'Why isn’t there a similar sort of outrage about crime' in VI?- Elvin G. Grant
‘Why isn’t there the same outrage?’
Speaking on the ZBVI 780 AM Talking Points programme on Monday, August 10, 2026, Grant questioned why social media users mobilise quickly over issues like dress codes but remain largely silent when innocent lives are lost in shootings and other violent crimes.
He asked, “Why isn’t there a similar sort of outrage about crime in the territory? Why are people being shot in broad daylight? Why are people being gunned down like dogs in the street?”
Grant argued that the loss of human life should provoke at least as much, if not more, public anger than controversies over clothing or behaviour, noting that families of victims have been left without answers for years.
Unsolved cases and families without closure
Grant highlighted long-standing unsolved cases, including the shooting death of Trinity A. Moses in 2017, which remain unresolved.
He stressed that multiple families are still waiting for justice and closure, with some crimes never solved and perpetrators never brought to account.
Breakdown of law and order
The co-host pointed to recent incidents where armed individuals entered Emancipation celebrations, nightclubs, and bars and opened fire, killing or injuring people without immediate repercussions.
“To think that persons believe they can take armed weapons into an emancipation celebration, into a nightclub, into a bar, and just gun someone down without repercussion that blows my mind,” Grant said.
He called for a deeper public conversation about why law and order have eroded to the point where such attacks are possible and why outrage is not sustained long enough to force systemic change.
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17 Responses to “'Why isn’t there a similar sort of outrage about crime' in VI?- Elvin G. Grant ”
Gun wielding criminals should not be allowed to put us all at risk. They must be brought to the light of Justice for their antisocial crimes.
Lastly a topic that is skirted around is, There is such a breakdown of RESPECT generally in the BVI and if you look at it, that is at the root of many of the issues we face here. That is something to talk about on that show Grant.
away to foreign lands at our expense
Every Festival it's the same cycle: fights, gun violence, reckless driving and disorder. Then, when it's over, everyone posts "Stop the violence" and "Put the guns down." If this keeps happening year after year, maybe it's time to stop pretending these are isolated incidents and start questioning the environment we've normalized.
Festival should be about celebrating our heritage, not becoming a magnet for hotheads, gang associates and people carrying illegal firearms. Most people attend simply to enjoy themselves, but it's impossible to ignore that many offenders also gravitate to these events because large crowds provide opportunities for retaliation, intimidation and criminal activity.
The influence on our young people should concern every one of us. Between social media, peer pressure and some local and international music that glorifies guns, gangs, drugs, fast money and violence, many youths grow up believing that lifestyle deserves admiration. Music doesn't create criminals by itself, but it can influence attitudes, reinforce behaviour and shape what young people see as normal when those messages are constantly celebrated.
Adults also have to accept responsibility. Young people are not importing firearms into the Territory on their own. Adults are smuggling them, selling them and profiting from supplying drugs and guns to impressionable youths. Criminals don't recruit themselves.
We also have a culture where too many people refuse to cooperate with police, even when they know who committed serious crimes. We criticize the police when crimes go unsolved, yet in the same breath protect offenders through silence. We can't expect law enforcement to solve every case if communities refuse to help.
At the same time, we've become comfortable normalizing behaviour that previous generations would have challenged. Underage drinking, drug use, gang signs, gun signs, ski masks, reckless behaviour and glorifying the "badman" image are often dismissed as entertainment or "just the culture." When schools raise concerns about weapons or drugs, they're sometimes met with outrage instead of support. That should concern all of us.
Then we celebrate people who become wealthy through crime or corruption, defend criminal lifestyles online, and wonder why some young people think that's the path to success. Young people pay far more attention to what adults celebrate than to what adults preach.
None of this means every Festival-goer, every music fan or every young person is involved in crime. Most are not. But we should stop pretending culture has no influence. It absolutely does.
If we truly want fewer guns on our streets, we need to stop glorifying the lifestyle that so often surrounds them. We need to celebrate integrity over intimidation, discipline over recklessness and responsibility over criminality.
Because if we continue to normalize violence, excuse criminal behaviour and reward those who profit from it, we shouldn't be surprised when the next generation follows the same path.
Culture doesn't excuse crime—but culture can either discourage it or help normalize it.
Which culture are we building?
Every Festival it's the same cycle: fights, gun violence, reckless driving and disorder. Then, when it's over, everyone posts "Stop the violence" and "Put the guns down." If this keeps happening year after year, maybe it's time to stop pretending these are isolated incidents and start questioning the environment we've normalized.
Festival should be about celebrating our heritage, not becoming a magnet for hotheads, gang associates and people carrying illegal firearms. Most people attend simply to enjoy themselves, but it's impossible to ignore that many offenders also gravitate to these events because large crowds provide opportunities for retaliation, intimidation and criminal activity.
The influence on our young people should concern every one of us. Between social media, peer pressure and some local and international music that glorifies guns, gangs, drugs, fast money and violence, many youths grow up believing that lifestyle deserves admiration. Music doesn't create criminals by itself, but it can influence attitudes, reinforce behaviour and shape what young people see as normal when those messages are constantly celebrated.
Adults also have to accept responsibility. Young people are not importing firearms into the Territory on their own. Adults are smuggling them, selling them and profiting from supplying drugs and guns to impressionable youths. Criminals don't recruit themselves.
We also have a culture where too many people refuse to cooperate with police, even when they know who committed serious crimes. We criticize the police when crimes go unsolved, yet in the same breath protect offenders through silence. We can't expect law enforcement to solve every case if communities refuse to help.
At the same time, we've become comfortable normalizing behaviour that previous generations would have challenged. Underage drinking, drug use, gang signs, gun signs, ski masks, reckless behaviour and glorifying the "badman" image are often dismissed as entertainment or "just the culture." When schools raise concerns about weapons or drugs, they're sometimes met with outrage instead of support. That should concern all of us.
Then we celebrate people who become wealthy through crime or corruption, defend criminal lifestyles online, and wonder why some young people think that's the path to success. Young people pay far more attention to what adults celebrate than to what adults preach.
None of this means every Festival-goer, every music fan or every young person is involved in crime. Most are not. But we should stop pretending culture has no influence. It absolutely does.
If we truly want fewer guns on our streets, we need to stop glorifying the lifestyle that so often surrounds them. We need to celebrate integrity over intimidation, discipline over recklessness and responsibility over criminality.
Because if we continue to normalize violence, excuse criminal behaviour and reward those who profit from it, we shouldn't be surprised when the next generation follows the same path.
Culture doesn't excuse crime—but culture can either discourage it or help normalize it.
Which culture are we building?