Gang wars — a result of marginalisation

Community activists in Laventille believe that because the area has been marginalised over the years and continues to be fed “crumbs” from government, this is now being reflected in the violence and gang warfare, which has spread from Laventille to other neighbouring areas in Port-of-Spain. Feelings of discontent and a sense of betrayal, pervade the area. They have regularly voted for the PNM government in power but have not seen improvements in their community and surrounding areas.

One community worker said he would not be surprised if some politician becomes a target of the violence reflected in the hills of Laventille. Residents have been beseiged by gun-toting youths and community activists say people are moving out of the area, as they fear for their lives. Where are the guns coming from and why are the traders targetting the youths in Laventille? These are some of the burning questions which are angering residents who are struggling to stay alive. Lennox Smith, a community worker for many years, told Sunday Newsday that just a few weeks ago, he was accosted by a young man with a gun while travelling in the area in a taxi late one night. Luckily for him, his life was spared. “Because of the situation, taxi-drivers are moving their services to other areas. Small shops are closing down and we are worried that soon, Laventille will be nothing more than a ghost-town and a playground for the gangs,” he lamented.

Smith noted that some people were moving out for better job and education opportunities. “People moving out of the area speaks volumes and Laventille will rapidly become a dead community,” he said. Archbishop Barbara Burke, a well-known Baptist community worker, felt the only thing that could help her area now is prayers. She has called on the authorities to search houses in Laventille to find the guns and get rid of them. She said there is a general sense of fear among the residents because no one knows who will be next. “It is a frightening state of affair, therefore, I believe that all homes should be searched and the guns seized,” she said. Archbishop Burke believes the only other thing beside prayers that can help the gang wars to stop, is for government to pump enough resources into the community because there are people who do not have access to information and do not know who to go to in times of need.

Smith said it was time for government and other sectors of society to stop seeing Laventille as any other area which is affected with crime, pointing out that Laventille was a special case with more crime, murders, school drop-outs and socio-economic problems. He said because the community was ripe with violence, it is now time for a national debate on the area. “The PNM government apologised to the community for neglecting it, but that apology is not being reflected in any massive, concerted effort to deal with the social and economic problems in the area, including crime,” said Smith. He noted that the number of guns that have been available to the gangs, shows that there is a free supply of ammunition to re-load the guns. Smith felt that the reason why the warfare was spreading to other areas, was because the gunmen are now wise to the police patrols and have moved to other hunting grounds to avoid the police.

Reflection of a marginalised community

The group, Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD), is currently engaged in a research study on gun violence with Caribbean countries, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Haiti, with a particular emphasis on TT in relation to the gang warfares currently occurring in the Laventille community and environs. Public Affairs Co-ordinator, Folade Mutota, said one area of the research has to do with the availability of the guns, how they are coming in and how are the youths getting them, the social impact of this and government’s response to the situation. She pointed out that Laventille always had a history of violence and marginalisation, which WINAD felt,  is unlike any other area or community in the entire country.

Mutota isolated as an example, even the manner the community is neglected with respect to garbage disposal. Piles and piles of garbage remain uncollected for days. “When you look at the history of Laventille, one could see that not a whole lot has been done to correct the social imbalance that has existed there for a long time. How does the State expect people to feel living with that?” she said. However, one of the concerns for WINAD, is the number  of guns being traded throughout the country and why it is being played out significantly in Laventille, unlike any other part of the country. “A number of things have come up, but essentially, two main areas we can see so far with our analysis, is that as a society, we have not been able to provide for our citizens, social amenities, so that people can live healthy lifestyles,” said Mutota.

She said WINAD is asking why is it that Laventille had been marginalised for so long, especially since it is a community close to Port-of-Spain and has produced a number of achievers in various spheres. The group held a discussion forum among women in the area, during which they told them about the financial struggles families face and the men of the household felt that it was their duty to provide. “A number of the young men feel, that in the absence of a mother, father or an adult being, they have to go out there and get it done. But because of the economic challenges, how do they get it done and that is where the situation we have in Laventille comes in,” she explained. The WINAD representative pointed out that if some of the youths have turned into a “gunman”, it is because of abuse, psychological and or physical, sometimes even from the State, which reflects their behaviour.

