Return to Enterprise one year after Robocop’s murder

Alexis was shot dead on July 17, 2016 at his car wash off Freedom Street. Customer Kevin Escayg, 43, and another man, Thomas Hamza Sharpe, also died in that shooting.

Sunday Newsday spoke with head of the Crown Trace Mosque Imam Morland Lynch who said since Alexis’ killing there has been a new influx of more brazen criminals in Crown Trace, Enterprise.

“I don’t think everyone has moved on,” Lynch said. “It’s gotten worse and it will continue to get worse before it gets any better. Just last week they killed a businessman by the name of Joey because he refused to pay protection money to some guys who recently moved into the neighbourhood. What these guys are doing is not only killing the residents, they’re also killing the community because a lot of these businesses are forced to close down.” Lynch, who lost his son Akmal to gun violence in 2015, has since lobbied for an end to ongoing violence between warring gangs in the community. Asked what it would take for Enterprise to leave behind it’s history of crime and violence, Lynch said residents should focus on the future and leave the past in the past.

“People need to start healing again. They need to be able to take back their communities from these people that are coming in and doing what they want.

We also need more officers who are above corruption, who can put these guys away once and for all. We won’t be able to see any kind of change unless we get that support from the police.” Sunday Newsday spoke to a longtime Chaguanas resident, who asked only to be identified as Dennis, who claimed he witnessed Alexis’ assassination.

“I saw it from over the road.

One of those fellas had a long machine gun. They stood over his head and fired down at him.

They wanted him dead and they weren’t going to take any chances.” After Alexis’ death, tensions rose as residents feared they would have been caught in the crossfire of gang warfare. They say while the tension has eased slightly, the threat of violence is never far as many refuse to venture out after dark.

On December 4, 2016, Alexis’ brother Mervyn, 46, was shot dead along Railway Road in Enterprise.

On March 24 this year, another sibling, Sylvan Alexis, 60, was shot and killed at Francois Street.

“Here is not like it used to be,” one resident said. “Back in the day you could have gone out to a movie, but I wouldn’t take the chance now. Too many young fellas with a short fuse out here.” Sunday Newsday spoke with ASP Richard Smith, supervising officer of Operation Enterprise — a community-based initiative of the Police Service in Enterprise, who confirmed while there has been a recent upsurge in reprisal killings in the community and environs, the police, through a variety of community outreach programmes and more routine patrols, have arrested the crime rate.

“Before we (the TTPS) stepped up operations in the community there was an upsurge in reprisal killings especially in March where we had about ten murders for that month alone,” Smith said. “But since we went into the area and began our operations we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in the incidence of crime.” Smith credits the reduction in the incidence of violent crime not only to “hard” tactics, but also to more inclusive, community- based approaches.

“We’ve established the Enterprise community council, we also have a youth camp at the Enterprise Government Primary School. Since we’ve occupied the community, we’ve only had one murder and that was outside our area of operations. And since then, we’ve extended our reach to other areas in order to increase and improve our capacities.” While crime and violence in Enterprise appears to have remained stagnant for now, many residents are still unconvinced the changes are permanent as one elder explained, the violence is seasonal.

“It comes and goes like the wet season. Right now we haven’t seen much of it but who knows in the next few months that will change. We haven’t seen the last of it.”