One alleged member of the Unruly Isis gang from Crown Trace, Enterprise was yesterday scolded by Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon during his walkabout in the community.

Dillon, along with a team of officers, including acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams and Deputy Commissioner (Crime) Wayne Dick, conducted a walkabout through Crown Trace, Bhagaloo and Walter Lane.

His goal was to meet with residents to hear their views and take suggestions on how to deal with the escalating crime and crime violence in the area in recent times.

While in front of the mosque at Crown Trace, the entourage met 32-year-old Abdul “Krysis” Wakeel.

Wakeel became popular on social media recently after a video of him went viral.

In the video, Wakeel sent out threats and gave kudos to the Unruly Isis Gang.

He also spoke about police officers allegedly funding gangs in the area and providing them with guns to carry out murders in the area and putting the blame on the Unruly Isis.

Yesterday when Dillon’s team neared the Crown Trace mosque, Wakeel was brought out by the head of the Islamic Front, Umar Abdullah, to meet with Dillon and Dick. However, this meet and greet turned out to be a confrontation where voices were raised.

While voicing his concern over where the problem started in Enterprise among the gangs, Dillon asked Wakeel if he was the one in the video.

Wakeel said yes but tried to explain that people did not just pick up guns overnight, adding there was a solution to the existing problem in the community.

At this point, Dillon told him that he (Wakeel) was the one responsible for the unease in the community.

“Were you in the video talking in a certain way that has brought this population in a sense of unease.

“You are the person doing that. You are responsible for that. What do you intend to change?” Dillon said.

This was when Wakeel began to gesticulate in a tense manner and raised his voice, saying: “You can’t implicate me, what you trying to do? Implicate me?”

Dick butted in at this point, saying: “Please, no disrespect. We talking with respect and we don’t deal with disrespect.”

Wakeel responded: “The problem is the boss (Dick said I am not the boss, I am Mr Dick), we are not the ones in Crown Trace who bringing in all the drugs and paying the police and have all the guns.”

In the end, Wakeel told Dillon that he did a video to apologise for the videos that leaked from back in 2015 and added that he was willing to work along with Dick to disclose critical information, including the allegations surrounding corrupt officers by revealing their identities and the gang members they are allegedly linked to.

Dick then informed Wakeel that investigations were ongoing and will continue with the videos he did and warned him to desist from doing so.

“My job is to treat with crime, despite the fact that I am willing to work with you,” Dick said to Wakeel.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian via phone last night, Wakeel said he felt Dillon and his team deliberately intimidated him, adding he now felt “very afraid for his life.”

“I have spoken out against the officers which is them people and I feel that they not going to do anything. They just came in here to show up themselves,” Wakeel said.

He said he also intends to seek legal advice over what transpired.

Other residents also came out to greet Dillon and his team as they walked the streets yesterday.

Some pulled the minister aside and had secretive conversations, while others shouted: “Yes. Bring back the peace here. Too much nonsense. We need the police and army here. Get rid of the guns.”

Williams said the promised permanent police station in the community is expected to come on stream in three months’ time.

The proposed site is at the African Grounds, Enterprise Street in an existing building just adjacent to the pavilion.

Slain reputed gang leader Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis’ son was yesterday released on $350,000 bail after appearing in court charged with possession of a large cache of guns, ammunition and marijuana.

Kerron Alexis, 25, of Railway Road, Enterprise, Chaguanas, was granted bail after appearing before Senior Magistrate Jo-Anne Connor in the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court.

Alexis, who was detained by police hours after his uncle Sylvan was murdered by rival gang members last Friday, was charged with being in possession of three illegal handguns, over 200 rounds of assorted ammunition and 600 grammes of marijuana. The charges were laid indictably and Alexis was not called upon to plead.

The illegal items were allegedly found in Alexis’ home by police who executed a search warrant.

Police prosecutors initially objected to bail for Alexis as they said they were still processing his criminal record tracing.

However, this was contested by his lawyer, Criston J Williams, who said the delay was unreasonable as police had his client in custody for almost a week before laying the charge.

Connor agreed and said she would grant Alexis bail based on his criminal record recalled by Williams.

Alexis is on bail for a marijuana possession and for starting a riot at Crown Trace, Enterprise, with his father and another man in April last year.

Connor reserved the right to alter Alexis’ bail if she discovers he had a longer criminal record during his next court appearance.

Alexis’ uncle was the third member of the family to be murdered within the past year in an ongoing gang war in the Enterprise community.

On July 17 last year, his father and his friend Kevin Escayg were ambushed and killed by gunmen at his car wash at Freedom Street, Enterprise.

One of the gunmen, Thomas “Hamza” Sharpe, was killed in an exchange of gunshots during the incident.

On December 4, his father’s brother Mervyn was shot dead at his home.

There have been several reprisal shootings and murders in the community since the third sibling was killed last week.

Alexis will reappear in court on April 28.

Sherry Samaroo almost fainted twice as her husband Defence Force Warrant Officer Omar Samaroo was cremated yesterday.

When relatives were allowed to look into Samaroo’s open casket as it entered the Caroni Cremation Site, Sherry almost collapsed. She had to be taken away by loved ones to a sheltered area on the compound to compose herself. When Sherry recovered she returned to her husband’s casket.

Later on, when the casket was being placed on the pyre Sherry began to cry.

She screamed that she loved her husband and could not live without him.

Sherry almost collapsed a second time.

A soldier brought a chair for her to sit on.

It was an emotional send-off yesterday for Omar Samaroo who his colleagues called a “true fighter”.

Omar Samaroo, 47, died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) on Tuesday night after allegedly shooting himself in his head during a suicide attempt.

Since Tuesday, there have been conflicting stories and conspiracy theories surrounding Samaroo’s death.

Opposition Senator attorney Wayne Sturge has also written the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Brigadier Rodney Smart calling for a “formal independent and effective investigation into Samaroo’s death”.

Sturge also threatened legal action if Smart did not respond in 96 hours.

But no mention was made of these varying issues as Samaroo’s last rites were observed yesterday.

A funeral service was held for Samaroo at his family’s El Carmen Village, St Helena, home.

Samaroo was given full military rites.

Captain Steve Benny who delivered remarks said Samaroo entered regiment as a 19-year-old and was part of a group called the “coup batch” because they joined the armed forces the same year as the 1990 insurrection.

Four years later, Samaroo joined the Special Operations Forces where he spent the majority of his time in the Regiment.

“His contribution to the development of the Special Forces Operations detachment was invaluable. Sam displayed the highest levels of discipline, physical fitness, tolerance and support for the organisation. Warrant officer Samaroo single-handedly brought order to the stores of the Special Forces Detachment,” Benny said.

“He loved his wife and daughter dearly as he constantly spoke about them. We could have seen the glow of pride on his face at the mention of the brilliance of Amanda,” Benny recalled.

Benny said Samaroo was a “true fighter”.

“He was a true fighter in every sense of the word after overcoming surgery on his back to remove one of his vertebrae. He was able to become operational in the shortest possible time without a single disposal.”

Samaroo’s daughter Amanda, a Form Four student of St Augustine Girls High School, described her father as her best friend.

“He was my heartbeat. He was my life,” Benny said.

Amanda’s classmates dressed in their school uniforms were also present during the funeral.

Following the funeral service Samaroo’s body was taken to the Caroni Cremation site.

Samaroo’s flag-draped casket was placed on a gun carriage.

Uniformed soldiers marched from the Caroni Roundabout to the Cremation site to say goodbye to their colleague.

Samaroo’s family marched alongside the soldiers.

One of Samaroo’s colleagues held a plaque with his medals and other accomplishments from the Regiment.

