Is the Bahamas becoming a frightened society?

by Sidney Sweeting, DDS

Try to imagine for a few minutes

You are the mother of a seven year old child and you are both at home sleeping and at 4:30 am you are awakened by loud banging on your front door with someone shouting "open the door or we will break it down". You start to frantically search for your keys and at the same time you hear a banging on the back door. By the time you get the door open both you and your child are terrified. Seven immigration officers rudely enter your home and start to terrorize you and your child. You offer to show them your Bahamian passport and you are rudely brushed aside. Not one of them states the purpose of their intrusion and they leave as abruptly as they entered.

I wrote about this incident on this website on March 5th but this afternoon I had an opportunity to speak with the young lady, a very pleasant hard working Bahamian woman. On more than one occasion recently I have been ashamed to be a Bahamian. This was certainly one of those times.

I saw the fear in this young woman's eyes. I saw a picture of the mallet that was used to break her gate. I could feel her anger because her home was invaded and she does not know why, nor has anyone apologized, nor has the Minister met with her as promised, nor has she been able to contact him or anyone else at the Immigration department.

It leads us to ask if this is the kind of country that we have become - that unifomed goons can force their way into our homes at night, terrorize us (or worse) and just leave without an explanation. Perhaps they are following the example of the police and the courts - the measure of justice received by a victim depends on their financial status, their address or their political connection.

If this is the way that we are headed, may God help us all.