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VOLUME:117 No.130, JUNE 2ND, 2020

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THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

SPORT: COVID DASHES ORVEO’S BASEBALL DREAM

PAGES

ISLANDS TRAVEL GETS GO AHEAD

Block on travelling around the country to end next week

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net DOMESTIC travel will resume next Monday without the need for a COVID-19 travel card, the Office of the Prime Minister announced yesterday.

The OPM said in a statement: “Commercial airlines are expected to start taking reservations on Tuesday, 2 June, for inter-island flights.

“Passengers travelling from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Bimini by aircraft, mailboat or passenger ferry will be required to complete a standardised

travel form and a standardised health form at the time of check-in. These short forms will be used to collect contact information and a COVID-19 risk assessment by health officials.

“The system announced today will replace the application and assessment process that was initially put in place to accommodate inter-island travel, effective immediately. Those who have already applied will receive travel authorisation from the Ministry of Health by email prior to June 8.”

After two months of a COVID-19 lockdown, the SEE PAGE THREE

THE Minnis administration is still considering whether it will require tourists to produce a negative PCR test result to gain entry into the country but have ruled out visitors being forced into quarantine.

Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday a 14-day quarantine period is out of the

question for visitors. “If you require a 14-day quarantine you’re not in the tourism business so that will no longer become a requirement,” said Mr D’Aguilar.

The Minnis administration is looking to reopen the country on July 1, with international commercial flights expected to resume on that date. But with COVID-19 still impacting countries there is risk SEE PAGE THREE

FACE-TO-FACE

WE CAN LEARN FROM WHAT’S GOING ON IN US

SEE PAGE EIGHT

ATLANTIS IN REOPENING PUSH BACK

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

ATLANTIS has delayed its phased re-opening until June 25 at the earliest. The mega resort has pushed back plans to re-open the Royal Towers, and associated amenities, by 10 days two weeks after unveiling June 15 as the target date.

Atlantis also admits that the June 25 cannot be set in stone due to ongoing uncertainty over when The Bahamas will open its borders to international travel.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

FOREIGN VISITORS WILL NOT FACE QUARANTINE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HO&USE

WHO NEEDS A BEACH? SEVEN-year-old Skye Simms enjoying herself in her pool on Bank Holiday Monday yesterday Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

HURRICANE SHELTERS EXPANDED

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of Disaster Preparedness Iram Lewis said officials are increasing hurricane shelter capacity to ensure people in these facilities can maintain social distance amid the COVID19 pandemic. His comments came during a virtual press conference on Sunday, where stakeholders discussed the country’s readiness for the hurricane season, which began yesterday.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

ENVOYS ON ALERT OVER FLOYD KILLING

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS’ Ambassador to the United States Sidney Collie yesterday said all of the Bahamian consulates in America are closely monitoring the mass protests that have spread across the nation after an African-American man was killed while being detained by police officers in Minnesota.

George Floyd’s death

VICTIM: George Floyd sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and excessive force used

on unarmed black people.

Bystander cell phone footage caught Mr Floyd’s last moments as a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, while other officers knelt on his back. Mr Floyd repeatedly gasped “I can’t breathe” before he died.

“All of the consulates spread across the United States, which include Miami, Atlanta, the

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE 10

PETER YOUNG

ANOTHER CHINA CRISIS WITH HONG KONG?

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Tuesday, June 2, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

MINISTRY MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF RAMSEY AND JOHN THE one year anniversary of the disappearance of Alrae Ramsey and Dr Blair John in Italy was marked on Friday. The two men’s bodies were found days later, on June 4 and 5, after being pulled from the River Po in Turin.

Autopsies later revealed the two men had drowned - despite the mother of Dr John describing him as a strong swimmer. Questions continued to swirl around the events that led to the men’s deaths.

On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marked

the anniversary by remembering the pair, with Mr Ramsey having been a worker for the ministry.

In a statement, the ministry recalled the moment it got word that “Mr Alrae Ramsey, one of our own, had been reported as having been found in distressing circumstances. And mere moments later, the news reached us that he had passed” and how later “the same news reached us about Dr Blair John, his high school and college friend”.

The Ministry added: “From that first notification,

the entire Ministry became engaged with this disconcerting concern. The Government of The Bahamas has been and remains fully engaged in the investigation of the case, the outcome of which, to date, has not brought a sense of satisfaction or closure to the families, friends or to the Government. The Bahamas Government, through the engagement of an Italian Law Firm, continues to press the Italian Government for answers as to the cause of their untimely deaths.​ “On this day, we

remember Alrae and appreciate that his life was short, but we know that he served his purpose in the grand scheme of things, particularly in the way he made an impression on his surroundings. His future with us was bright. To a person, we say that it was a privilege to have known him and to have worked with him.”

The ministry also paid tribute to Dr John, saying: “Although his life was not immediately connected the Ministry, he and Alrae had many mutual friends in the ministry. Dr John will be

Mable gets a special visit as she hits 103 ABOVE: Mable Russell sits with her daughters and grand daughters at her home in Lewis Yard, West Grand Bahama. From left are Candice Rolle, 35, Cleola Russell, 74, Chantavia Adderley, 32, Allison Wilson, 1, Inez Pinder, 77, Ms. Russell, Pearl Russell, 66, and Jewel Russell, 68; below: Mable talks to Iram Lewis, the MP for Central Grand Bahama.

Photos: Tim Aylen/SURGE Media

remembered as a person who was God fearing and well-rounded, excelling not only in academics but also in sports on a national and international level. Both young men left a legacy of being gentlemen and scholars.”

Members of the ministry met the men’s mothers, Alrae’s sister and Blair’s father last week.

The statement added: “We take this opportunity to extend to both families our heartfelt condolences on a sad and painful anniversary.​We will keep Alrae

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net GRAND Bahama centenarian Lottie Mable Thomas-Russell celebrated her 103rd birthday on Saturday with a phone call from Governor-General of the Bahamas C A Smith who wished her a happy birthday.

Iram Lewis, MP for Central Grand Bahama, and former Ambassador Maurice Moore also paid a visit to Mrs Russell at her home in Lewis Yard to extend sentiments and to deliver an official letter from the Governor-General.

The Water Cay native is the oldest living resident in Grand Bahama. She was born on May 30, 1917, and married Horatio Russell (now deceased) on April 19, 1939.

They had 10 children – five boys and five girls. Her daughter Pearl Russell said: “I am very happy that Mother is blessed to see her 103rd birthday and that she still has her memory, and a good mind.”

Ms Russell, at age 31, was a midwife and delivered many babies on Water Cay. In addition to her time as a midwife, she was one of the first straw vendors and would travel between Water Cay, and mainland Grand Bahama to sell her straw goods to tourists in Freeport, and West End. In 1965, she and her husband relocated to Grand Bahama, where

and Blair and their families in our thoughts always. We ask that all Bahamians and their friends to do likewise.​ “Ramsey, a foreign service officer on study leave in Vienna, was reportedly in Turin on a break. He and his friend, John, were staying at a bed and breakfast establishment at Via la Loggia 2 in Turin.

John, a 28-year-old Saint Mary’s University graduate student, was there to attend a psychology conference.

The men both attended Saint Augustine’s College in New Providence.

they settled in Lewis Yard. They built the Mission House, which served as a meeting place for revivals. During her spare time, she also made a variety of jams from native fruits, sea grape, and mango & guava, and baked coconut and pineapple tarts, and corn and potato bread.

At age 97, this God-fearing lady became a published author of short sermons on Amazon.

MP Lewis said it was an honour to visit and spend time with Ms Russell on her birthday. She is not only a constituent of Mr Lewis but also a close relative of his father.

“She hails from Water Cay and is my father’s first cousin. As her cousin, MP, and fellow sojourner, I pray God’s continued blessing over her and her family,” said Mr Lewis, who is also Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management, Reconstruction.

Mr Lewis said that Ms Russell was very appreciative of the visit and prayed for them. “It was an honour to visit with her along with His Excellency, The Hon. Maurice E. Moore, and presented an official letter from the Governor-General, who also called during our visit, congratulating her on reaching such a blessed milestone,” he said. While visiting with her and her daughters Pearl, Jewel, and Sybil, she in turn prayed for and blessed us for taking the time out to seek her out on her special day,” he said.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Block on travelling around country to end next week from page one pace of reopening the country has quickened in recent weeks, with this news of domestic travel resumption following the recent move to Phase Three of the government’s reopening plan.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has identified July 1 as the target date for resuming international commercial flights to this country.

In fact, The Bahamas was recently listed among 44 other top holiday destinations that airlines hope abandon a 14-day quarantine rule. The 45-nation list was agreed by British Airways, Easyjet and Virgin Atlantic and sent to ministers in the British government.

“As part of the ongoing and phased reopening of the country, domestic borders will be opened for regular domestic commercial flights and for domestic pleasure craft and yachts,” the OPM said.

“Individuals travelling aboard pleasure craft and yachts leaving from a marina in New Providence, Grand Bahama or Bimini should submit travel and health forms before departing.

If leaving from a private dock, individuals will be required to fill out and submit forms at the point of entry. The Ministries

THE Ministry of Health confirmed on Friday that there is one additional confirmed case of COVID19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 102. There have been eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Grand Bahama, 80 confirmed cases in New Providence, one confirmed case in Cat Cay, and 13 confirmed cases on the island of Bimini.

The newly confirmed case is a 38-year-old New Providence woman, with no history of travel. This case is in isolation at home.

Health officials continue to follow the condition of the other current COVID-19 positive cases.

Investigations are ongoing.

The Ministry of Health has reminded individuals who have been advised to remain home in quarantine or isolation that they are expected to stay in their homes until the time of quarantine or isolation has ended. The Ministry asked that consideration be given to having a family member complete shopping errands for essential items.

Following this advice, the Ministry said, is paramount to avoiding the spread of COVID-19 in the communities. Persons violating the quarantine protocols could face a $20,000 fine or up to five years in prison.

of Health and Tourism are developing a digital solution to help to further streamline this process in the weeks ahead.

“Airlines are working to ensure various protocols including enhanced cleaning procedures for aircraft, ensuring that all staff utilise masks/facial coverings.

Operational procedures to ensure physical distancing on board the aircraft and during the boarding process will be implemented.

“The Airport Authority and Port Authority have developed various protocols for reopening of domestic travel and will continue to make adjustments as necessary to improve systems. Travellers should note that due to physical distancing protocols, the check-in process may take longer than usual. Please arrive early to check-in.”

In mid-May, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said domestic travel would be facilitated by a COVID-19 travel card. That reversed policy required individuals to register with the Ministry of Health and submit to an evaluation by a Ministry of Health authorised physician in the public or private sector to determine the presence of any symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

Editorial View - Page 6

MINNIS ACCEPTS DONATION OF FACE SHIELDS FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS

FROM left: Audley Bain, Deputy Director, Supply Management Agency, Public Hospitals Authority; Patricia Cleare, General Manager Operations, The SignMan; Dr. Hubert Minnis; Marie Rodland-Allen, CIBC FirstCaribbean Managing Director.

Photo: OPM Communications Unit

FOREIGN VISITORS WILL NOT FACE QUARANTINE from page one

tourists will bring the disease here and cause an outbreak. There are inherent difficulties in requiring persons considering a holiday in the Bahamas to get a PCR molecular swab test,” Mr D’Aguilar, pictured, said. “Just in the last six weeks of requiring it for returning residents or returning citizens, there have been challenges in people getting those tests.

“If you’re going to restart the economy and you’re looking to make the destination attractive to people to come here for a holiday, you are kinda in a conundrum on what sort of testing there has to be. The PCR test has an enormous limitation. It is a test taken at one point in time. Given the fact that it could take two to three to four days to get this test result, the timing mitigates the risk somewhat but doesn’t provide you with the coverage you want.”

Mr D’Aguilar said “COVID-19 is here for the rest of our lives,” emphasising that the country cannot stay in a cycle of curfews or lockdowns forever or even

until a vaccine is created.

“You have to understand we’re not going to eliminate the risk,” he said. “We have to work to mitigate the risk.

Mitigation takes many forms, like wear a mask on the plane and while in the destination make sure you social distance; make sure there’s adequate protection in place to diminish the touch points and sanitise points; temperature checking, etc.

“Currently there are no rapid tests which would be ideal to fulfil the requirements for testing if there is one but PCR tests take too long to do and are not proving to be a possible, viable option.

COVID-19 is here for the rest of our lives. We all keep holding on for a vaccine but we can’t remain in a situation for lockdown and curfews until a vaccine is developed, that’s not a viable alternative.”

The Bahamas was recently listed among 44 other top holiday destinations that airlines hope abandon the 14-day quarantine rule. The 45-nation list was agreed by British Airways, Easyjet and Virgin Atlantic. The list was sent to ministers in the British government.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis accepted a donation of face shields to be used by healthcare workers on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19, during a special presentation at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday.

The donation by CIBC FirstCaribbean is part of $25,000 worth of PPE produced by local manufacturer The SignMan to help the Ministry of Health meet the critical needs of the healthcare workforce.

“The face shields will be distributed to healthcare workers on New Providence, Grand Bahama and throughout the Family Islands through our central supply agency,” Dr Minnis, who is also temporarily serving

as minister of health, said.

“Thank you for this generous donation. It comes at a critical time and I assure that it will be put to good use.”

