If truth be told, his guard is up.

Since stepping into the political spotlight 12 years ago, the former Opposition leader feels he’s been unfairly targeted by the local media, in particular The Royal Gazette, and painted as ‘an angry black man’, ‘misogynist’ and ‘radical’.

He has agreed to this interview under one condition: we avoid political questions and actually get to know him — the man behind the headlines.

“There has always been an unhealthy relationship between leaders of the Progressive Labour Party and The Royal Gazette,” he said. “That’s par for the course, but it just so happens I noticed this negative relationship was accentuated under my leadership. They sought to demonise me and paint me as an animal, radical, misogynistic and an angry black man, which I am not.”

Mr Bean, 42, counts this article as a chance to break his silence.

He admits he has been “fairly quiet” since suffering his stroke last March and did not have the opportunity to tell his side of the story when he returned to politics in August.

He also felt blacklisted by the whole gamut of local media. Even those which were traditionally supporters of his party, he claims made little to no effort to reach out to him over the past 12 months.

When he resigned on November 5 he felt his “hands were clean, [his] heart was pure and [his] conscience was clear”.

On a cool autumn day, we sat down for our chat in his Hamilton office. His wife, Simone Smith-Bean, visibly pregnant with their second child together, the fourth for Mr Bean, who has two young adult children from previous relationships, sits to his left, quietly offering her support as we talk about everything from career and family, to his undeniable love for golf and fishing. Politics also comes up from time to time.

“Politics has been a big part of my life for the last 12 years,” he said. “I was 30-years-old when I joined the PLP and now I’m 42.

“There’s a saying what you put in is what you get out — and it’s not by happenstance that I became Opposition leader at the age of 38 and that I have served in every capacity in local politics except for Premier. I’ve been a senator, an MP, Opposition leader and member of Government.

“There’s a reason for that — because of hard work, selflessness and the fact I have applied my spirit of consciousness into doing what I feel is right for the people of Bermuda.”

Today the former politician admits to feeling freer and lighter. The “burden of leadership” is gradually being lifted from his shoulders, although his mind has not yet managed to disengage from the political process.

“That will take longer than a couple of weeks,” he said.

For the time being he and his wife are focused on several entrepreneurial ventures.

Mrs Smith-Bean, an attorney by trade, was Called to the Bar on the island in 2012 — interestingly enough the same day her husband became the leader of the PLP. Before that, she had already been sworn into the legal system in England and Wales, along with her home country in the Bahamas, in 2008.

She now runs her own practice, Smith Bean & Co.

Since politics is no longer taking up so much of their time, the couple plans to expand on their offerings at their Court Street betting shop, Paradise Games.

They also want to get more involved in the island’s tourism and transport industry, and create opportunities for visitors to have a more authentic Bermuda experience.

Promoting entrepreneurship has always been a top priority for Mr Bean.

“I’ve always asked myself, how does one acquire real empowerment and real power, not only politically, but economically, so that you can sit at the table with your neighbour? So you can have a relationship that’s based on mutual respect rather than dependency? It’s through entrepreneurship”

“That’s why my wife and I are expanding our business interests, and look to set an example for other Bermudians on the steps one can take to economically empower themselves and then be in a better position to help others.”

It’s safe to say the couple’s year — or past few years for that matter — have not been all rosy, but through it all they maintain their strong bond.

“Simone means the world to me,” he said. “She is my rock and my backbone and I’m extremely grateful for her. She is one of the first party leaders’ wives who has been functioning and active on the political scene. She is unique in that regard and comes from a family of politicians in the Bahamas.”

Eugenia Lockhart, Mrs Smith-Bean’s great grandmother, was part of a group instrumental in the women’s suffrage movement in the Caribbean nation.

It’s safe to say that same independent spirit was passed down to her.

Over the past few weeks, since the decision was made to withdraw from politics, Mrs Smith-Bean, 33, has found her husband to be more at peace.