This country has lost the use of its only designated inter-island cargo ferry, the Super Fast Galicia. The Super Fast Galicia’s last day of sailing will take place on Good Friday (April 14) before it is returned to its owner, Trasmed.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday confirmed that the country was served two weeks notice that Trasmed would be terminating the contract with respect to the Super Fast Galicia.

Trasmed has already included the Super Fast Galicia in its schedule from as early as next month.

The Super Fast Galicia will be operating in Spain from May 22, according to Trasmed’s posted schedule.

“They gave us notice that the last day of sailing would be (Easter) Friday which we found was kind of strange because normally with something like this they would give you 30 days notice. They basically gave us two weeks notice,” Sinanan said.

Sinanan said based on the way negotiations with Trasmed had been going he was not “too surprised” with the outcome.

The issue of Trasmed’s termination of the contract will be looked at by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi.

Sinanan, however, said contingencies will be put in place to ensure that things move smoothly in terms of the transport of cargo between Trinidad and Tobago.

After this country was served notice by Trasmed on Friday, Sinanan called a meeting with the management of the Port Authority yesterday to discuss the issue.

“On Wednesday we will be meeting with stakeholders and we will inform them as to the plans going forward, our short term, medium term and long term plans for the Tobago ferry service,” Sinanan said.

“We have our contingencies in place so on Wednesday we will just relay that to the stakeholders, to allay all the fears they may have and the concerns they may have. We have things under control,” he said.

One of Trasmed’s main bones of contention with respect to the contract for the Super Fast Galicia is said to have been the failure by this country to firm up an 18-month promised contract for the vessel’s services.

The vessel operated on a month-to-month lease arrangement.

The Super Fast Galicia has been operating in this country since May 2014.

The lease of the Super Fast Galicia was said to be $10 million less than the cost of the then leased cargo shipping vessel the TT Warrior Spirit. The annual lease for the TT Warrior Spirit was $58 million.

The TT Warrior Spirit at that time suffered severe mechanical setbacks and was operating on one of four engines.

Last August the lease on the Warrior Spirit expired and was not renewed.

Since then, the Super Fast Galicia has been this country’s lone designated inter-island cargo vessel.

Within recent times, however, there have been issues with respect to the Super Fast Galicia and its sailings on the inter-island route.

Among the issues that have affected the vessel’s sailings have been the berthing of cruise ships in the Port-of-Spain harbour and the berthing of a visiting British naval vessel in the Scarborough harbour.

There were also issues related to the changing of the vessel’s flag and the untimely payment of fees for the boat’s rental.

Up to early last year, the 14-year-old Super Fast Galicia, which is 160-metres long and has the capacity to carry 112 passengers, 110 trailers and 60 cars, operated on the inter-island route without many hiccups

Trasmed has owned the Super Fast Galicia since 2005.

According to the Shippax website, the Super Fast Galicia will be upgraded before entering service with Trasmed.

The vessel’s passenger capacity is expected to be increased to 300 and will operate between Valencia and Ibiza.

NEW BOARD BY NEXT WEEK—MINISTER

Late February, Christine Sahadeo resigned as the chairman of the Port Authority board with the other members of the board following suit soon after.

Sinanan said while a new board has not been appointed as yet, this situation has not affected the issue with the contract related to the Super Fast Galicia.

Former permanent secretary in the ministry of finance, Alison Lewis, is earmarked to become the new chairman of the Port Authority with Adrian Beharry as her deputy.

This board is expected to be appointed this week.

“Next week the board should be in place but it does not affect the operation of the port,” Sinanan said.

The contention between President of the Public Services Association (PSA) Watson Duke and Chairman of the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) Gupte Lutchmedial over allegations that zoo workers are being exploited may head to the court.

Duke is alleging that Lutchmedial is exploiting zoo workers and not giving them “the right to say no”.

Last Monday, Duke claimed that zoo workers were being sent to a Government minister’s farm on Mason Hall in Tobago, sent to the official residence of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at La Fantasie Road, St Ann’s to care for animals, and sent “down the islands” to work.

He also questioned why workers from a private company (allegedly belonging to Lutchmedial) was doing work for a public company without pay. Duke claimed that Lutchmedial was using his power as “the person in charge of the zoo” and “the person in charge of CDA” to have his “own way”.

Duke added, “We are calling on him to stop exploiting the workers of the Emperor Valley Zoo. Let them feed the lions and the tigers, let them bathe the animals, let them the work there, not take advantage of them by shipping them to Tobago at this government minister’s farm.”

Duke said Lutchmedial should “do the honourable thing and resign from his position because he would have supervised what we are calling an abuse of public funds”.

Lutchmedial, however, said he had no reason to resign. He said no worker from his private company did work for the CDA. He admitted that because of the large debt incurred by the last board, he has used some of his personal funds to facilitate progress at the state agency. The CDA has close to $117 million in debt.

Lutchmedial told the Sunday Guardian that he has spoken to his attorney, Justin Junkere seeking legal advice since “Duke has been saying things that are not true.”

Lutchmedial said the board of the ZSTT does not get involved in the day-to-day running of the zoo. The zoo’s curator, Nirmal Biptah was appointed to do that.

“What we do is set the policies of the zoo. The Zoological Society has no government workers. Also, it is not the Emperor Valley Zoo that hires contractors but the ZSTT.”

“Zoo workers take care of animals, they clean cages and they see about office administration. They are not going anywhere to do construction. Not one of them went down the islands as he is claiming.”

“I do not know where Duke got his information,” Lutchmedial said. He said there were many contractors associated with the ZSTT, one of whom was private contractor Bissoon Persad who frequently does work in Tobago. When contacted, Persad confirmed he took seven of his workers to Tobago and also down the islands as part of a recent national clean-up. He also said he has done private work like building cages for Rowley’s birds.

On the issue of workers at the PM’s official residence, Lutchmedial said Rowley has been an honorary member of the ZSTT for several years and when he became PM he moved some of his birds.

“Once there is an issue, zoo workers or ZSTT members will go and offer assistance as they have done in the past with him and with other members of the public.”

About claims that he gives instructions to zoo workers, Lutchmedial said he cannot give any worker direction and that “they do not have to listen to me”.

BIPTAH: ZOO WORKERS WERE NOT SENT TO ANY ISLAND TO WORK

Lutchmedial, who was appointed vice-chairman of the CDA in December 2015, became chairman in August last year after the appointed chairman Anthony Pierre resigned.

Since assuming chairmanship, Lutchmedial took a leave of absence as president of the Zoological Society of T&T (ZSTT) “in light of increased responsibilities that I expect to perform in this role (chairman)”.

That was according to a letter dated August 29, 2016, to the secretary of the ZSTT. The ZSTT is a non-governmental organisation of which Lutchmedial is a trustee. Lutchmedial has been ZSTT president for five consecutive terms and is a life member. The ZSTT council members are not paid. Their work is voluntary.

However, Duke called on Lutchmedial to say how often he frequents the zoo, what role he plays and asked if he’s said he’s taken a leave of absence, if it mean he has not returned to the zoo. “He must answer that.”

In response, Lutchmedial said he was a lover of animals and from time to time visits them. “I love animals and the welfare of animals is always my concern.”

Meanwhile, Biptah told the Sunday Guardian there were 42 employees working at the zoo and who were paid by the zoo—25 zoo-keeping workers, four maintenance staff, eight administrative and five cashiers.

He said, “The zoo workers were not sent to any island to work. There are other workers who are hired by the council of the ZSTT so there is the possibility he (Duke) could be referring to them. Those workers work for a contractor but they are not zoo employees.”

Duke said it was industrial relations knowledge that workers who were contracted via an organisation were still employees of that organisation.

He said, “It is an undisputed fact. So when we say zoo workers, it is not for us to say if they are paid by the zoo or not, they are associated with zoo work.”

