One of two warring gangs in St. Vincent has promised to avenge the death of one of the two men killed in Ottley Hall on Saturday, before he is buried.
The groups have threatened to continue to attempt to kill each other’s members, saying that there will be “no white flag” or “peace treaty” and that it is not a “media war” or “police war”.
The threats were exchanged in an apparent telephone conversation, a three-minute recording of which was obtained by iWitness News.
In the voice note, which is littered with expletives, the men mention specific names of people allegedly involved in the feud and give detailed information of places where they had allegedly seen the targets of their hostility as well as the registration number of the vehicles in which they were allegedly travelling.
The conversation also suggests that the men were communicating on a video call.
“Brother, you see this here? Dis here wuking (working) in all ah dem face, brother,” one man said at the beginning of the recording.
“Dat’s why (name indiscernible) had to get plenty in he (expletive). All ah you going get dem too,” the same man said. “Brother, ah my gun me like talk (It’s my gun I like to do the talking).”
The men called several names saying that they were being praised — apparently for their actions in the feud.
“Is nah no talk behind the thing. Is nah no hide and seek thing we doing now. Is brawling. Is brawling in alyo (expletive). Is nah no mask,” one of the men said, while the other said that they would target “your sister, your mother”.
“Alyo have to know. Alyo have to know ah nuh brother. Brother, see where I passed you at (a place Kingstown) you and your girl in the week day. You (name omitted)! You see where I passed you in (vehicle registration number omitted). Hear the scene, bad man, is nah no talk behind this. Brother, is anywhere anytime. Mask, no mask. Brother, alyo can’t sleep in alyo place,” one of the men said.
“Alyo tek one ah my brothers.”
One of the men said that the person on the other side of the conversation could not pass through a particular community in St. Vincent.
“We telling you straight what happening and what coming because we ain’t talking (expletive) just so. You feel is any media war? I go show you something. Before Siah bury (expletive), all ah you. Bet you!” he said.
“You smoothing (name omitted) to try to catch man.
“Ah nah no police war; no white flag can’t wave in this. No white flag nah wave in this. No peace treaty, no surrender ah nuh, don.”
On the other side of the conversation, one man says, “Stop talk and do wha you have to.”
“Way I call yo phone fah?” one of the two prominent voices in the conversation responds.
“Me sorry me can’t meet yo face-to-face leh you talk to me gun. You think is talk (name omitted). Boy, I go reload and fully and reload and fully again. You don’t even know, dawg.”
The other name then says, “Cut the talk with he. No more talk with he. No more talk with he.”
The recording has surfaced three days after a bloody weekend in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in which two men were shot and killed and two other shot and injured in separate incidents, bringing this year’s homicide count to 30.
On Saturday, Mosiah Westfield, a labourer, of Ottley Hall, died on the scene after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds about his body in Ottley Hall.
Isiah Carter, a 19-year-old labourer, also of Ottley Hall, who was shot in the stomach, died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, where he was being treated.
In a separate incident in Cane Hall, on Saturday, Tommy Grecia, 39, of Villa, sustained multiple gunshots about his body and was taken to the MCMH for medical attention, where he is listed as in stable condition.
Then, on Sunday, Dwayne Davy, 32, unemployed, of Ottley Hall, sustained a gunshot wound to his body.
He was taken to MCMH for medical attention and was treated and discharged.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves gave the weekend violence a passing mention as he spoke on radio, on Sunday afternoon, by which time three of the shootings had occurred.
The prime minister spoke about what was expected as schools re-opened on Monday.
“And while all this fantastic work is being done. I wake up this morning with a telephone call from the Commissioner of Police giving me the usual morning security report that two young men got shot and killed,” said Gonsalves, who is also minister of national security.
“There’s so many opportunities for young people. They have to just — this obsession with guns and following some bad company and some –all this violence they see on social media and the like,” Gonsalves said.
Well he blamed the few death that use to happened in ndp time on the ndp which were mostly domestic and a argument gone bad hest of the moment, now all these killings and the man who is responsible for so-called security is missing in action. Point is he don’t give a darn let them hungry black fools kill each other I’m safe.
Aren’t you putting your own life at risk? Great journalism but ?
Youth energies need 2 b harnessed. Since 2001 ALL community, Church, women & many NGO groups seemed to have died a natural death. There are Departments/Units with paid officers responsible for ensuring the functioning of these groups, but are they uncaring, NO EMPATHY OFFICERS, so stay in their OFFICE receiving monthly salaries & travelling? Ongoing, full time, Life & skills training, With mentorship, community service & internship are a MUST so as 2 engage our Youths…..our Vincentian youths. NO IF, NO BUT…THEY ARE OUR FUTURE….WE HAVE NO CHOICE!
I want to thank you Kenton Chance for publishing this very serious matter on gun violence and the lives of those who have been killed.
It certainly must not have been an easy task. As Vincentians we continue to pray for God’s guidance and intervention as to how to handle this situation.
Then, through God’s enabling there must be more than talk…
How about :
More targeted programs on gun violence and violence as a whole
Empower officers within the community development division to address issues on gang violence and related matters
Social Media – use of social Media to highlight coping skills about little resources within the community
Renewed focus on sporting and other recreational facilities
Enforcement of the law on crime and violence
Forge partnerships with schools, homes, civil society/NGOs about greater awareness of violence
Radio Talk Shows;
Television programs and other initiatives to engage in activities to help bereaved families in jail, or in the wider community.
I am sure other persons have ideas to assist our nation.
For us to do nothing at all is to encourage what some call a “spirit of lawlessness”.
I want to say to those hurting families, the alledged gun men and sympathysing neighbors and friends….
Another death cannot replace those who have died. I urge you please to call for a cease fire and let us talk peace and safety for all.
Please, I beg you in the name of Jesus to refrain from further killings.
If you want to talk about how we can benefit from discussions, community programming and the likes, please call us:
1 784 5298518 Mondays 3:30 pm -5:00 pm or Thursdays 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm so that we can begin a mutually beneficial dialogue.
All of our lives on the island could benefit from alternative dispute resolutions.
Yours truly,
Doris D Charles (Frederick), PhD/Law
Belldnation Radio Program available through
http://www.bayhillnews.net.
RSVPF, up your game on these vagabonds, and hooligans!! they are a bunch of uneducated people who has either leave school early, or never went to school! Don’t think that it will never hit home because when it hit home, that is when it hurts the most. Go into their mother-hidden homes, and pull those bastards out!!
So, what happened to the black squad, the police force, the army guys in green. Are they afraid to attack? Look how the lawmen in svg powerless to get these gangs off the streets in a tiny island?
Send these men in the army on the frontline if they love war so much.
I blame James Mitchel and Randolph and Toussaint
A fool returns to his own vomit
The police will only go into the homes of those who opposed their slave master and will come out fully armed at peaceful demonstrators, but they have no time for criminals, seems that criminals are applauded and allowed to do what want. they can’t even catch a fly there. so scary.
If my people who ………..will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways .
It’s time to repent and turn to God o nation of SVG
Four hundred churches plus (400), can’t we not win over evil in this noble land?
Sue I agree with you, these young fools playing with their own lives, put a gun in their hands and they tun stupid.