The priest-in-charge at Christ Anglican Church in Devonshire called out for honest conversations to lessen the scourge of gang activity in Bermuda, in the wake of several lives lost to shootings this year.

Jermaine “Jay” Tucker said discussions must be inclusive, and acknowledge that gang violence has been a grim ongoing reality for Bermuda.

He explained: “One of the things I’m careful about is coming to the table with too many answers to questions, because I think it is a collective effort in the conversations that yield the kind of mitigation strategies that make a difference.”

Glenn Fubler, of Imagine Bermuda, believes such dialogues have reduced conflicts in other countries and could prove successful at home.

He said: “We have some discussions going on in which members of the community are already doing these things in a variety of ways. It’s about lifting that up and ensuring that we make it all-inclusive.

“The universe is calling us for that, not just locally, but also on a global level.”

Mr Tucker and Mr Fubler were joined by representatives from Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda, Progressive Minds and the Bermuda Islamic Cultural Centre at City Hall in Hamilton.

It came two days after Janae Minors, a 37-year-old mother of two, was fatally shot in the Beauty Monster shop at the corner of Court Street and Dundonald Street — a stone’s throw from the scene of a double fatal shooting on August 12.

Mr Fubler encouraged people to acknowledge that every life is precious in the wake of the killing, ahead of the autumn equinox on Monday.

He said: “During the equinox, the sun is perpendicular to the equator and the light that’s shared between the northern and southern hemisphere is equal — it’s symbolic of justice.

“As such, we’re asking people on that day, all day, to drive with their lights on, to demonstrate that we all have light to share with each other.”

A ceremony of reflection will take place on Monday from 12.30pm to 1.30pm at Emmanuel Baptist Church, adjacent to the corner where the double murder occurred last month and within sight of the scene of the killing of Ms Minors.

Mr Fubler said: “We invite you to come by, even if it is just for 10 or 15 minutes, and offer prayers, thoughts and reflections in that space overlooking the site where this tragedy took place.”

Imam Saleem Talbot, from the Bermuda Islamic Cultural Centre, urged people to speak out against violence in Bermuda and worldwide.

He said: “As human beings and as a person who cares about your children, think about the babies [in Gaza], think about the children here. That’s the reason why I’m here today.”

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