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VOLUME:117 No.134, JUNE 9TH, 2020

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HEALTH: FOOD SUSTAINABILITY - IT’S ALL ABOUT LOCAL

‘YOU WERE TOLD EXAMS GO AHEAD’ Lloyd insists lockdown was ‘not a holiday’ and state tests will proceed

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net DESPITE pushback from some quarters, the Ministry of Education remained firm yesterday on the July date for national exams, saying it was always known the tests were being postponed, not cancelled.

Education Minister Jeff Lloyd said the decision to hold the exams next month was made after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the country had moved into stage three of its reopening plan.

“You can take the exams if you want to,” Mr Lloyd

BAHAMIANS must abandon their “xenophobic and schizophrenic” attitude towards foreign investors if the economy is to survive the devastation inflicted by COVID-19, a prominent doctor warned yesterday.

Dr Johnathan Rodgers, the “eye doctor” and well-known economic commentator, told Tribune Business that the country’s

WHAT DO TWO WHITE OFFICERS IN US THINK?

SEE PAGE EIGHT

WILSON SETS SIGHTS ON COVID ‘FAILS’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

said at a virtual press conference yesterday. “No one is forcing you to take any exams. That is your choice.

We are not forcing exams on anyone.”

He stressed that education officials had long planned to still hold the exams this year, saying they had been postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, not cancelled.

“It had always been the intention of the ministry to conduct external exams if conditions permitted,” the minister explained. “This is why it was repeatedly stated that the exams were postponed, not cancelled.

A BAHAMIAN insurer’s parent is targeting companies struggling to rebound from COVID-19, its chairman has revealed, after its corporate structure provided a $2.33m buffer against Hurricane Dorian claims payouts. Sir Franklyn Wilson said RoyalStar Holdings is eyeing further investment opportunities created by the pandemic following a 2019 financial year when it avoided being pushed “into the red” due to its equity holdings in several affiliated companies.

SEE PAGE THREE

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

‘TO HIT TARGET LIKE BEATING USAIN BOLT’

‘WE NEED FOREIGNERS NOT JUST THEIR MONEY’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

FACE-TO-FACE

urgent need for alternative foreign currency inflows amid the tourism industry shutdown meant the mindset of “we want your money, we don’t want you” regarding foreign direct investment must cease.

Dr Rodgers urged the Central Bank and other public sector agencies “to cut through the red tape” and permit overseas investors to purchase Bahamian dollar-denominated government debt.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

‘MY SON’S AN ANGEL NOW’ ZION WELLINGTON PRATT, a 16-year-old from Abaco pictured above with his mother, died after being involved in a collision with a motorist as he walked home after playing basketball Full report - Page 7

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas needs an “extraordinary economic shot in the arm” to meet the International Monetary Fund’s targets, ex-finance minister James Smith said yesterday. “It’s like saying that if you beat Usain Bolt we’ll be prepared to forgive your debt. That’s kind of near impossible,” he said.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

DR SANDS? THAT STORY IS DEAD

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement chairman Carl Culmer said the party has “moved on” from the issue of Dr Duane Sands’ resignation from Cabinet and is instead focused on getting through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Culmer was contacted after Dr Sands spoke at length about the

EX-MINISTER: Duane Sands circumstances leading up to his resignation during an interview with a local

daily, giving his side of the story publicly for this first time since his resignation last month. “I have no comments on that,” Mr Culmer said. “I’m finished with that. That story is dead. The Prime Minister has already addressed that and that is finished as far as I am concerned. I’m looking at the budget now and seeing how good it is for the Bahamian people.

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE THREE

PETER YOUNG

SICKENING CYCLE CAN’T BE SOLVED

BY VIOLENCE

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Mother and child reunion AN EMOTIONAL Nikita Wilson with her son Luke Hutchinson who had been stuck in Cat Island. Left: The Watsons are together again.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A MOTHER had an emotional reunion yesterday with her four-year-old son who was stuck in Cat Island for more than two months due to travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The boy, Leroy Hutchison, was only expected to have a short visit with his grandmother in Cat Island when COVID-19 disrupted life for many.

He was one of scores of people arriving in Nassau as yesterday on the first day of the resumption of domestic travel.

His mother Niketa Wilson and brother, who held a “welcome home” balloon, were waiting for the child at Lynden Pindling International Airport

(LPIA). Ms Wilson told The Tribune that Leroy was accompanied by a family friend who was an officer.

His mother explained that the four-year-old was originally supposed to be with his grandmother for the Easter break, but she sent him to Cat Island as soon as the schools were closed in March due to the pandemic.

His visit was prolonged due to the government closing the domestic borders.

People have criticised the government’s decision to repatriate Bahamians living overseas but not assisting Bahamians stuck on local islands; Ms Wilson shares the same sentiments.

“Well me speaking as a mother and emotionally I felt it was unfair. I felt it

was unfair because here it is, my baby was stuck, he was only (supposed to be) there for a short period of time and ended up staying almost three months - like two months and three weeks. It played a good part in my depression,” she said.

The dilemma has apparently affected her son as well. “It was a process of just them two staying home - no beaches, no nothing - and where the house was recently built it wasn’t things there to accommodate his time,” his mother explained.

“It played a part with him too because some days his grandmother told me he would just sit in bed and just stare at the ceiling and then would just start crying. “. . .(I made) four phone

calls a day and just guiding him through it and everytime he would hear our voice he would break down in tears and I would just tell him ‘Mummy coming to get him.’”

While there were many New Providence residents returning home yesterday, the airport also had Family Islanders who were stuck in the capital and were ready to return home.

Among them was Mary Knowles of Great Harbour Cay, Berry Islands who came to Nassau to buy groceries and has her own home in the capital.

She also chimed in on the domestic border closure debate by stating Berry Islanders felt as if the prime minister did not listen to the people.

She said: “He (the prime minister) asked for

comments on how we could help him. . .The Bahamas is not one big mass of land. . .so therefore I feel like from the break he should have never shut down the whole Bahamas. He should’ve only shut down Nassau, Bimini, and Freeport (which had active cases).”

She thinks Family Island residents who were stuck in Nassau should have been allowed to return home earlier once they provided a negative COVID test.

Charmaine Francis from Grand Bahama visited Nassau for her aunt’s funeral with her mother, sister, and brother-in-law.

Her sister and brotherin-law were able to leave before the border closed, but Ms Francis and her mother were not able to leave in time.

Family and friends took

care of her in Nassau during their stay. While happy to be going home, she said she had questions beforehand about the process.

“Prior to this process, it was very very difficult,” she said. “I mean the prime minister made his announcement and he said that there were only going to be two forms to fill out but confirming that information I contacted Bahamasair. I contacted the Minister of Health. I contacted the 311 emergency number and nobody was able to give me a definitive answer on what the process really was and this was the reason for coming here early enough to make certain the process was exactly what he said it was and fortunately for us it was.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS from page one “We stated this from the beginning of the national lockdown. Students were advised that the lockdown didn’t mean a vacation from school. PSAs and other media announcements made this plain and clear.”

Noting the importance of the exams, he said that the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) tests are the catalyst for the advancement of students to a higher grade. He was also asked about the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations which are key to admission to University of The Bahamas (UB). UB is permitting students to enter this year on the basis of their last three years of high school. Students must still pass a placement exam to gain entrance. Students who have math and English language BGCSEs at grade C or above will be exempted from the placement test.

On Thursday, June 4, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, acting on the advice of the Ministry of Education, Mr Lloyd said, announced that the BJC and BGCSE exams will be held beginning July 13 this year.

The ministry, Mr Lloyd said, undertook the decision to conduct the exams after it was announced by the Prime Minister that phase three of the country’s reopening plan had commenced, and that educational operations could be conducted according to the health protocols.

While acknowledging that students and parents have gone through unprecedented times during the pandemic, Mr Lloyd said students should have been preparing for the tests. He said efforts were made to help students without devices to access virtual learning during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“Despite a virtual school that has seen registration reach over 48,000 students, and an average of 20,000 engaged daily, there are still many students who do

Lloyd insists lockdown was ‘not a holiday’ and exams will go ahead

EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd not have a device or the internet, and would, necessarily, have been deprived of the benefit of continuing school,” he continued.

“We understand that, and have made every effort to accommodate them.”

He added: “From the very date that school

suspended face-to-face instructions, I, as minister, and we as a ministry, impressed upon our students that this time is not a vacation. You are still in school, we told them, and that you must continue your school work.

This was communicated

across all media platforms, including public service announcements.”

An online petition to cancel the exams and use forecasted grades had more than 8,000 signatures up to press time.

During the press conference, Mr Lloyd also

observed a moment of silence in memory of 10-year-old Lorencia Walkes, the fifth grade student of Sybil Strachan Primary School who died as a result of being shot in the head on May 29 in the Carmichael Road area. He noted that the

ministry shares the grief of the child’s family.

The ministry is providing grief counsellors for the Sybil Strachan community and the family to help them all through the tragic and unfortunate loss.

Editorial View - Page 6

DR SANDS? THAT STORY IS DEAD, SAYS FNM CHAIRMAN from page one “So as far as I am concerned, that story is dead.

I am more focused on what an excellent job this government is doing to advance the Bahamian people. Our focus is on the budget.”

He said the party has moved on from the situation and has turned its attention elsewhere. “Our focus now is to work through this pandemic,” Mr Culmer continued. “We are also focused on ensuring that we find ourselves in a better place economically, in order to get Bahamians back where they were and create new opportunities for them.

“As far as I am concerned, it makes no sense to keep rehashing this business with Dr Sands over and over. We must thank Dr Sands for his contributions and we look forward to him working with the party to win the next election, but as far as his resignation is concerned, that is a dead issue.”

The Elizabeth MP offered his resignation early last month for his actions related to six permanent residents who landed in the country with COVID-19 testing supplies and were allowed to quarantine at home before they produced a negative COVID-19 test result. Dr Minnis said there

was a breach of protocol in the matter. Dr Sands resigned a day after telling The Tribune he had no plans to step down from his post.

In an interview with the Nassau Guardian, Dr Sands revealed his frustration over a leaked resignation letter which he insisted he did not write.

“A statement was prepared through the Office of the Prime Minister ostensibly, for my consideration and review,” Dr Sands said. “It was sent to me, I looked at it and while in principle the general theme was okay, there were certain specific issues that I wished to be revised. I communicated that, and I asked for an opportunity to revise the statement. I sought the advice of the Attorney General, who concurred with my position.

“As I am sitting at my computer making a revision to a document that I had said to the competent authority I was not prepared to affix my signature to, it shows up on social media. An individual who forwarded the document to him inquiring about its authenticity, claimed to have forwarded it from the Killarney Free National Movement (FNM) WhatsApp group in which the person is a member.”

The document in

FREE National Movement chairman Carl Culmer

question claimed Dr Sands apologised to Dr Minnis and offered his resignation but the prime minister “graciously refused to accept it.” Dr Sands denied the legitimacy of the statement on social media. Thirty minutes later, he released a similar statement about his resignation.

Speaking with The Nassau Guardian, Dr Sands

said he called the Prime Minister and voiced his concerns after he saw the document in question.

“There was no effort to disassociate the document which was in circulation from the government of the Bahamas or the Office of the Prime Minister, and since it had not come from me, I thought it was important for the people to

know this was not a legitimate document,” added Dr Sands. “I then wrote my response, I submitted it to the prime minister, and then made an appointment to hand deliver it, and then posted it as promised.”

Some observers expressed hope that the Prime Minister would not accept Dr Sands’ resignation.

In his interview, Dr Sands said his decision to tender his letter of resignation with immediate effect was both a matter of principle, and a matter of his discomfort with what he was being asked to sign off on.

The Office of the Prime Minister did not comment when contacted yesterday.

Editorial View - Page 6

PAGE 4, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

CURFEW RULES ARE LOST IN TRANSLATION FOR SPANIARD

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A SPANISH man was fined $400 yesterday after he claimed he violated the recent weekend lockdown because he was not aware of the emergency orders and saw people jogging outside.

He was among several people who appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt for curfew and lockdown infractions.

Anderson Mora, 20, was charged after officers found him near Goodman’s Bay Beach on Friday, June 5.

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

Prosecutor Samatha Miah said Mora told officers he saw people outside jogging so he came outside as well. During the hearing, Mora also told the magistrate through a translator that he was not aware of the curfew last Friday and thought it was okay to go outdoors since he saw other people outside. In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt told the defendant ignorance of the law was not an excuse. She also told him that although The Bahamas may not be his native land, he still had a duty to know what the law was.

Meanwhile, Hayden Smiler, 39, was charged after officers found him on University Drive around 1.15am. Sgt Miah said at the time of his arrest, the New Zealand native told officers

he went to check on his daughter because his wife called him and said she was suffering from an asthma attack. He was fined $500 or six weeks at BDCS. Kenrick Knowles, 30, was charged after officers found him on Gladstone Road around 11.40pm. He pleaded guilty to violating the curfew and was fined $400 or six weeks in prison.