Residents of Enterprise are “hostages” within their own community as a vicious drug war continues to leave the streets bloody.

Police have few advantages in a community which has streets connecting stealthily and secretly, where residents are charged as voluntary and involuntary secret keepers, and gun and drug-toting criminals, mostly young boys, swallowed whole by gang life and its offerings.

For the hundreds of law-abiding citizens locked into the vicious battle, listening to the constant echoes of gunshots, leaving isn’t easy and staying is a nightmare.

This is the story of a young member of the Enterprise community (identity has been withheld), as told to Sunday Guardian journalist Kalifa Clyne.

There are sounds that have become as commonplace in Enterprise as a bird singing outside or a dog’s bark. I never thought I would ever become accustomed to the sound of gunshots. It is now almost an everyday occurrence. Police sirens and gunshots; those are the sounds that to me accurately sum up a typical day in my community.

My eight-year-old niece knows the difference in sound between a gunshot and a fire cracker. It breaks my heart to say that. She will never have the full childhood experience I had, playing cricket in the street and all the outdoor fun most children experience.

I won’t even risk sending her to the nearby parlour that is a few houses away for fear of what may happen. Last year, I took that risk. She wanted to go to the shop for a snack. She got home safely. Later that same day, we heard the sound of screeching cars, police sirens, gunshots being exchanged and a loud crashing sound that I will never forget.

Police were chasing a car whose occupants were shooting at them. The police were returning fire. The car with the assailants crashed into a galvanise fence. This occurred along the same path my niece walked earlier that day to the shop. I have not allowed her to go to the shop or even play in the street outside our home since that incident.

Violence has become almost synonymous with Enterprise. In earlier times, when the rivaling gangs first started murdering each other, I remember feeling shocked, sad and bitterly angry every time someone was killed.

Now I feel numb and exhausted.

It occurs too often.

Before I can wrap my head around someone getting murdered, someone else is murdered and I have to deal with new feelings of hopelessness. I am so fed up of this violence.

BEFORE THE VIOLENCE

I have lived in Enterprise all my life. As a child I remember being able to play outdoors long after the street lights would come on. I had friends from all over the area and there were no concerns on my part or my parents whether or not it was safe for me to play with my peers, irrespective of which street they were from. My teenage years were no different. Enterprise people love to party and would find any excuse to do so. The entire community and environs would come together and there would be massive street parties or “blockos.”

I had so much fun when there were community events in Dass Trace, Crown Trace, African Grounds or Bhagaloo Street and I would attend these events without fear of being shot or hurt because rivalling streets “warring” or anything to that effect.

Like any other community, we would be hit with criminal activity, but it wasn’t the norm. As I’m older I now understand that there was always a drug dealing problem in the area however, I can’t remember there being this many murders at any given time back then. Gang violence of this magnitude only really erupted within the last three years.

I live on Bhagaloo Street. The epicentre of the current gang war is actually between Bhagaloo Street (the alleged Rasta City hub) and Crown Trace, home of the “Unruly Isis” crew. Most of the streets in Enterprise are connected and even I am at a loss sometimes since the lines are blurred as to where each gangs’ territory starts and ends. For instance, I know many self-proclaimed Unruly Isis members who live in Walcott Lane which is an offshoot of Bhagaloo Street. It’s all very confusing and very stupid.

I can’t remember the last time I felt happiness, excitement or any positive emotion that was the result of some experience in Enterprise. It actually makes me very sad to say that because I love my community and the people who live here however, nothing about Enterprise inspires me to smile.

Last year, I felt proud of my community when Nigel Paul, who is from Enterprise, represented our country at the Olympics. That was a good moment for our community. Other than that, I can’t recall feeling anything other than profound anxiety, fear, hopelessness, disappointment and sometimes anger.

WHEN ROBOCOP WAS KILLED

I am no longer shocked by anything that happens here. Things that I never thought would happen here have already occurred. Maybe the most shocking might be Robocop’s murder. As someone who grew up here, we all grew to be very wary of that man.

He was very charismatic but we knew he was dangerous. Everyone frequented his grocery store and we all thought the last place he’d meet his demise was there. It was his fort, so to speak. So when I heard he was murdered, along with his friend and the alleged Isis perpetrator, it was shocking.

You see, all those Unruly Isis members were at some point under Robocop, we all knew it. Most of Unruly Isis were known to be liming at Robocop’s. I saw them myself. When they split from Robocop because of conflicting ideologies I never expected that they would garner the power to do what they did.

Everyone underestimated their strength and how radicalised they were in their ideology. When they murdered Robocop, who I and everyone else thought was untouchable, we knew that no one was safe here.

At least I knew that. Robocop, who many consider the most dangerous man in Enterprise, was murdered by an Unruly Isis member and it was at that point I stopped being nalve and acknowledged how strong the Unruly unit really was. I think this even made me finally accept that there was a real war occurring in my community and that Enterprise was under siege. I started being a lot more afraid for myself, family and friends after that.

STREETS FILLED WITH DRUGS AND GUNS

Enterprise is a known drug hub. There are blocks set up in all the major streets in the area like Bhagaloo Street, Crown Trace and Enterprise Street, just to name the more popular blocks. Hence, it is no surprise that these three areas have seen the most gang-related violence. Drugs have been one of the main contributing factors to the violence in these areas. All these gang members represent their block and their turf. They all want to be the top selling block because that would mean more money to spread around. Bhagaloo Street’s block was very popular and, from what I observed, would make a lot of money when I observed the calibre of people going to purchase marijuana and whatever else. Crown Trace gang members felt disenfranchised because they were not getting enough “bread” from the amount Bhagaloo Street was making and tensions began to slowly rise on their end until things eventually exploded. In those initial few months it was like a real war zone. Men would walk around boldly with guns and it was terrifying.

Another reason there is so much violence is the availability of guns. Young men have easy access to weapons in Enterprise and are certainly not willing to part ways with them especially now when this war is at its peak. Also, these guys prefer to stay home and lime on the block than look for a job and attain an honest dollar to support themselves. My father personally tried to help one of those young men get a job and the morning for him to go the interview he did not show up. That young man was shot recently. He escaped unscathed but is currently hiding, he is fearful for his life.

Another major contributing factor is the so called “community leaders” in Enterprise. Most of these “leaders” are actually the drug bosses who are recruiting teenagers. They start indoctrinating those boys at a young age and advertise the benefits of the fast life culture that typically involves money, cars, drugs, guns and sex. My brother was caught up by this façade as a teenager, too. He eventually got some sense and left that life and is now gainfully employed, thank God. But it wasn’t easy for my parents to convince him to abandon that lifestyle.

TERRIFIED

I am afraid in my own home, so it goes without saying that I am extremely fearful walking through my community. On a daily basis, I would walk out Bhagaloo Street to get transport because it is easier for me. On my way home, I have resorted to paying a taxi to drop me straight home and I usually direct them through Crown Trace instead of Bhagaloo Street.

The reason for this is because the Government recently opened a new HDC housing scheme (Lion’s Gate) and taxis are more willing to drop passengers there than they are to go in Bhagaloo Street.

I’ve resorted to deceiving taxi drivers this way—they think I am dropping off at Lion’s Gate and when I direct them otherwise and they find themselves on the outskirts of Bhagaloo Street they are usually quite annoyed with me. I’ve grown accustomed to being cursed by them.

Before I leave home I pray and ask God to protect me. Whenever I see a young guy riding a bike I get scared sometimes because a lot of the gang members use bikes to escape after they shoot up the place. Also I hate when cars are passing next to me and I can’t see the occupants of the vehicle because of the dark tint. I get really scared when that happens.

