Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
Community activist and general manager of the ROOTS Foundation, Mtima Solwazi, says recent incidents in which children have been murdered, wounded or narrowly escaped gunfire point to a breakdown of community-level principles.
Speaking with Guardian Media on Tuesday evening, Solwazi lamented that, unlike in the past when even criminals observed certain codes of conduct, today’s offenders are more unpredictable and show little restraint, even where children are concerned.
“We have seen this pattern evolving where now there is no regard whatsoever, not only for children but for women. As strange as it may seem, there were rules governing street behaviour.
“There were actual laws on the street where you would not violate women, children or the elderly, and over the years that has been eroding.”
Solwazi, who has worked closely with at-risk youth through the foundation’s outreach programmes, said breaches of these so-called “street rules” were once met with swift internal discipline. He noted that in the past, gang leaders would even pressure rogue members to surrender to police.
He suggested that individuals who now identify as gang leaders lack control over those under them.
“You’re not hearing on the ground that men are being reined in or chastised by their own. There is only so much the police can do, and only so much that those of us working on the streets with these young men can do.
“The leaders who claim to lead these young men have to take some accountability. Whether you like it or not, a gang leader is a leader. If you are telling me you have no control over what your men are doing, then we are in a sad state in T&T.”
On March 23, 17-year-old Jordan Burke was one of three people gunned down at a house on Sunset Drive, Penal.
Days later, on March 26, a 14-year-old boy was shot and wounded during a drive-by shooting on Davis Street, Belmont.
On March 31, 11-month-old Jayden Sutton was shot and killed along with his father, 25-year-old Joseph Sutton, at their home on Dundonald Hill, St James.
And early on Tuesday, a one-year-old boy narrowly escaped injury during a shooting on Moonan Road, Wallerfield, which left Anthony Leroy Francis dead and his pregnant girlfriend wounded.
In a response to Guardian Media’s queries yesterday, the Children’s Authority said it is deeply concerned by the trend of violence affecting children.
The authority noted that even when children are not the intended targets, the frequency of such incidents remains alarming.
“The Authority notes that far too many children have suffered serious injuries or lost their lives as a result of violent acts, whether targeted directly at them or as innocent bystanders to conflict among adults.
“The Authority reminds the public that child protection is everybody’s business, and we must all do our part to reduce children’s exposure to violence and other dangerous situations.”
The authority urged members of the public to report incidents of violence or criminal activity that may place children at risk to the T&T Police Service via 999 or to the Children’s Authority at 996.