Sgt Miah said at the time of Knowles’ arrest, he told officers he was going to see his children’s mother.

Officers found Fenes Osne, 57, on Soldier Road around 8am on June 7. At the time, Osne said he was on his way to pick up a friend to fix the gas wire for his stove. He pleaded guilty in court yesterday and was fined $400 or one month in prison.

Everson Charlot, 41, was charged after officers found him on Plantol Street around 12.10am on June 6.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 which he paid the same day. When given an opportunity to speak during the hearing, Charlot told the magistrate he only went outside because he had heard a noise and wanted to see what it was. He said he did not realise that he had ventured some distance away from his residence. In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt asked him why he did not mind his business and stay home. She also told the defendant that the court had to fine him because he couldn’t break the rules and avoid paying the consequence.

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest speaking yesterday

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

Turnquest defends budgeting policy

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said government debt under the Minnis administration has increased by $977 million since taking office.

He was speaking during the start of the 2020/2021 budget debate yesterday and was responding to Progressive Liberal Party

criticism of borrowing under the administration.

The $977 million, he said, comprises gross borrowing and total debt repayment for the first two years in office.

“When you take the difference between gross borrowing and debt repayment, you get net borrowing, which is in fact the true and proper measure of government borrowing,” he said.

“Furthermore, our net

borrowing favourably compares to the opposition, who increased government debt by $1.2 billion during their first two full years in office. It only requires basic math to know that $1.2 billion is bigger than $977 million. In other words, the opposition borrowed more money in the first two full years than this administration has so far. So we wonder why they are contorting themselves in the way they have just to spread fake news.

Three billion dollars is fake news.”

Mr Turnquest also discussed impending legislative changes. He said the government will amend the Financial Administration and Audit Act 2010 to “require that all government authorities, companies, and corporations that receive more than 50 percent of their operating budget from the central government produce and submit monthly and quarterly financials.”

“This amendment will not only allow for a more programmatic approach to government budgeting

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but will also aid in the cost rationalisation project currently conducted on (state owned enterprises),” he said.

The Small Business Development Centre, a major new initiative under this administration, had registered over 9,700 people for their business advisory, disaster recovery support and business continuity programme as of mid-May, Mr Turnquest said.

“The SBDC approved nearly $40 million in funding across its programmes, with just short of $6 million approved for hurricaneimpacted businesses specifically, and another $29 million for those impacted

by COVID-19. Further, the SBDC has disbursed close to $20 million in funding, of which $3.4 million assisted businesses in Abaco and Grand Bahama after Hurricane Dorian, and $10.4 million to businesses affected by the virus. For those businesses seeking advisory and funding outside of the hurricane and COVID-19 programmes, some $2.8 million has been disbursed,” he said.

‘PANDEMIC SHOWS HOW WE CONNECT’ IN a message to commemorate World Oceans Day, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said the COVID19 pandemic is “a sharp reminder of how we are all intimately connected — to each other and to nature.”

“As we work to end the pandemic and build back better, we have a once-ina-generation opportunity – and responsibility -- to correct our relationship with the natural world, including the world’s seas and oceans,” the UN official noted. “We rely on the oceans for food, livelihoods, transport, and trade.

“And, as the lungs of our planet and its largest carbon sink, the oceans play a vital role in regulating the global climate.”

He noted that sea levels are rising due to climate change, threatening lives and livelihoods in low-lying nations and coastal cities and communities around the world. The oceans are becoming more acidic, putting marine biodiversity and essential food chains in jeopardy,” he added.

“And plastic pollution is everywhere. On this World Oceans Day, we focus on Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, PAGE 5

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Why borrow $252m from IMF, asks PLP’s Cooper

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party deputy leader Chester Cooper yesterday questioned why the Minnis administration will borrow $252 million from the International Monetary Fund.

Speaking during the budget debate which began yesterday, he said Bahamians should understand what the borrowing move may signal to the international community.

“The IMF is typically the lender of last resort for countries, just as the Central Bank is usually the lender of last resort for commercial banks,” he said. “The IMF, like a Central Bank, would lower its emergency lending rate in a crisis to encourage troubled countries to borrow.

“So, the cost of funds or tenure of the funding are meaningless in this context. The IMF loan being squeezed into the 2019/2020 budget, that the minister did not mention in any budget communication, could send a troubling signal to the world that The Bahamas is a financially

troubled country. Yet, it was none other than the minister of finance, the member for East Grand Bahama, who publicly ruled out the IMF’s original offer; no doubt for this very reason.

“In fact, when the minister of finance originally sought parliamentary approval for the supplementary borrowing, the IMF was not listed as a possible lender. Does this mean that the funding options he presented to Parliament previously have not materialised for this administration? If so, that might signal a worrisome collapse of confidence in this administration by lenders. If lenders are unwilling to lend to the government now, why would they be willing to lend to the government in the next fiscal year to fund a $1.3 billion deficit? In my view, the path the country is on is quite clear and unless there is a drastic shift, it is only a matter of time before this administration goes back to the IMF, cap in hand, for additional funding.”

Mr Cooper also expressed doubt about the administration’s fiscal projections, saying the figures

showing that the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio will reach 82.8 percent do not encompass all of the government’s obligations.

He said: “…This is not the comprehensive picture, as the government tabled a resolution in this Parliament on May 28 to convert $246 million in Bahamas Power and Light government guaranteed loans into direct government debt.

“This conversion, which is to take place in July, has astoundingly been omitted from the budget, from my examination of it. This was not even tabled by the minister of finance, but by the prime minister, who did so the day after the budget communication just before the adjournment, after speaking about restrictions in the emergency order being lifted. He slipped it in, in the dead of night. Why that wasn’t included in the budget the day before raises more credibility concerns. Did they not know about it? Or is that what the PR people suggested?

This is the exact opposite of fiscal transparency.”

The budget debate resumes today at 3pm.

PLP deputy leader Chester Cooper yesterday

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

GRAND BAHAMA BUSINESSES HOPING TO BOUNCE BACK

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

COVID-19 has hindered economic recovery in Grand Bahama, but businesses are hopeful that things will “bounce back” as the economy moves towards full reopening.

Retail stores reopened to the public for the first time last Tuesday since the March shutdown. Prior to this, retailers were only allowed to provide curbside and delivery services. While visiting downtown Freeport recently, The Tribune met and spoke with several small business owners,

many of whom are suffering from the double whammy of Hurricane Dorian recovery and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kelly Russell, of H&L School Supplies and Bookstore, said that customers are coming in to shop again.

“It’s not been too bad; we are just opening up and it’s been going pretty good,” she said. “I can’t complain because persons have been in and out shopping for their needs.”

Ms Russell indicated that during the shutdown, her store did miss out on prime shopping events, such as Mother’s Day and Easter, but noted that a lot of

people are still celebrating birthdays and graduation.

Prior to reopening on Tuesday, she stated that the store started curbside operation in mid-April for their customers.

Meanwhile, the operator of Toddler’s Paradise said business is slow but she is hopeful things will pick up by the end of the month. “I don’t think a lot of people know we are open yet. We just opened on Tuesday of this week for the first time since March. Hopefully, by the end of the month, more people will hear that downtown is now opening up and would come out,” the store owner said.

She noted that the business has had a tough start since reopening last December after Hurricane Dorian. “It was crazy,” she said. “First, it was the hurricane and we had to pull everything out, and when you open again – corona.

So it’s been rough, but I am keeping a positive outlook.”

The owners of M&M Fashion reported that activity has been quiet in downtown Freeport.

“Business is slow and quiet,” said the store’s owners, who have been in business for over 19 years selling clothing, accessories, bags, and shoes.

At Peaches and Cream

Boutique, Sanae Forbes said that sales are slow but they are seeing lots of foot traffic at the store.

“People are coming in… but they are not purchasing, but they say they would come back which is hopeful,” she said.

In addition to the storefront, Ms Forbes said the business also caters to customers online and is getting lots of inquiries on its social media page.

“We have always had an online presence on Facebook and Instagram. We had to diversify…and have been trying to reach Family Island customers as well who are waiting until we

are fully open to send their items” she said.

Ms Forbes said the store sustained severe damage during Dorian but was able to reopen as a result of a business grant. “We were under four feet of water,” she said. “We won a grant and it helped us to reopen.

We had to get rid of everything. We did not expect the water to go so high and so everything was wet.

“We are hopeful because we in Grand Bahama are resilient and we keep bouncing back, but COVID has been one of those things to hinder the bounce, but we are determined,” she said.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Rushing students into exams could harm their futures SHOULD students who have had to study at home through the pandemic have to take their examinations in the coming weeks?

It’s a thorny question – and while Minister of Education Jeff Lloyd seems determined to push through, there is understandable concern from children and parents that the students might not be prepared to the level they need for the examinations.

“Students were advised that the lockdown didn’t mean a vacation from school,” said Mr Lloyd, “PSAs and other media announcements made this plain and clear.”

That’s true – but has the level of involvement between students and teachers been to the level required to prepare them for exams?

Let’s take a look at Mr Lloyd’s own figures. He says registration has reached more than 48,000 students, with an average of 20,000 engaged daily. Engaged can mean different things – it could mean attending online classes, it could mean doing an assignment, it could mean checking emails.

Mr Lloyd’s figures are also not much different from what they were in April, when 40,000 students out of 60,000 were registered, and 20,000 were accessing the online platform each day. Back then, he said about 1,200 attended live sessions each day – and 1,200 out of 60,000 is significantly less impressive as a number.

As parents themselves will attest, the level of the work is perhaps not

as involved as one would hope from schooling – a maths assignment here, an English project there but not the intensive hours in a classroom from a school day. In fairness, how could it be? Parents are doing their own work, managing the household, navigating the problems of the pandemic too.

Many children might not have the equipment to access the schoolwork either – either lacking devices to work on or internet access, or having to share devices with brothers and sisters and parents. It’s not easy, by any means.

Some parents have launched a petition, asking for forecast grades to be used instead of an examination – but that seems not to have found favour as a suggestion.

What are the alternatives? Could an extended summer school be held for examination year students to help prepare them? After all, many summer camps will have cancelled this year or may struggle to accommodate children amid the pandemic recovery. Could the year even be re-run? Between Hurricane Dorian and the coronavirus, this has been the most disrupted year for students – do they start the year again to make the most of their potential?

We don’t want to rush students through so they get bad grades that will forever sit on their resumé as a black mark from the effects of COVID-19.

“No one is forcing you to take any exams. That is your choice,” says Mr Lloyd. Perhaps not – but the list of alternatives is looking slim.

Moving on from Dr Sands issue? Hardly!

WE’VE moved on, have we?

That’s the word from FNM chairman Carl Culmer over the issue of Dr Duane Sands’ resignation as Minister of Health.

He’s echoing the words of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis last week, who was firmly avoiding answering questions about the resignation and why he chose to accept it.

“That story is dead,” said Mr Culmer.

“The Prime Minister has already addressed that and that is finished as far as I am concerned.”

Except of course that the Prime Minister has not already addressed that. Dr Minnis got out a broom and tried to sweep it under the carpet – that’s not the same thing as addressing it.

The matter has indeed been thoroughly discussed in the media – in the sense that the media and others have been asking questions. Those

questions have not been answered. We cannot move on until there are actual answers.

Dr Sands, for his part, revealed his frustration in The Nassau Guardian yesterday that a resignation letter was leaked that he says he did not write.

Who wrote it? Who leaked it? Two more questions to throw on the pile being ignored by the Prime Minister.

In the wake of Dr Sands’ comments, we of course contacted the Office of the Prime Minister for answers. Guess what – the Prime Minister who campaigned on transparency didn’t comment.

For those wanting to move on, here’s the thing – you don’t get to decide when enough answers have been given. The public does. Deny the public answers and they’ll remember that when they cast their votes next time. Then you might be the ones moving on.

Not if, but when we devalue EDITOR, The Tribune The question was is the Bahamas Treasury broke?

Deputy Prime Minister of Finance answered that question when he mentioned the recent $1.3bn borrowed was to keep The Bahamas afloat during these difficult times with 100% shutdown of tourism, 100% shutdown of Foreign Investment and massive decline in revenue.

The Memorial weekend in America saw the lowest air travel, hotel accommodation, bus transport and car transport in over 100 years.

This is because Americans are still afraid of dying or getting coronavirus. One in every four restaurants are closing due to poor businesses. Americans are now more than ever cooking and eating at home. The next problem is that the majority of Americans are not going back to work scared and concerned about getting the Coronavirus, 24 States

had seen an increase in the spread of the Coronavirus that have already killed over 100k and infected over 1.5 million Americans in the United States. Americans are now also spending less and being more cautious in spending money.

