By Jada Chambers
Minister of Youth, Sports, Culture and Creative Industries Kaschaka Cupid has claimed that the national outcry surrounding the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old West St. George Secondary School student Tafari Browne was generated “for the wrong reasons”.
Cupid, who is also the parliamentary representative for West St. George, made the remarks during the period dedicated to condolences in Thursday’s parliament sitting, but did not elaborate on what he considered to be the “wrong reasons” behind the public reaction.
Browne, a Form 3 student, was found unresponsive on October 9 at 6:30 a.m. in Arnos Vale with stab wounds about his body. He was subsequently transported to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Commenting on the tragedy, Cupid noted the profound social impact of the incident.
“It’s unfortunate that his passing would have created a national, basically a national outcry for the…wrong reasons,” Cupid said.
He added that as the minister of youth, it pained his heart to see young people involved in these criminal activities, and said that the government stands in solidarity with Browne’s family.
“…I would continue to keep his loved ones, his grandmother especially, and his extended family, who are deeply hurt at this particular moment,” Cupid said.
Opposition Senator Carlos James, who joined with Cupid in recognizing Browne’s death, said that the teenager is “gone too soon,” and that his life was “quite senselessly” taken.
“…And naturally, we have to pause, stop, and pause, and to think about what is taking place among our young people in this country, and how we can deal with the issues of youth violence,” James said.
He noted that youth violence is certainly growing into a concern, not only in parliament, but across the nation.
“As leaders, community leaders, and stakeholders, we have to obviously join together and play a more vital and important role in guiding our youth and the next generation of Vincentians.”
The ministerial response in parliament follows earlier public statements by other cabinet members who addressed the incident immediately after the death of the student.
Philip Jackson, the Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Innovation, and Digital Transformation raised alarms regarding the impact of the tragedy within the school system. Speaking on the “New Times” programme on NICE Radio, Jackson revealed that some students showed a lack of empathy after their classmate was attacked.
The Education Minister insisted that the trend of school-based violence required a collaborative response from parents, communities, law enforcement and the government.
Additionally, Laverne Gibson-Velox, the Minister of the Family and Gender Affairs and Parliamentary Representative for East St. George issued a statement last week Tuesday calling for a pause and confrontation of the realities that are facing the nation’s children and adolescence.
Gibson-Velox urged members of the public to allow law enforcement authorities to conduct investigations without public speculation or the sharing of unverified details.
Cupid had also condemned the stabbing in a post on October 10, while Browne was in critical care.
Cupid described the attack as unacceptable and called for a joint effort to “address what is happening in our communities.”
Last week Wednesday, the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force stated that investigations are ongoing, though no information regarding formal charges has been released to date.