EDITOR, The Tribune.

NO more sitting by the sea at eventide to watch the sunset. No more sitting on the porch at nights while counting the stars and telling old stories. No more walks to the corner store after dark. Houses barricaded and looking like prison cells. The nation being held hostage by sociopaths. Violence and crime fast becoming endemic. Scream of anguish can be heard as loved ones cry out daily mourning the loss of their family member who has been shot down in the streets. Mothers are crying out searching for answers as to where they went wrong. Why is her good teenage son lying dead in the street. Adults are standing around saying how, when they were young things were so different. How the youth of today has no manners and are so disrespectful. Well, of course, things were different when we were growing up and of course children were more mannerly when we were growing up.

In those days, our parents taught us to have manners and to respect the elderly. Our parents never thought we were cute when we used bad language or hit them back as a child. They never went to the schools to beat up the teacher because we were disciplined for misbehaving. You are right, things were different in those days. Just recently two teenagers were gunned down in a barber shop. When we were growing up the barber shop was a place where we would pass the time with friends sharing jokes and playing checkers while waiting our turn to be cut.

Camron Cooper, a lad of seven was shot and killed, struck by a bullet not intended for him, but for a man being chased by an alleged co-conspirator in a drug deal gone bad. Another young victim of a community so paralysed with fear and entrenched in crime that they dare not speak out against the many unlawful happenings that has them fenced in. Young Cameron’s family, friends and neighbours marched through the streets in a sombre candlelight vigil In a community that comprises thousands of residents but only about one hundred persons joined in the march. Sadly, while the majority of the youths are able to break the shackles that bind them to the environment, there is that one or two whose file cannot sever the chains.

What are you going to do? Are you going to stand idly by and watch them become perpetrators or victims in the not too distant future. What about them? Will you sit idly by and do nothing, or will you stand up and say enough is enough. Will you join the candlelight vigils or will you continue to peek from behind closed blinds?

How many more of our children must kill or be killed before we look into the mirror and say It is time for me to speak up. I will no longer be held a prisoner.

Mr Minister of Sports, summer is upon us and schools are taking their summer breaks what are your plans to keep the kids off the streets? Mario Ford baseball camp is getting ready to kick off. Jeff Rodgers basketball camp is on track to begin June 25th. I stand to be corrected but I haven’t heard anything from you, sir. Well not really I did hear you say something last year about the South Beach pool (what is now a mosquito breeding ground where defence officers are stationed) to be reopened soon and how the Andre Rodgers stadium has been stagnant for awhile. Minister, I have no intention of running on about your ministry. But I daresay that for a ministry that cast such a voluminous shadow it is the most lacklustre of all ministries. You, Sir, have been entrusted with the care of the youth of our nation and thus far your performance borders dismal. Minister, to be responsible for such an important institution I am sure you are aware that all children are born with great potentials. A potential for greatness or madness, a potential to be good or evil, to love or hate, for giving to the world the best of themselves or taking from it whatever they can. Whatever a child turns out to be depends on the nurturing of these potentials. I remember when Algernon Allen one of the best sports ministers to date (my opinion) was the sports Minister by this time every year every summer he was making sure there were activities available to keep the youths occupied in a positive and supervised environment. The number of young men wandering the streets aimlessly can only lead to trouble. Minister you have to step up your game or be found guilty of dereliction of duty.

No parent wants to see our child turned out to be incorrigibles, but sometimes we make the mistake of believing once a child reaches adolescent 13-18 he is capable of assuming the responsibilities of adulthood. This is especially so with our young men. But this is the time when we should be paying more attention to them, this is a time when they are most vulnerable and easy prey for the wrong influence This is a time when they are more concerned about the way others see them than the way they see themselves. They are now searching for an identity and due to fear of neglect they endear themselves to heroes and groups as a way of certainty and protection from self doubt. It becomes first an escape and then a snare. This is a time when we are needed even more than before, this is a time unless we want to lose them forever, for us to be as patient and as compassionate as possible as our child struggles through his changing self image. This is a time when we must nurture his positive qualities. This is a time we must discipline him firmly, but lovingly.

It has been documented that some of the basic requirements of all human beings are, but not limited to:

Ego gratification a sense of pride and importanceA sense of root, belonging somewhere, either place or group.Love, liberty and freedom.Provide our child with these requirements and watch him thrive positively.

The important thing is that our children grow up with parents who believe that there are some ways of life which for us are better than others, and these ways should not be compromised, these ways are worth defending with all of their strength.

In February it was reported that the murder rate was down by fifty percent. Today June 17th the Minister of defence said it was down twenty-seven percent. A decline of twenty-three percent in a four-month period. At the rate it is going unless drastic measures are implemented what is to say that by the end of the year we will not be in the same position as last December. Commissioner Ferguson, your job is not an enviable one because you are in a position of damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Recently your charge has been under a lot of pressure from a blend of society who want to see you arrest the crime but to do it in accordance with their methods and approval. While I suppose that more discernment might be possible what is an officer supposed to do when he is in fear of his life. I pause to say I expect to get beat up for this but I’m used to the storm. As in most sectors of society there are a marginal minority that tends to bring the institution it represents into ill repute, unfortunately our men who have sworn to serve and protect falls into this category These are the ones that must be weeded out! Commissioner, taking into consideration the circumstances of what you met in place It is my belief you are doing a good job. There I said it.

Young man, how many more of you must die before it is your turn, how much longer will you be a prisoner of your own fears who could only move cloaked in darkness, how much longer will you have to sleep with a gun under your head and one eye opened. How many bullets will you escape before the marksman finds its target, before you become another statistic. There must be a better way. Contrary to what you have been made to believe you are loved. We care, we really do.

ANTHONY PRATT

Nassau,

June 18, 2018.