“He understands the contributions he has made over the past years in politics, but I also know he is happy to have more time to focus on what he calls ‘real things’ like developing economic empowerment and our strength as a family unit.

“I feel that he is now finding his stride and using his talents to support our family and enrich our lives,” she said. “Although I know many Bermudians will miss him, for the time being it’s important that we strengthen our network and ourselves so that we can then help others and bring other people up along the way.”

She counts her husband as someone who is always 100 per cent in her corner and who loves her unconditionally.

“I have a personality where you have to know me to love,” she said. “But I love him for loving me so much and always supporting me in everything I do. He has always been my sounding board for the next steps to take in my life.

“I’ve faced some challenges since living in Bermuda that were life changing. If it wasn’t for him I don’t think I would be able to start my business or have grown so much. I owe a lot of my success as an individual to him, his motivation and advice.”

Mr Bean admits he is equally proud to have married “a strong, black woman”.

That’s one of the reasons he was particularly angry when his reputation was sullied in the media for remarks towards female members of the One Bermuda Alliance, that were claimed to be sexist.

“I address women I know as either, empress, queen, sister or momma, if they’re an older figure,” he said.

“In regards to that matter even the magistrate found there was no case for me to answer to. What I wanted to communicate to that particular member of the OBA was she shouldn’t have to compromise on her values in order to elevate her position within the party. A woman’s power is innate.

“I’m a man that cares a lot for women. I love my wife, my daughters, my sister and all the women in my life, so that comment was taken and twisted around with false accusations making me look like a misogynist, which is totally untrue. To me that’s unfortunate, because I value women as the givers of life and as the cultural foundation of our community.”

He has learnt many lessons over the years.

One of the most important is to always do what you believe is honourable and right — even when others around do not follow that particular path.

“Honour is the most valuable asset and characteristic a person can have,” he said. “You can’t allow the glitter and apparent gold of politics to cloud your judgments and allow you to sacrifice your principals.

“What I’ve learnt is titles may fade, but integrity lives on forever.

“I don’t believe in separating yourself from your people, but rather have tried to be honest at all times. I operate by the philosophy ‘don’t look for your supporters only when you need them, be supportive of them continuously’. Before you profess, you have to possess.”

His family was pleasantly surprised, in fact relieved, when he decided to exit politics.

More than anyone else they saw and felt the negative effects that came with his role in the spotlight. They were there when he had his stroke and battled his way back from that. They saw every damning headline and cruel comment — and took many of those to heart.

“My family are the ones who absorbed it all,” he said.

Mr Bean’s stroke came on suddenly one Thursday in mid-March. It was around the time the Pathways to Status bill, a law to provide new opportunities to permanent residence and Bermudian status, was introduced. He sees that as the day “our birthright was sold”.

“I had my stroke on the Thursday and the following Monday [March 21] I returned to politics,” he said. “I knew something was off on the Monday because I had difficulty reading out a small statement and writing notes and indicated to my colleague something was definitely wrong.

“I didn’t know what a stroke felt like. That day I went to the hospital and the doctor confirmed it was indeed a stroke.”

He thanked “the Almighty creator” for sustaining and protecting him throughout that ordeal.

Prayers, calls and messages of support poured in from the local community and his family devoted themselves to getting him back onto his feet.

“The love of the people of this country transcends the narrow boundaries of politics,” he said. “That’s something I saw during that time, and something I will always remember that will be a source of encouragement if in the future my wife allows me to consider re-entering public service.”

Returning to politics is not entirely out of the question.

His wife believes in his love for the people of Bermuda and feels she would be “hard pressed” to keep him away from that passion should he ever feel the need to come back.

But that’s not expected any time soon.

Mr Bean is focused on this new chapter and devoting time to his family, which includes 23-year-old Shaehlay Saltus, 20-year-old son Janhoi Bean and two-year-old daughter Allana Bean, who happens to be his splitting image, but gets her social personality from her mom.

The couple will be welcoming the newest edition to their family in February.

