THE EDITOR, Madam:
ON FRIDAY January 12, an article appeared on the front page of The Gleaner headlined "From guns to gospel". It was a story about Kasim 'Moses' Grant, who was born in a battle-scarred neighbourhood of Trench Town and got in criminal activities and then turned his life around.
There are many persons who walked the route that Grant took. Some have lost their lives, others have found a 'new way' and many continue along the same path, while many more are imprisoned.
How did it all begin, when will it end? How do we start over as a society and give these people a second chance to live their lives over amnesty could be considered. There are many who, due to guts and determination, never allowed the situation to engulf them, but others were not so lucky, or never cared to find 'the right way'.
The circumstances of the ghetto are like a dragnet that pulls you in. How can you escape the net when you witness your father killed by gunmen, your 10-year-old or 12-year-old sister raped and sometimes your mother too, right before your very eyes?
It would be interesting to see the average life-expectancy of the ghetto youth compared to that of the 'uptown youth'. A lot of persons will say that "dem a gunman, dem fi dead," but I implore them to place themselves into those people's shoes.
At one point in the article Grant said that, his friend Keith was killed in an altercation with the police, but the community expressed more concern over the gun that was seized by the police, rather than mourn the death of his friend.
The question is, how did the people become so callous? They were not born that way. Circumstances made them into what they are. The gun is the way of life of the ghetto and many persons know that they can't do without it and that is why it meant more to them than Keith's life.
As a society, we need to find a way to end this sordid episode, and to see if we can reunite these communities. These areas need to be declared disaster areas and an emergency rescue plan similar to the Marshall Plan that rescued Europe from economic disaster after World War 2 needs to be applied. This should be the main focus of all agencies of government.
The powers that be, have refused the call for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the past. The people knew when it began, but we don't know when it will end, and for that reason we must focus most of our attention in this direction.
I wish Kasim 'Moses' Grant and the others who have managed to escape those bitter circumstances, all the best that the future has to offer.
For some of those who lost their lives, it was not totally their fault. Regrettably there have been many innocent victims who have suffered because of the wayward life of these young men. I pray that not one more life will be lost or another person maimed because of these unusual circumstances.
I am, etc.,
SHAWN JOHNSON
General Secretary
NDM Youth Arm
E-mail:
jamaicanshawn@yahoo.com
