Smith and copied to The Royal Gazette .

May 18, 2001 Dear Sir, Further to our conversation yesterday wherein you informed me that you are unable to speak publicly on my matter because, you are sworn to secrecy by the Human Rights Act ("the Act'') however, you are permitted to speak to me the complainant, and with that in mind, I am writing to you seeking confirmation of the following: That in our meeting of January 25, 2001 you informed me in the presence of my Assistant Mr. Corey Butterfield, the former Executive Officer of the Human Rights Commission ("HRC''), Mr. Neville Darrell and the Acting Director of Human Affairs Ms Grace Rawlins, that you sent a letter to the Minister of the Environment, Development and Opportunity, the Honourable Terry Lister, recommending that my complaint be forwarded onto a Board of Inquiry.

That there is a precedent set for cases like mine, on file in the office of the HRC, showing that when a respondent (like the Bank of Bermuda's Directors) refuses to participate in an investigation being conducted by an officer of the HRC, the complaint goes onto a Board of Inquiry.

My lawyer Mr. Michael Smith and Mr. Wilhelm Bourne ("Mr. Bourne'') are meeting on Saturday May 19, 2001 to discuss Mr. David Wilson's ("Mr.

Wilson'') interpretation of the Consent Order dated May 2, 2001. If for some reason, you are still unable to respond directly to me in writing, I ask that you inform the acting HRC Executive Officer Mr. Wilson and Mr. Bourne in the Attorney General's Chambers of the above today.

As I told you yesterday, your silence is hurting me and costing me unnecessary money in legal fees and as chairman of the HRC your continuing silence undermines the public's confidence in the HRC. Coming forward at this time and breaking your silence will go a long way to not only putting my human rights complaint back on track but also, start restoring the public's confidence in the Human Rights Commission.

In closing I would like again to remind you that as chairman of HRC, if you confirm the above truth, all of the suspicion presently surrounding the Commissioners, Officers and yourself will cease and this saga will end. It is only my firm belief that you alone can begin the healing process and ensure the public that this regrettable situation will never happen again to a citizen of Bermuda or any other person with a complaint before the Commission.

Thanking you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

HAROLD J. DARRELL President/CEO Hardell Group Let's even the score May 17, 2001 Dear Sir, It incensed me no end when I read the news that Pembroke Hamilton Club on Middle Road, Warwick was closing their doors on a semi-permanent basis due mainly to the drug activity in that area. Personally, I have never been what one might term as a big club person. I've always had an interest in sports and played a bit as a youngster growing up, but never really aspired to any great heights. I had other interests, but I've always admired our soccer and cricket players and the other athletes that have benefited by all of the working men's clubs throughout this community.

I fully realise that over the last two decades, we have seen a demise in the functioning of many of these clubs. The reasons vary, and that within itself could be a matter for discussion on its own. I think we have all seen the upsurge of drug activity by many of our young "Street Pharmacists'' in the areas of clubs and other public places of interest. Legislation has been enacted to deal with those who seek to peddle their wares near our schools, and rightly so. During my relative short time on God's earth, I have yet to hear from the young men and women involved in this illicit activity the positive side of such a business. Wearing expensive jewellery, driving expensive state-of-the-art cars and expensive-come flashy clothing does not impress me as success.

One down (Pembroke Hamilton Club) How many more to go? Score: Drugs Dealers One, Community Leaders, Nil. Who's winning? Some years ago, one of our dynamic political leaders asserted that something was wrong with young black men in this society. Needless to say he was berated by his detractors, but whether we want to accept that statement as a statement of fact again could be debated until the cows come home.

Let me draw some comparisons about where these people operate and the damage they appear to do to young Bermuda and reputable business places. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in Hamilton doesn't appear to have the problem that Pembroke Hamilton Club is facing. The Coral Beach and Tennis Club, The Mid Ocean Golf Club and many others do not appear to have the problem that Southampton Rangers and the Somerset Cricket Club are facing on a daily basis.

When their members and guest park their vehicles and walk up to their club premises for entertainment, sporting activity and other business, they do not have to parade through a gauntlet of drug dealers, badgering them to buy their illicit goods. I don't think that sort of activity is good for business. My take, we as blacks (and accept it or not, it is our problem), still do not respect each other. These street pharmacists would not be caught dead in front of those establishments I've mentioned.

People, we have to get real and call a spade a spade. For too long, when a problem appears, we have always found an excuse to rid ourselves of it. The blame game, i.e. "Those boys on the street are only fronting for the rich white men, why don't the Police go after them.'' I remember one of my friends answering such a question some years ago, with words like this: "The fish would not have gotten caught if it didn't open its mouth.'' I thought that response was classic, and yes, true. You see, when our young men and women are on the streets and in front of our institutions dealing illegally, they are the fish, with their mouths wide open, begging to be caught. If they are fronting for the other man, then he has more brains than our young folk.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

I applaud the strategy of Commissioner of Police Jonathan Smith and his new team. I strongly suggest we all get behind him and support his initiative. The Government of the day has shown that they are one hundred percent behind the Commissioner. This is good. I couldn't agree more with young Police constable Rodney Trott, ( Royal Gazette , May 17) on his personal thoughts on how the war on drugs should be addressed, a topic he was sharing with the Lions Club.

