Photos: Musicians decry gun violence, sex crimes

Musicians from across the British Virgin Islands sent a powerful message of peace from a ‘Stop The Crime’ concert held at Tortola Pier Park last evening in response to the territory’s murder rate that currently stands at six.

Children and adults packaged their messages in songs, poetry, dance, or short speeches.

Maccabee sent a most timely warning directly to gunmen, considering that the gun was the weapon of choice in four or almost 67 percent of the murders committed locally since the start of the year.

He told the audience: “With unity, we will stop the crime. We have to come together as one. Too much gun thing; too much gun shots a fly through the village… You fi stop kill because you can’t give life.”

Maccabee then sang an entire song questioning and rebuking gunmen. “Tell me how do you feel when someone’s life you have taken. Mr Gunman, don’t you know that you are wrong leaving little children to grieve for their parents. Mr Gunman, where do you think you are gonna go? Well, it’s not to Heaven when someone’s life you have just taken. Mr Gunman, there is no escaping,” Maccabee sang.

Another entertainer, Ritseeniyah Georges-Haughton, gave one of the most creative and powerful presentations for the night – mixing songs with poetry as well as sage advice.

“As a wise man once said, for evil to prosper, good men must do nothing. This is our home; this is our BVI; let’s be our brothers’ and our sisters’ keepers. Let’s protect our home. One BVI; stop the crime,” she said, while she turned the spotlight on what she labels a ‘different kind’ of crime called child sexual abuse.

“We are here about stopping the crime; there is a lot of different types of crime. This particular issue; I have seen too much in the newspapers… Parents, we need to watch our children,” Ritseeniyah appealed.

Turn to Jesus

In the meantime, Shiloh, an artiste usually known especially for Soca music, last evening declared that he has turned to Gospel.

According to him, Jesus is the solution for the crime problem facing the British Virgin Islands.

“I am repping God. So it would be wrong for me to come off here (the stage) and not tell you the real solution to the problem – which is Jesus. We could do all we want but, unless we come in contact and respect the man Jesus, this [crime problem] will always be happening,” Shiloh continued.

“You are killing your own brother, your own sister, your cousin, a distant cousin, your friends, for what? I like this event that Boss, the Lions Club, and everybody doing because we have to stand up against crime. It ain’t gonna take nothing for us to stand up together,” added Shiloh.

Another artiste, Aaron ‘King Jedi’ Parillion, lauded the organizers of the Stop The Crime concert. “We stop crime by showing love,” he noted.

Several other artistes performed at the peace concert. Some are in the photos below:

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