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Talk City host Heavy Duty backs crime measures after losing cousin and close friend Talk City 91.1FM host FitzDavid Samuel, known on air as Heavy Duty, has made an emotional appeal for Trinidad and Tobago to give the Government’s proposed crime-fighting measures a chance, revealing that he recently lost both a cousin and a close friend. Speaking during his programme, Samuel said his cousin died last week, while a friend he had known since childhood died the week before. Samuel said he was speaking from personal experience as someone raised in a community where gunfire has become familiar. He described an ongoing conflict in his community in which innocent people can become victims. “I don’t come on the radio here and talk,” Samuel said as he explained how unusual it was for him to publicly discuss his personal grief. Samuel, who identified himself during the discussion as speaking from the UNC, linked his experience to the wider national debate over the Government’s proposed measures to address violent crime. He argued that Trinidad and Tobago had endured years of murders, robberies, home invasions and gun violence, and said many citizens voted in the last general election expecting the crime situation to be addressed. Samuel said he is prepared to accept temporary restrictions or inconvenience if the measures can help restore safety to affected communities. “I don’t care if I inconvenience myself and get a pass to come in and come out,” he said. He added that he would welcome seeing police officers and soldiers regularly patrolling his street if their presence could help improve security in his community. Samuel also challenged opponents of the proposed measures to present alternatives, arguing that people who do not live in communities affected by persistent gun violence may have a different perspective from residents experiencing it directly. “If you don’t have a solution, then don’t come to contradict,” he said. His comments come amid continuing debate over the Government’s proposed crime legislation and the balance between stronger security measures and the potential restrictions placed on residents. Samuel’s intervention added a personal dimension to that debate, with the radio host making clear that his position was shaped in part by recent losses and his experience living in a community affected by gun violence.
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