That in itself is a blessing after his recent health scare — of which it took him several months to get to some semblance of normality again.

Even today he admits he is not 100 per cent recovered, however, he still believes he has many talents and skills to invest in the community.

This month the Beans suspect their holiday season will be far less stressful than in past years.

They plan to spend Christmas with Mrs Smith-Bean’s Bahamian family in the United States, eating traditional foods such as peas and rice, fish conch and seafood.

“My family never came up celebrating Christmas on December 25 or any other Western holidays,” Mr Bean said. “But I’ve learnt to embrace the holiday season and see it as a time for family, that’s what I focus on.

“Plus when you are married into a Bahamian family the holidays are filled with good food. That’s one of the perks. It’s similar to Bermudian cuisine, but Bahamians use more seasoning; more lime juice, sea salt and fresh peppers like Scotch bonnet.”

The couple expects to be surrounded by 50 or so of their closest loved ones.

As we inch closer to the New Year, Mr Bean is hoping to devote more time to his favourite hobbies such as golfing, watching Somerset Bridge Football Club and taking part in his family trade of fishing.

He is also looking forward to doing more meditation, reading and studying, and is working towards getting his professional accounting designation.

Although he has much to look forward to, he does not want his supporters to feel abandoned by his choice to step down from politics.

“I feel I did my best to represent the people of Bermuda without, what some may have accused me of, seeking to create artificial division among the people of the country, in particular with the use of racialism to divide,” he said.

“Instead I was seeking to use the historical facts of this country and face that head on by seeking to evolve as a people and encourage black Bermudians to become the masters of their own destiny.”

We wrapped up our interview after close to 90 minutes together; time had run over and his next appointment was already waiting in the lobby.

Leaving the office that day, it was unclear whether or not our paths would cross again, especially in the near future. Mr Bean’s name won’t likely be splashed across print and online news sites; nor will his actions be viewed under the national microscope.

But one thing did appear certain: his determination to move forward. After a decade-long political storm, Mr Bean is finally ready to embrace a new season of calm.

This article first appeared in RG Winter magazine last year.

The post Marc Bean on life after politics appeared first on RG Magazines.

“The homeless problem is something we cannot ignore. If we measure society based on how we treat the most vulnerable then we have failed.” – Gaylynne Cannonier, One Bermuda Alliance candidate for Constituency 3, St David’s.

Ms Cannonier made that comment in an article attributed to her in the Bermuda Sun on November 2, 2012. The homeless problem on the island was already a significant issue by then, and it has not lessened in the intervening years. A survey by the Department for National Drug Control in 2015 questioned 165 people who were classed as homeless; and that was by no means all of them.

Homelessness and its root causes, be that economic, mental health or addiction, are not problems we should ignore, and yet it is hard to get away from the feeling that Bermuda has been ignoring, and continues to ignore, people who have fallen on hard times. Rather than dwindling, the homeless population in Bermuda has grown steadily over the years, fulfilling Dale Butler’s prophecy when the Progressive Labour Party was still in power.

On battling homelessness, Mr Butler said in the House of Assembly in 2012: “It was the direction we were hoping to take when I joined the PLP back then. I firmly believe, if we don’t act, the problem will get worse and we will get more of the same.”

It is evident that Bermuda has failed to act for more than a decade on this issue. Successive governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on projects including the Dame Lois Browne-Evans building, the Transport Control Department, Port Royal Golf Course, the America’s Cup, and soon a shiny new airport. There was even several million for the island’s football and cricket boards. In comparison, what little money has been spent on providing adequate help for the least fortunate members of our society is a mere drop in the bucket. By any definition Bermuda has failed them.

Maybe we should not be shocked by this. In the same article, as if surprised by the discovery, Ms Cannonier referenced the OBA’s ongoing investigation of homelessness, and wrote that the party “found an area away from public view, where several like-minded people are living in tents”. Only last month, Charles Gosling, the Mayor of Hamilton, bemoaned the impact the homeless were having on the city. Unintentional as it undoubtedly was, his comments appeared to show more concern for the business community than for the people who have been driven to such depths.