Marie Rodland-Allen, CIBC FirstCaribbean managing director, said: “We recognise the essential role of frontline medical professionals in maintaining a strong healthcare system. In hospitals, clinics, and homes around The Bahamas, these individuals unwaveringly continue to care for patients. Aware of the risks presented, the face shields donated are for their added protection as they continue to defend the health and safety of our country.

Healthcare workers have our deepest gratitude and admiration.”

PAGE 4, Tuesday, June 2, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

CAY VENDORS KEEN TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

VENDORS at Arawak Cay and Potter’s Cay Dock say they are anxious to resume operations and are hoping to be given the “green light” soon to conduct business as it’s “unfair” that more businesses are allowed to operate, while their establishments remain closed.

This comes after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced on Thursday that the country is advancing to stage three of the government’s reopening plan from the COVID-19 lockdown, which allows non-essential storefront businesses to open with essential staff.

However, he added that restaurants, except for curbside and deliveries, and cultural entertainment facilities will remain closed on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Bimini.

Questioned about the re-opening of Arawak Cay restaurants, Dr Minnis

said the government is still reviewing the dates for when Arawak Cay restaurant establishments will be allowed to re-open.

He said: “We’re looking at that now so hopefully Fish Fry can engage in delivery services, but we also know the challenges restaurants will have in a closed environment and we’re also looking at the possibility of having outside cafes so we can have them spaced out.”

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, the operations manager at Arawak Cay, Paul Willie, said while Arawak vendors are anxious to return to work, officials must be assured by government that it has been

deemed safe to re-open. In view of this, he said officials are working out safety protocols for when the popular hub will be allowed to resume operations.

“The vendors are anxious to return and the authorities are anxious to have Arawak Cay reopen but there are some protocols that must take place and also, there’s some steps that the vendors have to do too to help with the protocols,” he told The Tribune on Friday.

“When we re-open it’s not going to be business as usual. There are some protocols that must take place – wearing of your mask and serving with your gloves, etc. Even with the hours, the hours are

going to have to change (and) these protocols will be enforced.

Asked yesterday if there were any concerns expressed by vendors about not returning to Fish Fry given the economic uncertainty due to COVID-19, Mr Willie replied “no”.

This comes months after the government ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses and the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay and the stalls at Potter’s Cay in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

However, in view of the Prime Minister’s recent announcements, some vendors say it’s “unfair” that non-essential businesses along with

REPATRIATION FLIGHT COMING FROM FLORIDA • A REPATRIATION flight for Bahamian citizens and residents stuck in the United States will leave Florida today at 2pm. Passengers who were booked for Friday’s return flight, which was postponed, will be accommodated on today’s flight, Bahamasair said. Today’s flight is the latest exercise to bring Bahamians

who were stranded in the US amid the COVID-19 pandemic home. The Bahamas began repatriating people from Florida last month, however it was mandatory for those people to receive a negative COVID-19 test before being allowed on the flight to return home. Hundreds of people have been repatriated since then.

restaurant operators have been allowed to open amid the COVID-19 pandemic while their businesses still remain closed.

The owner of Bangs at Potter’s Cay, Edward McPhee, told The Tribune on Friday: “We feel left out because we are Bahamians as well and…I really feel that something should be done about it because after all, we’re self-employed people and we need to make some funds to accommodate our families and self.

“It’s not fair because the Chinese could open and other restaurants could open why can’t we and all the non-essential businesses have the privilege of opening now and still no Potters Cay or Arawak Cay.” With no income coming in due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Mr McPhee said trying to make ends meet has been a daily struggle.

“It’s been rough,” he said.

“I thank God for family and friends who would help you out a bit, but it’s been rough especially when you can’t

go out there to make your own hustle.”

In the House of Assembly on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Michael Pintard said he expects vendors at Arawak Cay to reopen within two weeks.

Having been out of work for several months, Mr McPhee said if the government were to re-open Potter’s Cay in the next two weeks, he would be extremely grateful.

“It would give us some time to prepare and allow us to get ready but hopefully, it would resume,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Willie added: “If he said two weeks, then two weeks but if the virus continues to spread then everything gets thrown back. We just have to be patient and allow the process to go through.

“Potters Cay especially have been suffering for quite some time now and we need to get this problem rectified so that we can start earning a living so we would want to go out and help ourselves.”

SEVERAL churches held a variety of services on Sunday.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

‘Quash coconut conviction’

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net KHANDI Gibson, founder and president of the local advocacy group Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), is calling on the government to quash the conviction of a teenager who was fined for selling coconuts on the side of the road last month.

At the time, news of Jason Williams, pictured, the 18-year-old who was fined $700 for selling coconuts roadside in breach of the COVID-19 emergency orders, sparked national outrage. In a press statement, Ms Gibson said the teenager is now “burdened” with a criminal record that stifles his chances of success.

“There is no doubt or dispute that COVID-19 and this state of emergency impacts the poor more harshly than the middle and

upper class,” the statement read.

“While well-off or financially stable Bahamians can manage to stay home from work for approximately two months, the poor cannot afford to miss one pay period.”

She added: “To add insult to injury, poor persons who have, in desperation, ventured out to sell coconut water on the roadside — bearing in mind that water sales were deemed essential and being sold from trailers on the side of the road — a teenage boy was arrested, convicted and fined. This teenager, seeking an honest living, is now burdened with a criminal record.

His chances of getting a US visa, going to college or securing gainful employment in the future have been shattered. Meanwhile, the

privileged and connected in this country get warnings and absolute discharges.”

Ms Gibson said the assistance from the government “cannot and have not” helped everyone in “dire need” during this crisis. She insisted that the less fortunate that are forced to sell items on the side of the road and tote water from public pumps to their homes “cannot afford to comply with the prime minister’s orders,” because they are living from paycheck to paycheck. She added that it appeared as if the “poor were being required to stay home and starve.”

“The public ought to remember that governments do not bow to the demands of a lone voice. What has been proven time and time

again, especially in the year and months leading up to an election is that there is power in numbers, agitation, and demonstration. The citizenry is asked to agitate for the competent authority to be compassionate. That can be done by a public announcement to quash the record of the young man convicted for selling coconuts on the side of the road.

“A few months ago, the PM indicated his intent to quash the record of persons convicted for small amounts of marijuana. Yet nothing has been done. It is time the PM does more than selling us dreams. We are awake, disappointed, frustrated and organising to rid ourselves of members of Parliament that have failed to make this term, ‘The people’s time.’”

In her statement, Ms Gibson also called for the Official Opposition, along with members of

Parliament and activists to work together and “agitate for the competent authority to show compassion, starting with the young man convicted of selling coconuts.

“Every member of Parliament that remains silent on this issue has voiced their position,” the statement read.

“As the citizenry makes notes of the issues that demonstrate that its them — politicians and the connected — against us, the marginalized voters, this issue of showing compassion for the poor during this health, economic and democratic pandemic will be remembered, and on this, they will be judged in the months leading up to elections.”

Mr Johnson faced a prison term of one month if he did not pay his fine. Ms Gibson and others donated the sum of his fine to spare the teen prison time.

TAKING HIS AUNT FOR DIALYSIS COSTS MAN $400

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who claimed he violated the national curfew because he was trying to take his aunt to the Princess Margaret Hospital for her dialysis treatment was fined $400 on Friday.

He was among several people who appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes for curfew and lockdown violations, including a man whose car mirror hit an officer at a checkpoint.

Carvel Johnson, 27, was charged after officers found him on Nassau Street around 12.35am on May 27.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $400 or two months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie said when officers stopped and questioned the defendant that night, he told them his lights were off and that he was going by his mother for the rest of the night. While being interviewed by police, Johnson also told officers he was trying to drop his aunt to PMH because she “wanted to be there for 4am so that she could get there right away”.

During the hearing, Johnson insisted that he was just trying to drop his aunt, who was a dialysis patient, to the hospital.

He also showed the magistrate a letter from PMH confirming his aunt’s condition. Still, Magistrate Forbes noted that the letter stated that

the hospital would be open from 5am-9pm for patients. He also said while it was commendable that Johnson wanted to take his aunt to receive medical care, he was outdoors shortly after midnight and PMH, and no other establishment for that matter, would be open before 5am.

Meanwhile, Kevin Rolle,33, was charged after officers found him on Baillou Hill Road around 11pm on May 26. He was also charged with assaulting a police officer that same night. He pleaded guilty to both counts and was fined $400 or two months in prison for violating the curfew and placed on 12 month’s probation for assaulting the officer. If he

fails to be of good behaviour during that time, he will spend six month at BDCS. Prosecutor McKenzie said that night, officers observed a red vehicle driving on Baillou Hill Road that failed to stop at the checkpoint. Sgt McKenzie said this resulted in a female Marine Seaman getting hit with the car’s mirror. As a result, the officers gave chase and questioned the defendant, who told them he was on his way home and was not aware that he had hit an officer. During the hearing, Rolle was represented by attorney Bernard Ferguson. He told the magistrate that his client was on the road because he was going to assist his grandmother.

He also said that Rolle had not seen the female officer that night and did not try to harm her intentionally.

Officers found Jason Cartwright,41, on Market Street around 9.40pm. He pleaded guilty and was fined $400 or two months in prison. When given an opportunity to speak, he told the magistrate that he and his brother were outside walking and talking and they had lost track of the time.

Walter Johnson, 24, and Dario Saunders, 25, were charged after officers found them on Strachan’s Alley around 1.55am. They both pleaded guilty and were each fined $300 or one month at BCDS. During the hearing, Saunders told the magistrate that he and

Johnson were cousins who were staying together during the curfew. He claimed that his girlfriend lived a few houses down from them, so he asked Johnson to walk with him so he could get something from her.

Officers found Jerry Butler, 39, on West Bay Street around 10.30pm on May 27. He pleaded guilty and was fined $400 or two months in prison. Prosecutor McKenzie said when officers approached and questioned Butler that night, he told them that he and his wife had got into an argument and that she had stumbled out of the car. He also told the officers that they had just come from a family function out west.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, PAGE 5

ONE DEAD, GIRL CRITICAL & TWO OTHERS HURT AFTER SHOOTING

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A MAN is dead and a ten-year-old girl is in critical condition after a shooting on Friday in Bel Air Estate.

Two other people were injured in the incident –- one from gunshot wounds and the other from injuries suffered while trying to escape.

The murdered man was identified by a source as Peron Bain - making him the country’s 28th homicide victim, according to this newspaper’s records.

On the scene, ASP Audley Peters said that

a group of people were gathered in front of a residence at Belville Circle, off Iguana Way, shortly after 1pm when a gold coloured vehicle approached the residence. “Three individuals exited the vehicle and walked in their direction discharging firearms at them. As a result, three persons were shot – one being a ten-year-old,” he said.

According to police, the murdered man was one of the gunshot victims. Two more were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, while another person was taken to hospital as a result

of injuries sustained while attempting to flee the scene.

David Rolle lives in the area and knew Mr Bain. Visibly affected by the killing, he positively remembered the deceased.

“He’s a cool person down to earth. He willing to help people out, things like that… He wasn’t no troublesome person,” he told The Tribune.

When someone told him of the shooting, Mr Rolle tried to call one of the victims but he got no answer.

He was later told that person was in hospital.

Asked what could

MAN ADMITS ASSAULT ON POLICE OFFICER

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net PERON BAIN possibly be the motive for his friend being targeted, Mr Rolle admitted he did not know. He simply suggested it could be people who had resentments.

“You know some people carrying some grudges and things like that. I wouldn’t jump to say but you know right now where we living in, people getting killed for nothing so you wouldn’t even know,” Mr Rolle said.

Did marines ignore COVID-19 protocols?

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force is investigating reports that newly promoted marines ignored COVID-19 protocols to socialise at a pool party.

A video allegedly showing RBDF marines cavorting at a party went viral over the weekend.

“The Royal Bahamas Defence Force is aware of video and audio messages circulating social media that purports to be newly promoted RBDF marines amongst others ignoring

COVID-19 assembling protocols,” the RBDF said in a statement. “Video imagery is being investigated to ascertain if individuals reordered were actual RBDF personnel. All guilty parties will be dealt with accordingly.”

In one video, a purported RBDF officer is seen gyrating as male and female voices are heard in the background. Another video shows people playing in a pool.

Gatherings like the one shown in the video have been prohibited under Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ COVID-19

guidelines, although stage three of the country’s reopening, which takes effect today, allows for gatherings during daytime if social distancing requirements are observed.

RBDF promotion exercises, which began several weeks ago, are continuing.

Some junior officers have been promoted, The Tribune understands.

Dr Minnis last week announced that the 24-hour curfew will be lifted today and replaced with a curfew from 9pm to 5am throughout the country.

He announced in the House of Assembly that the

Bahamas has flattened the curve.

“I wish to be clear.

Restaurants, except for curbside and deliveries, bars, gyms, hair salons and barbershops, movie theatres, cultural facilities and entertainment facilities remain closed on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Bimini,” Dr Minnis said.

“I assure restaurant operators, hair salons and barbershops that we are working with the National COVID-19 Coordination Committee and industry partners to finalise protocols for operations.”

POLICE PROBE AFTER DATABASE HACKED THE digital database of the Registrar Generals Department was hacked in January and its contents have been published online, according to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs.

A group called Distributed Denial of Secrets carried out the hack and the matter is being investigated by police.

