators to “rest, recuperate, rejuvenate and return with greater inspired attention.” Douglas tempered expectations by acknowledging financial constraints would likely prevent implementation before the 2026 financial year.

Retired educator Jeff Broomes, who served as teachers’ union vice-president during the initial suspension, welcomed the move as “long overdue” while emphasizing the reality of teacher burnout. Broomes advocated for prioritizing educators denied leave since 2014 and suggested reforming eligibility requirements from the previous 15-year threshold to 10 years for initial leave with five-year intervals thereafter.

The policy restoration follows sustained advocacy from teachers’ unions and legal challenges including a 2017 judicial review and a High Court judgment in December 2023. Barbados Union of Teachers President Rudy Lovell has called for urgent consultations, expressing hope for resolution by January’s end. The move represents a substantial victory for Barbados’ educational professionals after nearly a decade of suspended benefits.

In a powerful fusion of environmentalism and social advocacy, the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD) launched a landmark tree-planting ceremony Wednesday evening along the Barbados Trailway in St. George. The event, which gathered disability organizations, sports leaders, and community partners, inaugurated a year-long initiative to plant 50 trees across the island by June 2025—each serving as a living tribute to individuals and organizations that have advanced disability inclusion over five decades.

BCD President Patricia Padmore-Blackman framed the initiative as a profound symbol of commitment to inclusion and hope. “This activity symbolizes our dedication to finding ways of including persons with disabilities and others,” she declared before an audience that included representatives from Barbados’ foremost disability organizations. The council expressed particular gratitude to its partners, acknowledging their “invaluable contribution to persons with disabilities” while looking forward to “going from strength to strength” in their collaborative journey.

The ceremony attracted significant leadership from Barbados’ disability sports community. Ryan Brathwaite, President of the Paralympic Association of Barbados, celebrated the BCD’s 50-year legacy as having “stood the test of time” and emphasized his organization’s commitment to championing disability sports alongside the council. Roger Dyall, Acting National Director of Special Olympics Barbados, highlighted the often-invisible nature of intellectual disabilities, stressing that “it is very, very important for those persons with disabilities to be seen, to be heard, to have jobs and to be recognized in the community for their contribution.”

Accessibility and inclusion emerged as central themes throughout the evening. Ralph Luther, Lead Volunteer for the Barbados Trailway Project, emphasized that the trailway was designed as more than infrastructure—it represents a conscious effort to create “a safe space and set standards for Barbados” where people of all abilities can exercise and belong. The trailway’s commitment to accessibility includes soliciting user feedback to continuously improve inclusive design.

The innovative project incorporates technology to enhance its educational impact. According to BCD Operations Manager Roseanna Tudor, each tree will feature a QR code providing historical information about honored organizations including the Paralympic Association, Special Olympics Barbados, and IncludeU Sports Academy. This digital dimension transforms the living memorial into an interactive educational resource for trailway visitors.

Supported by organizations including Kiwanis, Pride of Barbados, and the Rotary Club of Barbados South, the initiative has already planted three mahogany trees with more scheduled throughout the coming months. The project will culminate in June 2025 as the BCD’s anniversary year concludes, leaving a growing legacy that honors those who have empowered Barbados’ disability community.