Hertz a billion dollar 500 Fortune Company filed Bankruptcy protection because fewer Americans travelling in America means less rental business, will have to sell over 100k rental cars in a restructuring. What this means for the Bahamas government is that if they are spending more than they are making and borrowing more than they are making, how are they going to pay for it? It is not a matter of if the Bahamian dollar will devalue, it is now when it will devalue? The Bahamas is not financially prepared for National Disaster and the question is are the Bahamian people covered to continue receiving

their pension funds from the government that is a billion dollar debt and will the National Insurance that pay pensioners and disabled Bahamians by not running out of money in the Bahamas economic crisis. The question remains if the Bahamas defaults on its loan debt payments this year it would automatically cause the Bahamian dollar devaluation. A Bahamian has expressed concerned about the 10 billion debt loan, Rick Lowe Executive with the Think tank saying our worst nightmare has come with the recent borrowing of 1.3 billion dollars. Can the Bahamas Tourism, Foreign Investment and Economy survive for 2-3 years in a recession and having no money to pay government employees payroll and keep running government corporations at huge debts and losses?

PEDRO SMITH June 8, 2020.

About time we put some money into new homes EDITOR, The Tribune

THE so-called question of affordable housing has eluded successive national government since the days when the Rt. Hon. Hubert Alexander Ingraham served as Minister of Housing under the Pindling administration. He was charged with the development of several new lower income housing subdivisions. Successive governments all tried their level best to bring affordable housing to as many qualified Bahamians as possible.

Of course, a lot of political patronage was in the mix but by and large 20 to 30 years ago, residential property here in New Providence and Grand Bahama was still affordable. The last Christie led administration did oversee the development of several new subdivisions and the Hon. Algernon S.P.B Allen did a wonderful job when he acted as Minister of Housing and Social Development, where I was privileged to act as a Consultant thanks to Mr. Ingraham.

The FNM has now been in power for three years and counting. Apart from opening the Queen’s Park Subdivision (five or six houses) located off Farrington Road, which was a Christie led initiative, this Minnis-led government has not built a single new home that I know about. The current Minister of Housing & the Environment, Romauld Ferreira (FNM-Marathon) will in my opinion go down in history as the worst Minister of Housing since sliced bread.

All governments talk big talk about affordable housing and the urgent necessity to disperse so-called Crown Land to qualified Bahamians, but it never seems to actually happen. Residential land in the private sector here in New Providence is beyond the reach of the average unmarried Bahamian or even a husband and wife team. Minnis is following in the footsteps of all other Prime Ministers in that he talks about liberalization but, so far, it’s only talk.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net The Crown has hundreds of acres of well placed property in the western and southern areas of New Providence, in Carmichael Road; Coral Harbour by the well fields; Marshal Road and, of course, Gladstone Road. The idea of promoting single family residence here in the capitol island is not feasible in that one could easily expect to pay in excess of B$250,000 for a little piece of real estate and a two bedroom and one bathroom residence.

We need a better housing policy so as to facilitate affordable home ownership by as many Bahamians as possible.

Over a decade ago I suggested to then Prime Minister Ingraham and Bulgy that what should have been considered was public/private sector housing initiatives for multi-family units in high rise complexes. Imagine a cluster of four-storied residential condominiums containing one and two bedrooms with all of the other amenities. There would be common spaces for a park; wash house areas and, of course a communal pool. There would also be an in-house day care and after school facility on the premises, for a fee.

The government would put up the Crown land and invite private contractors and financial institutions to construct and finance these housing towers. Each cluster would have eight units.....four one bedrooms and four two bedrooms depending on the size of the family for applicants.

Like a regular condominium complex there would be shared communal maintenance fees.

As each unit is sold the government would be paid the basic cost for the land and the private contractor/ bank would also get their funds upon completion of the relevant sale/s.

It has been suggested that the average Bahamian does not wish to live in a

high rise shared by others.

This may well be the case but one must be pragmatic in these cases which in any event would be geared towards younger first time home owners. Such a scenario would create a class of land owners almost over night with a genuine stake in obtaining and maintaining an affordable piece of the rock.

We must start to think out of the box if we are to make available affordable housing in New Providence and Grand Bahama. Bahamians seeking to acquire affordable housing in Grand Bahama should be aware that The Grand Bahama Port Authority and other private sector companies have huge inventories of abandoned and foreclosed residential homes and/or building lots at depressed prices right now waiting for buyers at dirt cheap prices.

Minnis should have shuffled Ferreira months ago.

It’s my opinion that Ferreira is next to useless as Minister of Housing and should return to the private practice of the law.

Those doom houses in Central Abaco is a waste of money and time. That part of Abaco has Crown Land gone to bed and should have been turned over into a public / private sector housing subdivision.

It is still not too late for Minnis to craft a workable and affordable housing initiate but time is running out.

Home ownership, especially for the younger generation is crucial if they are to be exposed to a real appreciation and level of having a piece of the proverbial rock. I have not done a cost effective analysis but I venture to say that hundreds of Bahamians would be empowered via this initiative. Free up residential Crown Land Most Competent and garner at least one or two more elusive votes come the next general elections. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H. BODIE, Jr. Nassau, June 6, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, PAGE 7

TEN-YEAR-OLD VICTIM REMEMBERED AS A HAPPY CHILD

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net TEN-year-old Lorencia Simmons Walkes was remembered yesterday as a “loving, happy child” who always greeted her teachers with hugs.

Lorencia died in hospital on Sunday, more than a week after she and three others were shot. Yesterday, Minister of Education Jeff Lloyd and his ministry offered their condolences

to the family, friends and loved ones of the child yesterday.

In a statement, the ministry said it was “deeply aggrieved” to learn about the Sybil Strachan Primary School fifth grader’s “untimely” death. The statement added that her teacher describes her as a “loving, happy child, who always greeted us with hugs.”

It was revealed that her primary school will hold a

memorial service during the fall term as soon as staff and students have returned from the summer break, noting teachers and staff are mourning her death. Even the western New Providence primary school district “family” is in mourning, according to the ministry.

Lorencia was among the three people who were shot on May 29 when gunmen opened fire in front of a home at Belville Circle off

Iguana Way. A man who was shot during the incident died at the scene.

Mr Lloyd labelled the crime as “a horrible incident which has resulted in the untimely demise of an innocent little girl”.

“Obviously this should never happen to anyone, much less to an innocent child. Lorencia has left us much too soon. While we all feel deprived of a precious life of a cherished child, let us seek to find

Mother’s agony as car kills her teenage son

TEN-YEAR-OLD LORENCIA some measure of solace in the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A 16-YEAR-OLD resident of Fox Town, Abaco was tragically killed by a motorist on Sunday evening while walking home after playing basketball.

Zion Wellington Pratt was thrown several feet into bushes after being hit by a “speeding car” on the S C Bootle Highway shortly after 10pm. He died at the scene.

Edith Clarke, the boy’s mother, is devastated and said before her son left home, he hugged and kissed her for the last time.

“He came to me yesterday and hugged and kissed me, and squeezed me like it was the last time he was going to see me, and I told him, ‘don’t put no COVID on me.’ He is an angel now,” she said.

According to police reports, shortly after 10pm officers at the Cooper’s Town Police Station were called to a traffic accident at S C Bootle Highway, where the body of a male was found some eight feet in the bushes.

It was reported that the male victim was walking, with a female, on the road when he was struck by a silver coloured Honda Accord, driven by a male who was travelling in a westerly direction.

The vehicle sustained extensive damage, and the driver reportedly fled the scene after the accident, but later returned.

Michelle McIntosh, chairperson for Little Abaco Township, said the incident was a very tragic one for the Fox Town community. “This is the first time that a teen was killed in the area like this and a lot of people are shocked,” she said.

According to eyewitness reports, the victim’s mother, along with several family members, were distraught when officers would not let them see their loved one.

Zion was the second of four children to Ms Clarke, who is distraught over her son’s death.

“I am not doing good and I am distancing myself right now from everyone,” she said yesterday when contacted by The Tribune.

“It was a nightmare last night when I got the news that my boy was knocked down. . .I went to the clinic in Fox Town, but it was dark and locked.

“When I looked up the street, I saw a crowd of boys in the street…

5:1, which reminds us that ‘….if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens’. May this provide consolation. Our prayer is that the grace and mercy of God will grant healing and peace to Lorencia’s family and loved ones,” Mr Lloyd said.

A 22-year-old man is in custody in connection with the killing.

and I ask them if they see Zion, they say they are looking for him.

I said to myself if they are looking for him, that can’t be good.”

Ms Clarke started to make her way to the clinic in Cooper’s Town, but got a call to turn back.

“They told me to come back because they found the body; when I returned they were putting tarp on him,” she recalled.

Ms Clarke said she lost it and fell to the ground and began praying.

She described her son as a “fun-loving and caring” person who brought excitement and joy wherever he went. He was an 11th grade student at SC Bootle High.

He was also a member of Urban Renewal Marching Band.

According to Ms Clarke, she relocated with her son to Abaco last July from Grand Bahama due to “a gang situation” at St George’s High School.

“He did not want to come at first, but I had no choice because of the gang situation at St Georges,” she explained. “He was a normal child that liked to have fun. He was a fun-loving child.”

Ms Clarke said her son’s spirit will forever remain with her.

She expressed concern over the conditions of the road in Fox Town. “That road is dangerous,” she complained.

Ms Clarke said there are no streetlights on the road, no entrance gate at the settlement, and no speed bumps in the school zone where the accident occurred.

“He was playing basketball with his friends, and was on his way home when the car came and was overtaking another car and hit him,” she claimed.

“There are no lights, no bumps - no nothing and there are curves, and the road is very dangerous. It is just wide open and there is no stopping, and people just speed right through,” said Ms Clarke.

She also noted that when she was initially contacted about the accident, she attempted to call 911 and 919 but said she learned the island has no access to any of those emergency numbers. “I had to call (West Grand Bahama MP) Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe…,” she said.

The Tribune made attempts to contact Darren Henfield, MP for North Abaco, however, he did not return our calls up to press time.

TEACHER & COUSIN ADMIT MAN THREATENS TO KILL BEER BOTTLE THROWER SEVERAL FRAUD CHARGES TWO WOMEN DURING ROW TOLD TO PAY $1,000 FINE

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A PRE-SCHOOL teacher and her cousin were charged in Magistrate’s Court charged with attempting last week to defraud two Super Value stores with fraudulent food store stamps.

Tromar Sweeting, 26, and Bendra Thompson, 25, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt yesterday charged with a number of fraud related offences.

Sweeting was charged with being in possession of 101 fake Quality Stamps and uttering the same on June 3. She was further charged with obtaining an assortment of groceries from Super Value valued at $100.87 on that same day.

Thompson was charged with being in possession of 138 fake Quality Stamps and uttering the same on June 4. The prosecution said Thompson was also found with 110 more fraudulent stamps that same day.

Both of the defendants were further charged with attempted fraud by false pretences for obtaining $105.19 worth of groceries from Super Value after they pretended that the 138 fraudulent Quality Stamps they presented to the cashier were valid.

After pleading guilty to the charges, the women were placed on 12 months’ probation for each count. If

they fail to comply with the conditions of their release, they will spend three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. All of the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Sweeting and Thompson were also fined $500 for attempting to defraud Super Value. They were given two weeks to pay the fine.

Prosecutor Samantha Miah said on June 4, Losie Smith, a loss prevention manager at Super Value, came to the Grove Police Station to report that around 4.30pm the day before, a female purchased $100.87 worth of groceries at Super Value East Street South with 101 fraudulent stamp cards.

Sgt Miah also said another Super Value employee came to the Grove Police Station on June 4 to report that sometime that morning, two females attempted to buy $105.19 worth of groceries at Super Value Robinson Road with fraudulent stamps.

He said the women were also found with an additional 110 stamp cards. The reports led to the arrest of Sweeting and Thompson.

During an interview with police on June 6, Sweeting said that she was unaware that the stamps were fraudulent and claimed that she had got them from a man named Corderro Rolle who was dating her cousin Bendra Thompson.

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 30-YEAR-OLD man was charged in Magistrate’s Court after he threatened to kill two women during a verbal altercation at a gas station last week.

Thorne Bootle appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt charged with threatening Samantha Bethel and Tanya Roberts with death on June 2. Bootle was also charged with damaging Ms Bethel’s 2017 Hyundai the same day.

He pleaded guilty to all three of the charges and was fined $1,000 for count one and two or six months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Bootle was also ordered to compensate Ms Bethel $126.60 for her slashed tyres.

Prosecutor Samatha Miah said on the day of the incident, Ms Bethel told officers that she was at a Shell Gas Station in Prince Charles when she got into a verbal altercation with the defendant over a gas pump.

She said when she went into the gas station to purchase an item, another person came into the store to tell her that Bootle had slashed her tyres.

Sgt Miah said Ms Bethel told officers that when she went outside to investigate, she saw Bootle

walking away from her vehicle. She claims Bootle then turned to her and her friend and told them he would shoot up their car and kill them. Acting on this information, police arrested Bootle. During an interview with police at a nearby station, he admitted to slashing the complainant’s tyres, but denied threatening her and her friend.

During the hearing, Bootle was represented by attorney Ian Cargill.

He told the magistrate that the incident had occurred because Bootle was waiting in line for gas and Ms Bethel skipped him by pulling her car up to the pump from the other direction. Mr Cargill said his client asked the complainant to move, but she told him no and left her vehicle to go into the store. Mr Cargill said that’s when Bootle got angry and slashed her tyres. He insisted his client was remorseful and asked the magistrate to refrain from imposing a custodial sentence.