I tell myself all the time that I need to leave this community, not only for my sake but my family’s as well. I want my niece to grow up in a “safe” area. I want her to feel a sense of pride about where she comes from. Unfortunately I do not have the financial ability to do so. My family and I have made a life here.

NO TRUST IN THE POLICE

Ironically, my family and I have been put in danger because of a gun but it wasn’t at the hands of gang bangers, it was actually due to the irresponsibility of police officers.

A few years ago, the police were conducting an operation in Bhagaloo Street which resulted in them chasing a guy (a known drug dealer) who was attempting to escape to avoid being arrested with a quantity of drugs.

In Enterprise it is almost impossible for the police to catch anyone on foot because all the streets are connected and the criminals who are from the area know the best escape routes and hiding spots.

That day, the drug dealer decided to use my yard as a means to get away from the police. Two of my nieces who were 11 and nine years old at the time were in the yard playing. My sister was also outside.

My grandmother and I were sitting in my bedroom. Suddenly I heard very loud explosions outside.

I had never heard gun shots at such a close range before, so I was terrified. I looked out my window and saw the drug dealer (his hands were empty) run past my window with a male police officer chasing him and shooting at him. The police never caught the guy and when things settled down a bit my family and I discovered bullet holes in our roof, and on the wall of our house.

That police officer endangered our lives shooting a weapon in a very irresponsible manner in close proximity to two young children who were playing in what we thought was the security of our home.

Needless to say, my nieces – and by extension my entire family – were incredibly terrified by the events of that day. I hate the fact that it was because of the drug dealers’ actions that we were even put in such a position. But I must hold the police accountable as well, since I believe they are trained on how to effectively deal with such sensitive situations where innocent civilians are involved.

The police definitely do not inspire feelings of safety for me.

I have seen too many shady police activity in my area to ever feel safe because of them. I have seen known drug dealers selling marijuana in front of the police. I have seen police officers liming on the block with their vehicle in police uniform. It is no wonder why people have no respect for police officers and by extension the law when every day we see police officers blatantly having no regard for the law and the oath that they themselves swore to.

The sad thing is that there are many good police officers but the few bad ones give them all a bad reputation.

This is why even though everyone in Enterprise knows who the drug dealers are, where the guns are located and such, no one speaks up or goes to the police because of bad cops who can potentially inform drug bosses who the “snitches” are in the community.

Chaguanas Police Station in my opinion is the most corrupt police station in the whole of Trinidad. There are a lot of drugs and guns in Enterprise but whenever the police conduct an operation they only find one or two weapons and little to no drugs.

Why do you think that is? The whole of Enterprise knows when a “secret” police operation is about to go down. It’s almost laughable. Many known police officers have sold their badges for blood money and then they come an arrest the same petty drug dealers they took the money from.

This just fuels more hatred for the police by these gang members who feel the police are backstabbing them after they allowed them to “eat ah food”. Just yesterday, I saw a bullet ridden police jeep drive past my home. Gang members shooting at police officers is a norm now. No one has respect for those flashing blue lights anymore.

I’ve heard too many gunshots to give a number. I usually feel extremely anxious whenever I hear gunshots. I have become such a gunshot expert that I can now decipher when the rivalling gangs are exchanging gun fire. An obvious “tell” are the intervals between gunfire. Also if you listen closely you can sometimes differentiate between gunshots from your typical revolver or pistol and semi/fully automatic weapons.

My niece is terrified of the sound of gunshots. She is only eight years old and I hate that she even knows what a gunshot sounds like. On Friday, when they killed Robocop’s brother, Sylvan Alexis, there was a hail of gunfire that absolutely terrified the poor child. She ran hiding under our sofa. It hurts me to see her so scared when things like that happen. I try to comfort her but she is usually shaken up for days after events like that take place.

Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein is calling on chairmen of the regional corporations to ensure that their employees do a fair day’s work for their salaries.

Speaking at the launch of his ministry’s clean-up campaign in Princes Town yesterday, Hosein said it was common knowledge that corporation workers only work for a few hours each day.

“It’s no secret to any citizen, and you will know who will judge us at the end of the day? The taxpayers who pay their salary and my salary,” Hosein said.

“When you come to work at 7 am and you leave at 8.30 to 9 am, it does not reflect well on the corporation and I am asking each corporation to meet with their respective union representatives to sit and discuss how this normal work pattern can be changed.”

Hosein said meetings with the various unions are necessary as some workers are classified as “task” workers who complete one task and leave for the day.

But he said this has a bad effect on productivity and needs to be changed.

“Right now we are not getting the productivity that we need and now is a time when the country needs productivity, you need to get value for money.”

Princes Town MP Barry Padarath also delivered remarks at the launch and called on Hosein to ensure the Princes Town Regional Corporation gets a new headquarters.

Padarath also questioned why the funds collected from property tax would be sent to the Consolidated Fund instead of being placed into the hands of the regional corporations. He said this contradicts what was promised by the PNM during their local government campaign.

Responding to Padarath, the minister said, “I listened to him and I will take it to the ministry and make the proposals but right now, we are in the process of putting up two corporation buildings, we are doing all the groundwork for it right now.”

He said those two corporations are the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation and the Diego Martin Regional Corporation.

With respect to the money to be collected from property tax, Hosein said, “I will do the best I can and ensure the funds that are collected go back to the corporation because we are on local government reform and the autonomy must be given to every corporation to do their own spending, cleaning and so on.”

Unemployment and lack of activities for young people are the top priorities for residents of San Raphael, a village in east Trinidad.

For the approximately 200 households scattered across the rolling green landscape crime is not a problem, it’s something that they are aware of but for the most part, happens to other people in other communities.

The only aberration was the discovery of the body of a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Rachel Ramkissoon, in their village earlier this year.

Prior to that, the biggest crime was a a cutlass attack.

For 55-year-old Phillip Springer, called Wang by his neighbours, the murder and mayhem plastered across the national newspapers are plagues to places far away from his small, quiet village.

Still, it has touched his life.

“I have three girl children. I had three girl children,” Springer said.

Hands shaking, he gestured to different parts of his body.

“A bullet through the head, through the hand, and through the heart. She was the sixth murder in 2010. It didn’t happen here but it happened in Sangre Grande. It makes me cry to think about it. I hope you don’t make me cry today.”

Springer said his other daughters were traumatised by their sister’s death and he never went a day without thinking about her.

“That’s how crime affected me, so I know how it affects people all over the country,” he said.

He added that the factors that led to crime, however, were present in his community, unemployed youths ever-present on street corners and a lack of community activities.

The community, which is located about five miles from the bustling borough of Arima sits near the Arena Dam, a water source for north and central Trinidad.

At the entrance of the village, in the heart of the junction is a statue of Saint Raphael.

Metres away is a police station, health centre and a primary school.

A community centre sits a bit further in the village on the left, but villagers will said its doors are always closed.

Victor Ali, 57, lived his entire life in San Raphael and agreed that while crime was a national issue, his community was for the most part isolated from its direct effects.

“We need a little more betterment. Work wise, I do construction and I am not working. I’ve been trying to get a job and it hasn’t worked. I do anything. I am a jack of all trades and it is the same thing with the young people. They don’t get jobs.”

He added that there was nothing else to occupy the young people. An art centre that used to provide classes for villagers has been closed for over a decade, its rusted roof and walls deteriorating.

The community centre, he said, has nothing for the community.

As though a testament to Ali’s statement, a young man came running across the road, chasing and cursing an older man.

The young man, held by a group of friends near his age, repeatedly tried attacking the older man, over what was later explained to the Guardian was a physical threat made against his sister.

Later, the group spoke to the Sunday Guardian team about their lack of belief in politicians and the Government as a whole.

The men spoke of silence toward the community.

