Families Outraged Over Removal of Shirley Street Victims’ Memorial

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The memorial site along Shirley street for the victims of June 28th’s tragic car crash was once covered with teddy bears, balloons, photographs, flowers and heartfelt messages from loved ones, but has now been cleared away.

For the families still struggling to come to terms with the unimaginable loss of five young lives, this was another heartbreaking blow.

Ciara Nabbie – Sister In Law, Stania Webb

“They’re not even buried yet and y’all done yuck that up so, you still have grieving families.”

Even the wooden cross erected in memory of the victims was left broken, while four large concrete barriers now block the area where mourners had gathered to grieve.

For Ciara Nabbie, sister-in-law of Stania Webb, the removal of the memorial has only deepened the family’s pain.

Ciara Nabbie – Sister In Law, Stania Webb

“This is the first time I’ve seen memorials around Nassau from people dying tragically, and they’re still up years later. And then for y’all to put four beams there, like…”

Nabbie says what hurts most is that they were never given the opportunity to collect the treasured keepsakes left behind by those who had come to mourn their loved ones.

The family says they are not looking for an apology or an explanation, instead, they simply want to know what became of the belongings left behind at the memorial.

The removal has also sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many Bahamians questioning what they describe as a lack of compassion shown toward the grieving families.

A person identifying as a family member shared their concerns online, writing that, “the lack of communication has shown very little empathy for families who are living through one of the most painful experiences imaginable. At the very least, we believe the memorial could have remained until after the funeral services.”

Now, the families say they do not wish to dwell on what happened, but they remain determined to recover the items left behind in honor of their loved ones.

Our News reached out to the business allegedly responsible for the removal of the memorial items for comment; however, they declined an interview, and said that a written statement will be issued.