In response, Magistrate Fergsuon-Pratt told the defendant that he did not have the right to take it upon himself to slash another person’s tyres, because that was not the behaviour of a mature person. She also told him that he needed to learn how to control his temper and exercise discipline.

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 32-YEAR-OLD man was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine or spend six months in prison after he admitted to throwing a beer bottle at a shop owner during an argument last month.

Andrew Smith appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis charged with causing harm to Terrance Franklin on May 22. He pleaded guilty.

In addition to his fine, he was also ordered to compensate Mr Franklin $500 for his injuries.

Prosecutor Lakesia Moss said Mr Franklin told police that he was sweeping the steps outside his shop around 9.30am on May 22, when a man known to him as “Chubby” approached him and told him that he did not like how he treated his girlfriend after he turned her away from his store the day before.

Inspector Moss said Mr Franklin told officers that Smith threatened to shoot him. He also said the defendant then picked up two big rocks, so he also picked up two rocks and the two began throwing them at each other. Mr Franklin said he eventually went inside his store thinking that the defendant had left, but when he went outside again, Smith was still there and threw a Heniekein bottle at him. He said the beer bottle landed on his left leg causing him injury.

Smith’s attorney told the magistrate that his client was remorseful for his actions. He also said while he accepted his mistake, there was a level of provocation that caused the situation to escalate to the degree that it did.

Smith said that the incident only occurred because Mr Franklin did not allow his girlfriend to purchase something from his store.

ACCUSED OF UNDERAGE SEX

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 21-YEAR-OLD man was arraigned in Magistrate’s Court yesterday accused of having sexual intercourse last month with a minor. Ashton Sturrup appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt after he was accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with a 15-yearold girl on May 29. He was not required to enter a plea and the matter was adjourned to August 26 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). Bail was denied and he was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

HOLLYWOOD officers serve as mentors to at-risk students and the department has established its Cops Mentoring Kids programme. Above, former police chief Sanchez

T

WO police officers in Hollywood, Florida took the time to speak with me over the weekend about the protests happening in America and throughout the world. We had a conversation about police brutality, as well as racial discrimination. I think officers play a pivotal role in the successful eradication of these scourges. I encouraged them to take a stand against the wrong in their own organisation in order to make a difference.

Police corruption happens because not enough police officers are taking a stand often enough against their own. They agreed and admitted that when officers “mess up”, it affects them too.

Many a bright, young recruit enters the police force with high hopes of doing some good. Some of them come just to get a job, but they’re ready to uphold the law. The force should nurture these virtues. It should foster an environment where these officers can become exemplary members of the community, because the community trusts them.

They should see the future of policing as one where they work hand-in-hand with members of the public to keep crime at bay. The only way to do that is to foster trust; and at this point, the trust is practically lost.

There are police officers who have been judges, juries and executioners right out on the street. In the case that has rocked America, George Floyd was denied his right to be able to breathe, just to stay alive, then have his day in court.

“It makes our job harder when we have officers (like Derek Chauvin) that mess it up (the trust of the public), and as you can see now, everywhere, across the whole country, people are protesting.”

As I watched the video of George Floyd’s deadly arrest, I saw Derek Chauvin as one of those senior officers who lost their way.

Their tactics are lawless, they bully junior officers and they don’t know how to connect with the public.

Then I saw the photo which revealed that two other police officers were helping to pin Floyd down. I found out that these two officers are new recruits. One asks if they could turn Floyd over and his request is denied.

This routinely happens to a rookie officer, even if he is standing up for what he knows is right. I believe there is systematic discrimination right in the police force, with all the cliques that separate them instead of bringing them together on the side of right. The only hope to change that, is for officers just like the two that I spoke with, to take a stand and weed out their own bad seeds.

“A lot of that bad stuff, like you said, happens with guys who have been on

Two white officers on the front line of policing in the US what do they think? the force longer and have maybe lost the reason why they started,” one officer admitted.

“For me, I just want to put in my time (as an officer), take care of my family, then get out, retire and enjoy my life. I don’t want any stupid stuff interrupting that… that’s how I look at it.”

He has been on the police force for seven years and the other officer, six. They told me that despite the fact they are relatively young, they have an opportunity to make a difference in the Hollywood Police Department.

“Hollywood (police

force) is pretty unique; we are mostly pretty young,” one explained.

“The majority of us are young. At least 40 to 50 percent of us have been on the force less than ten years.

Before we even both got hired, a lot of people had retired or they went somewhere else. So a lot of the (old way of doing things) changed. They changed the way they did things when they hired us.”

A part of that change is in the way officers react to situations. There are times when there is a lot of animosity between the officer and a suspect and things can get out of hand, but by

working on their reactions to the situation, they can aim for a better outcome.

“Sometimes, people make mistakes; I don’t judge them for it,” he said.

“If I could go to any call and just put handcuffs on, I’d be at peace,” he said, adding there’s a lot of paperwork involved with each arrest.

“Hollywood is not an easy place. It’s not a horrible place, but it’s not an easy place, but we are trained in how to react. I think many of us don’t want to have to resort to use of force. But then you have incidents where you have people with illegal weapons. It’s extremely difficult to shoot someone in the limb if they’re running and if they have a weapon. We are trained to shoot ‘centrevest’ in a case like that.”

But it’s not those cases that concern me to the degree that cases like George Floyd and countless others do. Situations where by all means, they had

every right to be alive today and not die by the hands of police. The officers agreed with me on that, and now more than ever, it’s critical for them to do what they can to stop it.

In terms of racism and the call to end discrimination against people of colour, especially black people, these two white officers seem to side with protesters. One said he grew up in a town in the southern United States with lots of black kids.

“I grew up in a place where racism isn’t really a thing for us,” he said. “Half of the people I went to school with are black. My neighbours were black. It wasn’t a huge thing until I moved here (to Florida).”

The other said he grew up around “mostly Europeans”, which I took to mean “mostly whites”. He said, however, that he respects all races.

“Here in Florida, you have so many races. You have so many people from

HOLLYWOOD, Florida police Maj Norris Redding takes a knee and holds his fist in the air alongside demonstrators during a march to protest the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

Photos: John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel

countries all around the world. So here, you are exposed to lots of races and cultures and I respect them.

There’s all walks of life, all colours here.”

“It’s getting there, honestly,” the other officer said.

“I think it’s a generational thing. I think it will be better for your daughter in the future. This is the change that’s come about now and the younger generation will make a difference,” he said.

The Bahamas has its own share of discrimination to rid itself of. When it comes to the police force, the call is the same. Corrupt police officers have enacted all sorts of atrocities on the public.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force should take heed from the reaction of the American public to the George Floyd incident, and the subsequent worldwide call for an end to racism and to injustice by the police. We shouldn’t wait to hear of another incident of brutality turned fatal.

Police Commissioner Paul Rolle ought to call his officers together and encourage them to take heed and do their jobs correctly. Far too often, officers’ decisions that could have been handled better have changed the course of a young man’s future. These decisions have blocked up the courts unnecessarily and filled up the jail. They have caused pain and anguish to members of the public and they have broken down the level of trust between the RBPF and the Bahamian public.

The goal is to have the support of the public. Police officers are our spouses, parents, children… our friends and loved ones. But they have to stop putting up with injustice within their own organisation.

The goal is to have the public helping the police keep their cities and towns safe and free of crime. Getting the public’s assistance will go a long way in effective policing. The only way to salvage that relationship now, is for drastic measures to be taken to clean up police forces all around the world, from the inside.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, PAGE 9

JUNE A CRUCIAL MONTH FOR MILESTONES IN MILITARY HISTORY

DURING the Second World War, the month of June marked two landmark events – the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk completed on June 4, 1940, and the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, which were the initial stage of the Allied assault on Germanoccupied mainland Europe and led a year later to its liberation and the end of the war on the continent.

Described as the largest amphibious operation in the history of warfare, the D-Day landings were one of the most decisive offensives of the war – and military historians ascribe their success to the strength of the Anglo-American alliance in which US President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill agreed that, while the war in the Pacific against Japan was of the utmost importance, their first objective should be the defeat of Germany.

Last year was the 75th anniversary of D-Day and this significant milestone was marked by commemorations and celebrations in both France and Britain with major ceremonies attended by British, American, Canadian

MEN in vintage US WWII uniforms stand behind flowers left at Les Braves monument after a D-Day 76th anniversary ceremony in Normandy, northern France. Inset: D-Day veteran Charles Norman Shay from Maine, salutes after laying a wreath.

and French veterans as well as dignitaries and political leaders including President Trump who delivered a speech at the American cemetery at Omaha Beach where the majority of US forces landed as well as at Utah Beach.

By contrast, this year’s commemorations were a low-key affair with a small but poignant, socially-distanced ceremony in Normandy.

As for Dunkirk, this year marks its 80th anniversary which has attracted much interest. This

The

Peter Young column MOST people will be thoroughly familiar by now with the circumstances of the death two weeks ago of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis and its violent aftermath. But it is hard to refrain from commenting on this and the subsequent protests both in the US and around the world. The killing of an unarmed and handcuffed Afro-American man already in police custody, with the sickeningly graphic video footage for all to watch, has triggered revulsion around the world.

It has also sparked a debate here in The Bahamas about racism and police brutality closer to home.

As an outsider lacking a real knowledge of these sensitive issues locally, I am reluctant to contribute to the discussion, but the matter is so serious it is difficult to avoid doing so.

Police brutality in the US is a contentious and emotive issue. What amounts to institutional racism goes back generations and has been deeply embedded in society as the nation went from the policing and enforcement of slavery to segregation; and some people maintain the nation’s history of racial inequality has paved the way for modern day police brutality and illegitimate law enforcement.

This long history of racism, violence and excessive force against black people, in particular, is so well documented it does not bear detailed repetition, but it is worth drawing attention to one infamous incident that goes back nearly 30 years.

The case of Afro-American Rodney King sparked the 1992 riots and major outbreak of looting and arson in Los Angeles in response to the acquittal of four LA police officers on

charges of severely beating him following a traffic stop. This left more than 60 people dead and some 2,000 injured. There was outrage at the time but no internet to disseminate the news worldwide so the protests were short lived. By contrast, the fact that people could witness on film - instantaneously beamed around the world for millions to see - what happened to George Floyd made it all the more horrible and may explain why many have reacted with such force and anger and for so long.

Serious incidents of police brutality often set off protests that eventually lose momentum and fade away, while the perpetrators of the systemic and racist-based abuse get off with minimum punishment; and then nothing changes until the next time and the cycle is repeated. That said, the length of the current protests - and their spread across the world - raises hope that this time they will be heard and acted upon.

But, given the background of racial division and bigotry, attitudes will not alter in the short term, especially as discrimination goes so much wider than police brutality so that there is a need to address the underlying socio-economic conditions seriously affecting black people.

It is deeply disturbing to see a nation in flames with loss of life and widespread destruction of property through looting, violence, arson and lawlessness.

More than a dozen US major cities have declared curfews and the Governors of twice that number have called in the National Guard to impose order.

Reportedly, the lawful and peaceful demonstrations have been infiltrated by anarchists who have been

mass evacuation has always created controversy, with some historians maintaining it represented a defeat and should not be glorified in any way as a military triumph. An article in The Tribune last week, attributed to Durham University in the UK, referred to the so-called myth of Dunkirk, quoting parts of the British press at the time portraying it as a ‘magnificent story’ - comparable with the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo - of the

‘British Empire at its mightiest’ even in defeat. The article goes on to suggest that these newspapers should be praised for their role in depicting the event positively in order to sustain public morale.

While that should not be discounted, it is clear the role of Churchill himself in rallying the British people after Dunkirk was more significant than such press reports. In his major work entitled ‘The Second World War’,

he describes the success of Lord Gort, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, in securing the escape to the sea of British forces after the surrender of the Belgian Army as ‘a brilliant episode in British military annals’. But, even if the evacuation from Dunkirk was itself a success, he never regarded it as a military victory. On the contrary, in his famous speech to Parliament on June 4, 1940 about fighting on the beaches and never surrendering, he warned that ‘we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations. But there was a victory inside this deliverance.’ By stressing this and the importance of such large numbers of troops escaping to continue the struggle - and by his inspiring and optimistic but realistic rhetoric - it was Churchill, rather than the press indulging in hyperbole, who lifted the spirits of the British people and encouraged the nation to fight on in face of the German threat of invasion.

A sickening cycle which can never be broken by turning to violence

GEORGE Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world like the one above in California fuelling the unrest for their own criminal purposes to the extent that legitimate protest may be swamped and undermined, and this could hamper moves towards meaningful change.

Racial discrimination exists in Europe as well and is vigorously opposed there. It seems the only solution is to try to wean people away from blind prejudice through example and education at an early age, with children living and learning together in communities irrespective of racial background.

This already happens to an increasing extent at schools in large cities in Britain where, judging from the attitudes of our own family members and their friends,

many younger white people do not see race as an important issue – or even as an issue at all – in the way previous generations viewed it.