She used as an example, young men who end up in prison, they come out, more than likely, more violent than they were before because of the abuses they experience in prison. She said the gun-traders, have targetted a market with the young men in Laventille, because of their vulnerability and economic disadvantages. “It’s a type of hopelessness that we’re speaking about and therefore, anything that looks attractive enough to bring a quick dollar,” she said. Mutota felt that in order to really address the problems in Laventille and surrounding areas, government had to dissect and isolate the “real problems affecting people’s lives”, rather than dealing with it as a whole. However, she noted that this will require some humility to work with the communities, political will, financial and technical resources from government, pointing out that the problem no longer requires “quick fixes”. “The situation has ended up in which we need serious State intervention in a real and significant way,” she said.

Go after guns and drug lords

Founder and co-ordinator of the Malick Social Welfare Group, Patricia Herry, has called on government to make an even more assertive effort to get rid of the guns and drug lords, who have been destroying the lives of youths in Laventille and environs such as Malick. She also called for more resources to be pumped into the communities, in which school leavers can get themselves engaged in programmes such as HYPE, instead of living in idleness. She lamented that despite a few attempts to help young people in the area, the information does not reach them because the parents do not encourage them. Herry said this is where deeper involvement is needed from the politicians. However, she felt that in order to really save Laventille and environs, there must be a clamp down on the guns and drug lords. “What government really have to do, is to lock up all those drug lords who bringing in the drugs and guns, because to bring in the drugs, they have to bring in the guns to guard it,” she said.

Herry pointed out that it was these people who were paying the youths to do the jobs, because they clearly, do not have the money to bring in the drugs and guns. She felt that the Ministry of Education should make military training and religious education mandatory in all schools, so the youths will be able to develop disciplined minds against the social ills, noting that the parents these days, lack foresight to achieve such disciplinary standards. Herry believes that the proliferation of the gang and rap culture, as well as the brand-name syndrome, have also contributed to the gang-warfare lifestyle which has errupted in North Trinidad. She too agreed, that unless resources are put into Laventille and environs, no amount of extra police resources can help the problem.

Respect versus disrespect

We hear from police authorities about the gangs fighting over turf. Beside disputes over URP and CEPEP projects, Sunday Newsday was told that the violence can be triggered by what has been described as “disrespect” among each other. A community worker said sometimes a youth would use obscene language against another youth and that would be termed “disrespect” and that is how the fighting would begin. “These ‘fellas’ have become trigger happy. It goes beyond URP and CEPEP now,” said one resident. Another agreed and said that one youth got shot the other day because he told another youth about his “mother” in obscene language. “The fighting is just over stupidness and it is because they are illiterate,” she said. “There are too many guns around and this only worsens the situation, its just that they have a gun and feel they can use it,” they added. A youth from the area explained that it is a build-up of tension and other things among certain groups.

Two or more men, might have an argument over URP or CEPEP gangs and or guns and drugs and who might be trespassing on his turf. The argument could lead to a series of obscene language being exchanged, thus, triggering the so-called “disrespect”. One day, a youth might be idly minding his business and the next minute, he might be dead, either by one gunman or a gang. Residents disclosed that the youths were also fighting over women and command “respect” from their male counterparts where this is concerned. If a family member dies as a result of gun warfare, it also triggers a series of revenge killings. “If you interfere with another man’s woman, that is disrespect and you could lose your life for that because they have guns,” said another resident. WINAD’s spokesperson, Fulade Mutota, said the gang wars are a frightening situation since it seems almost “en vogue” to be carrying around a gun. It is worrying that among the gangs, it was almost a respectful thing to kill, because of the power of the gun, she lamented.