Out with the old and in with the old?

Perhaps no song is more synonymous with ringing in the New Year than ‘Auld Lang Syne’. It was originally a poem by Scot, Robert Burns, set to music and used to usher in the first of the year and all its promise. Ironically it is equally as effective as a farewell song, often sung at graduations, event endings, and the ultimate goodbye, funerals. So it’s tragically poetic that while many around the world were ringing in a fresh start, we were losing our own at warp speed.

On New Year’s Eve the partly decomposing body of 42-year-old Ian Jacob was discovered by his brother, hanging from a belt in the bathroom; presumably a suicide victim. Jacob had been missing for three days.

In Babonneau, a man was left fighting for his life after an attack at the hands of a man wielding a shovel, while having a drink. According to eyewitness Trevor, a.k.a. Rabbit, the whole incident appeared unprovoked.

Jeremie Street became a crime scene at approximately 7:28 pm when a man fired shots near the CDC apartments. Sherwin “Ti Carlos” Jn Baptiste of Marisule, Gros Islet, Steven “Shabba” Brey of La Croix, Castries and Mugabe Jongue of Morne Fortune Castries were all hit in the gunfire. Jn Baptiste would not make it to 2014.

The dawn of a new day in a new year brought more of the same, adding another tumultuous page to an already murky chapter.

In Au Leon, Dennery, a masked assailant severed the hand of a man holding court opposite a local watering hole, before disappearing into the shadows.

Assou Square activities in Castries and Marigot were marred by stabbing which left at least one man in critical condition.

The bloodshed continued into January 2nd.

At 9:30 pm that night residents in New Village were startled by the sound of a small explosion. What at first was though to be neighbourhood mischief makers bursting match bombs turned out to be the final moments of Joel Norbal a.k.a Wells or Willie. The 27-year-would was found lifeless
with a gunshot wound to the head.

Our ‘first 48’ hours has so far been just as active as the A&E television documentary of the same name which follows investigators as they try to gather as much evidence as possible during those critical hours after a crime.

My wish for this year is that our country doesn’t continue to bleed out at a rapid rate.