According to the Office of the Attorney General, even though the hack was illicit, the information contained is required by law to be held in the Companies Registry and is accessible by the public after paying a fee.

The statement yesterday said: “The e-Service Business Registration Platform of the Registrar-General’s Office was launched by the Bahamas government in 2016.

“The data required by law to be maintained in the Companies Registry is available to the public, upon the payment of a search fee. Since 2000 as a part of our compliance regime, it has been a legal requirement that a register of directors and officers be filed at the Companies Registry. The Bahamas remains committed to the transparency of its corporate registry. Having said this, we regret to confirm that sometime during the month of January 2020, criminal elements associated with a group called ‘Distributed Denial of Secrets’ unlawfully hacked into the AS400 Server housing the registrar-general’s filings information - which is thereafter transferred to the e-Services Business

Registration system - and stole the information therein housed. The said information has recently been published and widely distributed. These acts are breaches of the Data Protection Act and the Penal Code.”

The hacker group was formed “in or about December 2019,” the statement said.

“Two persons have come forward and have been identified as principal ‘activists’ in the group, namely Emma Best and Lorax Horne,” the statement said. “A thorough police investigation is also currently underway, along with a review of all digital security systems.

“Based on the findings, all necessary action will be taken to ensure that we

maintain the requisite data protection, as we understand the importance of this to upholding Bahamian law, to the business community and to the general public.”

The statement said the Office of the RegistrarGeneral was already in the midst of upgrading to a new server, with improved security features.

“This process is now being accelerated. It is important to note that the secured and separate database storing beneficial ownership data required to be electronically filed, under the Register of Beneficial Ownership Act, was not affected by the hacking exercise; nor was the same in any way compromised,” the Office of the Attorney General’s statement said.

A 37-YEAR-OLD man was charged in the Magistrate’s court on Friday with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

Delano Saunders appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes after he was accused of assaulting PC 2012 Newton and resisting arrest on March 21.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $250 or one month at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services for count one, and $100 or one month at BDCS for count two.

Both sentences were to run concurrently Prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie told the court around 5pm that day, officers were dispatched to a domestic dispute. When they arrived, they saw the defendant engaged in a heated argument with his girlfriend. Sgt McKenzie said when Officer Newton

tried to intervene, Saunders pushed him. He was then told that he would be placed under arrest and reacted by resisting violently.

During the hearing, Saunders was represented by attorney Bernard Ferguson. He told the magistrate the incident came out of a “domestic matter” that ran “deep” between Saunders and his child’s mother. Stating that his client had not wasted the court’s time by pleading guilty at his first opportunity, he also asked Magistrate Forbes not to impose a custodial sentence, but instead to warn Saunders to avoid contact with his ex-girlfriend who “was trying to provoke him”.

As a result, Saunders was fined $350 or one month in prison. Magistrate Forbes also told him that if he felt he was being provoked in the future, he should use common sense and remove himself from the situation to avoid more serious charges being brought against him.

LANDLORD ACCUSED OF THREATENING TENANT

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A LANDLORD who threatened to harm a tenant who refused to comply with his eviction orders was charged in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday Phillip Carey, 50, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes after he was accused of threatening to harm Patrice Mackey on May 26.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $400 or three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie told the court that around 9.15am that day, Ms Mackey went to a nearby station to report that her landlord, Phillip Carey, wanted her out of his apartment by all means. At the time, Ms Mackey told officers that Carey threatened to “chap her with a cutlass and mince her like crawfish” if she did not leave his

property. As a result, Carey was arrested and taken to a nearby station, where he admitted to having an argument with the complainant in an interview with police.

When given an opportunity to speak during the hearing, Carey told the magistrate that he and his wife owned a two-storey complex and rented rooms on the first floor while they lived upstairs. He said he and his wife had given Ms Mackey an eviction notice from April 8, but she had yet to leave the premises. He also said Ms Mackey had attempted to come upstairs to the part of the complex where he and his wife were staying, so he threatened her so she could understand “she had no right to be up there”.

After sentencing Carey, Magistrate Forbes told him that he should have attempted to evict the tenant legally instead of threatening her.

WOMAN IN HOSPITAL AFTER SHOOTING A WOMAN is in hospital after being shot in broad daylight on Thursday.

At about noon on Thursday, a group of people were sitting in a yard off Francis Avenue, Fox Hill, when a light blue vehicle approached, police said.

Officers said the occupants opened fire in the

group’s direction, hitting one woman.

The victim was taken to hospital, where she was said to be in stable condition.

Anyone who has any information is urged to contact the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991/2, Crime stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station​

PAGE 6, Tuesday, June 2, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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The impossible choice between virus and tourism THE closer we get to reopening the country for business, the more conundrums we face. Open up too much and risk the virus coming back in, or keep the door so tightly closed we don’t let the tourism industry rebuild.

In today’s Tribune, the evidence of that dilemma is clear to see. We have Atlantis pushing back its opening date, a concern to all the workers who were hoping to get back to earning their regular salaries. Then there’s the resumption of domestic travel without the need for a COVID-19 travel card – that short-lived travel card experiment seems to have been tossed over one shoulder before it even got started.

The biggest dilemma is what to do with tourists when they come. Do we ask them for evidence of a negative test result? That presumes tourists have easy access to such tests in the country they are travelling from, and as we’ve seen in our own country, test kits can be in short supply.

Bahamians arriving here have been asked to spend 14 days in quarantine – but how would that work with tourists?

Cruise ships can come and be gone overnight, and with most tourists holidaying for two weeks or less, 14 days of quarantine gobbles that up completely. Put up a sign saying spend two weeks in quarantine or don’t come at all and lots of potential visitors will choose the latter.

“We all keep holding on for a

vaccine,” said Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar, “but we can’t remain in a situation for lockdown and curfews until a vaccine is developed, that’s not a viable alternative.”

The problem is, getting to zero transmission has been our goal for so long that if we abandon that now, then what was the point of what we’ve gone through so far?

Bahamians who were required to spend two weeks isolated away from their family will not be impressed if it’s one rule for them, another for a visitor hopping off a cruise ship, browsing the downtown stores and heading to dance at a local nightclub.

So what measures shall we take? Will entry be limited from certain countries until they have reduced the level of their infection? Will businesses catering to tourists be given clear instructions for how to implement social distancing?

Our biggest market for visitors is the US – which has had a little less than a third of all the cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the world. Getting back to normal means having our biggest market back again, but the virus is still far from controlled there, and the demonstrations in the US over the past few days will not have helped curtail its spread either.

So what’s the plan? The Bahamian people have played their part. We must not allow all of this to have been in vain.

Justice for all THE demonstrations across the US will have been followed closely by many Bahamians.

After George Floyd was killed while being detained by police officers, with one kneeling on his neck even as he told them he couldn’t breathe, people were understandably angered. Few will have been surprised – black people being badly treated by police doesn’t just have a long history, it is a part of everyday life for too many. The difference now is that people can film it on their phones and it isn’t hidden away as easily.

Bahamians are obviously keen to show solidarity for the civil rights marches and protests being held in the wake of this killing. That’s not just a matter of caring for our fellow men and women, it’s personal for many Bahamians who have family members living in the US, who have sons and daughters studying at colleges there, or who remember their own time studying at American colleges.

So it is comforting to know that Bahamian consulates and missions are watching out for the safety of Bahamians who might be caught up in the middle of protests.

Bahamians are in a perilous position if they take part in such protests.

Their US-born friends might spend a night behind bars, a Bahamian protester might get thrown out of the country.

It is worth remembering there is more than one way to make a difference, and ways to support those whose cause you share without risking deportation.

The cause itself is one we share.

Equality, it seems, is a fight that is never won, and that requires each generation to fight for rights that all should share.

To those Bahamians in the US, we would also say this – when you come home, let that passion for change help in our own battles here at home. Let justice for all be something we strive for in all countries.

Let’s keep it quiet EDITOR, The Tribune I’M looking forward to going to the beach, but I am NOT looking forward to ear splitting “music” when the Montagu Park and Club Waterloo reopen.

The last few months we have slept like babies.

For once heat, rather than noise, made us turn our air conditioning on because there was no noise to try and drown out.

I would like to implore the powers that be to take this opportunity to establish an acceptable sound decibel level and ENFORCE it, or else ban events with music from Montagu Park altogether.

And please establish a police WhatsApp noise pollution complaints number so we can provide a record of our complaints to more senior police if they are

not acted upon. The other problem is, even when the police do respond to complaints about the park, the music is turned down, but then turned back up when they leave.

Stop allowing people to terrorise the hundreds of residents in the nearby neighbourhoods with their headache inducing music.

Even if the music is turned down, the bass is usually so high it booms in your head.

Imagine calling the police to complain about the music from Waterloo and someone who is quite rude says they can play the music as loud as they want if it’s from inside.

Really? So, what if, for instance, large speakers are positioned on open window ledges facing outwards, blasting residents awake, is that ok? The

noise pollution amplifies across the lake and assaults the neighbourhoods on the other side so no-one can sleep.

Whether the sound system is inside or out is immaterial. What matters is the NOISE. Does the club operator have some sort of special privilege we’re not aware of?

No-one should have to tolerate this type of environmental nightmare/ public nuisance, day or night. And the police need to be informed there is no law that allows anyone to disturb the peace or be a public nuisance until midnight. You couldn’t get away with this on Bay Street, could you?

M JOHNSON Nassau, June 1, 2020.

One chance to create a new vision EDITOR, The Tribune

THE global economy is on lockdown and the predictions are staggering. And, there is one regional economy where the long-term realities of the coronavirus are already clear: The Caribbean.

Over the past three decades, nearly every economy in the region transformed to depend on tourism, and today the Caribbean economy is primarily reliant on this single sector. The region is also subject to repeated crises, with 10 Category 5 hurricanes hitting the region in the last 15 years, and five of those occurring in the last three years.

The coronavirus has caused a complete collapse in the tourism industry and significant contractions in both the agricultural and the distributive trades sectors across the Caribbean.

As a result, the region’s economy is collapsing and will likely not recover for some time.

Because of the Caribbean’s focus on a single, volatile sector, it is likely to be the first domino to fall in the post-COVID-19 world. When this is all over, the region cannot go back to business as usual. The Caribbean will have to fasttrack its journey toward the twin goals that many of its countries embarked on as a result of the impacts of climate change as well as frequent natural disasters: sustainability and resilience.

As such, any multilateral stimulus should be designed to help the Caribbean transition to a new resilient economy that is anchored in sustainable development.

The foundation of the future is clean energy, and on top of this, new diverse industries such as modern agriculture, information technology, financial services, and manufacturing can be built. And there is a clear pathway.

Rocky Mountain Institute commissioned a study to understand the costs and

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net benefits to transition all 31 countries in the Caribbean to 90 percent clean energy by 2030. If a major capital investment is made, the Caribbean region would save an estimated $9 billion in fuel costs and replace more than 24 billion liters of imported diesel fuel with renewable energy each year. This would translate into valuable savings in foreign exchange for all countries in the region.

It is no secret that Caribbean governments face significant fiscal constraints, and with the impact of COVID-19 that these constraints will become increasingly insurmountable. It only makes sense that the international community and philanthropic sector use this opportunity to inject global public investment initiatives to accelerate project development in the clean energy sector at a pace and scale never seen before. Economic stimulus investments into the clean energy sector therefore present Caribbean countries with an opportunity to: • Create urgently required new jobs, • Reduce electricity costs to attract new industries, • Improve the competitiveness of agro-processing and other manufacturing sectors, • Shrink the region’s carbon footprint, • Decrease leakage of foreign exchange, and • Diminish dependence on imported fuels.

In order to achieve this, the international community and philanthropy must support Caribbean governments to: • Focus on re-tooling workers to give them skills needed in the clean energy sector, modern agriculture, manufacturing, and information technology; • Boost incentives for

electric vehicles (EVs) and design policy measures to unlock EV supply chains as well as investment in EV charging infrastructure; • Forgive overdue electricity bill payments for the poor and local businesses affected by the shutdown; • Backstop electric utility credit and access to low-interest credit while providing liquidity to government-owned utilities to shore up their finances; • Create clean energy lines of credit designed to backstop power purchase agreements and capital leases to crowd-in investment in renewable generation; and • Put people to work immediately in the construction sector by undergrounding overhead transmission lines so that they will not be knocked down by the next storm.

Collectively, these actions will help create thousands of jobs, reduce regional emissions, and reduce long-term dependence on imported diesel, helping the Caribbean to create a new foundation for a diverse, resilient, and sustainable economy. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to demonstrate a new vision for the region’s climate future and become an example for the world— transforming its citizens into controllers of their destiny and leaders of the clean energy era.

The Caribbean may be the first economic domino to fall from the coronavirus pandemic. It can also emerge once the crisis is over with a more resilient future through smart utilization of stimulus funding to unlock rapid, intensified investments to help these important islands on the frontlines of climate change make a full transition to become clean energy economies.

DAVID GUBS, JAMES FLETCHER and JUSTIN LOCKE Nassau, May, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, PAGE 7

LEWIS: HURRICANE SHELTER CAPACITY BEING INCREASED

from page one

As it relates to the preparation of hurricane shelters, Leonard Cargill, a representative from the Department of Social Services, said inspections in New Providence have already begun. “Of the shelters we did inspect we found some needed adjustments,� he said. “We are also concerned about the spacing because of the COVIDpandemic (and) we want to make sure persons who go into shelters are safe.�

Mr Cargill said in view of social distancing guidelines, officials are looking at using schools and classrooms

throughout the country as shelters.

