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 23rd 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
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