BAHAMIANS UNITED

October 10th, 2021

To the Attention of: 

      The Honorable Leo Ryan Pinder

      Attorney General of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

      The Office of the Attorney General

      P.O. Box N-3007

      Nassau, N.P., Bahamas

      The Honorable Philip Brave Davis 

      Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

      The Office of the Prime Minister

      P.O. Box CB-10980

      Cable Beach, Bahamas

Dear Honorable Minister Mr. Leo Ryan Pinder & Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Brave Davis;

Re: Petition for the Immediate Release of Mr. Shervandaze Smith 

We the citizens of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas have come together in solidarity to submit this petition letter on the behalf of our beloved fellow Bahamian brother Mr. Shervandaze Smith who is identified and referred to as "Michael the Archangel" to humbly request that he is exempted of all the charges brought against him by means of a monetary judgment (i.e. fine) for trespassing on Government property and causing damages to the existing Christopher Columbus statue that is erected at Government House on the day of October 9th, 2021. 

Respectfully, sirs, although we condemn malicious damage to government property, we deem Mr. Smith as a national hero and fully support his views and motive to remove the Columbus monument based on the premise that Columbus was a murderer and oppressor, and has absolutely no relevance to our past or present accomplishments, heritage, or culture. 

Moreover, we consider the monument of Columbus a blatant insult and a constant reminder of the enslavement, oppression, and tyranny our ancestors endured as a result of his visit to the Bahamas in the year 1492.  

Additionally, we ask for the existing name of Columbus Point to be changed immediately and that the monument that is presently erected at Columbus Point on the coast of Long Island be taken down and destroyed, including, but not limited to the monument of Queen Victoria which exists at Parliament Square; and all other statues that exist within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

We will be closely following the development and outcome of this matter with the expectation that your government being our newly appointed representatives will abide by our unwavering requests in our own best interests as mandated by the Bahamas Constitution.

Now, therefore, I hereby append my official signature below as a signatory on behalf of the Bahamian people residing within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Humble regards,

BAHAMAS UNITED

Howard J. Bowe (“The People’s Voice”)

We the citizens of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas hereby append our digital signatures hereunto via www.change.org to demonstrate our full support and endorsement of this petition document created by Mr. Howard Bowe

“United We Stand, Divided We Fall”