Where have the love and shared community values gone? How can we be at peace with the ever-present gun proliferation and violence? Anguilla has had three shootings so far this year and we are only in the second month of 2019. Our neighbours are additionally suffering, as St. Kitts experienced a shooting earlier this week. It is time we band together and address the violent actions that are becoming an unfortunate pattern. It’s time to take a step back in order to move forward. We need to address the root cause of the problem: only anger could cause our youth to become so desensitised to the value of human life that they are willing to snuff it out at the pull of a trigger. Why are the youth so desensitised? Why are they so angry?
Our young people are crying out for help. We cannot neglect the link between poverty, lack of opportunity, and violence. These are some of the factors that are de-humanising our communities and creating an environment where some of our most vulnerable young people turn to illegal drugs and firearms. We must tackle the root of the local pressures and deal with the inadequacies of our Anguillian economy. The current Government of Anguilla promised the people various policies and measures that would help alleviate financial strains and improve the welfare of the people through economic development. Unfortunately, those promises have not come to fruition and our youth are victims of this failure.
It is a well-known fact that the misuse of certain drugs or alcohol can lead to an increase in violent behaviour. It can produce paranoia and cause irrational behaviour, leading to uncontrolled anger and violent impulses – in some cases, homicide. We need to understand whether this is at the root of our tragic shootings or whether the cause is even more basic: lack of a worthwhile objective and boredom. Gun violence is a symptom of community dysfunction and societal dysfunction. Like any other illness, we have to identify the underlying causes and address them in order to secure improvement. The diverse stakeholders and the Government have to be involved in the process of reversing the harm, the ravages of dysfunction and the illness.
Many of our less fortunate young people are experiencing a lack of opportunity and jobs, resulting in an increased link between poverty and violence. There must be sufficient funding and plans to foster an environment that supports our young people and provides them with a path to becoming diligent students, athletes, and entrepreneurs. The sad reality is that young people are not afforded adequate opportunities in life and we must work to protect them from the slippery slope of crime in all its manifestations. The trend of normalizing violence is disastrous.
We must educate our young people so they do not grow up immune to violence and perpetuate toxic patterns that were normalised around them. We must look out for each other, as Anguillians have traditionally done, and be willing to stand up for what is right. There must be a mentality shift where we find a safe way to intercede when we know something wrong is taking place. Time and time again a blanket of secrecy comes down when there is trouble. Fear of retribution or the desire to shield an actual or potential wrong-doer will invariably frustrate preventative measures being taken and will frustrate detection after the event. The safety of our citizens should be ensured so that individuals can cooperate with law enforcement through means providing confidentiality. We must find a way to circumvent this cloak of secrecy and concealment if our nation as a whole is to survive as a civilised community.
Our values must be united and present in our homes and in our workplaces so that we can raise these young people to be just and successful. God will know whether you did your best for them; if you did, don’t feel guilty for their missteps, but help them on their path to reform. We must seek out role models who are law-abiding and responsible individuals that can coach and mentor others. Parents and children need support, counselling, and guidance to gain the tools needed to transform and elevate our communities.
As adults, we must set the standard and be the example for those who are lacking guidance. We must work together to uplift and motivate each other in ways that create opportunities for our people to flourish. As the Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin once said, “If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.”