Mr Lewis added: “We are increasing capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot expect to have any mass assembly only in auditoriums, gymnasiums and church halls, so we are using classrooms as a way of abiding by the COVID-19 protocols. “In Grand Bahama, we are seeking to engage some 16 contractors this week to ensure that the schools in Grand Bahama are also ready to act as hurricane shelters. By starting this week, this will give us a six week headstart on where we were last year. Last year, we were preparing classrooms for school, but this year we are preparing

classrooms to act as hurricane shelters. So yes, we will certainly have more rooms, we will be able to abide by the COVID-19 protocol and of course, we will never knowingly put any evacuees in a shelter that would be compromised.�

Captain Stephen Russell, head of the National Emergency Management Agency, said the entity plans to engage contractors to help them rectify some of the deficiencies that were outlined in a recent International Organisation of Migration (IMO) report, which warned that the country was not ready for the 2020 hurricane season.

The IMO recently completed a comprehensive

assessment of official and unofficial emergency shelters in Abaco and Grand Bahama and found that most of them were unusable.

Referring to the report, NEMA spokesperson and permanent secretary Carl Smith said: “A primary focus of IOM is to provide for migrants. All of us know that in the Bahamas we have communities legal and illegal but communities, shanty-towns with numbers of undocumented migrants. So when one reads the IOM report, it must read it through those eyes. “We never had sufficient sheltering capacity prior to Hurricane Dorian. Whatever sheltering we have,

the government, through its various agencies, is doing all that it can in partnership with its partners locally and internationally, to provide the best sheltering that we can. We have to be pragmatic and realistic and sensible.�

As it relates to the state of readiness of other government entities, Brenda Colebrooke, acting director Department of Local Government, said the 23 administrative districts on the Family Islands are prepared for the 2020 hurricane season.

Bradley King, training and disaster management officer for the Ministry of Works, also said a team has been assigned to each of the government

buildings for which the Ministry of Public Works is responsible. He also said teams have been assigned to each of the major islands or groups of islands to “conduct rapid, intermediate, and longterm damage assessments, as needed.�

Arlington Bethel, safety manager of the Water & Sewerage Corporation (WSC), said the company’s Abaco operation teams are working to restore their infrastructure to “equal to or better than pre-Dorian.�

He also said WSC has secured the services of several contractors to assist in the replacement of service connections throughout communities on the island.

$10m received in Dorian donations with $7m spent By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas has received about $10 million in donations to assist with Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in Grand Bahama and Abaco, with about three quarters of that sum already expended to help storm victims, according to a NEMA official.

Captain Stephen Russell, head of the National Emergency Management Agency, said in terms of a “total breakdown�, the money has been “expended in several areas to provide immediate relief supplies to persons who would’ve been impacted� by the storm. “Again, donated funds go to the victims of the disaster and that includes homes; so the domes structures that we’ve invested in, the mobile trailer homes for government employees who were displaced as a result of Hurricane Dorian in Abaco and Grand Bahama to a lesser extent, and persons who would have applied through the DRA,� he explained during a virtual press conference on Sunday.

He added that officials used “some $7 million� to

assist Hurricane Dorian victims. “In terms of funds, we have remaining now probably just over $3 million remaining in the donations account,� he said. “But again, funds will continue to be dispersed as persons come forth for assistance in the recovery effort.�

Dorian was the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the Bahamas. The economic loss and damage to infrastructure is an estimated $3.4 billion.

In January, the Disaster Reconstruction Authority held a Hurricane Dorian Pledging Conference which raised over $1bn in pledges, officials said. However in March, an official revealed that only $364,000 was in actual cash and deposits.

DRA Managing Director Kay Forbes-Smith said in March that after further assessment of the full scope of pledges, the revised amount from the conference was “very close� to $1.8bn. However, she declined to make public individual donor identities.

After the event, the most talked about pledge was from the P3 Group and its president, Dee Brown, who announced that $975m in

and live hurricane drills will be addressed in a virtual meeting with island administrators and other key individuals. “Disaster preparedness is everybody’s business,� he said. “That is, it is the responsibility for each and every one of us inclusive of NEMA, the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA), other government agencies, and the private sector to ensure that the impact of our lives, our properties and our livelihood is minimised.�

According to Trevor Basden, the director of the Bahamas Department of Meteorology, Colorado State University predicts 16 named storms of which eight will become hurricanes. The university also predicts that four of the

CAPTAIN STEPHEN RUSSELL, head of NEMA loans at concessionary rates the COVID-19 pandemic would be made available to and the emergency orders issued to deter the spread the Bahamas.

After the announcement of the virus have slowed grabbed headlines, offi- down national preparation cials said no decision had efforts. Still, he said many been made on whether this activities like school visits was an offer that would be accepted.

The breakdown of the money pledged at the conference includes: $41m NOTICE OF PRE-QUALIFICATION in grants; $1.3bn in pubfor provision of a Design-Build of a lic-private partnerships; Prototype Community Center/ Hurricane Shelter Facility technical assistance worth $51m; $400m in other assistance and $364,000 in cash and deposits.

Also on Sunday, and joint ventures with Bahamian-led composition to submit the requested Minister of Disaster Preinformation for the provision of a prototype design-build of a community paredness Iram Lewis said

center/hurricane shelter facility to be constructed in the Family Islands. Tender

CHILDREN’S HOME BENEFITS BY $100K THANKS TO ROTARY

Bahamian-led composition to submit the requested information for the provision of a prototype design-build.

We desire that this work starts as soon as practical. Please submit your to retain all information submitted and does not commit that the project will materialize.

1. which will serve as a community center and hurricane shelter.

2. deployment.

3. turnkey procurement. Ability to fund the project is a key consideration.

4.

5.

6.

by a shortfall in subsidies to fund mounting related costs.

The outpouring of support for Ranfurly since the September 2019 storm has been impressive but the pandemic presented increased challenges in providing care for the most vulnerable of the vulnerable.

A Ranfurly spokesperson said: “ On behalf of the board, staff & children, we are so grateful for your donation. This is our second major crisis in eight months.

Our challenges from Hurricane Dorian continue.

With so many children,

our bills are mounting and giving is down with so many people affected by Covid19. Our deepest gratitude to the Rotary Clubs of the Bahamas.�

Bryan C. S. Knowles, chair of the Rotary Bahamas Disaster Relief Committee said: “Rotary’s continued support of the Ranfurly Homes for Children addresses three areas of Rotary International’s focus – education and literacy, community development and disaster response. Now, even more than ever, Ranfurly needs support to meet the increased care demand.�

with showers, dry storage, independent potable water with storage, independent electricity provision, ability to resist 220-mile-per-hour sustained winds and 12-foot storm surge, and accessibility by physically challenged persons. Sustainable and resilient designs are essential.

Project Team – Technical consultants (surveyors, engineers, architects, cost control/quantity surveyors, project managers, contractors, material accounting, forecasting); land development consultants (staging, sales, build-out management); legal/regulatory; risk management; communications.

Submission Requirements:

• • • • • •

ROTARY Bahamas Disaster Committee members presenting cheque to Alexandria Maillis-Lynch, President, Ranfurly Homes for Children.

Photo: Sophie Ann Emma Cancino THE Rotary Bahamas Disaster Relief Committee has donated $100,000 to support the Ranfurly Homes for Children’s extended care for Abaco and Grand Bahama children who were displaced by Hurricane Dorian.

The addition of children to Ranfurly affected by the hurricane doubled the number of children in residence.

Rotary’s support follows recognition of the increasing financial burden Ranfurly faces due to the children’s extended stay resulting from the Covid19 pandemic exacerbated

eight storms are expected to develop into Category 3 or major hurricanes.

Mr Basden also referred to the Weather Company, which has predicted a “greater than average� Atlantic hurricane season with 18 named storms, nine of which are predicted to develop into hurricanes.

The organisation also predicts that four of the storms will also develop into major Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes.

In view of these facts, Capt Russell said everyone must do their part to “safeguard� their loved ones and belongings. He also said the agency has adopted a five-phase national disaster plan to guide them through the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

• • •

•

7.

8.

Firm name (corporate entity or joint venture)

venture) Firm address and email Firm key participants resumes with organizational chart Firm-related experience with project history project) Firm ability to procure and maintain insurances (bonding, liability, professional indemnity and National Insurance) Concept statement, conceptual sketches, conceptual construction methodologies, conceptual cost estimates, conceptual resources (material and labor), risk analysis, schedule, statement of concept resilience, sustainability, and storm resistance) Optional presentation of innovative ‘green’ technologies and “smart� materials.

Submission on or before 19th June, 2020 at 12:00 p.m (Revised Date).

Submission and any queries may be made electronically to procurement@drabahamas.org. Address submissions to:

West Bay Street, Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas Attention: Wendell Grant, Projects Director

PAGE 8, Tuesday, June 2, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

M

ARCHING, rioting, looting… anger, frustration, shouts for equal rights and justice…. fires, tear gas, rubber bullets… angry mobs, demonstrations and confrontation. It looks like the scene of a war zone in more than 40 states across America as people have taken a stand against the senseless killing of yet another black man at the hands of the police.

Millions of people around the world watched a murder happen live as an officer choked George Floyd to death with his knee. Two other officers helped to hold him down, while a third stood his ground and forbade pleading bystanders to interfere.

But there’s a greater issue here. There is an issue of systemic oppression that exists all around the world, including The Bahamas.

Police brutality exists here, too. The fact that it still happens and that so many people are disenfranchised, is something we cannot turn a blind eye to and act as if this is none of our business.

The latest set of chaotic events are bringing to a head issues that permeate the very fabric of society. The call is for equal rights and justice for all.

This should be automatic; this should be simple, but equality remains elusive in countries all over the world.

On this day, June 2, in the year 1942, Nassau city looked quite like cities in America do today. The Burma Road Riot occurred as a frustrated black workforce took a stand against inequality. Nassau was in a state of emergency and the Riot Act was read.

Protests started when Bahamian workers became disgruntled because of the disparity in wages between themselves and American workers. They were building huge airfields for the US Army during World War II in Oakes and Windsor Fields. Bahamians were earning four shillings a day and Americans, eight.

The local workers complained to their employer, Pleasantville Corp, and the company was willing to accede to their requests and pay them eight shillings, like their counterparts.

The problem was Bay Street Merchants and local contractors were upset at this decision. They felt it would “upset the economy” and “make niggers unmanageable”. The company was forced to renege on its agreement to increase wages, much to the pleasure of the white minority government. Attorney General Sir Eric Hallinan advised the black workers to “take it or leave it”. The reply was

ABOVE: Marcus Mosiah Garvey whose United Negro Improvement Association had six million members worldwide. Right: Bahamians were calling for equality on Labour Days in the 1950s and 1960s. Inset: Dr Claudius R Walker who spoke on behalf of the workers, giving an impassioned appeal that helped to end the Burma Road riot: Bottom right: Professor Christopher Curry of the University of The Bahamas.

Think there are no lessons for us to learn in what’s happening in the US? a resounding “leave it”, and he threatened to bring in foreign workers.

By Monday June 1, frustrations augmented to strike action. Several hundred workers armed with machetes and sticks marched to Bay Street from their Oakes Field base.

Along the way, they passed through their Over-the-Hill neighbourhoods to the government buildings at Public Square on Bay Street, and women and children joined them. Another group of demonstrators joined, marching down Bay Street from the west.

Long story short, what was meant to be a peaceful but stern protest turned violent. In part, the police chief wielding his pistol frustrated some protestors.

When one person crashed a Bay Street window, others followed suit. Even after disgruntled workers

left, rioters and looters remained. From Bay Street to Grant’s Town, buildings were in shambles.

Four or five protesters died. Fire engines and ambulances were overturned and set aflame. The Grant’s Town Police Station was attacked.

The British government representatives were forced to listen. Dr Claudius R Walker was chosen to speak on behalf of the labouring masses to the Duke of Windsor and his court. His eloquent and passionate plea was received, but there was reluctance to empower the working masses. By June 4, workers returned to the job site with a pay of 5 shillings per day and a free meal. This could only pacify black Bahamians temporarily.

There was a lot of political unrest in the country before and after this period

in Bahamian history, all concerning political and labour rights and race relations. This newspaper’s owner, Sir Etienne Dupuch, stands among those determined to do something about it. On January 23, 1956, Sir Etienne tabled a historic resolution in the House of Assembly calling for an end to racial discrimination in The Bahamas.

Today, I write in his paper with pride considering all he stood for and voiced through The Tribune.

I spoke with Professor Christopher Curry, Associate Professor of History School of Social Sciences, University of the Bahamas about these issues, as we see history continuously repeating itself in The Bahamas and throughout the world.

“We see history repeating itself because the issues in history have not been resolved,” he told me.

“In our own country, formerly enslaved persons didn’t receive citizenship rights when slavery was abolished in 1834 or when full Emancipation occurred 1838. We needed to have a whole quiet revolution leading to Majority Rule for franchise to be granted to women (to vote), for property rights to be dissolved, to have ‘one person one vote’.

