21st August
Dear Editor
I am just a simpleton, a Bobo Johnnie, standing on the side of the road, hearing the street talk from people passing by. Too much toxic talk around now, deliberately sowing discord. Why?
Suddenly the incident of May 23rd is the crime of the century, of the millennium. Its negative influences seem responsible for the bad deeds of the past as well as the vices of the present and according to the newspaper may be a ‘significant roadblock’ to the concerted efforts to reducing violence in this country. Really??? Under the law, whether written or unwritten, everyone should have equal access to a fair hearing. The law is an approach to justice and the aim is to be fair. In navigating this path to fairness, is the same treatment meted out to everyone? Does a principal have the same view of the youth, who has 7 detentions on record and the one who has none? A story always has more than one side and a good principal will try to sift through the nature of the circumstances, the varying perspectives, state of the minds among other factors. Pontius Pilate caved in to mob judgement to “crucify him” rather than face the backlash that would erupt from his personal determination.
STOP the wrangling, the divisiveness. Stop throwing rocks of blame and the politicizing of information. Don’t destroy the resources of our small population, we need understanding and remediation. Noisy bullying could trigger more mental issues. Let’s be calm, cool and collected, able to analyse and arrive at effective strategies to curb violence. Come together!
Sincerely simple,
Simpleton on the Street