“What can we do? No matter what we say, what we want from the Government or what we need from the Government we not getting that,” said one young man.

“They don’t listen. They don’t do anything. So what sense it makes for me to answer your question. I am not okay but I don’t take them on. I don’t listen to any politician.”

Asked further questions, the young men said they wanted more job opportunities and better facilities for the children in the area.

“The field we have isn’t properly developed. There is a community centre and it is always locked. Someone has a key and they use it for their purposes but there are no programmes for the community there. It’s always locked.”

There are two main bars in the community and several small shops where residents purchase goods.

One of the shop owners, Jean Coddrington showed a similar sense of apathy about the Government’s ability to help villagers.

“Only crime really facing the country is the biggest problem. I stopped watching news because every day you see the same thing. I really don’t listen too much news but I hear everybody talking about it. Up here very quiet. No robberies, no housebreaking, very quiet,” she said.

“We get water three days a week. We don’t get water every day, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I reach an age I don’t let nothing worry me. I adjust myself to everything. I don’t make nothing a problem. I can’t fix it and they (the Government) won’t fix it.”

While there may not be high levels of employment opportunities in a village once known for cocoa production, San Raphael is home to farming, particularly at the La Trinidad Estate near the police station.

Patrick Surujlal, 63, feels differently about the country’s number one issue.

“It isn’t crime. It’s food. People are hungry and we don’t have enough to feed this country if there is a disaster.”

Surujlal, a farmer from Brazil, who works the land at the estate said the Government could create employment through agriculture.

“It’s not because I am a farmer. People are hungry and we need food. If we have a hurricane or something, we have no food to support everybody here. We need to plant things to sustain the country.”

There are not many people who do not know about the natural wonder that is the La Brea Pitch Lake. For decades, it has been a major tourist attraction known for having the largest commercial deposits in the world. But did you know there is another pitch lake in Trinidad?

Nestled in the Marac forest in Moruga, there is another deposit of asphalt, much smaller than the one at La Brea. Hunters in the area know about the pitch lake but they usually avoid it as it has ‘swallowed’ up many an unsuspecting hunting dog.

In this third part of the Sunday Guardian’s series on local tourism sites that you and your family can visit over the Easter holiday weekend or any time for that matter, the team visited the Marac Pitch Lake and the Moruga Buff, a site where there is a cluster of bubbling mud volcanoes spanning over an acre of land.

To get to the Moruga Buff, you have to drive along the main road in Moruga from Poui Junction and turn off at Edward Trace. After about 20 minutes of driving, you will come to a Petrotrin field road that will lead into the forested area.

Please note that these two sites are recommended for adventure lovers and people who can walk long distances. It will be too difficult for young children. Also, be sure to take along bottled water and insect repellent and wear a sturdy pair of boots or sneakers.

With the assistance of councillor Joseph Lorant of the Princes Town Regional Corporation, our team was able to make contact with three well seasoned hunters who acted as our guides into the forest to find the volcanic site.

Leo Morgan, one of his sons Maurice and his nephew Randy are seasoned ‘bush men’ from Maitland Trace, Moruga.

With Leo leading the team, we set off from a hunters’ camp at the end of the fields road. The walk leads swiftly downhill and you will need to walk with your bravery to cross the first river using a fallen tree trunk.

After about half an hour (more if you stop to admire the scenery as we did), you will come to the clearing that is the volcanic site.

I counted 52 bubbling cones...but there’s more. The sheer size of the volcanic field is breathtaking and the heat after leaving the shelter of the forest floor is dazzling. The volcanic mud has left no room for trees to grow around the largest cluster of volcanoes but there are dozens more hidden within the deep forest.

The tallest cone is some 15 feet high and most of the smaller cones are flat.

In fact, if you’re not careful you can suffer the fate of poor Maurice who fell into a cone and, according to his father, shot back out like a ‘gouti.’

The Marac Pitch Lake

Although tired and almost halfway covered in mud, we took off to find the Marac Pitch Lake next.

Sadly, we had to leave the company of Leo, Maurice and Randy behind as we were promised another guide in Marac.

To find Marac, you need to follow the main road until you get to a four-way junction just before the Moruga Fishing Facility.

Turn right and drive for about 30 minutes before you find another hunters’ camp at the end of the Marac Road.

Although the road is not in the best shape, cars can be used to access the hunters’ camp.

From there, it’s a 20-minute walk to the pitch lake.

Our guide, John Fredrick, lead the way. At the start of the trail, there is a rapid descent downhill and it’s only when you get to the bottom, you’ll see how steep the hills are. You then take a walk uphill—there were four tree trunks piled in the middle of the track which you have to climb like a ladder and then jump about four feet to the ground.

If you’re barely five feet tall like me, it may seem like quite a task, but don’t lose hope, the walk is well worth the sight at the end.

When you can see teak trees ahead, you are almost at the site. The sticky pitch has made a home for itself and like the volcanic mud, it prevents any trees from growing in it.

If you don’t have rubber boots, be prepared to scrape pitch off your sneakers, especially if it’s hot and sunny. You also have to be careful to not get stuck in the pitch as you may have to leave your sneakers behind.

There are many bubbling little pockets of pitch that belched occasionally while we were there, throwing quite a scare.

Visiting both sites in one day is very tiring, but luckily on your way out of Marac you’ll find the La Lune beach, where you can stop and rinse off some of the sweat and cool down before the drive home.

If there’s a nature site in your community that you want us to visit, send an email to sharlene.rampersad@guardian.co.tt or give me a call at 225-4465 ext 6104.

A Trinidad-born orthopaedic surgeon has made a discovery in the field of medicine. Dr Jabari Martin, 33, who is from Petit Valley, found that a person can have cancer of the lymph nodes but it can be mistaken by doctors for an infection at the site of previous surgery.

Martin attended Queen’s Royal College before heading off to the prestigious Howard University where he studied biology, medicine and then orthopaedic surgery. He is currently completing a fellowship in sports medicine at the American Sports Medicine Institute.

The discovery was made while Martin was still a resident at Howard University Hospital but was completing a rotation at the US Veteran Affairs Hospital in Washington DC.

The ground-breaking case is featured in this month’s edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and is co-authored by Drs Jasmine Bauknight; Vincent Desiderio and Bahman Sadr.

According to the case, a 49-year-old man with a history of skin cancer and skin infections came to the hospital with increasing pain in the left shoulder that was exacerbated by overhead activities; the pain was even felt during sleep. When questioned by a team of doctors, the man repeatedly denied that he had any history of trauma.

In an interview with the Sunday Guardian, Martin noted that the man “had previously undergone shoulder surgery to repair the rotator cuff. He healed uneventfully, with no shoulder pain, and improved function of the shoulder but three years after the initial surgery he began having recurrent left shoulder pain. It was recommended that he undergo physical therapy and pain management but that did not help him improve”.

Martin and the co-authors noted that an MRI was subsequently done and it revealed that the patient had a surgically amenable re-tear of the rotator cuff and therefore a decision was made to go back into surgery and fix the tear. The man then showed the expected improvements after surgery but began suffering recurrent pain five months later that could only be attributed to secondary tendonitis. Anti-inflammatory medications were recommended and prescribed soon after.

A breakthrough

This was ineffective and, according to the journal, the patient returned with fevers, chills and swelling over the anterior aspect of the shoulder. He was admitted to the hospital and underwent surgical removal of all infected tissues.

It was during this third hospital admission that the patient began exhibiting the symptoms of night sweats. The article describes in detail, “While in the hospital, the patient had drenching night sweats, copious serosanguinous wound drainage, an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein level, and a mildly elevated white blood cell count, all attributed to infection from his presumed osteomyelitis.”