In my own case, experience of serving in the Nigerian armed forces on secondment as a young National Service army officer banished for good any residual prejudice or even unconscious racism.

Many now contend that what is urgently needed in the US is fundamental change in its criminal justice system to ensure equal and fair treatment under the law for everybody regardless of colour or ethnic origin and the eradication of racism in basic law enforcement. That would require a substantial change

of culture and the co-operation of police executives at state level across the land.

But, unless police officers are held firmly accountable for their actions, no amount of training will make any difference.

As for the issue here in The Bahamas, there appear to be differing views about claimed institutional racism which many dispute. It seems to me unrealistic to make comparisons with the US about racism and discrimination. The Bahamas as a sovereign nation can act as necessary to counter the potential for this within its borders. Divisions in the country are based on disparities of wealth and the privileges and advantages that money can bring, as

is the case in other countries. But everyone is surely only too well aware of the gap between the rich and the poor - and the inequity it produces is especially marked in a small country where people can see more readily what is going on around them.

Allegations of police brutality, mostly against Bahamian citizens rather than visitors, are another matter altogether. This usually affects the poorer and less privileged members of society who are defenceless and more vulnerable to abuse. Evidence is in the public domain, so it is encouraging to know that, as a reflection of events in the US, this issue is now attracting greater attention locally and is under fresh scrutiny by the new Commissioner of Police.

Meanwhile, in considering the related issue of attitudes towards outsiders, I can attest to the warmth, courtesy, kindness and generosity my wife and I have encountered as foreigners during our time here. We have been fortunate to have formed some lasting friendships with people locally. To my mind, such relationships are nothing to do with racial origins but are based on shared values, tastes, interests and attitudes to life as well as feeling comfortable in one another’s company – not to mention that empathy between human beings which is so hard to define or explain but remains the basis of true friendship.

AS SIR TOM HAS SHOWN, YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO HELP OTHERS

SIR Tom is the sort of selfless hero for whom the honours system was designed.

THERE is both sad and good news to report this week about two centenarian Britons. In March, I recounted the story of 112-year-old great-grandfather, Bob Weighton, who had just become the oldest man in the world following the death in February of the Japanese holder of that distinction. As someone over 110, he was called a ‘supercentenarian’. At the end of last month, he died peacefully in his sleep.

He was described as an extraordinary man, not just for reaching his advanced age but because of his considerable achievements during a fruitful and long life, being also a role model to his family and friends.

The good news concerns Thomas Moore, the tireless military veteran who

became known during the coronavirus lockdown as ‘Captain Tom’ for his hugely successful fund-raising efforts for the National Health Service in Britain.

His perseverance and determination in walking 100 times around his large garden before his 100th birthday caught the imagination of the public and he raised the staggering sum of more than $40 million.

He was showered with accolades, became an honorary colonel and recorded a song that topped the charts. He then celebrated his 100th birthday and received the traditional greeting from The Queen - for those reaching that significant milestone - as well as thousands of other cards.

Now, in addition to being granted the freedom of the

City of London and of his home town in Yorkshire, he has received perhaps his most important tribute.

He has been knighted by The Queen so he is now Sir Thomas Moore. The public reaction has been that few knighthoods have been more deserved since he is the sort of selfless hero for whom the honours system was designed. Sir Tom has reacted with gratitude for the award and, with typical humility, is apparently overawed by it.

It is now being said that the lesson of this happy tale is that maturity should be cherished since nobody is too old to make a contribution to help others - and that, with a combination of commitment, determination, decency and humour, success can be achieved at any age.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

GEORGE Floyd’s casket arriving yesterday for a public memorial at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston.

By CHRISTOPHER CURRY PHD Associate Professor of History University of The Bahamas THE death of George Floyd in the US has ignited a movement that aims to challenge the issues of racial injustice and police brutality that continue to plague that nation. The initial video footage was deeply disturbing, reflecting a kind of brute force and public display of violence towards black bodies that tragically rekindled memories in the minds of many Americans of lynching and other acts of violence perpetrated by the state or by those individuals under cloak and dagger who held power and privilege in their respective communities. Sadly, 2020 reminds us of the unbroken violence towards blacks in American history and contemporary society. The dirty laundry list is long, including: the 1965 Watts Riots that broke out in a black neighbourhood in Los Angeles; the 1992 Los Angeles Riots spurred by the acquittal of four white cops accused of beating Rodney King despite clear video footage; and earlier this year, a retired vigilante law enforcer who decided to kill a young black male jogger, Ahmaud Arbery, under the assumption that he had burglarised the neighbourhood. Such acts of violence are not random, nor are they localised anomalies.

They are a systemic pattern of violence towards black lives that really do matter.

Arguably, slavery inaugurated this form of domestic terrorism in 1619, but to be sure, it has gone unabated despite the passing of “landmark legislation’’ such as the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and the Voters Right Act of 1965.

Even the election of Barak Obama, the first African American President, did not resolve the thorny race issues that continue to remind Americans of their original sin—the twin pillars of slavery and racism.

What about The Bahamas?

Counterfactuals are always useful when looking at these events from across the waters in The Bahamas.

Would Ahmaud Arbery suffer the same fate had he been jogging in Port New Providence, Old Fort Bay, Lyford Cay or any other upscale community in The Bahamas? If arrested in The Bahamas, could a black man such as George Floyd suffer a similar fate in The Bahamas at the hands of a violent arresting officer?

Could Botham Jean, an outstanding young man and church leader, be gunned down by an off-duty police officer in his own apartment in Blair Estates? It would be easy to answer a

We need to rid our country of the institutional inequalities that persist in our laws, our policies, and our practices resounding ‘no’ to all of the above. However, a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of race in The Bahamas shows that we are not immune from the pandemic of hate that has infected our neighbours to the north. Notwithstanding the above, important distinctions regarding race need to be made when comparing us to our neighbours to the north.

Legacy of Racism In The Bahamas there has been a long legacy of racism that extended beyond full emancipation in 1838. In the immediate post-emancipation period, the labouring masses were subject to exploitation in the form of the truck, share and labour tenancy systems. These labour systems (much like sharecropping in the US), were organised by the merchant class to create relations of debt and dependency and forestall the possibility of black men and women earning wages.

Beyond labour exploitation, the ruling white oligarchy, later termed the Bay Street Boys, complicity collaborated with the British Colonial Office to maintain a hierarchical race class order, depriving the black masses of even a rudimentary education, and purposely orchestrating a benign neglect in key areas of social advancement including access to health, social services and public works and utilities. With the advent of modern tourism in the 1920s, there was an important shift toward a Jim Crow model of race relations. As such, black entertainers had to enter through the back door of hotels to play in front of all white audiences, public

transportation, where it existed, was segregated to the point where the Dart, a mail boat servicing north Eleuthera, gave white passengers exclusive rights to cabin space. Even death did not prevent the spectre of racism from influencing the dearly departed as graveyards maintained a strict adherence to racial segregation. Etienne Dupuch’s famous anti-discriminatory resolution in 1956 may have halted the advance of apartheid like race laws, but it did nothing to discourage a culture of privilege and rank based on whiteness or the de facto presence of elite clubs, social networks and gated communities in The Bahamas.

Class and Colourism In the post-independence era, arguably class and colourism have become more prevalent than race. Bahamians of various colours appear preoccupied with, and fixated, on Eurocentric standards of beauty. What is known as ‘bleaching’ remains a common practice, although it has been sanitised with new language to appeal to a younger generation of self-haters.

Thus, we have skin toner, or lightening cream. We also praise those that have wavy, smother textured ‘good hair’, even as we disdain those who have kinky, thick follicles. In sum, we appear to aspire towards ontological whiteness, inscribed in our minds about what is good, what is beautiful and what is right.

Our aesthetic standards of beauty are not the only issue. Class and colourism continue to remain problematic issues in contemporary Bahamian society. As a sign of wealth

and status, many Afrodescended Bahamians aspire to move out of the historically and culturally rich communities of Overthe-Hill, seeking signs and symbols of upward mobility manifested in their new residential homes or apartments on the periphery of Nassau. The interesting version of white flight in the US is expressed inversely in The Bahamas by black Bahamians moving to Eastern or Western districts of New Providence, and if Westridge or Winton are too expensive or unattainable, then City 2000 in the South is the compromise.

Wealth Inequality Beyond the residential settlement patterns of New Providence, a more disturbing issue of class is the increasing wealth inequality in The Bahamas. Wealthy enclaves of influence are juxtaposed in relatively close proximity to disadvantaged communities—an interesting feature of island life. In disadvantaged communities, the poor and destitute cannot afford health insurance, nor can they pay the cost of school fees to send their child or children to a private school.

The poor, and mostly black persons in these communities often lack proper housing with running water and electricity. These same persons are made vulnerable by the state as they are forced to fight for scarce food supplies, and when daily challenges force them to the streets to survive, they are often criminalised for their behaviour, whether selling coconut water beyond a curfew, or simply marginalised as a vagrant and idler for loitering in public spaces. These

same persons experience the law and judicial system asymmetrically from our advantaged communities.

They cannot afford expensive lawyers, nor can they pay the expensive bail charges levied against them for their “crimes.’’

Racial Profiling and White Privilege Young black men are made increasingly vulnerable by our laws, that give disproportionate sentences for offences that appear to target them exclusively.

And let us not think for a moment that racial profiling does not exist in The Bahamas. My own experiences in the recent past prove this to be true. My nephew, a young, bright, aspiring teacher and UB student, was recently interrogated in front of our property by a police officer who assumed he was up to no good in our neighbourhood. Tragically, my nephew was forced to retrieve his personal identification from within our home, to prove to the policeman that he actually lived on the premises.

The experiences of my nephew are not to be considered in a vacuum or as an isolated case peculiar to him. Indeed, young black Bahamians encounter a difficult world, where obstacles to success and advancement often appear insurmountable. In contrast, my experience as a white Bahamian underscores the persistence of white privilege. I grew up in a middle-class neighbourhood, had the benefit of not only a private school education in The Bahamas, but my parents could also afford to send me off to boarding school and university in Canada.

Financial advantages aside, on returning to The Bahamas as a teacher, I have observed the insidious ways white privilege functions in The Bahamas. For instance, I am given opportunities to get first rate customer service (often assuming I have lots of money to spend), but my young nephew has to tow the long lines; I am never stopped for road checks by law enforcement officers, but he always appears to get pulled over.

I have cordial and friendly relations with my neighbours who never suspect me of being a burglar, but with my nephew and others of colour, this is obviously not the case.

Conclusion Clearly there are many complicated issues surrounding race, class, and colourism in the 21st century Bahamas. We as Bahamians need to avoid the temptation of sweeping these persistent and vexing problems under the proverbial rug. Rather than perfuming the past and the present (as we so often do), Bahamians of all phenotypes and ethnic origins ought to seriously engage in open and frank discussions about these issues—perhaps a national truth and reconciliation commission is the order of the day. Beyond this, we need to explore ways to rid our country of the barriers of exclusion, the institutional inequalities that persist in our laws, our policies, and our practices. Finally, we ought to show support, concern and solidarity with those protesting racial injustice in the US. As Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, PAGE 11

US PROSECUTORS SPAR WITH PRINCE ANDREW IN EPSTEIN PROBE LONDON Associated Press

US prosecutors and attorneys for Britain’s Prince Andrew sniped at one another across the Atlantic yesterday, each saying the other side was to blame for the duke’s failure to participate in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking probe.

Andrew’s lawyers said in a statement that he has offered three times this year to speak with US investigators after being assured that he “is not and has never been a ‘target’ of their criminal investigations into Epstein.”

That offer, though, came with a request that “our co-operation and any interview arrangements would remain confidential,” said the firm Blackfords LLP in London.

“Unfortunately, the DOJ has reacted to the first two offers by breaching their own confidentiality rules and claiming that the Duke has offered zero cooperation. In doing so, they are perhaps seeking publicity rather than accepting the assistance proffered,” the lawyers said.

Hours later, the US attorney in Manhattan, Geoffrey S. Berman, issued a statement saying the

prince had tried to “falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate” even as he repeatedly declined to schedule an interview.

“If Prince Andrew is, in fact, serious about cooperating with the ongoing federal investigation, our doors remain open, and we await word of when we should expect him,” Berman said.

Berman’s statement addressed only Prince Andrew’s willingness to be interviewed. It made no mention of the claims by his lawyers that the Department of Justice had advised them that Andrew is not a target of

BRITAIN’S Prince Andrew the investigation, or that they made any promise that whatever he told investigators would be confidential.

Before yesterday, Berman had

said that Andrew has provided “zero cooperation” to American investigators.

Epstein killed himself in a US jail last summer as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

One of the women who was sexually abused by Epstein as a teenager, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has claimed that the financier flew her around the world on private planes to have sex with powerful men, and that she had sexual encounters with Prince Andrew in London and New York, starting when she was 17. Prince Andrew denies the allegation.

