‘Where are the people from Laventille?’

Leslie Ann Lewis, whose house was shot up in Laventille earlier this month, yesterday admonished her own Laventille people, for not taking part in the march against crime through the streets of Port-of-Spain. She said: “I am very disappointed in this march today. Where are the people from Laventille? There is more crime in Laventille than anywhere else and is mostly white people in this march. The people from Laventille should have cared even more and should have been here!” This statement brought sound applause from the audience which included Lincoln Meyers, Peter O’Connor, Diane Dupres, DOMA official William Lutchman and Imshan Ishmael of the Islamic Relief Centre. The march was organised by the group Citizens Speak Out (CSO), as they sought to address the issues of criminality, lawlessness, apathy and personal responsibility.

Lewis said too, that if the country is to see an end to crime in our country, we have to help National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee and the police since they alone cannot do it. She urged parents to talk to their children to bring about positive actions from them instead of falling into delinquent patterns, and by doing so, they too can help with the crime situation and bring back Trinidad and Tobago to the lovely place that it was before. Lewis also took the opportunity to thank the Besson Street Police for looking out for her since the shooting incident at her home. Her short, emotional and arguably the most effective address of the day was well applauded by the audience. Preceding Lewis, television personality Allyson Hennessy appealed to the gathering to adopt one less unfortunate person in their community and ended by saying: “Let us love one another, let us love TT and we will survive”.

Earlier, the march of approximately 150 concerned citizens, led by flagman Peter Diaz, left Woodford Square to the strains of “Trini to de Bone” played by the DJ operating from the bandstand. They were then escorted by police as they proceeded up Abercromby Street, across Keate Street, down Frederick Street before making their way back to the square. On their re-entry to the square, pores raised as Mavis John’s remake of Marjorie Padmore’s “God Bless Our Nation” blared from the speakers. Cherise d’Abadie of the CSO organisation said that the main purpose of the march was to gather people form all parts of the country who had expressed how concerned they are about the levels of violent crime in the country, and give them a forum to come out and express their discontent. At the square, petitions in the form of two banners were placed for signatures from all concerned citizens, while a number of periodicals with news from CSO were distributed  Other speakers at the rally were Mtima Solwazi (Muslim Youths in Action), Ernesto Kesar (Trinidad Youth Council), Sheila Solomon (Citizens Agenda Network), Gregory Sloan-Steele (YMCA) and Lennox Smith of the Morvant/Laventille Improvement Organisation (MLIO). Entertainment afterwards included Brother Resistance and the St James Tripolians.