CHRIS BROWN — FORGIVE AND FORGET?
Published: Monday, October 29, 2012
Bobie-lee Dixon
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Left: Singer Rihanna who was beaten by Chris Brown when they were in a
relationship says she has forgiven Brown. Right: Guyanese women’s rights
groups have been protesting against the upcoming visit of Chris Brown.
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It seems no matter how hard Chris Brown tries to move on in life, his
past continues to haunt him. The 23-year-old singer whose latest album,
Fortune has sold 303,600 copies worldwide, is making headlines again.
But this time, not for any run-ins with the law.
Because of Brown’s felony assault charges and conviction in the beating
of singer and then girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, his visit to Guyana is
being vehemently criticised by women rights groups in the country where
he is expected to perform in December.
The singer/songwriter is billed to perform on Boxing night in the
state’s capital, Georgetown and the Guyanese government has also come
under fire as it is alleged they are partly responsible for financing
the convicted domestic abuser's visit. According to reports, the
Government, in a bid to promote tourism is spending a great deal of
money on the singer whose criminal record forbids him to perform in
countries like the UK.
The protesting groups have voiced their opinions on blogs, saying that
allowing Brown to perform in the country sends the wrong message
especially as the government does not finance existing programmes in the
country geared towards fighting domestic violence and providing
rehabilitation for ex-domestic abusers.
Others recognise his ‘right’ to perform in Guyana but question the use
of taxpayer’s dollars to support his performance and some activists have
said his visit makes a mockery of an upcoming 16-day Activism Against
Gender-based Violence campaign, especially since the concert coincides
with the occasion.
However, fans who use the social networking site Twitter have taken to
Brown’s fan page pledging their support to the singer, saying he
deserves a second chance and he has already paid for his mistake. Brown
was sentenced by a Los Angeles judge to probation of five years and
community labour for six months for assaulting Rihanna. He was also
ordered to stay away from his former for the next five years from the
incident’s date. But Rihanna has since forgiven Brown and even confessed
to TV show host Oprah Winfrey in a recent interview that he is the love
of her life.
The Barbadian songstress said she found the capacity to forgive Brown
for the attack through finding the means to forgive her own father for
the abuse he subjected her mother to. The two have even collaborated on a
few songs including the popular Cake.
Recent reports that the couple are reuniting has prompted mixed reactions among fans of both celebrities.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Brown is also carded to visit
Trinidad and Tobago before the year’s end. Are people in this country as
concerned as those in Guyana about allowing him to perform here given
his domestic violence conviction, or are they ready to forgive and
forget? The T&T Guardian took to the streets of Port-of Spain to
get a view from the some younger members of the public. Stephen Andrews,
Kristoff Alexander and Shakima Joseph all 20, and 16-year-old Celine
Weeks were interviewed
Three of them said that Brown has done his time for the crime he
committed and has proven he has changed. They believe he deserves a
second chance. However, Alexander who is not a Brown fan said because of
the incident, Brown should not be celebrated in anyway.
We also spoke with Gregory Sloane-Seale, former child rights activist
with the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and co-ordinator of the
Citizen Security Programme within the Ministry of National Security, as
well as criminologist Renee Cummings. Sloane-Seale said it was not just
about giving Brown a second chance. According to him, it is about
watching what has transpired since the incident to date. He said from
what he has read about Brown since the Rihanna incident, the performer
seems to have shown remorse, attended the anger management sessions
ordered by the court and continues to do his community service.
“He is a young person, his presence can be a voice for hope and change
among young people especially young men. You cannot condemn a person for
life especially a young person for his infraction,” Sloane-Seale said.
He added that it would have been wise for the Guyanese groups who are
protesting to correspond with Brown’s management before his visit and
organise for him speak about his experience and transformation during
his visit to the country. “It is always sad for me when we throw the
baby out with the bath water. No one is praising what he did but his
actions were already condemned, it was a moment that’s gone. We have to
see how he goes on from here, support him and give him a chance to
prove his change.”
Renee Cummings shared Sloane-Seale’s views. She said in domestic
violence not all perpetrators have to continue being violent. She said
the incident between Brown and Rihanna occurred at a time when they were
very young, famous, rich and living on their own without guidance. For
him to be continually labeled an abuser is wrong Cummings reasoned, as
it only occurred once and he has since cleaned up his act. She said he
has a criminal record because he was charged but the public has got to
give him a chance to prove himself.
"In any relationship tempers flare — be it teenagers or adults and
often we act out on the spur of the moment, realising after it could
have been handled differently,” said Cummings."Yes he has a criminal
record but does that mean the minute he lands in Guyana or Trinidad he
is going to beat a woman," she rhetorically asked. Cummings said if they
can organise to have him speak to young men about his experience and
how it stigmatizes, that would be a bonus seeing that some of the
activists' arguments are that the Government does not provide funding to
sustain the domestic violence programmes needed to rehabilitate
domestic abusers. "But to label the man an abuser out of the context of
one incident which has not been repeated is definitely not the right or
fair thing to do."
Local soca artistes also shared their views. Swappi said everybody has
their own opinions about Brown but at the end of the day, apart from
being an entertainer he is a human being. He said Brown has already been
forgiven by the industry and has done his time.
His female counterpart Nadia Batson also felt people needed to get over
what happened and allow Brown to grow positively. While she does not
condone what happened, she feels Brown should not continue to be
chastised for something he already paid for.
"Because of what happened he is viewed as a woman beater, but this is
not true. People make mistakes—no one is perfect. I just feel their are
many other facets of Chris's life that can be focused on. People in this
world are just too judgmental." she said.
Young singing sensation Erphaan Alves said Brown’s mistake will haunt
him forever and that is just a fact he is going to have to learn to live
with it. He said the only reason the issue keeps coming up is because
of his role as an entertainer. "Everybody makes mistakes be it a
president, mother, father or a plumber. When you are in the public’s eye
it's just more difficult for you," said Alves. He continued: "He's is
not the first artiste to have a criminal record and certainly won’t the
first artiste to visit Trinidad with a record of any kind. Maybe the
Guyanese government should have organized things better knowing the
issues surrounding domestic violence in the country, but at the end of
the day people cannot keep hating on Chris."
Megan Walrond, vocalist with the all-female band Sass said she
understood the anguish of the women's rights groups in Guyana and that
it is important for the Government to get financially involved in the
rehabilitation of the perpetrators of domestic violence. But she also
feels the people cannot make it a personal attack on Brown as he already
served time for his actions. She said the word of God says we ought to
forgive and that is what people need to do and move on because both
Brown and Rihanna already have.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Immigration laws on people with convictions entering this country
According to Keith Sampson Deputy Chief Immigration Officer people
with criminal records who attempt to enter Trinidad and Tobago may be
refused entry under the provisions of sections 8(1)d or 8(1)q of Chapter
18:01— The Immigration Act of the Laws of the Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago. He said under both sections, the first (8(1)d) states that entry
is prohibited to people who have been convicted of or admit having
committed any crime, which if committed in Trinidad and Tobago would be
punishable with imprisonment for one or more years. The latter (8(1)q)
states any person who from information or advice which in the opinion of
the Minister is reliable information or advice is likely to be an
undesirable inhabitant of, or visitor to Trinidad and Tobago.