$1M BAIL FOR POLICE OFFICER CHARGED OVER FLOYD DEATH MINNEAPOLIS Associated Press

TEXAS governor Greg Abbott by the casket of George Floyd during a public visitation for Floyd at the Fountain of Praise church in Houston yesterday

Thousands mourn amid calls for reform HOUSTON Associated Press

THE last chance for the public to say goodbye to George Floyd drew thousands of mourners to a church in his native Houston yesterday, as his death two weeks ago continues to stoke protests in America and beyond over racial injustice, and spurred France to abruptly halt the use of police choke holds.

Under the searing Texas heat at The Fountain of Praise church, mourners wearing T-shirts with Floyd’s picture or the words “I Can’t Breathe” — the phrase he said repeatedly while pinned down by a Minneapolis police officer — waited for hours to see Floyd’s body, dressed in a brown suit in an open gold-colored casket. One man in line fainted, while others waiting sang “Lean on Me.” Some knew Floyd in the nearby housing projects where he grew up. Others travelled for hours or drove in from other states. Those

who couldn’t make it whipped up their own tributes: In Los Angeles, a funeral-style procession of cars inched through downtown as the viewing began in Houston. In Tennessee, residents of Memphis held a moment of silence.

Bracy Burnett approached Floyd’s casket wearing a homemade denim face mask scrawled with “8:46” — the length of time prosecutors say Floyd, who was black, was pinned to the ground under a white officer’s knee before he died.

“All black people are not criminals. All white people are not racists. All cops are not bad. And ignorance comes in all colors.

That’s what I thought about when I viewed the body,” Burnett, 66, said.

Floyd’s death has inspired international protests and drawn new attention to the treatment of African Americans in the US by police and the criminal justice system.

Two weeks after Floyd’s death, the impact continued to resonate

both at home and abroad. In Paris, France’s top security official said police would no longer conduct choke holds that have been blamed for multiple cases of asphyxiation and have come under renewed criticism after Floyd’s death. And in Washington, Democrats in Congress proposed a sweeping overhaul of police oversight and procedures that would include a nationwide ban on choke holds in a potentially far-reaching legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement.

“With this happening to him, it’s going to make a difference in the world,” said Pam Robinson, who grew up with Floyd in Houston and handed out bottled water to mourners waiting outside the church. One man in the line, which had no shade, collapsed as temperatures spiked above 90 degrees and was taken by stretcher to a cooling station in front of the church.

Comill Adams said she drove

more than seven hours from Oklahoma City with her family. They wore matching black T-shirts with “I Can’t Breathe” on the back — shirts she made up specially for the memorial.

“We had been watching the protests on TV. We’ve been at home feeling outraged. At times it brought us to tears,” Adams said. “The fact this one is causing change, we had to come be a part of it.”

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was among the first to view the casket and planned to meet privately with the family. He wore a striped gold-and-crimson tie, the colors of Floyd’s Houston high school, where Floyd was a standout football player.

“George Floyd is going to change the arc of the future of the United States. George Floyd has not died in vain. His life will be a living legacy about the way that America and Texas responds to this tragedy,” Abbott said.

A JUDGE yesterday kept bail at $1 million for a former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death.

Derek Chauvin, 44, said little during an 11-minute hearing in which he appeared before Hennepin County Judge Jeannice M. Reding on closed-circuit television from the state’s maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights. He wore a mask and handcuffs as he sat at a table, where he answered yes or no to routine housekeeping questions and confirmed the the spelling of his name and address. He did not enter a plea; a step that usually comes later in Minnesota courts.

A judge raised Chauvin’s bail from $500,000 to $1 million when a seconddegree murder charge was added on Wednesday.

Yesterday’s hearing was a chance for arguments over the higher bail. Prosecutor Matthew Frank argued for keeping the higher bail, saying the seriousness of the charges and the “strong reaction in the community, to put it mildly,” made Chauvin a flight risk. The judge agreed with the state’s request for $1.25 million unconditional bail, or $1 million with standard conditions including surrendering firearms, remaining law-abiding and making all future court appearances.

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, did not contest the bail amount and didn’t address the substance of the charges, which also include third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

CHARGED: Derek Chauvin

DEMOCRATS CALL FOR SWEEPING POLICE OVERHAUL WASHINGTON Associated Press

DEMOCRATS proposed a far-reaching overhaul of police procedures and accountability yesterday, a sweeping legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans in the hands of law enforcement.

The political outlook is deeply uncertain for the legislation in a polarised election year. President Donald Trump is staking out a tough “law and order” approach in the face of the outpouring of demonstrations and demands to re-imagine policing in America.

“We cannot settle for anything less than transformative structural change,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drawing on the nation’s history of slavery.

Before unveiling the package, House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, reading the names of George Floyd and many others killed with police interactions. They

HOUSE Speaker Nancy Pelosi, centre, and other members of Congress kneel and observe a moment of silence at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall yesterday knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — now a symbol of police brutality and violence — the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned under a white police officer’s knee before he died.

Trump, who met with law enforcement officials at the White House, characterised Democrats as having “gone CRAZY!” As activists call for

restructuring police departments and even to “ defund the police,” the president tweeted, “LAW & ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE.” He declared later, “We won’t be dismantling our police.”

Democratic leaders pushed back, saying their proposal would not eliminate police departments — a decision for cities and

states — but establish new standards and oversight.

Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, “does not believe that police should be defunded,” said spokesman Andrew Bates.

The Justice in Policing Act, the most ambitious law enforcement reforms from Congress in years, confronts several aspects of policing that have come

under strong criticism, especially as more and more police violence is captured on cellphone video and shared widely across the nation and the world.

The package would limit legal protections for police, create a national database of excessive-force incidents and ban police choke holds, among other changes. It would revise the federal criminal police misconduct

statute to make it easier to prosecute officers who are involved in “reckless” misconduct and it would change “qualified immunity” protections to more broadly enable damage claims against police in lawsuits.

The legislation would ban racial profiling, boost requirements for police body cameras and limit the transfer of military equipment to local jurisdictions.

PAGE 12, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

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Hamilton a big sporting voice in Black Lives Matter movement

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer PREVENTED from doing his day job by the coronavirus outbreak, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is standing out during the pandemic through his passionate campaigning against racial injustice.

The Mercedes driver took to Instagram yesterday in support of demonstrators who toppled a statue of a 17th-century slave trader in the English city of Bristol during one of the many global protests in the Black Lives Matter movement.

“All statues of racist men who made money from selling a human being should be torn down!” Hamilton wrote on the social-networking site. “Which one is next?”

In a later post to his 16.5 million followers, the Briton issued a challenge to governments worldwide “to make these changes

and implement the peaceful removal of these racist symbols.”

Hamilton was just as vocal last week following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck even after he pleaded for air while lying handcuffed on the ground.

Hamilton said he has “felt so much anger sadness and disbelief in what my eyes have seen,” adding that “those of us who are black, brown or in between see it everyday and should not have to feel as though we were born guilty, don’t belong, or fear for our lives based on the colour of our skin.”

On Instagram, Hamilton criticised others in Formula One for failing to speak up on the issue of racism, saying they were “staying silent” in the “midst of injustice.”

“Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of

MERCEDES driver Lewis Hamilton listens to the national anthem after winning the Formula One Russian Grand Prix at the ‘Sochi Autodrom’ Formula One circuit, in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.

(AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) course is a white-dominated sport,” the six-time world champion added.

“I’m one of the only people of colour there yet I stand alone.

“I would have thought by now you would see why this happens and say something about it but you can’t stand alongside us. Just know I know who you are and I see you…”

Some F1 drivers responded to Hamilton, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc saying he “felt out of place and uncomfortable sharing my thoughts on social media” and was “completely wrong.”

Hamilton is the only black driver to have raced in F1 and has previously spoken out about the adversity he has overcome to make it to the top of a sport he perceives being for the white and privileged.

The Formula One season has yet to start its 2020 season because of the coronavirus, with the sport shutting down the week of the opening race in Australia in March.

The season is now scheduled to start on July 5 in Austria.

What Would Have Been: London Calling and CWS opening weekend

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer THERE will be no Major League Baseball in London and no College World Series in Omaha because of the coronavirus pandemic.

While the PGA Tour resumes its season this week without spectators at Colonial Country Club in Texas, after IndyCar joined NASCAR in getting back on the track, The Associated Press looks at some of the other sporting events that had been scheduled the week of June 8-14: NOT CALLING LONDON: The Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals, NL Central rivals whose ballparks are about 250 miles apart, were planning to travel about 4,000 miles to play Major League Baseball’s second series in Europe.

The Cubs and Cardinals were scheduled for two games at Olympic Stadium next weekend. They have played 2,424 games against each other, and this would have been their second series this season.

The New York Yankees swept both games against Boston when they met in London last June.

The Yankees would have been at Fenway Park for a three-game weekend series against the Red Sox. TRIVIA BREAK: There have been nine sweeps in the bestof-seven NBA Finals. Only one team has twice won the title in a four-game sweep, and only one franchise has been swept out of the finals three times. Who are they?

(Answers at bottom).

CWS: For the first time in seven decades, there is no college baseball

in Omaha this summer. The eightteam College World Series would have started with opening-round games next weekend. The event has been a summer staple in Omaha since 1950.

RAISING THE CUP?: If a Game 7 had been needed to determine the Stanley Cup champion, the NHL season could have had a win-it-all finale this week.

St Louis won its first title in a seven-game series last year against the Boston Bruins, who had won the last seven-game Stanley Cup, in 2011 over Vancouver.

NBA FINALS: The NBA season would be down to two teams and they would have been deep into a best-of-seven series.

CFL: The nine-team Canadian Football League had been scheduled to open its season, with an

opening-week rematch of last season’s Grey Cup game.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the CFL title last year with a win over the East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

TRIVIA ANSWER: The Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals, and beat the Washington Bullets in four games in 1975.

The Lakers have lost in sweeps three times — twice in Los Angeles (by the Detroit Pistons in 1989, and Philadelphia in 1983) and once in Minneapolis (by the Boston Celtics in 1959, the first NBA Finals that went only four games).

Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets to win in 2002, their third championship in a row.

MÜLLER THE CHEF SERVES UP TITLEWINNING ASSISTS FOR BAYERN

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer

DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Call them Road Runner and The Chef.

Alphonso Davies and Thomas Müller have built an effective and affectionate partnership this season, and it’s driving Bayern Munich toward a record-extending eighth straight German title.

“I call him Chef,” Davies said in televised comments after Müller broke the German league record with his 20th assist of the season Saturday. “He gives you assists, he gives you goals, whenever, whatever you need.”

Müller’s two assists in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen took him past Kevin de Bruyne’s 19 assists for Wolfsburg in 2014-15, which the league said was the most by any player in records going back nearly three decades.

Bayern played the game wearing armbands with the message “Black Lives Matter,” in reference to the movement’s many global anti-racism protests.

In calling Müller “Chef”, Davies was returning the favour after the experienced German dubbed the Canadian left-back the “FC Bayern Road Runner” for his ability to chase down seemingly lost causes in a crucial 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last month.

SPORTS SECTION E

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020

Justin Pinder looking forward to graduation

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

I

n the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and now the protest for the late George Floyd in the United States, former St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine and CARIFTA champion Justin Pinder has been taking it all in stride in Richmond, Virginia.

The 22-year-old son of George and Jillian Pinder was hoping to graduate in May, but he said he was advised that the actual ceremony has been pushed back to the end of the year when it will be combined with those graduating in December.

“I like it because even though it’s right after graduation, you still get the ceremony where you can go on stage in front of your family and friends,” said Pinder, who will graduate with his degree in business management. “I’m glad that they are doing it then, rather than not doing it at all.”

Still in Norfolk where he was working at Vision Works - a company that sells prescription eyeglasses - while completing his studies, Pinder was also training for the 2020 Olympic Games, which has now been postponed from July 24 to August 9, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan until July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Although his athletic eligibility for the Spartans ended last year, Pinder was still able to train at NSU under head coach Kenneth Giles.

“I didn’t get to finish my classes on campus, so I had to do them online,” said Pinder about how he managed to deal with the coronavirus. “So far, it affected my job because they closed our store and I’m still waiting on when they will reopen again.

“I was training at Norfolk with my college coach to get ready for the Olympics, now I have to switch up my whole plans. But my plan is to still train to qualify for the Olympics.”

With Virginia being one of the areas known for its racism in the United States, Pinder said he’s situated in the south in Norfolk, where the conditions are

not as bad as it is in Richmond, which is about an hour away from him where all of the protests for Floyd are taking place.

“I think it’s the right thing they are doing,” said Pinder about the protests being dubbed ‘Black Lives Matter.’ “Everything people are doing is a reaction. Everything happened because of the murder of George Floyd. But I stand with them in what they are doing. It’s long overdue.”

Last year, Pinder experienced his final season at NSU, running a leg on the Spartans’ winning 4 x 400m relay team at the VMI Keydet Invitational and the third-place team at the Virginia Tech Invitational.

