A social commentator believes the 1977 riots marked the end of serious civil unrest on the Island.

And a member of the Pitt Commission believes it shows that Government and society learned not to engage in brinkmanship.

Social commentator Glenn Fubler, who delivered a petition requesting that Tacklyn and Burrows be spared the death penalty to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office while he was studying in England, said he wanted to offer his condolences to everyone who was "adversely impacted" by the riots but said that some good came out of them.

"That date provides a punctuation mark in Bermuda's modern history" he said. "While for more than a decade our Island experienced violent social unrest on average, every two years, leading up to December '77; in the 3 decades since then, there has been no such riots.

"For that we can be thankful and it offers us a point of reference.

"On reflection, this represented a new level of relations between the people of Bermuda and those of Britain — this in spite of the fact that the vote (in the House of Commons in England) did not stop the hangings.

"I believe that at some point in the future that as a society we might consider taking some time to reflect on this very complex chapter of our history with the view to promoting a greater sense of community," said Mr. Fubler, one of the founders of Imagine 2009, which aims to get people thinking about how to build a better socieyty.

And one of the only living members of the Pitt Commission, former Premier Alex Scott, said he believed it brought about change to society.

The Commission was ordered in the aftermath of the riots which took place from December 1-3 in 1977 after convicted killers Erskine (Buck) Burrows and Larry Tacklyn were sent to the gallows.

Mr. Scott was asked to represent the Progressive Labour Party on the five person Pitt Commission. The report described the chasm between the white and black communities.

Mr. Scott said he firmly believed the report lived up to its mandate.

"We learned an important lesson," he said. "That is, the Government and the community should not engage in brinkmanship. When we see ills in the society we should do something.

"There was a feeling back then that there would be a riot every decade, but there has not been a riot since.

"The more opportunities you provide for the young, the less chance you will find them in the psychological stance that leads to riots.

"Is there work still to be done? Yes, but the economy of Bermuda is now more robust than it was then and there are even efforts to share the wealth."

MP Dale Butler, who was a junior member of the National Committee Against Capital Punishment which appealed for clemency through petitions, peaceful protests and meetings with the Government in the lead up to the executions, said part of the legacy of the riots was the disintegration of unity within the black community.

"It was a tragic period in Bermuda's history and for the black community," he said. "The black community was just starting to come together; education was important, homeownership was a high priority. All of that disappeared after the riots. It became more about yourself than the community."

But he added that in someways it has not had a major impact because the events have not been passed on to younger generations.

"Bermuda has buried it," he said. "In other countries five or six books would have been made and a big movie. It would be an important part of our history classes. Many young people don't even know about the riots."

Julian Hall, who represented Tacklyn in his final appeal for clemency, agreed that the legacy has been diminished because younger generations know little about it.

"I am appalled at the lack of care with which we have handled Bermuda's history," he said. "The lack of care Bermudian parents have had in discussing these events with their children. It is hard to even get young black Bermudians to acknowledge how we came out of racial segregation and what the right to vote really means.

"I am scared for Bermuda, that the level of ignorance is so high.

"Then there are those that do not want history to be discussed."

While he is disappointed with the social legacy of the 1977 riots Mr. Hall said legally it was a turning point.

"Eventually capital punishment was abolished in Bermuda and special juries were too," he said. "Special juries were a system that involved almost hand picking a jury that would deliver a certain verdict.

"I believe it also made the Privy Council realise that they were out last legal avenue and since then they have agreed to listen to more cases from Bermuda (there was an attempt to have the Tacklyn's appeal heard by the Privy Council in England but it failed). "Legally, the events had quite a legacy."

The family of slain Governor Sir Richard Sharples declined to comment on the events and how they feel being so intimately linked to an important section of Bermuda's history.

What are your memories of the 1977 riots? Contact Ruth O'Kelly-Lynch at roklynch@royalgazette.bm.