However, blood cultures, as well as capsule and synovial tissue samples and swabs obtained during surgery, showed no bacterial growth. According to the journal, “Over the next three months, the patient underwent three additional open débridements, each time with more aggressive removal of tissue, suture, and implants from prior surgeries. A total of 25 cultures was obtained, with the initial débridement cultures held for only seven days but subsequent cultures were held for 14 days and four to six weeks for fungal and mycobacterial cultures.”

Martin admitted that the team was perplexed as the cultures did not grow as expected. However, they encountered a breakthrough when, on closer examination, a swelling was noticed on the left side of the back of the man’s neck.

The swelling was not characteristically tender, prompting the team to test a sample. This led to the surprising diagnosis of cancer of the lymph nodes.

On Martin’s recommendation, the patient at once underwent chemotherapy and within days of starting chemotherapy, drainage from the shoulder decreased, and the pain improved. Within one month, the wound had healed, and at five months, the lymphoma was in complete clinical remission. At that point, the shoulder was minimally painful and remarkably functional considering the extensive multiple débridements of the rotator cuff and its footprint.

The study noted that one year following the last surgical procedure, the patient was re-evaluated and the lymphoma was in remission. His left shoulder ached intermittently on exertion, with the pain favourably rated between zero and six on a ten-point visual pain scale.

A few weeks ago, on the CNC3 People Meter question, the nation was asked if prayer can stop crime. Eighty per cent answered, Yes. On March 6, the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper on its front page showed dozens of people gathered in inclement weather at Woodford Square to call on God to deliver the nation from crime and violence. Whereas we are all extremely burdened and distressed about crime in our country, knowing that at any time in most places anyone of us can be a victim of violence, can prayer really stop crime which has escalated to endemic proportions?

One does not want to undervalue the benefits of prayer. And most may agree that prayer is a source of great comfort to many people. It may help an individual to be more focused, have better self-control and may even relieve stress. Prayer can also lead to the conditioning of the mind, causing an individual to be more prepared for some of the imagined challenges of the day. And, in addition, prayer as practised by some can even be embraced as an engagement in self-reflection, which allows a person to spend time in self-examination that can bring about positive change in that person’s life. Thus, perhaps at best, prayer can bring change to the one who prays. But can prayer change realities outside of us? Realities like corruption, violence and crime?

There are reasons why prayer is viewed by some as magic. We are in a state of helplessness where citizens cannot guarantee their safety outside and inside their homes. We may also feel totally defeated when there seems to be no one, no system or measure put in place to ensure our safety. And with the belief and evidence that there is a total loss of control over what happens at every level, as helpless people, we begin to call upon supernatural intervention, where only the right human intervention can make the difference. It is indeed a condition of ultimate human despair. And in this condition, it is easier to have a preference for magic where hard work is really the only solution to getting things done.

Our present culture of violence did not appear overnight. It has taken years of societal breakdown at all levels to reach where we are. And it will now take effort and energy to begin to fix it. But the apparent inertia being noticed, especially among the religious is more than laziness. People do actually believe that prayer can work magic and in the process, ignore the logical and empirical approach that is vital for change in our society. In terms of the spiralling crime rate at present, the rule of law characterised by stringent measures that include the highest level of civility and the proper management of the security forces, could be part of the solution. And those who are trained and qualified in the field are expected to find at least short-term solutions. However, we cannot help but notice, how even those who have been entrusted with this responsibility seem to be looking to a higher power for the solution. Is this being delusional?

In addition, therefore, it will serve religious leaders and religious people as a whole, well, to read and intelligently consider the writings of the theologian Matthew Fox in his 2001 edition of, Prayer: A Radical Response to Life. This approach to prayer suggests that we get to the root of what is really happening in terms of our crime and violence reality. And that we make a response, not with wishful thinking or empty words but with appropriate action.

We are our genes and environment. And whereas we may not be able to do anything about our nature, we can shape and reshape our nurturing through intelligently designed educational programmes aimed at creating civil and ethical society. Thus, a carefully thought out values education programme, must be implemented in our schools at both primary and secondary levels. For example, my response has been to embark upon a programme in six primary schools, the result and consequence of which will become noticeable in a few years from now. This values education includes, the need to think before we act or react; defining ourselves as children of worth who will determine our future; respecting others as we ascribe value to their lives; embracing differences and being enriched by them; learning to listen as we create an atmosphere for dialogue; beginning to seriously grapple with issues of wrong and right with the intent to do what is right and an introduction to self-understanding.

In conclusion, an appeal is being made to all religious leaders including those within my own tradition, to de-emphasize rite and ritual including prayer which are unfortunately performed as ends in themselves. Let us re-examine what we believe since, to a large extent, what we believe determines how we behave. And let us broaden our knowledge base as we equip ourselves to be relevant in an ever evolving and highly complex world. And, at this time, let us aim to become aware of the workable and necessary alternatives to prayer, as we aim to create a safe country.

Rev Elvis Elahie is a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church of T&T.

The Movement for Social Justice is calling on the Government to restart the Point Fortin Hospital project immediately.

In a press conference outside of the stalled hospital project in Techier Village, Point Fortin, MSJ leader David Abdulah accused the PNM of abandoning their strongest supporters.

“We are here because of the issue of the abandonment of this project—the Point Fortin Hospital project,” Abdulah said.

“This hospital was started some time just before the 2015 election and after two or three months, construction work has come to a grinding halt. And we are saying here in the MSJ that the PNM Government and the PNM borough—the PNM controls both the central government and the borough of Point Fortin—have literally abandoned the people of Point Fortin, they have turned their backs on the people of Point Fortin by having this project halted.”

Saying that a hospital for Point Fortin has been on every budget since the late Dr Eric Williams was prime minister, Abdulah said the project was a priority.

Stating that there can be no excuse for the stoppage of work, Abdulah said, “It can’t be a question of money because money was found to complete the Tarouba Stadium better known as the Brian Lara Stadium.

“The Brian Lara Stadium will save no lives, it will not help a mother who is in the throes of labour, it will not help a worker who has suffered an accident on the job, it not help someone who has gotten into a vehicular accident or a child who is ill.”

He said as an area with major industrial activity, Point Fortin was sadly neglected.

Abdulah said “There is additional work taking place in the Labidco Industrial Estate with the construction of a major petro-chemical plant jointly between the Massy Group and a Japanese company, Mitsubishi—that is a major project going on—which again could lead to accidents and the persons there would then have to be transported all the way to San Fernando.”

He also called for the Point Fortin Fire Station to be rebuilt as a priority and said residents of Techier and Point Fortin must benefit from employment during the construction phases.

“The community of Techier and the borough of Point Fortin has one of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the country and therefore this is an opportunity, as short term as the opportunity might be for construction and employment and the people must get jobs.”

MORE INFO

According to Udecott’s website, construction on the 100-bed, three-storey building of the Point Fortin Hospital project is listed as ongoing.

The project, estimated to cost $1.2 billion, is being funded through a government-to-government arrangement with Austria and the main contractor is an Austrian firm Vamed Engineering GmbH & CO KG.

The website does not list a date for completion.

​

Trinidad-born broadcaster, writer and civil rights activist Darcus Howe, who was living in London for the last three decades, passed away in his sleep last Saturday at age 74.

He was a journalist known for his TV series Black on Black, as well as the late-night current affairs programme the Devil’s Advocate.

He was the editor of “Race Today” and wrote columns for both the New Statesman and the Voice.

His television work included the documentary The Bandung File, which he co-edited with Tariq Ali, and more recently White Tribe, a look at modern Britain. He served as chair of the Notting Hill Carnival.

In 2007, Howe was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

News of his passing was reported in international media yesterday, with glowing tributes pouring in from friends, family and professionals he would have met throughout his lifetime.