I applaud the actions of PHC executive Chris Furbert who appears to have been straight up with the Police, his membership and surrounding neighbours.

There is a problem, a huge problem and it has to be dealt with, not with excuses but realistic/truthful solutions. Let's even the score, then run away with the victory.

L.M. EDWARDS Warwick Mr. Edwards is a former Commissioner of Police.

Govt. deserves applause May 19, 2001 Dear Sir, As one of the proponents, of the philosophy behind the still evolving Black Economic Empowerment initiatives, I think it is incumbent to weigh in on some of the issues that have surfaced of late surrounding this concept.

Firstly, the matter of Guardwell Security. Contrary to some of the claims put forward in this newspaper by some, the awarding of the Airport security contract to Guardwell, had nothing to do with nepotism or political cronyism but rather, was a fine example of Black Economic Empowerment in action and the Minister, Dr. Ewart Brown must be commended for his refusal for not allowing his Ministry to conduct business as usual.

Moreover, one need look no further than the makeup of Guardwell to understand that politics played no part in that decision, bearing in mind the number of prominent United Bermuda Party supporters who comprise the company.

Secondly, despite the fact that as of my penning of this letter the successful bidder for the Berkeley project has not yet been announced, I can safely say that if Pro-Active Construction is successful in attaining the contract to build the facility, it will not be as a consequence of political favouritism.

The stark reality is that most of the prominent individuals who are the principals of that company were very prominent supporters of former Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson and his recent bid to unseat the Premier, and are well-known to the leadership as having been opposed to the Premier.

One need look no further than the recently released CURE 2000 Annual Review of the Workforce Survey in order to appreciate the almost entrenched disparities that do exist between the two communities to understand the pressing need for the empowerment initiatives of the type that are slowly but surely being implemented. And while strictly speaking, the survey fails to for example highlight the racial composition of business ownership on the Island, I am certain that if one were conducted it would strongly reflect that which is so evident in the workforce survey cited above and more! In closing, I wish to commend the Minister, Terry Lister and the tireless work performed by CURE, particularly Executive Director Mrs. Sharol Simmons.

Ultimately, both initiatives will only make Bermuda a better place for both of our communities, black and white.

ROLFE PATTON COMMISSIONG City of Hamilton Toronto has the answer May 17, 2001 Dear Sir, As a returning student living on Harbour Road and riding my pedal cycle in to work every morning, I know all too well, as do many other Bermudians, the perils and stresses of rush hour traffic. After some thought, I have come up with a solution.

Jarvis Street is a large street in the city of Toronto. Just before rush hour every day, a miraculous transformation occurs. This two-way street changes into a one-way, multi-lane through-way, alleviating the worries of busy morning commuters.

I envision a similar plan for Harbour Road. Every morning at 8 a.m. Harbour Road transforms into its two-lane, eastern-travelling "Harbour Highway'' alter ego. At 9.30 a.m., traffic reverts to two-way access. But again, at 4.30 p.m., "Harbour Highway'', now travelling west, saves us from the afternoon doldrums, helping drivers until 6 p.m.

This roadway would include Burnt House Hill, from its corner at Middle Road, right down to the Crow Lane roundabout, where a separation into two-lane traffic exists already.

Any home with an exit onto Harbour Road may be slightly inconvenienced if they want to travel west in the mornings or east in the evenings, but this would only necessitate a quick jaunt in the wrong direction until they turn onto a connecting street to take them to Middle Road, which would still run in both directions. For the time this new system saves them otherwise, it seems like a fair trade.

This change may seem drastic, but after signs are posted, and people get used to the new system, we will wonder how we survived without it. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and our traffic problem, sir, is desperate.

K. GRANT SPURLING Warwick Tree `trimming' inexpert May 13, 2001 Dear Sir, I was directed by the executive committee of the Garden Club of Bermuda to send you a copy of the following letter which was sent to the Minister of Works and Engineering regarding roadside trimming.

I must say that since I was instructed to write the Minister there seems to have been some improvement in the Department's roadside work. Nevertheless the sentiments voiced in the letter remain true for the way such works should be carried out.

JOYCE ZUILL President Garden Club of Bermuda May 7, 2001 Dear Mr. Minister, I have been instructed by the Executive Committee and members of the Garden Club of Bermuda to tell you of our deep concern about the harsh pruning of trees and hedges along our roadsides.

Whilst we realise that overgrowth can be a hazard, it is possible to trim sufficiently without harming and disfiguring our countryside. Trees cut below a certain level of growth will never regain their strength and natural shape.

They will sprout again but the new shoots will be a coppice growth, weak and ungainly. Hedges will regrow with careful husbandry but what took years to develop will take six or seven years or even more to become as beautiful as they were before.

Many of the trees and hedges which were so obvious to our members were on public land, not private -- the Airport, roadsides, and of course Pitts Bay Road.

The Garden Club of Bermuda hopes that no more inexpert pruning will take place.

JOYCE ZUILL President, The Garden Club of Bermuda