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VOLUME:117 No.132, JUNE 4TH, 2020
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‘WHY IGNORE THE PROBLEMS HERE?’
Activist asks why US police brutality enrages us but not local issues By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
AS Bahamians show solidarity with protests against excessive and deadly policing of black people in the United States, one local activist says residents should show similar interest in incidents of questionable police conduct in The Bahamas. Khandi Gibson, head of Families of All Murder Victims, said more accountability could be achieved in The Bahamas if the public
demanded it. “It’s like we Bahamians take on the US problems and ignore our own,” she said yesterday. “But we have issues here every day and people don’t pay as much attention to them.” Issues involving local policing have been longrunning themes for years. Some residents who report police abuses to the Police Complaints Unit say they never receive a response. Inquests into policeinvolved killings can take SEE PAGE FOUR
... AS ROLLE INSISTS HE IS WORKING ON POLICE IMAGE By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
COMMISSIONER of Police Paul Rolle said he is putting in place a number of policies to clean up the public’s negative perception of Royal Bahamas Police Force. His comments came as Americans continue to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while being detained by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident has reignited the
conversation about police brutality and accusations have been tossed by some Bahamians at the RBPF for unfair treatment. Several suspects have also been killed by police this year. The commissioner said yesterday that he recently reviewed the force’s professional standards. A dress code and social media policy are expected to be released soon while others are being revised. SEE PAGE FIVE
Seek ... and found
RESIDENTS in Venetian West say they are fearful for the safety of their children and pets after a toxic toad species was discovered in the community. Full story - Page 3 Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
TOURISM PAYROLL GIVEN BAHAMASAIR CUTTING ITS $2M MORE THAN NEEDED SUMMER SCHEDULE 20% By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
TOURISM minister Dionisio D’Aguilar has admitted his ministry’s payroll was over-budgeted by $2.5m for the 2019-2020 fiscal year and has now been returned to normal levels by the new Budget.
He reported that there had been no job cuts at the ministry even though the 2020-2021 budget showed a 12.5 percent year-overyear reduction in staff salaries from $20.009m in the current fiscal year to $17.499m for the upcoming 12 months.
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMASAIR yesterday said it is planning a 20 percent cut to its summer schedule after incurring $18.5m in revenue losses and unfunded costs due to the combination of Hurricane Dorian
and COVID-19. Tracy Cooper, the national flag carrier’s managing director, told Tribune Business that the nearly three-month pandemic lockdown had forced the airline to incur $10.5m worth of costs without a single cent of revenue income to fund this. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
OLYMPIC BOSS APPEALS OVER FUNDING FRONT
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
ROMELL Knowles, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, is calling on the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture not to cut the subvention of elite athletes, saying it is critical for them to receive every penny they can to prepare for the Olympic
Games. He made the appeal after it was reported in The Tribune that the subvention for elite athletes is expected to be cut by over $269,000. With the Olympics in Japan postponed until July, 2021, Knowles said Bahamian athletes needed to be supported as much as possible. “The restrictions of competitions, coupled with restrictions to train for the
most prestigious sporting event in the world brings with it a set of abnormal circumstances and expenses for our athletes,” Knowles wrote. “In addition to preparation expenses, which I believe may increase, the mental preparation may be an additional but necessary expense our athletes may be forced to endure.”
FULL STORY - SEE SPORT
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PORCH BY SIMON SEE PAGE EIGHT