He also clocked a season-best 400m time of 49.42 in a fourth-place finish at the JDL DMR Invitational; was ninth in the 400m at the MEAC Indoor Championships and ran on NSU’s third-place 4 x 400m and DMR (distance medley relay) teams at the conference indoor meet.

During the outdoor season, Pinder also ran on NSU’s winning sprint medley relay and fourthplace 4 x 400 relay team at the Colonial Relays; placed eighth in the 400m and ninth in the 200m (PR, 21.62) at the Virginia Grand Prix (48.32); finished 10th in the 400m at the MEAC Outdoor Championships in a season-best time of 47.50 and also ran legs on the 4 x 100m (sixth place) and 4 x 400m (fourth place) at the conference outdoor meet.

Pinder also performed for the Spartans during the 2017-18, 20-16-17 and 2015-16 indoor and outdoor seasons where he established a name for himself at NSU. During his tenure, Pinder produced lifetime achievements of 49.27 seconds in the 400m and 1:59.83 in the 800m indoors. Outdoors,

JUSTIN Pinder in action

he established personal best times of 22.36 in the 200m and 47.28 in the 400m to go along with 1:52 he ran in the 800m before he entered college.

“When I came here, I was about 17 going on 18. I was so young,” Pinder said.

“The adjustment here was pretty rough because that first year, the school had just come off a suspension by the NCAA and so everything was new, especially for those of us coming in.

“I don’t think it was until my junior year that things finally started to click for me. I was able to make the adjustment. There were some injuries, but that comes with sports. I was able to survive and get through it year by year.”

As for his academic pursuits, Pinder admitted that it was just as hard because there were some courses

that were easy, compared to what he experienced at SAC and vice versa, there were some courses that were harder at NSU. “I had to realise that it was college,” he noted.

“I had to really become more responsible. It wasn’t a problem. Once I got to know my professors and the American style of teaching, everything worked out for me. It was so much easier.”

Prior to going to college, Pinder won the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools championships in the 400, 800, 1,500 and both the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relay teams in his senior year for the Big Red Machine.

That same year, while representing the Bahamas at the 2015 CARIFTA Games in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis, Pinder

captured the silver medal in the under-20 boys’ 800m.

The year before, Pinder won the BAISS title in the 800 and 4 x 400m relay; was the national champion in the 400 and 800 and ran as a member of the under-18 boys’ silver medal 4 x 400m relay team that included Kinard Rolle, Samson Colebrook and Henry Delauze at CARIFTA in Fort-de-France, Martinique.

Now that he’s done with college, Pinder said his aim is to make his first senior national team and although the Olympics is the biggest stage of all, he’s confident that with the right training in Norfolk, he can achieve that goal. “Everything was going good with my college coach before everything shut down,” Pinder said.

“We’re just waiting for everything to start back up again so that we can resume our training.”

And like he did at CARIFTA, the top junior regional competition, Pinder hopes that he can carry the Bahamian colours in the 400m and as a member of the men’s 4 x 400 relay team. He admits there will be a lot of pressure competing against world champion Steven Gardiner for a spot on the team. “I feel like it’s wide open on the track. Outside of Stevie and Shaunae (Miller-Uibo on the women’s side), who are the most recognisable names, there’s a lot of room for a lot of our athletes who haven’t reached that pinnacle yet to get to that spotlight level that they’re on,” Pinder said.

When it’s all said and done, Pinder is hoping that his name will be one of the next ones called.

PAGE 15

KLAY’S STATUS UNCLEAR UNTIL THE WARRIORS ARE BACK TOGETHER

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Golden State Warriors expect to have a better idea about how Klay Thompson’s recovery from reconstructive left knee surgery is going once the team can finally reconvene after the long separation caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

For now, general manager Bob Myers is encouraged Thompson has experienced no setbacks during the extensive rehabilitation process.

“I think we’ve got to take a look at him when we see him,” Myers said yesterday on a conference call.

“There’s different versions of 100 per cent — 100 per cent for you or I when we walk around the street is not 100 per cent of an NBA basketball player playing basketball. So until we kind of test him and see him and he’s starting one-on-one and then two-on-two — and obviously the pandemic has not allowed him that opportunity to do those type of things.”

Thompson tore the ACL in his left knee on June 13 during Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors and had surgery July 2. He was reevaluated over the All-Star break and the team determined around that time that Stephen Curry’s Splash Brother wouldn’t play at all this season without the team being in the mix for the playoffs following five straight trips to the NBA Finals.

The Warriors finished 15-50 for the NBA’s worst record with Thompson out and with Curry nursing a broken left hand for most of the season.

Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant departed in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets.

As eager as everyone is to see Thompson back to his dominant All-Star self, that will come in due time.

McPhee-McCuin one of several Rebels in Unity Walk

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net YOLETTE McPheeMcCuin was one of several leaders of Ole Miss Rebels student athletics to lead a Unity Walk on the Oxford, Mississippi campus as protests against police brutality continue across the globe.

The Grand Bahama native is the school’s first black female head women’s basketball coach. Her programme joined athletic administrators, coaches and student athletes from various sports.

It was a show of solidarity for Ole Miss athletics as their unity walk coincided with protests across the globe in the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently George Floyd.

“As athletes and coaches we know how important it is to be believed in. Whether we are cheered on by a sold out stadium or looked up

to by one small child, the belief of others in us, their support of us, and their love for us makes a huge difference in the scoreboards that push us to be great. We are here today, realising that a handful of minds, and only a little more than a handful of our time cannot just be a photo op,” McPheeMcCuin. “We, black and white are the beneficiaries of the struggle for black freedom - a struggle born generations ago by black people who loved a nation that long considered them at best, second class citizens. And whether through generations of tilling the soil of this state, or through mid-20th century boycotts, sit-ins, or voter registration, generations of black Mississippians sacrificed their own freedoms not just for Freedom Summer, but for the freedoms we enjoy when as athletes and coaches, we run onto the gridiron in the fall, when we hit the hardwood in the spring, and

MCPHEE-McCuin when we blaze the track in the summer too.”

McPhee-McCuin was one of several speakers to address the rally alongside athletic director Keith Carter, football head coach Lane Kiffin and Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

“As athletes and coaches, we who believe in freedom cannot rest on the euphoria of history making seasons or even championships.

Banners and rings, while wonderful, do not keep black athletes or coaches, our families or our friends, safe from the fear of race based discrimination. They most certainly do not keep us safe from the threat of race-based emotional and physical violence. Black sporting achievement, and black coaching achievement, whether as the first best, regularly but point to scoreboards across the nation and world,” she said.

“Today we gather here, to put a point on the scoreboard for justice. Today we gather here to honour freedom seekers past in solidarity with those justice seekers present. Today, we gather here to say unapologetically, Black Lives Matter.”

Participants wore t-shirts with the word

“UNITY” on the front.

Others carried signs ranging from “BLACK LIVES MATTER” to “SILENCE IS NOT OK” to “I AM GEORGE FLOYD.” In her two years at the helm leading the Rebels’ McPhee-McCuin has undertaken a rebuilding project.

At 16-45, the Rebels have gone up against 13 nationally ranked squads, 12 of which have come in SEC play.

Headed into next season, the Rebels will have the No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 campaign.

The state of Mississippi and the Ole Miss campus has been a flashpoint of racial tension during the Civil Rights movement and beyond.

In 1962, James Meredith was the first black student admitted to a then segregated Ole Miss. Riots ensued between white segregationists and federal and

state forces. Two civilians, one a French journalist, were killed during the night, and over 300 people were injured. In 2002 Ole Miss honoured the 40th anniversary of Meredith’s admission with numerous events. A statue of him was installed on campus in his honour.

The Ole Miss campus is also home to a Confederate monument that has recently become the source of controversy. The statue, which has been on the campus since 1906, was vandalised on May 30 with the words “spiritual genocide” spray painted on each side.

According to the Associated Press, “the state College Board has delayed acting on a recommendation by university administrators, student leaders and faculty leaders to move the statue from a central spot on campus to a Civil War cemetery that is still on campus but in a secluded location.”

PAGE 14, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

NFL gives teams planner for total reopening of facilities

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer

THE NFL and the players’ union sent a planner to the 32 teams yesterday outlining procedures for the full reopening of their practice facilities, which were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a lengthy four-part memo to the clubs written

by Commissioner Roger Goodell and approved by the NFL Players Association, the league described protocols focusing on screening, testing, and infection prevention and treatment for COVID-19, including response for new infections. Also included were instructions on proper facility access, cleaning and disinfecting; physical distancing; hygiene, health education and medical services; food preparation; supplies; and team travel.

No timetable has been set for the return of most players to team complexes — only players rehabilitating injuries have been allowed to enter the buildings. But this is the next major step toward allowing all players back in club facilities.

Goodell ordered all facilities closed in late March, and the league has taken small steps toward reopening them.

Last week, coaching staffs were approved to return, but only if local governmental rules allowed it.

Goodell noted that the protocols for a full return were developed in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Duke’s Infection Control Network and other universities.

“No set of protocols can eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19, nor

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference in Irving, Texas, on December 12, 2018.

(AP Photo/LM Otero) ensure that the disease itself will be mild,” Goodell wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

“And we should expect that these protocols will change as medical and scientific knowledge of the disease continues to grow.

But we believe, along with the NFLPA, that these protocols offer a sound basis for bringing players back into the facilities and moving forward with our planning for the 2020 season.”

Training camps are scheduled to begin in late July, with the first preseason game, Dallas vs. Pittsburgh in the Hall of Fame game, on August 6. The NFL still plans to kick off the regular season in Kansas City on September 10.

A tiered approached will be used within team facilities and must be presented to the league for approval at least seven days before the reporting date for training camp. Players, most coaches, trainers, physicians and the head equipment

manager — anyone who must have direct access to players — will be in Tier 1, with a maximum of 60 in addition to the players. They will have access to such restricted areas as fields and sidelines, locker rooms, training rooms, medical exam areas, meeting rooms and weight rooms.

The second tier will consist of ownership representatives; facility staff; additional coaches and equipment personnel; the general

manager and football operations employees; club communications staff; security personnel; and “certain NFL and NFLPA staff as needed.” They will have limited access to restricted areas.

All of those people must undergo daily screening and testing before entering the complex.

In the third tier will be personnel who perform essential facility, stadium or event services but do not require close contact with Tier 1 individuals.

Everyone inside the facility must wear surgical masks that have to be replaced daily, or cloth masks that must be washed daily. Players are exempted only when such masks would interfere with performance.

A separate entrance to the facility for Tier 1 and Tier 2 members is required. If not available, a designated time for use of a single entrance is mandated, and that entrance must be cleaned and disinfected before and after use.

Physical distancing is another major challenge.

To keep players at least 6 feet (2 metres) apart requires redesigning everything from locker, meeting and weight rooms to cafeterias. Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be mandatory.

The NFL/NFLPA protocols suggest continued virtual meetings whenever possible.

Among taboos in the protocols is sharing drink bottles and towels, and buffet-style meals.

“Clubs will be required to certify that they have made the arrangements necessary to meet their obligations under these protocols,” Goodell wrote, “and, in certain instances, to provide the details of those arrangements to be reviewed and confirmed by the jointly retained infectious disease experts at (Duke).”

Goodell promised more information and protocols relating to testing and treatment of anyone who tests positive or show symptoms of the coronavirus.

“These protocols are similarly being developed by joint medical task forces,” he wrote, “and will reflect the most up-to-date developments in testing and treatment.”

‘Create your own excitement’: Players ponder empty buildings

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer THE roar of the crowd has been such a staple of major sports, such an advantage for the home team, that NFL clubs have been accused at times of artificial amplification.

The Atlanta Falcons even admitted to the mischief, leading to a 2015 punishment from the league.

When the coronavirus risk wanes enough to allow games to begin again, something besides the fans will be missing: The very essence of these events will be gone, too, at least for a while.

No cheers, no boos, no chants or whistles. No one behind the backboard trying to distract a freethrow shooter. No kids seeking autographs.

Playing in empty buildings, for these well-paid performers, will require a significant recalibration.

“You know how much I love to talk to the fans, you know? To be in conversation, to throw the ball to kids,” Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez said, hoping a baseball season will come to pass.

“It’s going to be hard. It’s never happened before to me. If that’s going to be the best way to start playing, we have to do it, but I don’t think I’m going to feel good the first couple of games with no fans.”

One NASCAR driver called fan-less sports “weird” and he won’t be the last. Even when there is the green light to reopen the gates to the public, near or full-capacity attendance figures are not likely for some time. Temporary caps on the amount of fans who can come in are expected, with the goal of maintaining social distancing.

Michigan State athletic director Bill Beekman said national consultants have advised between 17 per cent to 35 per cent capacity at football stadiums for now, depending on layout.

The combination of an economic downturn and skittishness about germ spread might naturally keep crowds smaller, too.

“Sure, it would still be guys competing at their highest level and their hardest, because that’s what we do,” said Minnesota Wild centre Eric Staal, who won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. “But as far as comparing it to a full building in a Game 7, there’s no comparison.”

Strength and stamina.

