Calls on the nation’s youth to push love instead of hate…
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WHAT would make a person turn to crime? How did gangs evolve in St. Kitts and Nevis? Why persons who feel their lives are threatened do not seek help from the police? These are just some of the questions that were directed at a man who said he was intimately involved in a gang and criminal activities in St. Kitts.
The man said criminal activities and gang membership are no longer part of his lifestyle, as he chose to speak openly with SKNVibes about his experience. In order to protect his identity, this media house decided to name the former gang member Joseph Doe.
Doe said he was either 15 or 16 years old when he began ‘liming’ with a group of young men.
“It was like a group of guys who lime together and were able to be out their house at certain times or sneak out. Sometimes we came out to smoke a spliff. We started out just by meeting up and bussing jokes,” he said.
Doe said there were no violent gangs before 1995 but individuals who hanged out together and looked out for each other.
“There may have been times when violence started out on the streets where, maybe, this man hit another man and everyone wanted to defend. But it all started when the Bloods and the Crips started in 1995 with Tupac and Biggie.
“Them over there were saying they like Biggie and them over the other side saying they like Tupac; so it started from there with the colours,” he said.
He said the colour red represents Bloods and blue represent Crips.
“We were just following. It got serious after a while because you can’t play around with life. We adapt to the colour and the music. No Biggie could play on one side and no Pac could play on the other side. We had DJ’s who would play our music at parties and didn’t play the other artiste’s music,” Doe said.
The young man said that going into downtown Basseterre during Carnival celebrations, one would most likely meet with one’s enemies.
“You would meet up with guys who some of your friends may have it out with. You know once fight start it doesn’t make sense just stand there and don’t jump in. You get involved and sooner or later you become a target yourself.
“I don’t have any fear for the streets. Nuff man would look at me and say let me roll with this man because this man ain’t care. True, I didn’t care about life…everybody wanted to role with you. I didn’t care because I thought a man had to be ten times harder than me to defeat me. I never see anybody like that. I felt I could do what I want,” he said.
Doe explained that those from the “West Side had issues with those from the East Side, specifically Conaree”. He also explained that it started in school over girls, name calling and turf which escalated after a while.
Doe said he was a part of shootouts and got shot and also stabbed several times.
“One time I was in an area, I heard a noise but didn’t see anyone. I went to take a leak in an alley and when you look gunman was there. I got shot in my leg and the lower part of my foot. I had just put my gun down,” he said.
No reports made
Doe said that he seldom made reports to the police.
“The road code is you don’t talk, you don’t snitch. Something happen to you, you deal with it, and I was known for that…to deal with it. I took my pain.
“There are people that make reports, because you can go cross the police station and check the statements. I myself have made reports and nothing happened. Stuff like these…the officers act too slow. So it leaves you to take this up on your own and deal with it. Going across making a report on someone, the police gonna just look for them and talk to them.
“Some people would be like, ‘Oh you got to go to the cops for me boy.’ Then it’s a different kind of problem in the streets. Once somebody knows that you are capable of going to the officers they ain’t gon stop messing with you. They think any way they meet you they could do you as they like.
“The only solution that was left was to deal with them, and in a harsh way that will send a message to the rest. I had reached to a point where I took it serious. I go to a lot of places and people would have a fear of doing me something because they know I wouldn’t done today, I will continue and try make it to the extent,” he said.
Doe said gang members did care what their families and other concerned relatives had to say about their lifestyle, because they felt as if they had no choice.
“We do have heart, but when you push a crab in a corner and he can’t come out he’ll use his claws. So most of these youngsters, because they are friends with these guys and because they know these guys gonna attack them if they are by themselves, continue the lifestyle and rolling with the crew,” he added.
How do guns get into the Federation?
Addressing the proliferation of firearms on the streets of the Federation, Doe said many of them came from the neighboring islands.
“Everyone has their different ways to bring their firearm. The people who you see with the guns ain’t necessarily the ones who bring the guns. Those who bring the guns are sometimes dressed in a suit and tie,” he said.