According to the UK Guardian, Howe’s family in South London issued a statement yesterday saying: “Darcus died quietly and unexpectedly in his sleep on the evening of Saturday April 1. Our private grief is inseparable from our public pride.”

Howe, who first went to the UK at the age of 18, was hailed as an outstanding public intellectual and political organiser and activist. He was born on February 26, 1943 in T&T and migrated to the UK in 1961.

The UK Telegraph reported that Howe was known as a “radical voice.”

It quoted Dr Bunce, a historian at Homerton College at the University of Cambridge, as saying: “I think he’s also important in the 80s, 90s and 00s because he brought a radical voice, a voice for egalitarianism and justice, to the mainstream media.”

Howe was also a member of the British Black Panthers and a pioneer in the fight for equality in the UK.

A 39-year-old St James man was shot dead in front his home on Saturday night.

According to police reports, around 10 pm residents of Jeffers Lane reported hearing a volley of gunshots.

When police responded minutes later they found Denzel Eccles lying at the side of the road in front his house. Eccles was taken to the St James District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Eccles’ murder was the fourth in north Trinidad between Friday night and yesterday morning, bringing the murder toll for the year to 131.

In the first incident around 3.20 am on Saturday, residents of Building 18, Maloney Gardens, reported hearing gunshots. Police were called and while searching the building, they found 39-year-old Joel “Barber” Alleyne dead in his apartment. He had been shot several times.

Several hours later, homicide detectives were called to Petit Valley for another murder.

Residents contacted police around 6.30 am after noticing a red Nissan Tiida parked at the roadside in the southbound lane of the Diego Martin Highway near to Crystal Stream.

Police found the driver, who was later identified as Sherwyn Noel, 33, of Fuller Street, River Estate, Diego Martin, slumped over the steering wheel. Noel had a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead by a District Medical Officer (DMO).

The third incident occurred around 5.20 pm along Johnny King Road, Aranguez, San Juan. Residents reported hearing gunshots before the victim’s Kia pick-up truck crashed into a drain at the side of the road.

Police believe that victim, only identified as Santos up to yesterday, was followed by his attackers, who pulled alongside him, shot at his vehicle and drove away. The victim was shot over a dozen times, investigators said.

Autopsies will be performed on the four victims at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, today.

Investigations are continuing.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi says the issue of whether the T&T Defence Force makes public the findings of its probe into the matter of children being photographed with high-powered weapons at their Cumuto facility is up to the army.

The AG was also adamant that when it came to the safety of his children, the issue was “non-negotiable.”

He made the comment yesterday, even as Advocacy Group Fixin T&T joined the list of citizens publicly voicing their concern over the matter and calling for the report to be made public.

Fixin T&T head Kirk Waithe argued that it was simply not enough to state that “procedures were not properly followed that day, however, those procedural lapses have since been identified and rectified.”

Asked about the continued calls for the report to be made public yesterday, Al-Rawi said: “That is really a matter for the army. I will continue to have nothing to say in relation to my children and their security.

“So that’s really for the army. I have no control over that, nor am I a participant in that.”

Pressed further on whether he was concerned about the repeated calls to make the report public, Al-Rawi said this was not the case for him.

“I have no concern about any wrongdoing. The issue of the security of my children is a non-negotiable item for me. I have said so from day one and I will continue to say so.

“The issue are calls upon the army. I am not a participant in that process and not the subject of any investigation,” Al-Rawi said.

He added that the army would have to speak for itself as it was an “entirely separate entity” which he had no control over.

“I have nothing to do with this so far as this matter is concerned,” Al-Rawi added.

A military board of enquiry was set up by the T&T Defence Force (TTDF) to examine how the children came into possession of and were photographed with high-powered military weapons at the Cumuto army base. According to a media report, the enquiry had concluded that procedures were not properly followed that day.

Senior public affairs officer of the Defence Force Major Al Alexander had said that such procedural lapses had since been “identified” and “rectified.”

While Al-Rawi has not yet confirmed that the pictures are of his children, both Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and the Defence Force, in respective statements on the issue, had linked the children to Al-Rawi.

Rowley, head of the National Security Council, had also criticised the unidentified officer of breaching security and of putting the AG’s children at risk.

The issue was raised during the Budget debate, when Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal had told the Lower House that he possessed photographs of “young children in this country with high-powered weapons training somewhere” and wanted to show Al-Rawi.

When the street gets you, it sinks its claws in deep and it is very difficult to escape.

That is another problem young men who got themselves involved in gang activity face. Even if they want to change their lives and leave the block, it is difficult for them to get jobs, since most of them may have dropped out of school at a young age.

Also, some of them may have criminal records and it is almost impossible to get a job once your record in tainted.

his causes violence to persist, because these guys stay in the gangs because to them there is no lucrative alternative. It’s all about survival.

I don’t think there is anyone in Enterprise who hasn’t lost a family member or friend because of gun violence.

Last month I attended two funerals for two young men I grew up with. Both of them were shot dead.

It hurt me so much because I have the best childhood memories with one of those men. Playing and having so much fun in our community. We would hunt caimans, fly kites, play catch and make chow and just have a blast.

Seeing him dead in that coffin and having those memories flood my mind at his funeral really broke my heart. He was too young.

Maybe it would have been easier if I knew he died because of his health or of natural causes. I just can’t stand that he died because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I hate that.

These gang bangers shoot up our streets without a care in the world. They don’t care who may be passing. Their only concern is to exact their terror on each other without conscience and without fear or remorse of innocent collateral damage.

The other young man who died was shot at close range in the middle of the day, his body left in the hot sun in my street.

The day he was shot my mother was walking down Bhagaloo Street and got held up talking to her friend. My mother came home crying that day. It was very traumatising for her to see this young man’s dead, bullet-riddled body on the street.

She had seen this man grow up from a child to a young adult and to see him on the ground like that ,having just suffered a brutal death, was too much for her.

To this day, she tells me she still sees his body and the blood on the ground at the spot in our street where he died.

I fear for my brothers’ lives as well. They are young, black and from Bhagaloo Street, a dangerous combo to be in this time.

One of my brothers fled the community because it simply isn’t safe for him to walk out the road to get transport to go to work. My other brother has resorted to paying a taxi every morning to come pick him up at home so he wouldn’t have to walk out the road to travel to work. He has young children to take care of and paying a taxi to do this every day is expensive.

Prayer for Peace

Peace. That is really all I want for my community. I wouldn’t dare hope for anything more than that. In order to achieve peace in my community all those gang members must either be locked up or die.

It saddens me to say it but it is the only way. They are too far gone. They are too indoctrinated in their violent ideologies. Every other week these gangs release videos proving such. They threaten to kill each other, boasting about their weapons and their connections.

There is no policy or social programme the Government can institute to change their warped perspectives. They are like a cancer; if they aren’t uprooted, every last one of them, they will eventually destroy our entire community to the point of no return.

I refuse to accept this fate though. I continue to naively hope that peace is possible once we take radical steps to achieve it. The gang members aren’t tiptoeing about to do their evil. The response to their folly must be just as radical if it is to anyway put a dent in their atrocious crimes.

One of the main hindrances to peace in Enterprise are the so-called innocent civilians, myself included. We are too complacent with what is happening in our community until it hits home.

Hypocritical society

We are very hypocritical. Everyone has a friend, cousin, son or uncle who we know are involved in criminal activity. Yet when the police do their job and come to lock up the criminals, they can never find them because they are hiding by some family member who abandons their “upstanding citizenry status” to obstruct police operations by concealing a known criminal.

How many times have we seen a mother crying on national television, making tearful, heart wrenching claims that her son was “ah good boy” when he meets his ultimate demise at the hands of police officers or fellow gang bangers? “Ah good boy” who the whole community knows was a notorious gang member? Then you see us by our numbers burning rubbish in the road and protesting violently about how fed up we are of crime in the community.

