T. C.Phipps-Benjamin

There were no talk shows or reporters lining up to cover news of a double homicide, nor were there surgeons, haggard or distraught by the overabundance of bullet ridden bodies to patch up. Certainly, that was a different time. Few of us worked at the local morgues, and not many of us were employed as statisticians, but by our estimation, the year that so few homicides were recorded in the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis occurred not very long ago.
 
On one of the local radio talk shows, a caller recently remarked that the institute of robbery probably had less students years ago as the "appeal to steal" then was likely lower on the toting pole than it is today.  It's easy to grasp the caller’s point of view.  Everywhere you turn today, there is evidence of material acquisition. The clothes and the shoes we wear, the tech gadgets we own, the cars we drive, and even the elaborate homes in which we dwell. So many things; eye catching things; things that give the false notion to would be thieves that we have arrived.
Of course, being inundated with these appealing material things does not justify taking another man's property, but that does not make other people's things any less attractive to a would be robber.
 
Recall how about a year ago, when news of another murder made its rounds throughout our communities, the feeling was that if the death was in any way gang related, we should "jus leh dem kill off one anodda? Recall how the chorus “it's just them and not us” resonated among many law abiding citizens? Fast forward to now! Entrepreneurs bound by their masked or hooded attackers, frozen and shell shocked, as perpetrators remove property; dogs poisoned to a stupor, too helpless to bark; victims cowering with fear praying feverishly for spared lives. 
 
The number of homicides in St. Kitts and Nevis essentially gives credence to the depth of the wanton disregard for life demonstrated by the perpetrators of crime. Even more disheartening is the involvement of young people.  Nowadays, there is no verbal score to settle; no war of words. The "gun" has the final say.  We accept that with the changing of society's norms, moral standards and social evolution, things now can never be like things then, but with a clearly established gang culture causing mayhem in the federation, maybe we seriously need to revisit society's norms and standards of the past, all while embracing social evolution. It sure beats accepting that the majority of our youths are lost, hopeless and unable to be rehabilitated.
 
John Cafferty, an esteemed CNN reporter recently wrote a report about the increase in crime throughout the United States. The statistics are staggering, but there is a clear link between crime and poverty. According to his report, the increase in youth crime is not occurring among well off Ivy league kids immune to many of society's ills.  Rather, it is predominantly poor black youth fascinated by the fast life and by no means eager to work for their keep. Many other social ills impact black youths, and youth focused initiatives such as the Big Brother Program, the YMCA, the Police Athletic League and hundreds more, designed to reach these troubled youths have their work cut out for them, but they have not buckled; they have not disappeared; they remain steadfastly committed to reshaping their communities for the good of generations to come.
 
Earlier this year, I visited Project Strong, the St. Kitts based youth enrichment program that offers a second chance for young people who may have missed the opportunity to excel academically. What I found there was a group of young men and women interested in opportunity and in awe of its founder, Mr. George Washington Archibald. What I left behind was a vibrant community, bursting at the seams, ripe with promise, but slowed by the difficulty of securing funding.
 
Dozens of organizations in the federation have risen to the challenge of formulating youth initiatives to help curb the incidence of crime. In fact, many of the social ills we attribute to youth delinquency are tackled head on in these programs. Citizens work with troubled youths in various roles, individually, collectively, and even anonymously.   
 
This Sunday, November 22nd 2009, as we recognize the educational and social contributions of the Project Strong's founder, Mr. Washington Archibald, consider partnering with this youth focused institution tailored to improve the lives of our young people.  Project Strong's long arms designed to reach out to youths requires committed social partners, including its partners in the Diaspora.
 
In homes throughout the world, particularly in our federation, the ensuing weeks need not be about doom and gloom, a likely consequence of the economic and social strains crippling us over the past year.  Rather, as we stand on the threshold of yet another opportunity to make amends with our distant friends, as we vow to make good where things were bad, and as we welcome a new year by echoing the Scottish anthem, “Auld Lang Syne”, we can bring hope to our young people, if only by our deeds.
 
So that our nation's tomorrow finds us "farther than today," let us re-commit to the service of country, no matter our calling or portion in life.  Since tomorrow is not promised, let's not wait for January 1, 2010.  Let us recommit to our nation's youth and to the development of St. Kitts and Nevis today.