Reformed gang member gives views on crime

The Nassau Guardian

Reformed gang member gives views on crime

Former gang member Drexel Deal was forced into retirement when he lost his sight on July 2, 1996 during an attempted armed robbery of an armored truck.

At the time Deal was a member of the Rebellion Raiders, a now defunct street gang with a membership that reportedly vacillated between 7,000 and 10,000.

Deal, 38, told The Nassau Guardian, "You can't be a blind thug”.

The life-altering shooting opened Deal’s eyes to the folly of his wanton path of criminality.

Deal said although he knew he would eventually get his comeuppance, he “never expected it to go down the way it did”. Deal said he anticipated being shot by a rival who had caught him off guard, not by an armored truck guard who hit him four times at close range with a shotgun.

Deal has written a book called “The Fight of My Life is wrapped up in My Father”.

While other criminals have written books about their lives, Deal said he was more interested in finding out “why did I and so many young men choose the path we did in life. I discovered we all shared a common bond of neglect, rejection and fatherlessness.”

He continued, “That’s exactly what this book is, a study of the aftermath of the absence of fathers in The Bahamas.”

Deal said he did not meet his father until he was a teenager. He said that the man whom he thought was his father walked out on his mother when he was five-years-old.

As part of his research, Deal interviewed Kelcy "Scrooge" Lundy, the former leader of the Rebellion Raiders gang, in addition to former death row inmates, educators and policemen.

Lundy worked as a production manager at Aquapure until his conviction for attempted murder last year. The matter is under appeal.

Deal said Lundy compared the dissolution of the gangs in the late 1990s to “unleashing a military army on a civilian city”.

“People fail to realize crime will always escalate. It’s a dog eat lion game when it comes to the streets. When an individual makes a name for himself, the individual’s success becomes his downfall. Often enough it’s the rookie gangster who kills the seasoned gangster.”

Deal and Lundy became rivals when they were both shot in February 1995 during a struggle for a gun, according to police reports. According to Deal, Lundy shot him in revenge several months later. However, today the men share an amicable relationship.

Deal acknowledges that it’s unlikely that his work would influence other wayward youngsters, as he did not begin reading until he went to prison. Deal is a motivational speaker. He said he’s been encouraged by author and motivational speaker Dr. D. Paul Reilly.

However, he is confident that his 10-year-old son will not follow his wayward path. Deal recalled his son asking, “Daddy, why did you do those stupid things?”

Deal believes the answer to the country’s crime woes is really a social one, as persons often emerge from prison more criminally inclined than when they entered.

According to Deal, stiffer penalties often cause criminals to be more careful by wearing masks and gloves, and even eliminating witnesses. Deal said the hanging of Thomas Reckley in March 1996 did not scare him or his contemporaries straight, but encouraged them to be more careful.

According to prison records, Deal served six months in prison for shopbreaking and theft. He was remanded to prison on July 25, 1996 for attempted armed robbery just weeks after he lost his sight. However, those charges were dismissed a few weeks later by a magistrate, according to prison records. Deal was also accused of attempted murder but he was not convicted of the crime.

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