Declare Peace not War on Laventille

Declare Peace not War on Laventille

                Instead of abusing the already oppressed residents of Laventille the focus should be on attacking the root cause of these gang wars.
                The only way to get every gun out of Laventille by force would be to implement counter-insurgency methods that we have seen used in the US-Iraq war. The resulting violence, bloodshed and breaches of human rights would make such a strategy unconscionable.
                Not only that, as we have seen in Iraq unless the supply of weapons and the culture of violence are eliminated we would need to fight such a battle every few years.  The result will be an even larger mess than we have now and mistrust for the police and the government.
                Thus instead of declaring ‘war’ on the residents of Laventille as said by inspector Roger Alexander and published in the guardian on Monday 23^rd June 2014 , peace should be declared. A cease-fire should be arranged with a gun amnesty , negotiations should be opened.
                The people of Laventille ought to be invited to express their side of the story in the media, for as long as they are oppressed they will put their trust in the gang leaders for protection and wealth creation and not the legitimate authority of the government.
                War must be declared on the Dons , the Principalities and the Powers who obviously do not live in Laventille, but reside in palatial abodes in other parts of the country or abroad.  The teenaged boys on the block who were brainwashed into becoming criminals are not the real enemy. They ought to be regarded with pity and empathy, not hatred and fear.
                The conflict in Laventille is a big distraction from the real issues: Systemic corruption and spiritual wickedness in high places. A war on Laventille will yield no lasting results. More blood will be shed, police time wasted and the drugs and guns will keep flowing into the country.


Published in the Trinidad Guardian : Tuesday, June 24, 2014

http://www.guardian.co.tt/letters/2014-06-24/declare-peace-not-war-laventille

Does our society love its women?

Two men holding public office are alleged to have perpetrated abominable acts of violence against women in the past few weeks. These incidents are symptomatic of a deep sickness that pervades Trinbagonian society at all levels.

A deep lack of love for our women and girls is manifested time and again, and little is being done to change it.

In 2012, there were 2,517 female victims of violent crimes in Trinidad and Tobago (rape, assault, etc). For the 2009/2010 law term, 12,106 new domestic violence applications were filed in the magistrate’s courts. These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, due to the fact that most of these crimes are not reported.

As a society, we must work together to combat this problem and mitigate its effects. This requires both the Government and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to implement strategies to combat this violence.

UNIFEM’s (United Nations Development Fund for Women) “National Accountability Framework to End Violence against Women” recommends a holistic approach, combining Government services, such as public health and law enforcement, with educational institutions and other actors such as trade unions and NGOs.

In effect, everyone has a part to play in ending violence against women. We must continue to develop a no-tolerance policy towards this problem. Violence against women must not only be condemned but punished at every opportunity. I urge everyone reading this to become your sister’s keeper; if you know of a woman who is abused, do not turn a blind eye but rather offer a helping hand.

Trinidad and Tobago, since 1996, has ratified the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women. Why is it that 18 years later, we are still struggling with this problem?

Article 8 (b) of the convention provides for the undertaking of programmes to modify the social and

cultural patterns of conduct to counteract prejudices which legitimise violence against women.

In truth, the very culture of Trinidad and Tobago needs to change. It seems to me that we have a full-blown culture of violence that must be transformed into a culture of peace and loving kindness.

Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies, and people ought to love their neighbours as themselves. Do we truly love our women as a society? Then we must protect them.


Published in the express on april 3rd 2014

Weaponize the Masses against Crime

All efforts from all sides of the political spectrum have failed to fix the crime situation. It is time to put the power back into the hands of the people to decide their own fate.
All crime plans and initiatives have failed – it is time to be our brother’s keeper and be responsible for our own security.

I’m calling upon the people to empower themselves, train in martial arts and self-defense techniques so that if danger ever comes knocking at your door you can beat it away with a big stick.

I’m also calling upon the government to allow the people to empower themselves- bring martial arts into high schools especially girls schools. I want to see teenage school girls ganging up against any would be assailant and ripping him to shreds.

Let us empower ourselves so that the criminals will be the ones living in constant fear.  Let the old ladies carry tasers and let the young women carry pepper spray.


Make it easier to put guns in the hands of business owners , anyone who wants a gun can get one anyway so it makes no sense denying law abiding citizens the right to defend themselves. Amend the laws to allow non lethal weapons to be carried by private citizens, and let women purchase these weapons tax free and be trained in their usage.

We as citizens have powers of arrest in certain circumstances. I’d quote from the learned Dana Seetahal’s Criminal Practice and Procedure but instead I encourage you to find the book yourselves and become empowered with knowledge.  The criminal element has taken Dana Seetahal SC, a national treasure. All that remains of her on this earth is her legacy which we must cherish.

I want to see citizens banding together in neighborhood watches and working together with the police.
Let us not have to call the police for every little thing, our men and women in uniform are burdened enough as it is. Let us become so powerful that we intercept the criminals ourselves where legally permissible and hand them over to the police.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Let us be burning and blinding lights that destroy the kingdom of darkness, for our own sakes and our children’s sakes.

Where is the sex offenders registry?

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In an article in the T&T Guardian dated May 4, 2011, there was talk of launching an online sex offenders registry under the Children’s Authority within the Ministry of the People. My best attempts at research have revealed that no such registry has ever been implemented.

What is the hold up? A study done in the USA by JJ Prescott of the University of Michigan and Jonah Rockoff of Columbia University has shown that requiring sex offenders to register with police may reduce the chances that they will re-offend by as much as 13 per cent.

There is clearly a benefit to be had in implementing the sex offenders registry.

Section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act Chapter 11:28 says a person who indecently assaults another is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for five years for a first offence.

Thus we can draw the inference that several people who have been convicted of indecent assault and have served their five-year jail term are now freely roaming Trinbagonian society. What is to stop these individuals from committing more sexual offences in the future?

With all the billions that have been spent on national security and crime prevention why has this fairly simple and inexpensive measure not been implemented? Party politics aside, this is something that should have been done decades ago, before the present crime situation developed.