Speed and agility. Focus and determination. Experience and preparation. All that factors in to success on the field, court or rink.

Adrenaline is also an ingredient, though, and athletes might have to learn how to play with a little less than they’ve been used to.

LeBron James declared he had no interest in playing in front of empty seats before walking that back to being simply disappointed.

“I feel like the fans pick you up,” Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. “The fans are what makes the game exciting. The fans would give you that extra juice when you’re tired and fatigued. When you make that big play and you hear 80,000 fans going crazy, that pumps you up. If you don’t have that in the game, I think that just takes the fun out of it.”

The players may need to revert to those school-age days of summer when a complaint about boredom might have prompted this familiar challenge from a parent: Make your own fun.

COLORADO State guard Kaipo Sabas (15) if elevated above a crowd of students who rushed the court after a 77-60 victory over No. 13 San Diego State in an NCAA basketball game, in Fort Collins Colo. on January 28, 2012. When the virus wanes enough to allow the games to begin again, the very essence of these events will likely be missing.

(AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez) “When I was in college, we would go and play like Purdue, and there wasn’t a lot of fans in the stadium, and our coach would say, ‘Y’all have got to bring your own juice today,’ because there’s no electricity in the crowd,” said Green Bay Packers safety Adrian Amos, who played at Penn State.

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse was pondering this recently in light of the widely viewed ESPN documentary, “The Last Dance,” about Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls.

“That’s a perfect example, his mindset in a lot of those games of creating your own environment, creating your own fire,” Nurse said. “That’s a test everyone who is in this situation is

going to have to go through: Having to create your own excitement. There shouldn’t be a whole lot that you need to get you going, because you are still playing for a Stanley Cup. “Yes, there are no fans there, and you might be in a hub city, but there is an opportunity to win a Stanley Cup.” The recipe for success?

“The team or the teams that get over that the quickest and buy into the format and the fact that it’s not changing and we’ve just got to get on with it,” said Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheeler, anticipating the NHL’s 24-team postseason tournament that will be held behind closed doors in two yet-to-be-determined cities. The NBA is planning a 22-team format in Orlando, Florida.

For all the atmospheric change that would come to the games themselves, it’s worth noting just how much time teams spend rehearsing with nobody there to root them on.

“We practice every day in an empty grass area and pump in fake crowd noise for away games,” Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said.

“Honestly, to go out and just play the game would kind of be refreshing, a breath of fresh air, to just let us know that we don’t have to have all the smoke and the fire. We can just play football.”

Road games would certainly become easier for Cousins and his blockers and their peers around the NFL, suddenly able to hear all the pre-snap strategy

without worrying about a false start penalty.

In Germany, where the Bundesliga soccer season has resumed without fans, players have been able to pick out some positives despite the letdown in energy level.

“When they are loud and they are screaming, you get pushed and you are more emotional and maybe you speak in another way with the referee,” said Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich.

“Now you can be more quiet and calm and speak in a normal way with the referee, and you don’t have to shout at him, and he doesn’t have to shout back.”

A little bit like the days of youth leagues. “Maybe the focus is more on the game. It’s not like a show,” Kimmich said.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, June 9, 2020, PAGE 15

MASSIVE SPORTS CORRUPTION CASE FINALLY HEARD AT PARIS TRIAL

By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — A Paris court heard allegations yesterday that top athletes hushed-up suspected doping by giving millions of dollars in illicit payoffs to corrupt administrators, as the trial got underway for the disgraced former head of track and field who was once among the most influential leaders in Olympic sports.

Wearing a face mask, Lamine Diack was present in court for the first of six days of hearings that will weigh evidence that his presidency of track and field’s governing body was riddled with corruption and other malfeasance, hurting athletes who raced against competitors who were suspected of doping but have since testified that they paid to keep competing.

Documents seized during the years-long investigation suggested that athletes paid to have doping charges buried or delayed, an illicit mechanism dubbed “full

protection,” the court president said, outlining the case with tentacles stretching from Europe to Asia and Africa.

In the audience was a French marathon runner, Christelle Daunay, who competed against one of the athletes, Russian runner Liliya Shobukhova, who later testified to investigators about illicit payments to hush-up doping. Beaten

by Shobukhova at the 2011 Chicago Marathon, Daunay is a civil party to the case and is seeking 110,000 euros in damages and compensation for earnings she believes she lost because of the alleged cover-ups by administrators at the IAAF, including Diack.

“It was a whole system and when you see all the money involved, it’s shocking,” Daunay said.

Diack, 87, the IAAF president for nearly 16 years, is being tried for corruption, money laundering and breach of trust. Prosecutors say he directly or indirectly solicited 3.45 million euros ($3.9 million) from athletes

suspected by the IAAF of doping who paid to have their names cleared so they could continue competing.

About two dozen Russian athletes were reportedly involved. Shobukhova testified that she alone paid the equivalent of 450,000 euros, a large chunk of which was subsequently refunded to her when she was later suspended for doping despite the alleged payoff, the court president detailed.

As IAAF president, Diack oversaw an era when Usain Bolt made track and field wildly popular. But Diack’s legacy, and the IAAF’s credibility, took a beating after he stepped down in 2015. He was arrested in France and investigators revealed accusations of athletes being squeezed for payments.

Gabriel Dolle, who oversaw drug-testing at the IAAF and is accused of taking 190,000 euros in payments, told the court that Diack asked him that suspected doping cases involving Russian athletes be handled “reasonably” to

FORMER president of the IAAF Lamine Diack arrives at the Paris courthouse yesterday.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus) avoid a scandal that could set back IAAF negotiations with sponsors.

Dolle said he agreed to a “special, discreet” treatment for some athletes suspected of doping, which would have involved them being quietly prevented from competing. He said he was “furious” when some of them were then allowed to compete at the London Olympics.

“It was counter to what had been agreed. It was a betrayal,” he said.

Dolle is being tried on a corruption charge. He

acknowledged having taken an envelope of money in 2013 from Papa Massata Diack, one of Diack’s sons.

Dolle said Papa Massata Diack told him the money is “for what you’re doing for the Russian cases.”

Papa Massata Diack also faces corruption, money laundering and breach of trust charges. He lives in Senegal, which has refused France’s extradition requests for the former IAAF marketing consultant. He did not attend yesterday’s hearing.

The court briefly considered but then rejected a request from a lawyer for Papa Massata Diack that the trial be delayed because two of his lawyers couldn’t attend because of coronavirus travel restrictions.

The trial had already been delayed from January to allow the inclusion of new evidence.

Prosecutors have also charged Lamine Diack for involvement in a $1.5 million payment from Russia for use in electoral politics in his native Senegal.

Prosecutors say the money was creamed off sponsorship and TV rights deals, negotiated with Russian officials.

Prosecutors say the money was to finance presidential and legislative election campaigns in Senegal in 2012, in exchange for slowing down doping cases targeting Russian athletes.

Diack is also accused of having enabled his son to embezzle IAAF sponsorship revenue from Russia’s VTB Bank, Chinese oil firm Sinopec and broadcaster CCTV, South Korean tech giant Samsung and others.

Lamine Diack is expected to testify on Wednesday.

He was detained on a trip to France in 2015 and has been forbidden from leaving the country since.

Also on trial on corruption charges is a lawyer who advised Diack, Habib Cisse.

Two Russians are being tried in their absence: Valentin Balakhnichev, a former IAAF treasurer, and Alexei Melnikov, a coach who led Russia’s long-distance running programme.

PAGE 16, Tuesday, June 9, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

MLB offers 76-game season, playoffs rise up to 16 teams

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has made another try to start the coronavirus-delayed season in early July, proposing a 76-game regular season, expanding the playoffs from 10 teams to as many as 16 and allowing players to earn about 75 per cent of their prorated salaries.

Players have refused cuts beyond what they agreed to in March shortly after the pandemic began, part of baseball’s again acrimonious labour relations.

The arduous negotiations have jeopardised plans to hold opening day around the Fourth of July in empty ballparks and provide entertainment to a public still emerging from months of quarantine.

MLB’s latest proposal would guarantee 50 per cent of players’ prorated salaries over the regular season, according to details obtained by The Associated Press. The proposal would eliminate all free-agent compensation for the first time since the free-agent era started in 1976. It also would forgive 20 per cent of the $170 million in salaries already advanced to players during April and May. “If the players desire to accept this proposal, we need to reach an agreement

by Wednesday,” Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem wrote in a letter to union negotiator Bruce Meyer that was obtained by The Associated Press. “While we understand that it is a relatively short time frame, we cannot waste any additional days if we are to have sufficient time for players to travel to spring training,

conduct COVID-19 testing and education, conduct a spring training of an appropriate length, and schedule a 76-game season that ends no later than September 27.”

“While we are prepared to continue discussion past Wednesday on a season with fewer than 76 games, we simply do not have enough days to schedule a season of that length unless an agreement is reached in the next 48 hours,” he added.

There was no immediate response from the union, which is likely to view the plan as a step back because of the large percentage of salaries not guaranteed.

“There’s social unrest in our country amid a global pandemic. Baseball won’t solve these problems, but maybe it could help,” Washington pitcher Sean Doolittle tweeted. “We’ve been staying ready & we proposed 114 games — to protect the integrity of the game, to give back to our fans & cities, and because we want to play.”

“It’s frustrating to have a public labour dispute when there’s so much hardship.

I hate it,” he said. “But we have an obligation to future players to do right by them. We want to play.

We also have to make sure that future players won’t be paying for any concessions we make.”

While there is no chance players would accept this proposal as is, the offer dropped the sliding scale teams embraced last month that would have left stars with just a fraction of their expected pay. The latest proposal figures to spark more talks that could lead to opening day at some point in July.

A BASEBALL is shown on the grass at the Cincinnati Reds spring training facility in Arizona.

(AP Photo/Ross D Franklin) Players agreed March 26 for prorated salaries that depend on games played, part of a deal for a guarantee of service time if the season was scrapped.

MLB says it can’t afford to play in ballparks without fans and on May 26 proposed an 82-game schedule.

The union countered five days later with a 114-game schedule at prorated pay that would extend the regular season by a month through October.

MLB is worried a second wave of the virus would endanger the postseason — when MLB is scheduled to receive $787 million in broadcast revenue.

Teams estimate the new offer would guarantee $1.43 billion in compensation: $955 million in salaries, including an allowance for earned bonuses; $393 million if the postseason is played — half the broadcast revenue — for a 20 per cent bonus for every player with a big league contract; $50 million for the regular season postseason pool normally funded with ticket

money; and $34 million for the forgiven advances.

Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole, who have the highest salaries of $36 million each, would have been guaranteed $5.58 million each under the initial MLB proposal with the chance to earn up to about $8 million, and $25.3 million apiece in the union plan. They would be guaranteed $8,723,967 each under the latest offer and would get $12,190,633 apiece if the postseason is completed.

A player at the $563,500 minimum could earn up to $244,492 and those at $1 million — about half those on current active rosters — could get up to $389,496.

MLB estimates its revenue would drop from $9.73 billion last year to $2.75 billion this year with a 76-game season. Adding prorated shares of signing bonuses, option buyout, termination pay, assignment bonuses and benefits, MLB says players would get 70.2 per cent of revenue, up from 46.7 per cent. Also factoring in signing bonuses

for amateurs in the draft this week and international players, MLB projects players would get 86.2 per cent, up from 52.1 per cent.

Expansion of the playoffs would make a major change for MLB’s 30 clubs.

Postseason teams doubled to four with the split of each league into two divisions in 1969, then to eight with the realignment to three divisions and the addition of a wild card in 1995, a year later than planned due to a players’ strike. The postseason reached its current 10 with the addition of a second wild card and a wild-card round in 2012.

Players proposed expanding the playoffs to 14 teams in both 2020 and ‘21. The MLB plan also would cover the next two seasons. It doesn’t specify a format other than as many as eight clubs per league.

Free agent compensation has long caused bitter fights since the arbitration decision in December 1975 that struck down the reserve clause — it led to an eight-day strike during

spring training in 1980 and a 50-day strike during the 1981 season. Compensation had been narrowed in recent years but still caused some free agents to have fewer bidders and sign later, such as pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel in 2019.

MLB proposed dropping the loss of draft picks and international signing bonus pool allocation for signing a qualified free agent.

All players would have the right to opt out and not play, but only high-risk individuals would be treated as if injured and would receive salary and service time.

Players’ distrust of MLB stems from accusations of service time manipulation to delay eligibility for free agency and salary arbitration; payroll paring for rebuilding the union calls tanking; slow free-agent markets; and five years of relatively flat salaries.

MLB’s frustration with the union has built since Tony Clark took over after Michael Weiner died in late 2013.

Management complains the union procrastinates responding to proposals and then causes hectic deadline negotiations.

Halem sent Meyer an angry letter Wednesday, and Meyer replied in kind Friday.

“I am not going to respond to the assertions and mischaracterisations in your letter because we are well past the point that exchanging letters is a constructive use of our limited time,” Halem wrote Monday.

“To be clear, we are neither shutting down negotiations nor requesting that the association negotiate against itself.”