When did we arrive at this place? This dark, UN-familiar, UN-Kittitian, UN-Nevisian place?
It's the parents! Blame them! No it's the teachers, they could do much more.
It's the Police! Let them bear the blame.
But wait, it's Denzil Douglas! He got us into this mess.
Well then blame Lindsay Grant. He can't seem to get us out.
Blame the Church. They failed us with their extended silence.
No, no, it's the youth. They defy authority and make it difficult for parents and society to do their jobs.
Well then blame business owners and prominent civilians, many of whom are tucked away in their enclaves, their silence deafening.
Twenty-seven murders later and it's every individual, every entity, everybody else's fault.
If it's NOT you and it's NOT me, will we ever start to stop crime as we know it"?
Crime, the big bad social wolf, has a handful of “trigger-happy” youths on the loose, and we, all of us are to be blamed.
While we "sing the tune of "them NOT me", one little black boy hears another mother whimper feverishly at the death of her teenage son!
While we plead with politicians to search the length and breadth of planet earth to seek out remedies that will save our twin-isles from plunging further into the abyss, the streets of the federation run red with the blood of our young men; our future.
While we are shaken by the fact that in 2011 alone, too many lives have been snuffed out, we recognize the harsh reality that families and friends are still mourning and hurting from their loss in 2010, and those in 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and the years prior.
How do we even begin to address this dilemma when among us, and probably among the killers themselves, are an emotionally and psychologically wounded people?
Although the stories of the demise of now hundreds of young lives in St. Kitts- Nevis are varied, the one thing that holds true is that these deaths have come at the backdrop of a society that has changed.
The Heart Of the Matter
We inherited these pristine lands from our ancestors. Having toiled the soil with our blood, sweat and tears, and having been robbed of our dignity, we have focused a great deal on parting ties with the core values that defined us as a people once enslaved.
Many of us have vowed never to return to lives that in any way replicate generations before. One can hear the tune in many a household, "I gon give me child erryting I never had" OR "I don't want me child to grow up wid such a hard life like I had". And so we work two, sometimes three jobs so our 15-year old son can get an I-pod. In our all or nothing type culture, many children have no positive or strong influence who, in the absence of mommy and daddy, monitors that child and it's either the television, video games or the streets raising our kids; a helluva gamble with our federation's future.
We engage in activities we would not normally even consider, but our daughter wants "name brand shoes" which we don't want her to go without because Ms. Mary's daughter ain't gon look better than ours no way! We don't want no "mek and tek" phone because we would look so much better wid a BlackBerry, one of the latest Androids or better yet an I-phone. "Somebody gon help me pay me bill when d month done."
We don't believe in tough love because we don't want our children to "hate us" so we reverse the roles and subject ourselves to feeling like children in our own homes. We allow our kids to go back and forth as if they are the breadwinners. We see wrong in our communities and we wish it away by saying "nothing". And so in parting ways with our past, it seems we may have short-changed ourselves becoming somewhat misguided and possibly irresponsible in our pursuit of "better". To part ways with the horror of slavery and the sheer ill-treatment of the plantocracy is one thing, but to discard the values and rich pride that was passed on to us from our ancestors is another.
A Solution Revolution
From our homes to the steps of parliament and everything else in between is where the fight against crime must begin. Parents need teachers in this fight. Parents and teachers need their social partners such as businesses, sports organizations, youth organizations, which in turn need the guidance of the Church in this fight. We need the full commitment of the police and prominent civilians in this fight.
It is with the involvement of ALL civilians, that we can collaborate with the police to ensure enforcement of laws implemented by government. BUT most significantly, in this fight, NOTHING will happen without government, who ultimately is a reflection of the wishes of the people.
Because the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is recognised globally as a state governed by elected officials who are chosen by the people to represent us on issues relevant to our functioning, government must wield its power to bind all of the facets of society together in this fight.
None of our social partners should be rebuffed in their efforts to get us out of the quandary we now find ourselves. An opposition that proposes solutions to resolve crime ought not be discounted just because government doesn't want the opposition to be "in the limelight". The thuggish attitude from politicians has no place in our crime fighting efforts.
By the same token, opposition deemed to be rebuffed by government has an array of avenues they can pursue when blatantly shunned. The fight against crime doesn't have to be played out publicly either. The issue is about finding solutions, not about making the most noise through broadcast media. Did someone say Lindsay and Denzil ought to sit down and fight first to save our young men? None of the political parties in the federation can be deemed to be serious about crime fighting if they cannot come together on an issue as serious as crime that has no political colour or favour.
Stop It
Where to start to Stop "it" sits with us as parents, recommitting ourselves to our duties as the primary caregivers of our children, paying attention to the company they keep and the things they do in and out of our homes.
Where to start to Stop "it" rests with social partners reaching out to our youth encouraging them to be more responsible as individuals and to value themselves, a great first step in developing a sense of pride in self and country.
Where to start to Stop "it" is in the hands of our teachers, guidance counselors, churches and other social partners outside of the home, re-committing themselves to developing and fostering better attitudes among our youth.
Where to start to Stop "it" is on the backs of our police and security forces to rise to the challenge of incorporating more effective crime solving mechanisms and asserting themselves as the "authority" on the islands and not the thugs and gun runners.
Where to start to Stop "it" rests with politicians in and out of government to stop playing politics and acknowledge that the stain on our federation is neither red, yellow, green or blue but rather a dark and gloomy outlook if our young men continue to drop like flies.
Whether widely traveled or stuck in our familiar nooks, we were born on lands that hold a rich heritage. No matter where in the world we roam, this is our pride. This is our inheritance. We cannot stop the fight to restore our St. Kitts and Nevis until our young men face a greater certainty of life past their 30th birthday. There is no future for a youth incarcerated. There is no hope for a country whose men are at war with each other. Stopping this gaping wound that has touched EVERY facet of our society begins with that man, that woman, that child that looks back at us when we see our image in the mirror.