“You see the same thing paralleled in the USA. They were fighting for change in the 1960s because of what they didn’t receive in the 1860s. The Civil Rights Act in the USA passed in 1964, but it only addressed political change - not social issues, or the judicial system, or police brutality or ghettoized conditions. Wealth inequalities persisted. So this is why in the late 60s you have Dr Martin Luther King and other activists fighting for change. Moving forward to our present situation, it is sad because you see the cycle continuing.

“I was watching a documentary on the Rodney King beating in 1991 and the judicial proceedings in 1992. It was a horrible incident caught on video. Yet, the four officers were able to walk out of the court ‘scott free’. The Kent State Riots, the Compton riots

(and others) happened because the disadvantaged don’t have access to the liberties and freedoms of the advantaged. The cycle of history continues because American democracy is a hypocrisy, as Malcolm X would say. The cycle continues because the issues were never resolved… and that is as true in The Bahamas as it is in the USA.” Some Bahamians have made comments that the current state of affairs in America have nothing to do with them, but Professor Curry believes we have every reason to take note.

“We would like to think this idea of police brutality is alien to us, but it isn’t,” he said.

“We know that even though we are a country that has a black government and majority rule, we know there have been incidents where police have racially profiled some of our own, recently a case where a young man was trying to make a living selling coconut water.

“While in The Bahamas we may argue the issues are less about race and more about class, we still have profound wealth inequality. We have disadvantaged communities which are more vulnerable to the state, and by extension its police force. In my own neighbourhood, I had someone deliver coconut water and two police cars showed up. My neighbours were distressed because this young man couldn’t find the location of my house and went knocking on doors. Because he is young, because he is black, because maybe his hair or the way he is dressed didn’t look presentable to them… this is a kind of racial profiling.

“We have to think about these questions critically.

Issues of race in the US parallel a lot of things going on in The Bahamas. Are they exact? Not at all. But we do see some interesting parallels. Of course in The Bahamas, blacks are the majority, but we have maintained and kept a lot of practices that are suspicious. We truly can actualize a greater degree of democracy, fair play and equity in how we treat our

A NEWSPAPER clipping during the Burma Road riot

citizens. There’s lot’s we can learn from what is happening in the US today.”

COVID-19 has also helped to fuel the fire of frustration for many. The pandemic has had a disproportionately negative effect on African Americans.

They face a lack of proper healthcare and insurance, lack of opportunities, funding for their businesses and now, gross unemployment.

Even dietary and health issues that date back to slavery and colonialism, have caused them to suffer more than others during the pandemic “Racial inequality and injustice is comprehensive,” Professor Curry explained.

“It’s not just police brutality. It’s healthcare, housing opportunities… it is all consuming.”

He calls for a commission – a reparatory justice commission or a truth and reconciliation commission much like what happened in South Africa following Apartheid - where people can be called out for the crimes against humanity and to talk more about racial injustice.

“We need to have more access to justice in The Bahamas,” he said.

“If it means having an ombudsman or official government, if it means having access to lawyers without charge… there’s a lot of reasons why there are injustices in The Bahamas. A lot of it is because of the barriers we have put in place to prevent people from having access to the same kind of facilities that people with money and power have. We need to do a lot to change our legal system to provide more equitable and fair systems overall.”

Watching the riots that ensued following the death of George Floyd, I thought of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, and his United Negro Improvement Association with six million members worldwide. They marched through the streets peacefully calling for equality and justice. They dressed in the finest apparel and Garvey gave his members royal titles, so they acted with dignity. He was able to accomplish so much in the USA, bringing black people together and showing them their worth. He told them, that unless they were prepared to do what other races and nations have done by unifying economically, they had just as well die.

I thought of the works of all the great leaders who sought to bring unity of the blacks who were chopped down one by one throughout history. I ask, like the Bahamian gospel group the Rahming Brothers would: “Who’s going to fill their shoes?”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, PAGE 9

GOOD TO SEE NATION’S ECONOMY IN SAFE HANDS

The Peter Young column THE former British colonial territory of Hong Kong has attracted the world’s attention again, but for potentially harmful reasons.

Last week, China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, rubber-stamped a sweeping new draft security law to be imposed directly on Hong Kong and its population of over seven million. It makes a mockery of the territory’s Basic Law constitution and of the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 which created a new status for Hong Kong of “one country, two systems” at the time Britain handed it back to China in 1997. This provided for a special semi-autonomy guaranteeing democracy in the territory for 50 years including freedom of assembly, free speech and elections and an independent judiciary, all of which underpinned Hong Kong’s role as a global financial hub.

Beijing’s new security law now threatens these freedoms since it criminalises what is termed subversion, separatism, terrorism and treason. It is claimed this is aimed at political dissent in Hong Kong led by the pro-democracy movement there. It is also claimed Chinese intelligence agencies will be able to operate in Hong Kong for the first time - and it is likely there will be a tougher and more violent clampdown on protesters concerned about the erosion of the territory’s cherished freedoms and responsibility for its own affairs in the face of Beijing’s meddling in internal matters.

This has led already to fears in Hong Kong about activity by secret police in helping the local authorities control demonstrations, together with arbitrary detentions, increased surveillance of individuals and even interference with the internet.

It is the case, of course, that last year the Hong

PRO-China supporters hold the effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese national flag outside the US Consulate during a protest, in Hong Kong at the weekend

Are we heading for another China crisis with Hong Kong?

Kong government’s controversial Extradition Bill, enabling local authorities to send criminals or suspects to stand trial in China, precipitated a resurgence of civil unrest following the Umbrella Movement in 2014 which demanded universal suffrage and brought parts of the city to a standstill. Although this bill was later withdrawn, the demonstrations continued with demands for full democracy.

At the time, with memories of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 still vivid, there were fears of intervention by Beijing after President Xi Jinping had condemned the violence and warned against the activity of separatists that was threatening China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong which, as a Separate Administrative Region, was part of the mainland.

Some commentators argue that last year’s mass protests, bordering on anarchy and involving an estimated two million people over a period of months, pushed Beijing’s patience to the limit. So this new security law, they argue, should come as no surprise. But it is a clear breach of China’s international obligations under the Joint Declaration, and it is

now being suggested China used the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to crush democratic protest in Hong Kong while the West was distracted by the pandemic.

Despite this, there has been a rapid reaction from Western countries amid mounting international concern over the ending of democratic freedoms in the former British colony.

A Joint Statement by the UK, US, Australia and Canada was quickly issued, warning the new law would ‘dramatically erode Hong Kong’s autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous’ – in the words of British Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, Hong Kong had flourished as a bastion of freedom, and it is reported he is considering an extension of UK visa rights for the territory’s British National Overseas passport holders.

President Trump has condemned Beijing for breaking its word over Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy by proposing the new security legislation.

In what looks likely to be a serious blow to its position as a financial hub, he said the US no longer regarded Hong Kong as autonomous and thereby warranting special trade status as a separate customs and travel

BORIS STANDS FIRM FOR HIS BELEAGUERED COLLEAGUE - FOR WHICH I APPLAUD HIM THOSE who study British politics know the saying of one-time leading Conservative MP and Cabinet minister, Enoch Powell, about all political careers ending in failure.

But one of his equally telling observations was that for a politician to complain about the media was like a ship’s captain complaining about the sea.

This came to mind while following the recent major row in Britain surrounding Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief political adviser, Dominic Cummings, pictured, for allegedly breaking the coronavirus lockdown rules. Mr Johnson has been fending off demands by the press and his political opponents to sack him. One result of his sturdy defence of his senior staff member and refusal to let him go – together with the government’s perceived failures in handling the virus – has been that his personal approval rating has taken a major hit, though there were signs yesterday that he is already bouncing back.

Mr Cummings’ sin was to drive 260 miles during the lockdown from London to his parents’ farm in Durham in north east England in order to deliver his fouryear old son to a niece to be looked after there because both he and his wife were unwell with symptoms of COVID-19. The Prime Minister insists he did not break the rules about staying at home because acting in the best interests of a

child was considered an exception and the action of a caring parent. I watched the live broadcast of a press conference Cummings held to explain his actions and most of what he said seemed reasonable to me since it was clear he and his wife were worried about the welfare of their child and, following their parental instincts, they did the right thing for him.

Nonetheless, many believe his actions were not justified under the rules.

So there has been a furore because, as a senior adviser at No 10 Downing Street, he has been at the centre of the government’s handling of the crisis; and British people hate any hint of double standards, with the rich, privileged and famous getting away with breaking rules while others are penalised for doing so.

Certainly, given his position, it would have been wiser for him to have shown some regret and remorse for disregarding - at least - the spirit of the regulations even though he believed he acted reasonably in the circumstances facing him. But the story has run and run, not only because Mr Cummings has made many enemies with his notoriously ruthless and arrogant behaviour since working for the Prime Minister but also for the reason that he has made a name for himself as being the mastermind behind Brexit and for securing an overwhelming

victory for the Tories at last December’s election. He is also seen as something of a political genius who knew how to woo working class voters away from their traditional support for the Labour Party and vote for the Conservatives.

Thus, many on the Left of politics want to see the back of him. But this has been taken to extremes with an unacceptable level of abuse and harassment with protesters demonstrating outside his home in a quiet, tree-lined London street.

It is disturbing to see the British liberal elite and its media supporters in almost lynch-mob mode, with a nasty level of personal malice and implied violence beyond the usual rough and tumble of politics. Criticism has included a rant by one BBC presenter which is now being investigated for lack of impartiality. But this type of behaviour is not what Britain is about and I, for one, am glad to see the Prime Minister supporting his colleague and refusing to sack him.

Many now believe enough is enough and hope a line can finally be drawn under this unsavoury episode. But it is a cautionary tale for politicians elsewhere to resist being hounded by an overzealous media into action that may be both unjustified and against their better judgement.

territory from the rest of China.

Many regard this significant step by China as part of its increasingly belligerent approach to the rest of the world in its hunger for global primacy. But there is insufficient space in today’s column to examine in depth China’s efforts as an authoritarian communist state with global ambitions to achieve pre-eminence as the new superpower – whether it is President Xi’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative or its growing military influence in the South China Sea and renewed threat to Taiwan or its ongoing trade war with the US. There is now a danger of a large scale collision in Hong Kong between prodemocracy protesters and

a new level of unyielding and aggressive policing.

Former Hong Kong governor, Lord Patten, has called for the appointment of a UN special envoy to monitor violations of human rights and to encourage dialogue and reconciliation while the US has suggested a virtual meeting of the UN Security Council. But, since Beijing’s declared policy is to safeguard what it sees as its national sovereignty and security, it opposes any outside interference in Hong Kong’s affairs, so the prospects of resolving differences over the issue appear bleak. But it is likely that - together with recriminations over coronavirus - this issue will take centre stage in international affairs during the coming months.

AMID all the coronavirus gloom and misery of the last few months, I wonder how many people will have been encouraged and heartened by the remarks of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Peter Turnquest, at a televised virtual budget press conference last Thursday.

He was accompanied by Financial Secretary, Marlon Johnson, and, as far as I could see, took questions from members of the public as well as the press.

Everybody is only too well aware the FNM Government has been faced with the double disasters of Hurricane Dorian last year and now the COVID-19 crisis, and Mr Turnquest has been frank about the difficult state of the economy and the rising level of debt as a percentage of GDP. But he seemed to me to be refreshingly positive about the country’s capacity for economic recovery after the pandemic, saying also that, with expected strong growth, there should be no need for new taxes.

For his part, Mr Johnson added the deficit had been going down before Dorian and coronavirus and he anticipated that trend would continue once the country returned to some sort of normality.

No doubt, the sceptics will regard all this as overly optimistic while the cynics always maintain the utterances of politicians should not be taken at face value.

But, watching the performance of the minister and his colleague and listening to their informed and considered comments, I found it reassuring – as a permanent resident with a chunk of capital tied up in a property – to know the management of the nation’s economy seems to be in such good and capable hands.

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PAGE 10, Tuesday, June 2, 2020 from page one consulate here in Washington and the consulate in New York, as well as the honorary consul in Los Angeles, Texas and Chicago are monitoring the situation very closely since the killing of George Floyd a couple of days ago,” Mr Collie told The Tribune.

“All of those areas that I mentioned now have curfews starting in the evening (that extend) throughout the night as a result of the demonstrations and protests, some of which, have turned deadly.”

Mr Collie said officials are mostly concerned about the well-being of Bahamian citizens currently residing in America.

“All of the missions, including the embassy in Washington, DC, our primary concern while the state of disruption and disturbance is going on, is the welfare and safety of all Bahamians,” he said. “But in particular, Bahamian students who are scattered all over the country.

To date, we have had no report of any Bahamians being impacted and we continue to monitor the situation.”

In Tampa Bay, Florida, a weekend of violent protesting has forced the city’s mayor to institute a 7.30pm

THE TRIBUNE

Envoys on alert over Floyd killing to 6am curfew in an attempt to quell the rioting and looting that has taken over the area.

Hershall Hoyte, a Bahamian who has been living in Tampa for 15 years, describes the riots as “a whole other ball game”.

“A lot of stuff has been happening with the police killing black people and stuff like that, but this time Americans took it to heart and they’re basically saying enough is enough,” he told this newspaper. “That’s why there’s a lot of rioting and they started burning up all the police cars and stations.”

