THE EDITOR, Madame:
I HAD a disturbing conversation with my brother today. My brother is 20 years of age and lives in a community on Lyndhurst Road in Kingston with my two other brothers who are 18 and 16. This community, which is regarded as tenement yard, has been pretty quiet for years i.e. no murders or gun violence or dealings of drugs.
Recently other youths from the Maxfield area started visiting and introducing the gun to my brother and his friends. He declined to be involved, and now he is being looked on as 'dissing' the group and his life is now in danger.
What should my brother do? Should he get involved with the gun against his own will to save his own life. Become a gunman then be hunted down by the police and be killed like a wild animal? He has nowhere to go or hide, and turning to the police for help he'll end up dead anyway.
I am asking the government what are you doing to curb crime? Find out where these young men are getting their guns from and stop that source. Get the youths into counselling, involve them in sports and club activities so they won't have time for guns, provide them with jobs and skills so they'll have a sense of dignity and that they are contributing to the development of their country.
Launch a nationwide campaign to save our young men, let's take them back from these gunmen before it's too late. I love my brother dearly I don't want him to become another statistic. Let's all unite to save them.
I am etc.
A CONCERNED SISTER
