Monday night was a very disturbing time for families all over Anguilla. Another group of young men fell to yet another senseless act of violence in our community. There can be absolutely no reason for any sensible Anguillian to rationalize such heinous crimes against our own people. The time has long past when this vicious cycle of violence should come to an end. The alternative is inconceivable.
The anger that is apparent in the manner in which this act took place must be cause for concern. To recklessly fire an assault weapon into a crowd of young people and children in an open gathering can only be considered as callous and inhuman. Seven young men have been shot and though no fatalities have been reported it was obvious that the intent was to kill. Murder and death were the dastardly plan — with no regard for the tears and grief of the families of these unsuspecting victims. And I ask again as I have asked too many times: “What could possibly have been the motive? From whence the demons which drive our young people to commit such merciless acts?” My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims that they may have a speedy recovery – and to their parents, family and friends who must now share in the uncertainty of these moments.
Many of these sentiments were also echoed by most of the Members of the Anguilla House of Assembly beginning with the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Evans McNiel Rogers, as they spoke at the swearing-in ceremony for the new Governor of Anguilla, Her Excellency Christina Scott. As usual, all speakers expressed their outrage and the need for a national response to the cycle of violent acts that have been plaguing our communities. But we seem to have become accustomed to this “on again off again” – “hot and cold” reaction that has been the pattern by individuals and groups in the community whenever these incidents occur. Have we made any significant progress in ensuring that there is a viable action plan in place to deal with these issues since the last incident? I am sure that the general consensus would be that we have not. And I know that all of us need to do our part.
The Anguilla United Front prepared such an action plan in June 2012 and submitted it to the Government of Anguilla and a number of relevant agencies for their consideration. We never intended that it would be adopted wholesale but rather that it would become a useful tool for further discussion. And there have been others. However, to date, there is no indication that any of these submissions have progressed to the next stage of implementation. As the Parliamentary Secretary said, in his presentation at the swearing-in ceremony, it is true “how quickly we forget yesterday!” We must “ramp up” our efforts to curtail this violence or our young men we will continue to be maimed and killed indiscriminately. Eventually, no one will be safe and the “tranquility wrapped in blue” slogan, which has been the mantra of our island in the tourism market place, will become a vain boast.
The Anguilla Summer Festival is now upon us and I am certain that many of us, as well as persons planning to come to our island during the holidays, are seriously considering their options. Obviously they have concerns for their safety especially since this last incident appears to have had no particular target in mind to the extent that innocent bystanders, like in “terrorist situations”, have become “fair game”. We must now come to the “rude awakening” that our greatest fears may now be realized. None of us are immune to these threats to our safety and our island’s security, which are of major concern to our national development which is in great peril. Indeed it is a national security issue.
Seven families are now going through a period of uncertainty at this very moment, not knowing if the condition of their loved ones may take a turn for the worse. And, quite naturally, seven families and many close friends could well be entertaining thoughts of retaliation and revenge. That is the reality of this situation. We can only hope that there are voices in every community that are preaching the message of peace and reconciliation. But we know that there are the voices of pain and bitterness competing against them. The question therefore is: what will be the outcome?
When a matter reaches in the hands of the Royal Anguilla Police Force, or any Police Force for that matter, it is already too late. It means that the deed is done and we are now looking for the perpetrator. That is not the place where we want to be. We want to prevent the matter from occurring in the first place. I feel compelled to say this because too often we hear the statement: “What is the Police doing?” whenever these incidents occur. Hopefully, the Police are doing their job. But a more pertinent question is: “Are we doing our job?” If we were doing our job the Police would have no reason to be called in the first place. That is not to infer that there is no function for the Police in the preventative focus implied in this approach. On the contrary, I am suggesting that there is a job for each of us long before the incident would have occurred. So let us not pick on any one group or individual. It is time to look in the mirror.
At a public forum several months ago, in the aftermath of another incident of violent crime in the tourism sector, some young men who have turned their lives around, and are dedicating their time to speaking out about these issues, took the floor. Their message, though I sincerely believe that it was missed by many of the participants, was quite simple. That message, “in a nutshell”, was that most of these young men do not believe that the system cares about them and basically that they have absolutely nothing to lose or to strive for. Their reality is the small circle of “friends” who become their support group — and who “look out” for them. That reality is based on the premise that their parents don’t care; their teachers don’t care; the Church doesn’t care; the authorities don’t care; the community doesn’t care; and just about nobody cares.
It is a tough reality to imagine especially if we forget that many of us, as youngsters, may have entertained similar thoughts, if even for just a fleeting moment. A good point of departure therefore could be to ask ourselves what changed those thoughts for us. Did we discover that someone did care? What would have happened if those thoughts were reinforced rather than erased? What if we, during our youth, were exposured to other cultures that television, the Internet and the X-Box brings graphically home to our youngsters today? What if there was the proliferation of guns that now exists? Would we have taken the same path?
My message here is that each and everyone of us can take the time out to show that we care. From the greatest to the smallest; from the highest to the lowest; from the richest to the poorest; from the strongest to the weakest; from the oldest to the youngest; and on and on. We can demonstrate that caring in some way. A kind word; a helping hand; a sponsorship; the widow’s mite; a smile; a look of recognition; a phone call; a shout out. All these gestures can make a difference in the direction a youngster goes with his life. It is really that simple!
Tuesday was a difficult day! Many of us did not know how best to show our concern at such an emotional time. Many of us were uncertain as to what the atmosphere would be in the community. Would our gestures be misinterpreted? Where would the anger be directed? What are those families going through?
As far as the new Governor is concerned she too had an “ear full”. She was being sworn-in in the midst of a national crisis affecting an area for which she has responsibility. And I am sure that, in addition to the admonitions of Members of the House of Assembly, she also had to listen to the advice of every Anguillian she met concerning these issues. There will be a lot expected of her since her predecessor would have left in his wake a number of unhappy situations. I would suggest that she is fully up to the task despite her youth and “fairer” gender. And even though these harsh realities of living in Anguilla at this time would have tarnished her historic ceremony and personal milestone — like Daddy Latest, in the recent Exodus HD recording, I would advise her: “Don’t take it personal!”