Mr Hoyte said he believed the nature of George Floyd’s death was the final straw for a lot of African-Americans.

“The video showed officers kneeling on a person while he was telling them

he couldn’t breathe and his head and stomach was hurting. The officers looked like they didn’t give a crap about it and people watched George Floyd fade away and die live on video. That hit people hard,” he said.

A day after his death, Americans flooded the streets of Minneapolis, where he died, in what would spiral into a week of violent rioting and protests. The heated protests, fuelled by the Black Lives Matter movement, would quickly sweep across the entire nation, as groups organised demonstrations in their respective cities to advocate for justice for Mr Floyd.

However, protest organisers have said their demonstrations are mostly peaceful, and have accused outside forces of hijacking

the movement to start violence and looting.

“It’s different from when it happened and you hear it from a second party who tells you what happened, but when you watch it live for yourself it hits differently and that’s why people took it to a whole other level,” Mr Hoyte said.

“That’s why they’re vandalising places and beating up police officers and all that different stuff.

But there are some people in the protests who are pretending to be protesters, but they’re using it as an excuse to vandalise stores and steal. That’s why there’s so much mix up that’s going on right now.”

Describing some of the things he saw, Mr Hoyte added: “I was heading home and about 15 police cars were shooting past me

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heading in one direction and a firetruck was going the opposite direction. So the firetruck was going somewhere that was burning and the police cars were out of control. It was just crazy on Sunday. I think they had about three or four huge groups of protestors, so they were all over the place running up and down trying to take control of the situation.”

Still, while Mr Hoyte said he empathised with the cause, he did not plan on being a part of the protests.

“Personally, I feel like protesting doesn’t do anything,” he said. “I’ve seen it happen too many times before. They protest and you see this whole big thing about it for two weeks and after that, it fades away and everyone acts like it never happened. So after I keep seeing that, I don’t even pay attention or get involved in that because it doesn’t change anything.

“But I still feel like sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and that’s the only way this is going to stop.

They’re going to have to start fighting and that’s what’s happening now. A lot of them said enough is enough, and now, you may see a change because people are not holding back anymore. Even the white people are actually standing up and fighting back.

Before, it was all black people, but now it’s actually white and black people united together.”

Another Bahamian, who has been living in Ft Lauderdale for 35 years, said he chose to take part in a

demonstration in his city because as a black man living in the US the same thing could have happened to him Speaking about Mr Floyd’s death and the resulting riots, he said: “I have two sons and I already applied for both of them to come over here and that’s why I’m participating. This happened four years ago with Eric Garner and who knows when it’s going to happen again.”

The man, who asked to be identified as Mr Sands, said he marched with other protesters in Ft Lauderdale on Sunday. He said as they demonstrated, some of the protestors were gassed.

“We was marching and heading into a certain area, but the policemen cut it off trying to control where the protest would go. That’s when they dispatched the gas canister and I got caught in it. I thought it was just a little smoke, but it was strong, I couldn’t see and my throat was very itchy. It took about ten minutes to wear off.”

Still, when asked whether he believed their efforts were in vain or would contribute to positive change, he said: “With this one I see a spark. I’ve lived in the States for 35 years and I’ve never seen this before with riots in every city. I talked to a lot of friends and it looked like his (Floyd) death really touched a nerve. It’s definitely deeper than all the previous protests that I’ve seen.”

Editorial View - Page 6

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, PAGE 11

NEW YORK CITY IMPOSES CURFEW AMID PROTESTS NEW YORK Associated Press

ABOVE: Terrence Floyd, second from right, sits at the spot where his brother George Floyd was held down; below: Protesters in Washington yesterday

Brother pleads for peace as Trump takes combative tone MINNEAPOLIS Associated Press

GEORGE Floyd’s brother yesterday pleaded for peace in the streets, saying destruction is “not going to bring my brother back at all,” while President Donald Trump berated most of the nation’s governors as “weak” for not cracking down harder on the lawlessness that has convulsed cities from coast to coast.

The competing messages — one conciliatory, one bellicose — came as the US braced for another round of violence at a time when the country is already buckling because of the coronavirus outbreak and the Depression-level unemployment it has caused.

“We are a country that is scared. We are a country that is angry,” said Sam Page, county executive in St. Louis County, Missouri, where the city of Ferguson has been synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement since the 2014 death of Michael Brown, a black 18-year-old, in a clash with a white officer. “And we are a country that is holding out for the promise of justice for all.”

In Minneapolis, Floyd’s brother, Terrence, made an emotional plea at the site where Floyd was pinned to the pavement by an officer who put his knee on the handcuffed black man’s neck until he stopped breathing. “Let’s switch it up, y’all. Let’s switch it up.

Do this peacefully, please,” Terrence Floyd said.

The crowd chanted, “What’s his name? George Floyd!” and “One down, three to go!” in reference to the four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest. Officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with murder, but protesters are demanding that his colleagues be prosecuted, too. All four were fired.

The gathering was part rally and part impromptu eulogy as Floyd urged people to stop the violence and use their power at the ballot box.

“If I’m not over here messing up my community,

then what are you all doing?” he said. “You all are doing nothing. Because that’s not going to bring my brother back at all.”

The country has been beset by angry demonstrations for the past week in some of the most widespread racial unrest in the US since the 1960s. Spurred in part by Floyd’s death, protesters have taken to the streets to decry the killings of black people by police.

While most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, others have descended into violence, leaving neighborhoods in shambles, stores ransacked, windows broken and cars burned, despite curfews around the country and the deployment of thousands of National Guard members in at least 15 states.

Trump told the nation’s governors in a video conference that they they “look like fools” for not deploying even more National Guard troops. “Most of you are weak,” he said.

He added: “You’ve got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you’ll never see this stuff again.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, vowed to address institutional racism in his first 100 days in office. He met in person with black leaders in Delaware and also held a virtual meeting with bigcity mayors.

Biden said hate emerges “when you have somebody in power who breathes oxygen into the hate.”

Meanwhile, an autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family found that he died of asphyxiation from neck and back compression, the family’s attorneys said.

That distinguishes it from the official autopsy, which said he died from the effects of being restrained along with underlying health problems and potential intoxicants in his system.

The official autopsy found nothing “to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”

The second autopsy was done by a doctor who also

examined the body of Eric Garner, a New York man who died in an officer’s chokehold six years ago.

At least 4,400 people nationwide have been arrested over the past week for such offenses as stealing, blocking highways and breaking curfew, according to a count by The Associated Press.

Police officers and National Guard soldiers enforcing a curfew in Louisville, Kentucky, killed a man early yesterday when they returned fire after someone in a large group shot at them, police said. In Indianapolis, two people were reported dead in bursts of downtown violence over the weekend, adding to deaths recorded in Detroit and Minneapolis.

While police in places tried to ease tensions by kneeling or marching in solidarity with the demonstrators, officers around the country were accused of treating protesters with the same kind of heavy-handed tactics that contributed to the unrest in the first place.

Cities struggled to keep police in line. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an officer was suspended for pushing a kneeling woman to the ground during a protest. In Atlanta, two officers were fired after bashing in the window of a car and using a stun gun on the occupants.

In Los Angeles, a police SUV accelerated into several protesters, knocking two people to the ground.

CALLS FOR BLACK OUT TUESDAY NEW YORK Associated Press

THE music industry is planning to turn off the music today to reflect and implement change in response to the death of George Floyd and the killings of other black people.

Several top record labels organised Black Out Tuesday as violent protests erupted around the world sparked by Floyd’s death as well as the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Musicbased companies Live Nation and TikTok, as well

as the Recording Academy, posted to social media that it planned to support and stand with the black community.

“On Tuesday June 2, Columbia Records will observe ‘Black Out Tuesday,’” the Sony label home to Beyoncé, Bob Dylan, Adele and John Legend said in a statement. “This is not a day off. Instead, this is a day to reflect and figure out ways to move forward in solidarity.”

“We continue to stand with the Black community, our staff, artists, and peers in the music industry,” the

company continued. “Perhaps with the music off, we can truly listen.”

Others that have joined Black Out Tuesday include the Sony imprints RCA Records and Epic Records; the Universal Music Group divisions Republic Records, Def Jam, UMG Nashville, Capitol Records and Island Records; and the Warner Music Group imprints Atlantic and Warner Records. Smaller, independent labels as well as music publishing companies and management firms have also signed on.

NEW York City has imposed an 11pm curfew as the nation’s biggest city tried to head off another night of destruction erupting amid protests over George Floyd’s death.

With an 11pm to 5am curfew, New York is joining other cities around the country in imposing such restrictions after days of violence. The limit on the movement of 8.6 million people comes after months of restrictions already imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the outbreaks of violence — which left stores ransacked, police vehicles burned and other destruction in spots around the city — left them no choice, even as they insisted they stood with peaceful demonstrators who have spoken out for several days against police brutality and racial injustice.

“We can’t let violence undermine the message of this moment,” de Blasio said in a statement. Cuomo blamed “people who are looking to distract and discredit” the protests and said they couldn’t be allowed to undermine public safety.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said earlier that he worried about whether a curfew would be heeded.

“If people think it will, they don’t understand what’s going on,” Shea said on NBC’s “Today.”

The announcement came as new protests got underway.

Overnight, people had smashed windows and plundered shops in parts of Manhattan. Hundreds were arrested, Shea said.

SPORTS

PAGE 12, Tuesday, June 2, 2020

BOBBY JOE MORROW, 3-TIME WINNER IN 1956 OLYMPICS, DIES AT 84 SAN BENITO, Texas (AP) — Bobby Joe Morrow, the Texas sprinter who won three gold medals in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics while a student at Abilene Christian University, died Saturday. He was 84.

Morrow’s family said he died of natural causes at home in San Benito.

Morrow won the 100 and 200 metres in Melbourne and anchored the United States’ champion 400 relay team, matching the world record of 20.6 seconds in the 200 and helping the relay squad set a world record.

Earlier in 1956 he successfully defended his AAU 100-yard title and swept the sprints for Abilene Christian at the national college championships. He was honoured as “Sportsman of the Year” by Sports Illustrated, and won the AAU’s James E Sullivan Award the following year.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Morrow family,” Abilene Christian tweeted on its sports account.

Morrow spent most of his life in the Rio Grande Valley along the Gulf of Mexico near the Mexican border. He was born in Harlingen and grew up in San Benito. He starred in track and football at San Benito High School, where the football stadium is named Bobby Morrow Stadium.

“Mr Morrow’s legacy will live on forever in San Benito,” the San Benito school district said on Facebook.

Morrow was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1989.

THE TRIBUNE

JP Rutherford Jr: ‘The servant leader award, I was shocked that I got that too’ FROM PAGE 16 none of their fault,” JP said. “They watched it online, so at least they could have seen it. “I was surprised that I graduated cum laude. I didn’t believed that I did that well. The servant leader award, I was shocked that I got that too.

But I was glad that as an international student, I was able to make my parents and the Bahamian people very proud.”

As a 6-foot, 3-inch forward on the Patriots basketball team, JP averaged about eight points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots.

Two years ago as a sprinter on their track team, JP ran his lifetime achievement of 11.00 seconds in the 100 metres and 23.1 in the 200m.

He suffered a grade-A right hamstring injury in December and had worked his way back into form and was preparing to compete outdoors this year, but all sporting activities was shut down because of COVID19 and he wasn’t able to display his true potential as he winded down his campaign for the Patriots.

The injury and the cancellation of sports hampered JP’s ability to land an athletic scholarship to a prestigious college or university. But more importantly, JP was given an academic scholarship to attend Harding University - a division II school

in Arkansas where he intends to pursue a degree in criminal justice, starting in August.

“After I didn’t get any favourable answers from all the other schools that I applied to, within two weeks of applying to Harding University, they accepted with the scholarship,” JP said.

“It’s a small Christian school, which is only about three hours from my high school. I also heard from the track coach, who is interested in me running track, although he couldn’t offer me a scholarship right now because they have some seniors who are returning for their final outdoor season. That was why I chose Harding University.”

Looking back at his tenure at Providence Academy, JP said he was pleased that he made the decision to leave SAC to complete his high school education because he was able to grow spiritually, physically and mentally.

“I made a lot of friendships that I intend to keep for the rest of my life,” he pointed out. “I’ve also been a part of so many teams and different associations that have given me a lot of life experiences that I hope to use in college.”

While the 18-year-old said he was disappointed when he heard that sports was going to be stopped, it gave him the opportunity to focus on his education

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and it paid off in the long run as he completed his tenure with a 3.78 grade point average.

“Our state (Arkansas) didn’t have as many cases of COVID-19 as some of the other states,” JP noted.

“We had the lockdown, but it wasn’t super crazy. I know they took down all of the rims and closed all of the gyms, so you couldn’t do anything.”

JP, however, said he’s glad that they have eased up a lot of the regulations and while they still have to practice the social distancing, he misses being at home in the Bahamas.

“One of the first things I would like to do when everything is done and we can travel, I would like to see my grandmothers, Minister Esmeralda Rutherford and Deloris Darling. I haven’t seen them in a while,” JP said.

“I would also like to see some of the people who were there for me from the time I left the Bahamas.

I’m just grateful to everyone in the Bahamas who was praying for me. I hope I did them all proud.”

Rutherford Sr said when they made the decision to send JP off, there were some naysayers who tried to discourage them.

