THE CRIME affecting sections of Jamaica especially inner-city communities is both insidious and obvious. The murders, the arson, the abandoned buildings and broken-down infrastructure provide stark evidence of social disintegration. What is not immediately manifest is the trauma being inflicted on an entire generation of young Jamaicans. As reported in today's edition, the absentee rate in schools in East Kingston has risen sharply in recent weeks. At the same time, the police are reporting an increase in the number of students being counselled through its victim support unit.
Children are being relocated to safer areas so that mentally they may be able to resume some form of normal life. What will not be so easy to measure in the short term, is what will become of these traumatised children over the next five to 15 years. Already, preparations for GSAT exams are being affected. The economic and social costs are immeasurable.
The present violence in East Kingston has begun to take on the characteristics of a cancer. As often happens, a dispute that started among a few people has now begun to envelop more streets, adjoining communities, schools, churches, and social life in all its dimensions.
This is the cancer eating away at the social fabric of the society. Peace marches by well-intentioned groups cannot halt the mayhem. Police with high-powered weapons can only do so much. Not until there are enough people from these same communities, who get sick and tired of being sick and tired and fearful, and are prepared to take a stand against crime so that their sons and daughters can live in peace, will there be change. Peace cannot be imposed from outside if there are people who continue to shelter and protect known criminals.
Of course the police must do their jobs in the form of patrols, cordons and searches, but their effectiveness will be undermined by the prevailing code of silence. At some point, the silent ones must say of and to themselves: enough is enough.
Courageous leadership can help them to reach this point. Therein lies perhaps a new and different role for incumbent political representatives and aspirants to political office, as well as for the church and civic groups. This requires collective action. If we fail to act, the cancer will spread.
