Good afternoon to Cabinet Ministers, Members of the Legislature,
Members of the media and good afternoon to the people of Bermuda….
Today, I stand before you alongside my colleagues with a heavy heart. Our island has been shaken by recent tragic events that have left so many of us with a feeling of sorrow and disbelief.
The senseless killing of Ms Diante Trimm, a mother of five, the heart-wrenching news of the passing of four persons, including two children, over the weekend, and the shooting deaths of two young men in the early hours of yesterday morning have cast a shadow of grief over our island that is weighing down heavily on our communities.
These recent tragedies have struck the very core of so many families and friends, and their pain has reverberated throughout our entire island.
We are all hurting……... We are all hurting.
As members of the community, we are hurting with you. Bermuda is a small island where we are all intrinsically linked, and when one family or community is hurting, we all feel it.
As a father, I can only begin to imagine the pain that the mothers and fathers feel as they mourn the losses of their sons, young men with so much potential, and daughters who were taken far too soon. And I am deeply saddened at the thought of those children who have been left to navigate life without the love and guidance of their mother and the uncles, aunts and grandparents who experience the pain of losing children and grandchildren who they have loved are nurtured.
Bermuda, in these dark times, we must continue to work to ensure a more hopeful future.
We must collectively summon the strength inside of us and not allow our island to be defined by these tragedies but by how we respond to them and to one another.
We must unite to support those directly impacted by these devastating events. The losses that some families in our community have had to endure are unimaginable, and it is in these moments that we must provide them with the support systems that will help them in their time of grief and demonstrate to them that they are not alone.
I want to reassure every Bermudian that their elected Government is committed to working with Government House - who has responsibility for the police - to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents.
We understand the anxiety and fear that these events have caused, and outside of policing, this Government remains committed to investing in resources and programmes to address the root causes of the issues that our communities face.
Today, Ministers will discuss the work being done in the Ministries of Health and National Security and the resources available to support our communities. As the Minister of Finance, I am committed to ensuring that additional funds are allocated to support important initiatives that will further assist those in need in breaking the cycle of violence that our community has endured.
The recent tragedies have shown that even more needs to be invested in tackling the root causes of violence, and this Government will not ignore this reality and will continue to do its part.
But the government cannot do this alone; we need strength and unity from all of Bermuda, working together as one. This is not the time to point fingers or play politics. These are not the problems of one political party or another but matters that we must deal with together as Bermudians.
I thank the local faith leaders, community leaders, charity leaders, sports club leaders and others who have already been vocal in their prayers for our island, visible in support for the families, and in their calls for us to show compassion and stand in solidarity while using the hurt we collectively feel as a reminder that we must redouble our efforts for positive change.
It was touching to see a number of individuals gathered in harmony and prayer on the Cabinet lawn earlier this week, and I encourage us all not to lose that energy or mentality that we must work together to overcome this.
All families and residents are impacted by violence in our community. And though the results of the violence mainly impact Bermuda’s black community, there is an imperative for all sectors of the community to ensure that they are part of the solution.
The culture of silence that prevails in some parts of Bermuda and the view that it is another community’s problem are not what this island needs.
It is only through collective unity and community participation that we can bring about the change I believe we all want to see: to stop families from having to endure this pain, to find the strength to heal, to implement policies that honour those we have lost, and to build a safer Bermuda and a brighter future.
As I close, I would again like to express my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and again plead with persons in our community who have any information about the shooting of Ms Diante Trimm, the passing of the four Bermudians in the Friswells Hill area over the weekend, or yesterday’s shooting to contact the Bermuda Police Service or the confidential crime stoppers hotline.
The Bermuda Police Service have a difficult job to do, but it is made easier when they have support and cooperation from the public.
Thank you, and now I invite the Minister of Health to speak about the support services available to assist those in the aftermath of these tragedies and also the proactive work on mental health that is essential to ensure those who may be facing challenges in our community know there is support available.
I am grateful for the work that your Ministry and teams are doing to support the community and would encourage all to take advantage. These circumstances are difficult, but these resources can help residents.
I will now invite the Minister of National Security to address you and share what his Ministry and teams are doing to support the social side of the police’s enforcement efforts. I extend my thanks to you and your team for your tireless efforts in assisting the community and working with young people with the aim of breaking the multi-generational cycle of violence.