“I’m glad we made the decision. We trusted God,” he said. “To see him go over there and become a government leader in his school was quite an accomplishment. He was able to develop his leadership both on and off the court and the track.”

Rutherford Sr, a graduate of Nassau Christian Academy, who went on to attend St Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his brother Patrick on soccer scholarships, said while they didn’t get to witness JP’s high school graduation, they are looking forward to do it at the end of his collegiate career.

“COVID-19 has taught us so much. We have a lot to be thankful for at the end of the day,” said Rutherford Sr, a Bs major in accounting and a CPA, who faced his own personal challenge on his job on his birthday last month.

“He was able to do exactly what he went over there for. We were not there to physically watch it, but he made us proud. Our family, his grandparents and some other members of our family were looking forward to going there for the graduation.”

On December 28 when JP pulled his hamstring in Alabama, Rutherford Sr was there to watch him compete in a track meet. After he got the necessary treatment and

therapy from the University of Arkansas, JP suffered the flu as he competed in his first track meet.

The season was shut down in March because of COVID--19.

“The times he ran in grade 10, he was looking to improve on them this year,” Rutherford Sr said.

“So it will be interesting when he gets to Harding University whether they want him to run track, play basketball or even football.

“He’s never played football obviously, but we’re just watching to see what they will do. Harding is a small Christian school where he could get a good quality education. I’m so proud to see how he’s done both academically and athletically coming out of Fox Hill.”

Rutherford Sr said despite the racial tension that has resurfaced in the United States after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and the unrest that brewed around the country, he’s proud that his son was connected with a loving and caring family in the Gasaways.

“Gay and Barry Gasaway have been nothing short of amazing. I think they spoiled JP more than they did their own children,” Rutherford Sr said.

“They sacrificed so much for him on their ranch. I think God has selected JP for the right time and place with that family. Never once did me and my wife

have a concern about his well-being or care taking.

Even when he got injured, they made sure he had the best medical attention.”

JP couldn’t agree more.

“I really didn’t have to worry about anything.

They made me feel right at home,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better family to get through this experience. I appreciate them so much for all that they did for me and my family.”

As he now prepares for his tertiary education at Harding University, Rutherford Sr said JP will be in good company as he continues his athletic pursuits. He noted that the head track coach, Don Hood, is one of his fraternity brothers, who has vowed to ensure that he gets the best opportunity to succeed.

“God has a reason for everything,” Rutherford Sr said. “That’s why he didn’t get in any of the bigger schools because he didn’t have any times this year.

“He didn’t have any indoor season, he suffered the hamstring and then COVID-19 shut down everything. But he’s still got an academic scholarship and will still get an opportunity to compete in sports at the collegiate level.”

With two younger sons still at home, Rutherford Sr said he doesn’t envision any of them following JP in leaving the Bahamas for high school.

He said Perez Rutherford, 14, is heading into the ninth grade at St Augustine’s College and he’s playing flag football and is a member of the Barracuda Swim Club, while Paidin, an 11-year-old preparing for grade five at Kingsway Academy, is participating in soccer and will be joining the Barracudas this year.

“I believe they both will be taller than JP, but it will be seen whether or not they will surpass what JP is doing,” Rutherford Sr said. “I’m not pushing any of them in sports, but whatever they decide to do, I will be there to support them just as I did with JP.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, PAGE 13

MLB owners, players revert to salary squabbles of old

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball owners and players have reverted to form -- the type displayed over the past half-century during eight work stoppages filled with salary squabbles.

Players proposed to resume the sport in the coronavirus pandemic with a 114-game regular season and full prorated salaries, leaving each player with approximately 70 per cent of what he had been slated to earn.

That proposal was made Sunday, five days after Major League Baseball’s plan for an 82-game season with additional pay cuts that would leave each player taking in 23-47 per cent of his original pay, with the highest earners accepting the biggest cuts.

MLB claims an additional $640,000 would be lost with each extra regular-season game played. The union has said it doesn’t believe those calculations and asked MLB for more economic documents and data.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the next move with owners yesterday.

If spring training is to resume in mid-June followed by opening day at around the start of July, a deal would have to be reached by next week.

Players and clubs agreed March 26 to “complete the fullest 2020 championship season and postseason that is economically feasible,” consistent with three provisions: -- no government restrictions on playing in front of fans at regular-season ballparks -- no relevant travel restrictions throughout the US and Canada -- Manfred determining, after consulting with the union and medical experts, that there is no risk to players, staff or fans to play games with fans at all 30 regular-season ballparks, provided that MLB and the union “will discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate substitute neutral sites.”

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NATIONALS CHANGE COURSE, PAY MINOR LEAGUERS FULL STIPEND

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writer

THE SUN sets behind Citi Field during a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs in New York on Aug. 29, 2019.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens) Players say the March 26 deal covered salaries and they are under no obligation to revisit the subject. MLB says they are if the plan is to use empty ballparks, which is the current intention.

Some players, notably former AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, have said it’s not worth it to them to play for less.

Some management officials have said teams should offer a very short schedule, perhaps as short as 50 games.

Mistrust among many is at its highest level since the 1994-95 strike. Reasons abound.

SALARIES Salaries have been pretty much flat for five years during a time revenue has been estimated to have risen at a 4 per cent annual rate, a sign the collective bargaining agreement agreed to in November 2016 gained more for the clubs than it did for the union.

Payrolls totalled $4.08 billion in 2016, according to figures compiled by the commissioner’s office that included season salaries, prorated shares of signing bonuses, earned bonuses, option buyouts and termination pay.

Payrolls have stayed in a historic

narrow range since then: $4.24 billion in 2017, $4.23 billion in 2018, $4.22 billion in 2019 and $4.21 billion this year, based on totals as of the March 28 roster freeze.

Slow free-agent markets following the 2017 and 2018 seasons sparked player anger, and a more regular market this past offseason hasn’t calmed players or the union staff.

TANKING/REBUILDING Players are livid over what they call tanking and clubs call rebuilding. They view noncompetitive teams as bad for the entire industry, leading to an attendance drop in each of the last four seasons.

Manfred says each club makes its own judgment on whether it can contend, and clubs are using the system to their advantage when they jettison veterans, rebuild with draft picks and international youth, then contend again. World Series titles

by Kansas City in 2015 and Houston in 2017 are pointed to as examples.

The union filed a grievance in February 2018 alleging the Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and

Tampa Bay Rays did not use revenue sharing money received properly. The labour contract specifies a team has to use the money “in an effort to improve its performance on the field.”

MLB has defended the teams, saying money can be used in areas other than major league payroll: amateur signings and minor league staff are just two examples. Manfred has pointed out that Oakland reached the playoffs in 2018 and Tampa Bay last year.

SERVICE TIME MANIPULATION Players repeatedly accuse clubs of manipulating their service time to delay free agency and salary arbitration eligibility.

Arbitrator Mark Irvings denied a grievance by Kris Bryant against the Cubs, accepting Chicago executive Theo Epstein’s rationale for delaying the third baseman’s debut at the start of the 2015 season.

Irvings wrote there was no proof of “a nefarious motive” and the union could not prove “bad faith to mask service time manipulation.” He did not rule on whether service time was permissible in any circumstance.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals changed course and told their minor leaguers yesterday they will receive their full weekly stipends of $400 at least through June after Washington reliever Sean Doolittle tweeted that the team’s major league players would cover a planned cut in those payments.

Doolittle wrote on Twitter that Nationals major leaguers held a video conference call after The Athletic reported Sunday the club would be releasing more than two dozen minor league players and reducing stipends for players in the minors from $400 to $300 per week.

A text message sent by the Nationals to players in the minors and forwarded yesterday to The Associated Press reads: “Upon further internal discussion, you will receive your full stipend of $400 per week through the month of June. We will consider future payments on a month to month basis. Thank you!”

It’s not unusual for big league teams to release minor leaguers at this time of year, although not normally this many. More than 400 young players have been cut with the minor league season in doubt amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Minor league players not on 40-man rosters were promised $400 per week through Sunday by a policy drafted by MLB. Including Washington’s switch, now at least 16 teams have promised to extend those allowances through the end of this month.

After the report about Washington’s reduction in that stipend, Doolittle wrote Sunday night that Nationals major leaguers decided unanimously that they “will be coming together and committing funds to make whole the lost wages.”

“All of us were minor leaguers at one point in our careers and we know how important the weekly stipends are for them and their families during these uncertain times,” Doolittle wrote. “Minor leaguers are an essential part of our organisation and they are bearing the heaviest burden of this situation as their season is likely to be cancelled.”

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THE TRIBUNE

ANALYSIS: SOCCER OUT OF TOUCH SUPPRESSING ON-FIELD ACTIVISM

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer

TO most watching Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho remove his jersey to reveal a handwritten “Justice for George Floyd” message on his undershirt, it was a powerful expression of activism on a soccer field.

To the Bundesliga referee overseeing that game, it was an action requiring punishment.

Rarely has a rule looked so out of touch.

At one of the world’s few globally televised sports on Sunday, Sancho showed the soccer world Floyd’s death resonated far beyond the United States.

Floyd, a black man, was filmed gasping for breath on Monday in Minneapolis while being pressed under the knee of a white police officer for several minutes. Floyd’s death has sparked days of protests across the U.S. And four players this weekend in German soccer took a stand in support of the protesters, making their point in the first major soccer league to resume during the coronavirus pandemic.

The German soccer federation confirmed on Monday that the referee who penalised Sancho, Daniel Siebert, was following global soccer rules when he showed Sancho a yellow card.

FIFA rules state players should

be cautioned for removing their jersey while celebrating.

Sancho could face a further sanction for breaching a 6-yearold rule prohibiting messages on undergarments — from the political and religious to the personal.

But in removing his jersey to reveal the slogan, Sancho highlighted a cause far bigger than sports.

“The booking of Jadon Sancho, or any other player, for making a statement in support of a man who has been unjustly killed is the wrong decision,” Piara Powar, executive director of soccer’s antidiscrimination Fare Network, told The Associated Press. “This is not a party-political cause, or an issue that poses a threat to football but an expression of concern and solidarity from minority players.”

Dortmund teammate Achraf Hakimi revealed his own yellow “Justice for George Floyd” T-shirt when he netted Dortmund’s fourth goal against Paderborn.

The Moroccan was not booked because he only partially removed his jersey.

“Rather than commenting on what a player should or shouldn’t be doing,” said Mary Harvey, chief executive of the Centre for Sports and Human Rights, “shouldn’t our focus be on why players felt the need to do this in the first place?”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a

JADON Sancho celebrates scoring his teams second goal of the game with a ‘Justice for George Floyd’ shirt during the soccer match between SC Paderborn 07 and Borussia Dortmund in Germany on Sunday. (AP) knee during the national anthem in 2016 in silent protest of police brutality and racism that kicked off a period of pregame activism in the NFL. Bundesliga player Marcus Thuram invoked Kaepernick on Sunday after he scored for Borussia against Union Berlin, dropping to his left knee and resting his right arm on his right thigh and bowing his head.

A day earlier, American midfielder Weston McKennie of Schalke, wore an armband with the handwritten message “Justice for George” around his left arm.

German soccer federation president Fritz Keller on Monday expressed “huge respect” for the players’ show of solidarity.

“I am proud of them,” Keller said. “From a moral standpoint, I completely understand their actions on the weekend.”

But Keller’s expression of sympathy appeared within a statement announcing the players could yet face disciplinary action because the federation says games “should remain free of political statements or messages of any kind.”

That stance sits uncomfortably with Piara, whose Fare network monitors games in UEFA’s Europe-wide competitions for racism.

“Denying high-profile athletes an opportunity to express concern on big issues,” Piara said, “is neither correct nor can it be controlled in the post-Kaepernick era.”

European soccer has been plagued by racial incidents at games, with few people facing consequences. As a young black player, Sancho has spoken out against the scant punishment for offenders in the stands and on the field. “It puts the confidence down in players,” he said last year, “and the love of the sport will go very soon if it doesn’t stop.”

From Kaepernick to the NBA’s LeBron James to Sancho, athlete activism is not going away.

FEDERER TOPS HIGHEST-EARNING ATHLETE LIST AT MORE THAN $100M

By The Associated Press ROGER Federer leads the annual Forbes ranking of highest-paid athletes with what the magazine says is $106.3 million in total earnings.

He is the first tennis player to top the list since it was first compiled in 1990.

The owner of a men’s-record 20 Grand Slam singles titles made $6.3 million of that haul from tennis prize money, with the rest from endorsements and appearances fees, according to Forbes.

Soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar took spots 2-4, with the NBA’s LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant at Nos. 5-7, followed by Tiger Woods at No. 8.

NFL players Kirk Cousins and Carson Wentz round out the top 10. Two women were in the top 100, both tennis players. Naomi Osaka was at No. 29 after setting a record for a female athlete with $37.4 million in earnings over the past 12 months. Serena Williams was No. 33 with $36 million.

Column: NASCAR is back and fans may be right behind

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — There is finally a break in this weird, new world of NASCAR after nine races over 16 days in three different states.

Brad Keselowski lucked into a pair of wins, new favourite son Chase Elliott lost three races (but won one) and Kyle Busch ticked off his haters simply by being himself.

Some rain interruptions aside, the racing has been good. The series is starting to find a rhythm and the story lines are strong.

Even seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has come close to winning his first race in more than three years.