When asked if there were persons paying gang members to kill other people, Doe answered in the affirmative, noting it is now more frequent than in the past.
“Yeah, I heard that’s the style right now. That people pay people to kill people. I mean stuff like that happened long time when you were younger, but you never heard who it was. Just heard the stories,” he said.
Doe said that during his time the only well-known gangs were Bloods and Crips.
“I’ve been hearing about Brown Street, Dark Side, KMS, Tek Life and Shootersville or Gaza. The youth need to see a different atmosphere and get a taste of the real hard life out there (USA) then come back here and see how they can better their lives. There’s nothing here for them. You can’t put someone in prison and when they come out you tell them no job there for them. You forcing that person to go in a gang or sell drugs, rob, steal, kill…and no lot of drugs there to make money off of it,” he said.
Responding to the question of his views on rumours that most of the recent murders in St. Kitts were gang-related, Doe said the innocent hardly gets killed.
“Nobody is just gonna go and do somebody something unless they have some kind of dirt under the rug about them. As you can see, the level of violence is just between the young persons. Somebody is doing something to somebody in order for their life to get cut.
“Gunman ain’t gon just come for you. Of course, you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the fact remains, you associate with these gang members, so chances of you getting shot is 95 percent because you’re there. Whoever coming through for whoever and you’re there, you might get it,” he said.
In terms of going after someone, there is no remorse, especially when someone did you wrong, he added.
“Depends on the level of badness someone do to you, you can have the heart to do them anything. If someone does you something first and you go after them, it could be like nothing. But if you catch an innocent person, then you have to live with it for the rest of your life, especially if they get killed.”
Do women love gangsters?
“When a woman is involved with a man doing the badness, she will quickly adapt to his lifestyle. She might not get down to the violent part, but she will get down to making sure her man stays alive. Whether it is to make a phone call to let him know the cops are coming or by holding his gun when they go out. She will be down. They say when a woman loves a man she will do anything to protect him.
“Everybody needs somebody who will love them. I think your woman is the best to guide you. They don’t love gangsters, they love the character. Not everyone you see out there doing bad is violent and bad. They’re actually cool and calm. Sometimes a woman would meet someone and wouldn’t know of their lifestyle and falls in love with them. However, there are some girls that like that type and they go looking for it. And at the end of the day, the woman is usually the one you can trust the most,” he said.
Changed lifestyle
Doe said he is no longer involved in the criminal lifestyle and that he has been crime free for several years.
“When I look back at my life I just see a lost young man. Yeah, I had a job at the time but when I look back and see all I’ve been through, I have to give God thanks. I think what really made me change was going to prison and listening to people older than me talk, and me going in and doing a short time and seeing that they were in their for life or 20 years showed me that I could be doing that one day if I continued.
“So, it really made me want to change. Then I started setting my standards for violence high. I said to myself, a man has to disrespect me on a certain level to actually touch me, words can’t move me. I wouldn’t go out to hit somebody who walked on me shoes,” he said.
Reminiscing on how fights started during his time as a gang member, Doe said, “Back then, one could have gotten beaten down for anything…looking at someone too hard, a kick, whatever. It’s not proving to nobody but your enemies. The public thinks the bad guys doing things to prove to them that they’re bad, but it’s just you protecting yourself because if you don’t deal with your stuff properly anywhere they meet you they gon do you something. They will have you can’t wear your jewellery.”
Doe admitted to being involved in many fights of such nature, but after educating himself on historical issues and realising from whence he came, he wanted more out of life but in a positive and legal way.
“I just wanted to fight for a real reason and a real cause. Not fighting because we went school and some girl story. I guess when I started seeking our history and find out where we come from, how we got here and everything, it made me feel different. All the slaves in St. Kitts came on three small ships.”
Asked what advice he would like to give to young men who are involved in gangs, Doe said they must have zero tolerance for violence and should engage in conflict resolution rather than shooting at and killing each other.
“Don’t shoot off a man face because he said your mother is this or that. This person got to rob me, shoot me, before I get violent. Try to push love before you push hate. Try to make a friend before you make an enemy,” he added.
