The Bermuda public are not being told the full truth about the state of violence on our island — and it is costing lives. I write this not out of anger, but out of pain, frustration and a desperate hope that transparency might force the change we so urgently need.

I am watching my island deteriorate. I have watched it happen from a distance for the past nine years. What once felt like a community in conflict now feels like a community unravelling. The violence we are experiencing is no longer simply “hurt people hurting people”. It has morphed into something colder, more reckless and disturbingly casual. If we do not change course, today’s crisis will look like a utopia compared with what is coming.

The individuals entrusted with protecting Bermuda — whether in community outreach, policing or national security — are clearly struggling to stem the worsening violence. This is not an attack on their character; it is an honest observation of the reality we are living in. And if the results continue to fall short, the public deserve the courage of those leaders to acknowledge that help is needed.

A role too large for one man

Pastor Leroy Bean has long presented himself as someone with deep, behind-the-scenes access to the people driving Bermuda’s violence. But many of us from the affected neighbourhoods know a different reality. In my community, Pastor Bean has never been viewed as someone with the ability to bring opposing sides together. I have never known him to have meaningful influence over the individuals most entrenched in street conflicts.

I say this not to demean him, but to emphasise the scale of the challenge. No single person can manage Bermuda’s violence crisis alone. The role he occupies requires deep, credible, trusted relationships — and the results speak for themselves. Gun violence continues to rise. Families continue to grieve. Yet instead of re-evaluating strategies, the system has rewarded his approach even as the situation worsens.

I have reached out to Pastor Bean multiple times with ideas and offers to help bridge gaps. I received no response. Since then, ten murders have taken place. Our island is hurting and the community deserves a co-ordinated, transparent strategy — not public reassurance without measurable progress.

Pastor Bean has said that poverty contributes to antisocial behaviour. If that is so, perhaps the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on ineffective programming could instead be used to provide breakfast and lunch for the children at Victor Scott Primary School. That would almost certainly have a more positive impact on the next generation than what we are seeing today.

Half-truths are not enough

Police commissioner Darrin Simons has often minimised the violence by stating it involves only a small group of individuals. But what he has not made clear to the public is that this “small group” is now operating with an abandon that endangers anyone connected — even indirectly — to their intended targets.

Commissioner Simons has attributed recent shootings to drug disputes, but in the communities most affected, that explanation does not align with what we see. The drug market is saturated. There is no turf war in Hamilton because there is no longer profit in street-level narcotics. A decade ago, a kilo of cocaine wholesaled for $75,000. Today it can be obtained for roughly half that, sometimes without upfront payment. That alone should tell the public how dramatically things have changed.

Meanwhile, we are repeatedly told that Bermuda does not have many firearms, yet crime scenes regularly show dozens of spent casings, and surveillance footage often captures multiple armed individuals. This contradiction demands explanation.

Finally, the commissioner has said that today’s shooters are more dangerous. But if we are honest, the victims today are often young men who publicise their locations online, make themselves easy targets, or are inexperienced in navigating danger. In some cases, family members — mothers, fathers — are being attacked. This is not precision; it is chaos.

Border security demands answers

Under national security minister Michael Weeks, Bermuda has seen a level of drug and firearm presence that is deeply alarming. While the public are often told that this is a “Bermuda problem”, the hard question remains: how are these weapons and substances entering the island at the volume we see?

Many of us ask:

• If guns are regularly recovered, why do more keep appearing?

• If drug use has risen dramatically, what is being done to address supply, not just demand?

• Why is a kilo of cocaine now cheaper than a year’s tuition at Saltus?

• Why does Front Street feel safer than Court Street?

These are questions any responsible government should address openly.

I grew up knowing Minister Weeks as “Uncle Mikey”. Many of us believed he understood the communities most affected by violence. But today, we are living with the consequences of ineffective oversight, and those consequences include the loss of innocent lives. That is a burden he must confront.

Leadership means owning the reality

David Burt has overseen this entire era of violence. Yes, Bermuda has made global strides under his leadership, particularly in technology and digital innovation, but those benefits have not reached the people most at risk of violence.

It is under this government that individuals such as Garrina Cann, my father Steve Parkes, Diante Trimm, Janae Minors and far too many others were killed because of their associations, not their actions. Their names should not be forgotten. We must face the reality that in today’s Bermuda, you can be targeted not for what you have done, but for who you are connected to.

I have written to Premier Burt, Commissioner Simons and Minister Weeks — not once but multiple times — offering insight, feedback and a willingness to help. I received no response. This op-ed is my last resort.

We must ask the hard questions — before more lives are lost

My words may sound harsh, but they come from a place of grief. I am tired of watching young people throw away their lives. I am tired of families being destroyed. I am tired of leadership offering comforting narratives while our communities suffer.

To those who judge individuals caught in this lifestyle, remember: you only saw the choices we made, not the options we had.

Bermuda deserves honesty. Bermuda deserves accountability. And Bermuda deserves safety — for all of us, not just a select few.

• Jah’Mico Trott is a former resident of Westgate Correctional Facility who successfully challenged law on jury selection