But all is not entirely well.

A sport that prides itself on the access to its drivers is racing at empty tracks, most evident Sunday at cavernous Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Tennessee bullring known as “The Last Great Colosseum” can hold about 140,000 fans and once boasted a 55-race sellout streak spanning 28 years.

It was jarringly empty on a spectacular day for racing Sunday.

When Elliott and Joey Logano tangled on the track with just over a lap remaining — and when Logano gave Elliott a long stare on pit road — it was eerily silent.

In the old days, before the pandemic, the crowd would have been hysterical. In the new normal, the two drivers put on

their mandatory face masks and had a peaceful discussion in front of dreary, gray grandstands.

“It’s kind of like, well, I guess we’ll go home,” runner-up Clint Bowyer said of the anticlimactic post-race dramatics.

“I’m ready to have fans back. I think it’s time.”

Local tracks around the country have allowed spectators for at least the last two weekends.

NASCAR, when it announced its second stretch of races through June 21 in Alabama, said the events would be without fans.

The pressure will grow to get fans back in the stands, particularly as more and more local tracks open the gates with their governors’ OK. If fans can attend South Alabama Speedway in

Ozark, why can’t they go to the big show at Talladega Superspeedway in three weeks?

NASCAR has touted a health plan it was confident could get the teams back to the track and so far it has worked. No driver has failed the temperature checks required to enter the facilities so far.

But it has been barely two weeks since Darlington Raceway hosted the first race back so it’s far too early to know if the plan is perfect.

Masks are still required and teams have been good sports about following the rules. But it’s going to get hotter and the days are long and the masks are going to become a nuisance. Social distancing is for the most part followed, but awareness is fading

and teams were in clusters along pit road waiting for the Bristol race to start.

NASCAR already made a huge decision to get back to business after postponing eight Cup Series races. Now it will face another in deciding if the comeback is complete and fans can return.

The push for spectators is understandable because access is a cornerstone of racing’s popularity. The common fan can sit in the stands and eavesdrop on drivers via radio. They can camp in the infield with friends and sometimes run into their favourite driver out on a golf cart checking out the party scene. The lucky score a pit pass and get a front-row seat to every turn of a wrench or tire change.

COMPETITIVE SPORTS RESUME IN ENGLAND AFTER 75-DAY SHUTDOWN

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer A mid-morning greyhound race in a virtually empty venue in the central English city of Birmingham wouldn’t typically be an occasion warranting special attention.

For English sports fans, it was a moment to savour.

When six dogs flew out of the traps at Perry Barr at 10:21am on Monday, it marked the return of competitive sports in England after a 75-day shutdown because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The name of the winning dog — Im Sophie — will likely be the answer to a quirky quiz question in

years to come. Greyhound racing was the first of three sports to resume yesterday, with horse racing and snooker also taking place without spectators and on the condition that competitors and officials follow government-approved coronavirus protocols.

A 10-race card was held at Gosforth Park’s

all-weather track in the northeast city of Newcastle, where 369 entries from competition-starved horse owners were whittled down to 120 runners.

Jockeys wore face masks and adhered to social-distancing regulations before and after races, and only limited personnel were allowed on the course.

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That meant no bookmakers or bettors, with even the owners themselves barred from attending.

In the third-to-last race of the meeting, a horse — December Second — suffered a fatal injury after clipping the heels of another runner and falling with two furlongs remaining.

Horse racing was the last live sport to shut down in Britain — on March 17.

“It’s time to return and I really feel we can come back in a safe way in a way the public can be proud of,” champion jockey Oisin Murphy said yesterday, adding that he and his rivals would physically feel “very close to 100 per cent.”

“But the mental sharpness will only come after a few weeks with some practice.”

The winning jockey of the first race at Newcastle, James Sullivan, said he was “blowing a bit coming in” as the finishing post approached aboard his horse, Zodiakos.

“It was hard work,” he said.

“That will blow away the cobwebs.”

Snooker’s Championship League started in Milton Keynes, north of London, with top-ranked Judd Trump in action.

There were 64 players competing in the tournament that runs to June 11, and they all had to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the empty arena for matches.

Soccer in England is set to resume on June 17 with two Premier League games on the schedule.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 2, 2020, PAGE 15

WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN: TRIPLE CROWN FINALE AND FRENCH FINALS

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer THE final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown would have been set and the French Open finals would have been contested this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic. While NASCAR is staying busy on the track, and there are signals that other sports could be working toward a return, The Associated Press looks at some other sporting events that had been scheduled the week of June 1-7: HORSE RACING: Nadal, which now won’t have a shot after an ankle injury in training last week, could have been racing to become trainer Bob Baffert’s third Triple Crown winner in six seasons. The Belmont Stakes usually wraps up a five-week span that includes the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.

All have been pushed back,

though the Belmont Stakes will now go first on June 20.

TRIVIA BREAK: With the Belmont Stakes being the first Triple Crown race this year, followed by the Kentucky Derby on September 5 and the Preakness on October 3, the Triple Crown will be run out of its usual order for the first time since when? (Answer at bottom).

MLB: A series matching defending division champions was scheduled, with the Los Angeles Dodgers set to play the Atlanta Braves for the first time this season.

The NL West Dodgers swept a three-game set at home last season. Both lost in a best-of-five NL division series to start last year’s playoffs. They were also division winners in 2018, when Los Angeles beat the NL East Braves in four games in an NLDS. PGA: Patrick Cantlay rallied from four strokes back in Ohio with an

RAFAEL Nadal celebrates his record 12th French Open tennis tournament title after winning the final against Austria’s Dominic Thiem in Paris on June 9, 2019. (AP) 8-under 64 for the best closing round by a winner at the Memorial, which was founded by Jack Nicklaus in 1976. This year’s Memorial was rescheduled for July 16-19.

CLOSE TO CROWNS: The NBA Finals and NHL

Stanley Cup playoffs would have been been in their best-of-seven championship series.

LPGA: The US Women’s Open was to be played at Champions Golf Club in Houston the first week of June, but now will be

played two weeks before Christmas — the latest a major golf championship has ever been played.

TENNIS: The second week of the French Open would have had fourth-round matches, quarter-finals, semi-finals

and the final for men and women. Rafael Nadal could have been trying to add to his 12 trophies at Roland Garros — already more than any man or woman has won at any major tennis championship.

More significantly, a 20th Grand Slam title overall would tie the men’s mark held by Roger Federer, who was going to sit out this French Open after knee surgery.

Novak Djokovic has won five of the past seven Grand Slam tournaments to raise his career total to 17.

The No. 1-ranked woman, Ash Barty, won her first major title at last year’s French Open.

TRIVIA ANSWER: The Preakness was run a week before the Kentucky Derby in 1931, a year after Gallant Fox won the Triple Crown and a year before a nearly nine-decade stretch of the Kentucky Derby-Preakness-Belmont order.

SPORTS

PAGE 16, Tuesday, June 2, 2020

SECTION E

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

PAGE 14

Elite athletes’ subventions cut by just over $269,000

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

A

s expected, there will be some major changes for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture in the 2020 budget that was outlined by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest in the House of Assembly last week.

While the recurrent expenditure is estimated to be around $18,938,187, about $5,143,194 less than what was expended in last

year’s budget of $24,081,380, there are some line figures that will be reduced significantly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subventions to elite athletes will be dropped from $1,346,150 to $1,076,920, but it’s not known how many athletes will be affected going into the preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, which has been postponed until 2021.

In addition, aid to student athletes will be reduced from $142,500 last year to about $110,000, although there is no indication as to who and how

many athletes fall into this category.

Additionally, there is provisions for $76,000 to be allocated to the World Relays, although the Bahamas has given up the rights to hold the event after the first three editions in 2014, 2015 and 2017 before they were moved to Yokohama, Japan, in 2019.

There was no allocation, however, for the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Associations, but the Bahamas Olympic Committee is pegged at $40,000 - $10,000 less than the $50,000 they received last year.

The only other individual sporting bodies listed are the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association with an allocation of $8,000 - $2,000 less than the $10,000 last year and the Bahamas Football Association, which is being allocated $32,000, down from $40,000 from last year.

There is a contribution of $152,000 for international games, reduced by $32,000 from the $190,000 from last year and there is provisions for contributions to sports, civic and youth organisations to the tone of $240,000, which was reduced from $300,000 in the previous budget.

Further to the list, there is a National Endowment for Sports, pegged at $795,000, reduced from $1,632,000 last year and $150,000 for ceremonial events, down from $372,400 from last year.

No doubt, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle will outline the details of her ministry when the budget is debated in the House of Assembly this month.

Efforts to contact Rolle and the Director of Sports, Timothy Munnings, for comments over the holiday weekend were unsuccessful.

JP RUTHERFORD JR: ‘THE SERVANT LEADER AWARD, I WAS SHOCKED THAT I GOT THAT TOO’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE COVID-19 pandemic prevented Peter and Chavez Rutherford from travelling to Arkansas with other family members over the weekend to watch their son, Peter ‘JP’ Rutherford Jr, graduate from Providence Academy. What they didn’t regret was the decision they made four years ago to allow their eldest son to leave St Augustine’s College to further his high school education.

On Friday night as a result of the United States and the Bahamas borders closed due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Rutherfords got to watch the graduation ceremony

online as JP not only received the cum laude award, but he was also honoured as a servant leader and recognised as an international student.

While he would have liked to have seen his family present, JP said it wasn’t their fault as COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on graduation ceremonies which, in most cases, has to be done virtually. Fortunate for him, Providence Academy actually had a ceremony with only the parents of each graduate in attendance because of the social distancing rule.

Sharing the moment with JP were his Arkansas home parents, Gay and Barry Gasaway, whom Rutherford Sr said his family are eternally grateful for the

love and affection that they are showing their son.

The Gasaways took JP in their home from BahamianAmerican Simeon Hinsey, the director of studentathlete development at the University of Arkansas, who originally arranged for PJ to stay in Arkansas with him and his family when he first arrived.

As he reflected on the momentous occasion, JP said there was one important thing missing at the ceremony, which turned out to be an event that he will cherish with pride for the rest of his life because of his achievement.

“It was disappointing not having my parents and family over here, but it was

SEE PAGE 12

CUM LAUDE: Peter ‘JP’ Rutherford Jr graduated from Providence Academy with distinction.

Kentwan re-signs with team in France

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net VETERAN Bahamian national team basketball player Kentwan Smith will return to France for a second consecutive season.

Smith re-signed with Garonne ASPTT of the NM2 League. In 16 games with the club last season, he averaged 12.9 points per game. Garonne ended the regular season with the second-best record in the league.

Last season, he played with FOG Naestved of Denmark’s BasketLigaen the top level of basketball in the country. In 31 games he averaged 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as his team advanced to the

semi-finals. Smith’s pro career has taken him to five different countries on three different continents.

In 2018-19, the 6’8” forward spent the previous season with a pair of teams in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

He began the season with BK Levicki Patrioti of the Slovak Extraliga (SBL) and followed with a brief stint in the NBL league in Czech Republic with JBC MMCITE Brno.

Smith spent the previous season with Finnish club, BC Nokia of the Korisliiga - the top level of basketball in Finland.

His previous stop that year was as a member of Fuerza Guinda de Nogales in Mexican CIBACOPA. In his first season as a pro, Smith was an impact player

for his BC Timisoara Club în Romania’s Liga National.

At the national team level, he was most recently a member of the country’s CAC team that finished sixth at the event in Barranquilla, Colombia in 2018.

In the finale, a 90-76 loss to Mexico, Smith led the Bahamas with 21 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, 5-for-8 from the threepoint line and 2-for-4 from the free throw line. He also had 11 rebounds and three assists. He averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in the tournament.

Smith was also a member of the Bahamas’ national team that finished 7th at 2016 FIBA Centrobasket tournament in Panama where they earned qualification for the aforementioned CAC Games.

Brewers release Orveo Saint

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net AT least one Bahamian player was among the hundreds of roster cuts throughout minor league baseball last week amid the uncertainty of the 2020 season and respective franchise’s decisions on continuing payments to players.

Orveo Saint was among 30 players released by the Milwaukee Brewers on May 28 as minor league baseball players continue to experience an unprecedented amount of cuts league wide.

The 20-year-old middle infielder signed with the Brewers in 2017 and spent two seasons in the Arizona Rookie League.

In 59 games, he hit .152 with 47 hits, a .604 OPS, three home runs, 21 RBI and nine stolen bases.

As per the Brewers media guide, he underwent left wrist surgery last October.

Also this offseason, Todd Isaacs Jr was released from the Colorado Rockies

organisation on April 7.

He spent the bulk of last season in Grand Junction at the Rookie Level but also received the highest call-up of his career when he was called up to the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

The minor league baseball season was officially suspended in April but the MLB pledged to offer players financial support through May 31 as the COVID-19 pandemic continued. Beyond May, clubs were given the individual decision on how or if they would financially support their rosters.

A total of 16 Bahamians are currently contracted to minor league deals. Prior to the suspension of all baseball activity, just two of those players received their assignments for the upcoming season.

Over 200 players were cut Friday and more than 400 have been released over the past month, according to transactions posted at MiLB.com.

According to Yahoo Sports, lower-level players were hit hardest by cuts, with at least 172 players released from the rookielevel Gulf Coast, Arizona and Dominican Summer Leagues.