You may wonder what ‘family’ has to do with the other topics in the heading? It would at first sight seem to be nothing. Actually, it has everything.  It is our start in life. It is what shapes and moulds us. We are natural mimics. When we are children we are vulnerable to what is around us. Whether we want to admit it or not, it is members of our family who are our mentors. If there is no love in that family, or we as a child do not see or appreciate love, we carry a cross that weighs on us forever.

A family doesn’t consist of just relatives. It is who ever you are close to. We can have best friends whom we consider as brothers and sisters.

Nearly all of us like to be part of something.  Throughout our lives, we like to have friends. We don’t want to be alone. We are almost like a hive of bees. We thrive so much better when we are together. It is this togetherness that makes us into a unit.

We take the love from that family with us and we also take the hate that might also present. It is love we seek the most.

Immediately after the murder of Andrew Baptist, family member (his brother) William Bodden said (paraphrased) on CITN-Cayman27, “Mr. Baines (RCIPS Police Commissioner), you’re outgunned. You’re not getting the job done. Let’s go to better policing. You’re outgunned – get help!”

On a Facebook page ‘Logwoodz Dons’ is an active site glorifying the actions of gangs in West Bay. A message reads: “21 gun salute for a real general, Robert Bush.” Robert Bush was the first of the three victims murdered over the past seven days. The site has over 70 ‘friends’.

The site with all these ‘friends’ has smiling faces of ‘members’ of the ‘Logwoodz Dons’ including Robert Bush, show they are all part of a ‘family’. There is a message on the current profile picture page with a message “Say Nutin”.

The shocking thing that happened over this weekend is not the murder of Preston Rivers. The most shocking thing is that most of us were not shocked. Another murder in West Bay this weekend was expected. There were even bets being made on the day and hour it was going to happen!

H.E. Governor Duncan Taylor issued a strong statement on Sunday (18) assuring Mr. Baines he and the RCIPS will be given ‘ every possible assistance’. We may or not be told what that ‘assistance’ is. The Governor also appealed to people to come forward who have information. Surely some of you out there who are ‘in the know’ MUST realise by now that keeping silent is making a terrible situation into something worse, war on our streets. Duncan Taylor added that the violence was ‘unacceptable’.

Have you seen the photographs in iNews and all the other Cayman newspapers and online news sites showing the anguish and grief on the family and friends of the victims – the GANGLAND MEMBERS? I am neither but after seeing those pictures, I shed tears.

And what about our schools? Are they a birthing place for gangs? It was suggested that this was the breeding ground for them at least fifteen years ago, a suggestion hotly denied by some politicians. Looking at it then, when I was at CITN, I had teachers telling me this was the case. Guns were not an issue – only knives and drugs. Now I have been informed that not only do gangs operate in our school system, guns are brought in, and an ‘initiation’ programme is run where a ‘pupil/initiate’ has to actually perform an ‘assignment’ so he or she can be ‘bloodied.’ This is the ‘way-in’ to membership. A former teacher told me that some ‘gangs’ deliberately disrupt classes. If this is true why are we quiet about it and more important what is being done? If it isn’t true, can someone in authority dispel this as only rumour mongering?

The Premier, Hon McKeeva Bush, the Governor and the Police Commissioner have been in talks yesterday morning and made a public statement in the afternoon informing us the steps they are taking to end this bloodshed. Ending it we must and sitting down talking about it is over. Action speaks louder than words and it is action we need. NOW! Pur leaders  have our support and united we can end this misery.

I have a message to all parents and family friends. You have a huge responsibility. Show love and treat children with kindness and teach them what is right. Be an example – a role model. And to all the churches on this Island. Why aren’t you all unified in getting the same message of LOVE out onto the streets? Preaching from a pulpit or podium, quoting Bible sentences in your cozy buildings to your own congregation is not enough. You are preaching mainly to the converted. Go out to these areas of bloodshed in your hundreds (or thousands). Preach the love message there. Would Jesus be closeting himself in
a building?

We can win this battle but only together.