THE EDITOR, Sir:
I WOULD like to thank you for allowing me to use your medium to express my views.
First and foremost I would like to send my condolences to the family of Shawna Palmer, the student of Norman Manley High School who was shot and killed on Sunday, October 27, 2002 in the Greenwich Farm area.
I, too, was a student of NMHS, and while attending this school, two children have died from being shot.
I would like to ask these "gunmen" a few questions. How can you kill a child? And how dare you take something you can't give. You are not granted the authority to take another man's life. Who do you think you are, to go around killing innocent people? Even if you do not think they are innocent, who are you to judge? The Bible says that we should leave all vengeance to God. He is the only one who has the authority to judge.
When I heard about the killing of this student (Shawna), my body was covered with goose bumps, because that student was somebody I was acquainted with. I felt this way, spiritually, emotionally and socially because of the type of school NMHS is. If a teacher or student died, the whole school would be in mourning, regardless of who the person was. I knew Shawna and I still consider myself a part of this institution and I share its sorrows.
Messrs. Gunmen, I appeal to you to turn over your lives to God and stop killing our country. It is not yet too late to surrender your lives to Him. He will not turn you away. However, if you do not surrender your lives to Him, you will have to give an account of the lives you have taken, which you can't give. I will not condemn you but I will pray for you.
I am, etc.,
PATRICE AUSTIN
Former student of (NMHS)
Kingston
