USVI marches against guns as murders increase
As BVI residents grapple with a number of deaths linked to gun violence, residents of the US Virgin Islands took to the streets on Sunday, June 11 to march against guns, which claimed the lives of two 16-year-old boys within 24 hours.
One of the boys was shot and killed inside a gas station on St Thomas on Friday night, while the other was shot and killed on St Croix. The two shootings bring the USVI’s murder tally to 20 since the start of the year.
USVI senator Angel Bolques said gun violence is becoming too common in the territory and said more aggressive strategies are needed to fight the problem.
“The number of gun related deaths continue to rise in the Virgin Islands, and we must develop and implement aggressive strategies that take illegal weapons out of our communities. I am more than ready to sit down with my colleagues and with local and federal law enforcement to increase the speed and efficacy of gun violence mitigation,” Bolques concluded.
What’s going on in the BVI
Meanwhile the BVI usually has fewer murders than the USVI every year. But in recent weeks, residents have expressed concern about the number of shootings and murders in the community. There has been no known calls from the church or non-governmental agencies for a public march against gun violence, but residents have been bemoaning the shootings, which usually claim the lives of males.
The police do not generally release the motives for the crimes but many residents attribute them to the illicit drug trade. This was confirmed by Governor John Rankin at a recent press conference where he expressed that gangs involved in the drug trade are behind most shootings and murders in the BVI.
Although Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, Governor Rankin and the Police Commissioner have pledged that they will be tougher on crime, no new measures have been announced to tackle gun violence in communities across the territory.
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Young Black fatherless males,with ties to the upper Caribbean blah blah the usual process of self elimination and anhialation.
Stand by for the blame game.
THAT WERE SO ENTHUSIASTIC , TO SIT IN THE STREET TO CREATE A FAKE PROTEST ( WHICH WAS ONLY A PUBLICITY STUNT , FOR THE CAMERA AND NEWS SITES , WHERE ARE THOSE HOLY PASTORS / BISHOP / CHRISTIAN COUNCIL ✝️ ? ? ( NO OFFENSE ) BUT YOU JOKERS NEED TO BE IN HOLLYWOOD , YOU ALL ARE GIFTED WITH THE ART OF DECEPTION /
Will s**wman and Kye go over to their neighbors and lend the USVI misguided Governor their support. Guess that the Governor came to support this inept admin in an effort to lessen the drug and murder rate over there. He knows slowman has no crime plan so why not give them his support. But the people are sensible they are marching again crime. What are we doing feteing nonstop and we blame Britian, Governor and the police commissioner. Thx mistake government.
LOL are the difference….in the BVI- we SIT and block roads, but in the USVI- they MARCH on the roads LOL
Watch out for the guns!! They’ve been going off on their own…….dont pay attention to the young thugs pulling the trigger….its the guns fault dummy.
I don’t understand these marches against guns and march against violence, people would march against the government to change or enact laws, because the government had the power to do that. So the next time a drug dealer was going to shoot the other drugs dealer, cause he wan he money, he not going to shoot, because ayo walk up and down the street till you was musty? I swear the government putting something in the water making people stupid