I felt so violated. So angry and so defeated.

I had just returned to my car from a celebratory dinner with my boyfriend, my sister and her husband, and the feelings of love, happiness and family that filled me moments prior, were quickly flushed out by horror, disgust and sadness. The shattered back glass on my car was evidence that I was now a victim. A victim of a disgusting crime, the victim of a heartless human being who thought he/she was entitled to possess what I had worked so hard to earn. Someone broke into my car that night and stole my brand new Macbook Air, my Christmas present, my iPad Mini, and my boyfriend’s camera. A freelance writer, I have a travelling office and work from the road most days, so my tools are always with me.

I posted this status to Facebook the following day to share my story:

Almost immediately after posting, I was flooded with calls, emails and text from friends and well wishers. I also got so many comments and inbox messages from people who identified with me…they too, once victims of horrendous crimes. I heard the story of a woman who had a gun pressed to her temple, as the predator who wanted her car forced her out and threatened to kill her if she didn’t get out. Then there was the story of a man whose house was broken into and all his items stolen: jewelry, electronics, money, credit cards…all gone.

I also heard the story of another man whose car was broken into at a local park. And then there’s the story of another woman who had a gun pulled on her and her sister, by criminals who so badly wanted her jeep. She says her mother and 3-year-old niece witnessed the entire ordeal. And then the story of a man who was bound and gagged in his home who was forced to watch young punks waltz away with his life as his daughters and wife looked on in terror. Emasculated and broken is how he said he felt, knowing he could do nothing to protect his family that night. Had he tried, he’d now be a statistic. Or what about my very own elderly grandmother who, some years ago, was arriving at her home when a man walked up to her put a gun to her waist and ran off with her bag?

There are so many untold stories of assault, armed robbery, car jackings, home invasions, stickups and…near death experiences that many Bahamians face daily, but they’re left to suffer alone in silence. Left to deal with the constant sting of paranoia and having to look over their shoulders because of cowardly, gun wielding punks who refuse to work for what they want. Everyday upstanding citizens of this country are forced to scurry around their own homes and businesses like scared fifth graders, because evil now resides in too many of our Bahamians. Their bodies carry a venom so deep, their minds and brains are poisoned beyond repair. But can we even call them Bahamians? Are they one of us, are they like us, do they think like us, act like us, do they love this country the way we do? HELL NO!

Even sadder, they now have the “perfect accomplices” at their side. The “unsuspecting female.” The sister, girlfriend, fiance, wife…and I dare say mother who are “ride or  die” for them and will aid them in their criminality. I was told the story of a woman who was off home from work one day when a woman holding a “baby” knocked on her front door asking to use the phone. The homeowner told her that the phone wasn’t working and she had to leave. The woman at the door knocked again for some time but soon left. The homeowner went to another room to iron her clothes for work the next day and when she turned around a man was in her home. He stuck a knife in her neck, nearly severing her vocal cord. I heard the woman was the decoy for the attacker to enter the home through the backdoor.

A man alone in a parking lot, suspicious. A man and a woman in a parking lot…not so suspicious.

 

ONE TIME AGO WE USED TO BE QUEENS!

In the immediate aftermath of my robbery I was so angry, but the minute I realised I was still breathing and still alive, I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that I didn’t have to succumb to the barrel of a gun, thankful that I didn’t have to be a victim of a potentially deadly armed robbery, thankful that I wasn’t shot, stabbed, raped nor killed. Thankful that I’m blessed beyond measure to replace those stolen items today. They stole my laptop, iPad and camera, but will never steal my joy!

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories with me and I stand with you all in regaining the strength to live a fearless life!

All of these events took place right here in The Bahamas…our “beautiful” country.