Such is the inaction that the Salvation Army shelter, ramshackled and rundown though it is, remains one of the only places homeless people can go, and the charity has just 55 beds, with those that can asked to financially contribute towards the cost of their stay. The 2015 survey listed that shelter, transitional housing, treatment facilities, the hospital and the home of a family member or friend as evidence that the majority of homeless (86 of the respondents) were not sleeping rough. Of the 165 interviewed, 74 were sleeping in a car, park, tent or abandoned building, with five refusing to say where they spent the night.

One member of a charity that works with the island’s homeless posed this question: “How hard could it be for the Government to provide a shelter where people can go? Government has buildings, houses, properties that are not being utilised. There are enough people like me that know how to do this. Why are we just relying on the Salvation Army?”

* * *

Syd (not his real name) is homeless. He can’t tell me how long he has been that way, but he thinks three years this time around. He believes he is 45, or 46, but is not sure, and is a skilled worker who now has a criminal record. He lives rough in Pembroke. One charity worker has known him for 20 years.

This is his story, in his own words:

“I was working for a prominent construction company on the island and at the end of the job they made everyone redundant, except for the foreigners who were under contract. Unfortunately, when no money comes in, and you can’t find another job, things get tight and you can’t pay the rent. That was the main issue. Plus, rents were getting so high. It wasn’t like back 20 years ago when you were paying $700, $800 a month for a one-bedroom or studio [apartment]; I was paying $2,400 for a one-bedroom in Southampton.

“From there, work got hard. You try hustling, but hustling doesn’t do it, and that’s where I am right now; all I can do is hustle. Plus, I have been incarcerated, and with the way things are now, anyone who has been incarcerated loses their job. I got a job with this company down Front Street, but they didn’t do a background check. Then when they did a background check two weeks after they had hired me and were paying me, they told me ‘oh, we have to let you go because we found that you have been incarcerated’.

“They even told me, ‘you’re a well worker, you make your time, you stay from early mornings to late nights, but we have a Board and they won’t accept you because we have standards’. You feel as if you are being punished twice.

“I stay in an abandoned house at the moment with three or four other people. It’s stressful; you could get thrown off the property at any moment. If it wasn’t for the churches that provided food, a lot of us would struggle; it’s bad enough that we have to go to other places to have baths. You have to go a certain number of days without a bath.

“Places like Focus we are happy for, we can get something to eat and wait around during the day…generally some people go there looking for workers, a couple hours here, a couple hours there. It’s not as regular as it used to be; I guess some people have messed up when they go hustle somewhere because they [employers] are sceptical about getting people.

“I’ve been through the training board, the unemployment service, and because of my [criminal] record I can’t get a job. They look at records, they test for drugs; these things go against people like me. I try to stay clean, but it is difficult. Most everybody in my boat is doing one thing or another; they’re either drinking, smoking weed or cocaine. Mentally, when it gets difficult, those things are there to take you away.

“My father’s family is on the island, but I’m pretty much the black sheep of the family. I don’t ask them for much and I probably see my old man maybe once, twice a year. I’ll call him to speak to him, but me and him we can’t be in the same room together longer than 30 minutes. It’s always been like that; we are too much alike. But when I was growing up, he was in the bar or out womanising. I was raised by my grandparents, and once they passed away, that’s when life went shit.

“A lady friend of mine helps me out every now and then, but after a while you get tired of depending on somebody. It gets frustrating, it gets irritating, you want to [contribute]…and I just pack up and say that it’s time for me to go. I hope I’m not homeless for the rest of my life. I have hope for the future, but I know it won’t be here [Bermuda] because I’d hate to see what this island is going to look like in 20 years.”

* * *

Syd is not unique, unfortunately. He is just an example of Bermuda’s forgotten; let down by those who have been, and are, in a position to make a difference. Those people are not just in government because it is easy to ignore what you pretend you cannot see. In talking with charity workers it is clear that while homelessness is on the rise, the awareness of it, and the desire to help, is not necessarily moving in the same direction.