Then there are the wild claims of police brutality. I’m sure there are police who misuse their power, but we sometimes make it very difficult for police officers to sustainably do their jobs. The police cannot do anything without the help of the general public. Until the divide between both entities are mended, I don’t see how we can begin to fix the fabric of our community.

We as a community must take responsibility for what is happening here in Enterprise, all of us. We cannot rely solely on the Government to institute policies to fix what is wrong with Enterprise.

I read that the Government plans to build a police station in Enterprise, and while I agree that it will be a good long term plan, what we need right now are effective strategies to combat the immediate threat we face now.

We need permanent police posts at every known major block in the community. Let the TTPS institute a rotation system with officers so drug blocks are manned by police officers day and night.

The TTPS and army must work together to ensure the necessary manpower on the ground to stand against these drug dealers as well.

Additionally, vehicular patrols should be more frequent in the area and police must be aggressive in the execution of their duties to the highest calibre. This will help restore respect for police officers and residents will feel safer knowing that the police are doing their jobs.

After these measures are successfully initiated, the Government must institute social programmes, sporting and cultural activities to keep our youth busy in a positive way so as to aid in the sustainable development of Enterprise.

In the Enterprise, Chaguanas community, young men especially are a target for early acceptance into gangs but many turn a blind eye in the hope of preserving their own safety. Following yesterday’s Sunday Guardian story, the Enterprise resident we spoke to looks at the challenges facing these young gang members who may want to leave a life of crime and what she sees as the solution for peace.

Almost two months after a student at the Mayaro Government School had his arm broken by another student during an incident on the school’s compound, the school’s principal has been suspended indefinitely.

This was confirmed yesterday by T&T Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) president Lynsley Doodhai yesterday.

“I can confirm that the principal of the Mayaro Government School was suspended on Friday morning arising out of an alleged bullying incident at the school. That was the incident where the child’s hand was broken,” Doodhai said in a telephone interview.

Pressed about the suspension of the principal, who is a TTUTA member, Doodhai said he needed time to issue a press release on the matter.

“I intend to put out a statement on Monday (today) dealing with these matters, I can’t say any more right now.”

On February 1, a nine-year-old boy’s right elbow was broken during an incident on the school’s compound. The alleged attacker was supposed to have been under lunchtime supervision at the time of the incident and reportedly slipped away.

The child’s parents later initiated action against the Ministry of Education after the incident was dubbed ‘child’s play.’

At that time, the boy’s mother, Shareefa Ali, said doctors told her that the chances of her son holding a pen, pencil or anything in his right hand was very slim because of the extent of the injuries.

The incident was one of several cases of bullying which have plagued the education system in recent months, forcing Education Minister Anthony Garcia to take a no-nonsense approach to bullying and indiscipline in schools.

Attempts to contact Garcia yesterday were unsuccessful as calls to his cell phone went unanswered.

The T&T Defence Force (TTDF) is again appealing to the public to stop circulating false, unsubstantiated and spurious remarks surrounding the death of Omar Samaroo, and is calling for more sensitivity during his family’s time of grief.

Samaroo, a warrant officer Class 2 at the TTDF, succumbed to his injuries one day after being shot in the neck on March 28 and was cremated at the Caroni Cremation ground on Saturday.

He served his country for more than two decades and had an unblemished record of service in the defence force, the TTDF said in a statement yesterday.

“The TTDF vigorously denounces the flow of misinformation being purported by some conspiracy theorists concerning Samaroo’s passing, the TTDF said, adding it categorically denied the false assertions.

Calling on those who are generating the “false” news to stop, the army added, “The TTDF calls on these individuals to demonstrate greater emotional intelligence and to be cognisant of the anguish and lasting damaging effects they are causing by such misinformation on Samaroo’s family, friends and colleagues all of whom are still struggling to come to terms with his sudden demise.”

The army reminded the public that the death of any member which occurs on a military establishment would automatically trigger an inquiry. The findings of that inquiry, it added, is open to the T&T Police Service.

The TTDF said although the inquiry has not yet been completed, claims that Samaroo’s autopsy report had indicated multiple injuries to his body were “mischievous and irresponsible”. The TTDF said the autopsy report stated that Samaroo’s cause of death was consistent with a single gunshot wound to the head and there were no marks of violence or disturbances to his body.

Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles is assuring Tobagonians that everything possible will be done to ensure cargo transport to the island will not be adversely affected by the recall of the Super Fast Galicia.

International Shipping, the owner of the cargo vessel, served notice to the Port Authority of T&T (PATT) that they will be withdrawing the vessel on April 14 (Good Friday), which coincides with the busy Easter weekend where Tobago is a hub for economic activity.

In a release yesterday, Charles said he held discussions with Minister of Works and Transportation Rohan Sinanan on the issue and has been told interim plans are being made to ship bulk cargo to the island once the Galicia is removed from the route.

A stakeholders meeting is also scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the ferry service, he said.

Charles also said the THA would treat the issue as a “top priority” and keep the public informed as the situation progresses.

“I do understand that there will be public concern due to the withdrawal of the Galicia. This matter is a top priority and measures are being put in place to treat with our cargo transport needs in the short term.

“The Tobago House of Assembly will continue to monitor the situation closely, and of course to update the public as the process moves forward,” he said

Contacted for a comment yesterday, Tobago Chamber of Commerce Demi John Cruikshank president said an urgent meeting would be held with all stakeholders who are being affected today.

“The situation is a serious issue, but we the chamber have agreed not to comment until we meet with everyone tomorrow. We will be meeting with the Truckers’ Association, the Vendors’ Association and the Hotel Association, the Chamber, everybody and then we will have one response about the situation,” he said.

It was only two weeks ago that Cruikshank called on the new Port Authority board to deal with the many challenges facing the sea bridge, identifying them as ‘critical issues’

The proposed police station in crime-torn Enterprise community is being described as a plaster on a sore by Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Insp Michael Seales.

Speaking about the proposal yesterday, Seales said the Longdenville Police Post and the Chaguanas Police Station were already in close proximity to the community and would allow police to respond to any issue there.

In Senate last Tuesday, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon had announced it was Government’s intention to build a permanent police station in Enterprise as part of the overall crime fighting plan.

But Seales yesterday said this a “knee-jerk response.”

“Also, look at the proximity of the officers stationed at Lion’s Gate... how closer can you get to Enterprise than those three key locations. If you are going to build that, then every community who has these types of concerns is going to say the same thing,” Seales told the T&T Guardian in a telephone interview.

However, he said if this was one of the Government’s firm plans, the association would not stand in its way. But he said building a police station was not the only solution, as other measures must also be implemented.

“The same thing was happening in Laventille and we have not built a station there. But because of the activities of Laventille and Beetham in the past, you had the interaction of the Inter-Agency Task Force existing as a consequence of those activities,” Seales said.

He said this was the “same philosophy” which therefore must be transferred to Enterprise, urging Government to re-look at its response strategy. This strategy, Seales urged, must be carefully backed up by scientific data.

“You need to add some data to it, that drives the thought process in making a better decision rather than an off-the-cuff decision and always looking at the potential of always putting a plaster on a sore,” Seales said.

In Senate, Dillon had announced that the National Security Council had decided to construct a police station in the middle of Enterprise in “the shortest possible time.”

The station, he had said, would involve police and Defence Force personnel who would deal with the gang warfare killings which have torn Enterprise apart in recent weeks.

He had said also the NSC believed a permanent police station would also pay the appropriate attention to what has been going on in the area. He noted there had been a reduction of crime in Soogrim Trace, Laventille, where an army/police post was established.