One Bermudian, who has worked in the field for decades, said they had “never seen this many homeless people, and I’m 75”. Others consider there to be a lack of empathy within the island’s residents at large, although none will publicly come out and say so. It is difficult to argue, however, when they point to the disparity between an island that extols the importance of Christian virtue in one instance, but not in another. Cherry-picking is a term that comes up often.

Those that do get involved at least ensure the island’s homeless have something to eat on a daily basis. Focus, a group that helps those with drug and alcohol addictions battle the disease, is open for breakfast and lunch, while the Salvation Army soup truck and food kitchen ensure there is a hot meal available in the evenings. Loads of Love, which operates out of the Christ Church in Warwick, also does what it can, as do some others. However, neither the provision of having a place to sleep, nor food to eat, is a solution to the causes of homelessness; something that Ms Cannonier described as a “very Bermudian problem…one almost completely related to social problems, such as mental illness, addiction and joblessness”.

The Government at least recognised in its 2015 study that addiction does not necessarily cause homelessness, but that homelessness can cause addiction. But nearly five years after the last General Election the island is facing the prospect of another Government coming and going with little evidence of any tangible change. There is, finally, the prospect of some movement on a shelter, with the OBA approving the redevelopment of the old Bishop Spencer School in a new Emergency Housing Centre, albeit one that will still be operated by the Salvation Army.

“A proper facility for the homeless is one part of the solution, but on its own, even the fanciest shelter is just a Band-Aid,” Ms Cannonier wrote. “Those homeless people need to be helped by integrating all our health and social services to aid in addressing the problem. Most of all, we need to create the political will to attack this difficult problem.”

It is difficult to argue that political will exists on either side of the aisle, and the cynical among a growing number of disillusioned workers in the charity sector have suggested that is because the homeless do not vote. But should this be a surprise? Does the Government really care? Do enough of us really care? It is obvious that provision for the mentally ill and those struggling with addiction on this island is woefully inadequate – there is evidence on the streets of Hamilton of this on a daily basis, even if we refuse to see it.

“The homeless problem is something we cannot ignore. If we measure society based on how we treat the most vulnerable, then we have failed.” – Gaylynne Cannonier, 2012

The Government’s own study from 2015 into the island’s problems makes for sobering reading. Of the 165 homeless surveyed, 55.2 per cent had some kind of mental health symptom or disorder, up from the 37 per cent that indicated they needed psychiatric services in a similar study carried out by the Ministry of Health and Family Services in 2000. With substance abuse often co-occuring with mental illness among the homeless, one-third indicated drug and alcohol problems in the year prior to the study. According to the report, “those who needed help indicated that they did not get the help they needed; and 77 per cent of respondents reported that they have never been treated for alcohol or drugs in their lifetime”.

And then there is this conclusion drawn towards the end of the report where the authors note that “treatment programmes for people with mental illness do not accept people with substance abuse disorders”. Just to ensure no one feels left out, it appears treatment programmes for “homeless substance abusers do not treat people with mental illness”.

Gaylynne Cannonier again from 2012: “The homeless problem is something we cannot ignore. If we measure society based on how we treat the most vulnerable, then we have failed — we cannot continue to fail. The One Bermuda Alliance will consider this a priority if it wins the next election. We will enlist the help of all those who are committed to solving the problem, even if they happen to be members of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition at the time! And together, we will solve this problem.”

As the General Election approaches, no doubt both political parties will reaffirm their commitment to solving this issue. Not that those involved at the sharp end are holding their collective breaths, especially as politicians on this island would “argue over the colour of the sky if it suited their political agendas to do so”. The next time the occupants of the House of Assembly propose building the latest edifice to capitalism, maybe we should force them to stop and think about people first, and not just the bottom line.

The post Do you really see them? appeared first on RG Magazines.