Dear Editor

WHILE our leaders’ attention is on elections, we know too well that everyday life continues. We the undersigned are concerned that we are experiencing destructive (mostly) male gang behaviour, which is not being adequately addressed by law enforcement and other national efforts.

Gang depravity and mob crimes are not new phenomena. They have been ripping apart our country’s social fabric for over two decades now. By gang, we do not mean only organised groups, but multiple people who may act together spontaneously on instinct to harm others in a particular situation. We are beset by gang home and business invasions and battery; bicycle gang thievery; gang sexual assaults on females and males, including children; gang beatings of vulnerable people in the streets; mob violence; and gang hate crimes such as harassment and violence against gay people.

The recent attack on gay rights activist Joel Simpson is unacceptable. The cruel gang beating of a defenceless, homeless man on the East Coast and the mob attack on the truck driver, Danion Welcome, involved in the tragic accident on the East Bank are equally unacceptable. We condemn these acts and call on the authorities to find and bring the criminals responsible to swift justice. Violence against the vulnerable and bigoted violence against gay men and women have no place in a democratic society. We all have to do our part to build a living democracy.  We ask you to stand up and lead the way, especially in the present national climate where political passions are heightened.

We must act now at the highest level of government, in our opposition parties, our mandirs, churches, mosques, companies, organisations, schools, communities, and in the streets to educate and demonstrate zero tolerance for this behaviour. We call on the Office of the President and leaders of all political parties to acknowledge and condemn the recent incidents and to engage with citizens to find solutions. We call for an immediate and serious review of our penal system, policing approach, as well as education and other efforts to address the problem.

We recognise the challenges our police force faces. The police become involved at the end of the pipeline when damage is done. However, the instinct for violence is nurtured in our culture — how we raise our children– rich or poor– how we treat each other and the examples we set. Violent activity is enabled by our socio-economics, with its ever-growing gap between those who have and those who have not. The solution to gang violence needs all of us committing, cooperating, and supporting our police force and those who are already working to prevent violence.

In closing, we wish it to be known that we are drawn from all political persuasions, economic strata, and ethnicities. We do not want our concerns to be misconstrued or to be usurped for political party or any other form of politicking. Please let’s stick to the issue and deal with it. Together we can.

Signed

1. Simone Mangal-Joly
2. Ayodele Dalgety-Dean
3. Renata Chuck-A-Sang
4. Alana King
5. Trevor Bento
6. Delmar Rogers
7. Deborah Ramsay
8. Lalta Gainda
9. Jonathan Yearwood
10. Natasha Willems
11. Jennifer Cipriani
12. Amanda King
13. Farah Ousman-Kerr
14. Shawn King
15. Lionel Jaikaran
16. Raquel Thomas-Caesar
17. Indira Amato
18. Richard Persaud
19. Azad DeAbrue
20. Esther McIntosh
21. Maya Trotz
22. Pauline Mangal-Jardine
23. Sabine McIntosh
24. Annette Arjoon-Martins
25. Gina McCamley
26. Beverley Harper
27. Tricia Fiedtkou
28. Daina King
29. Don Singh
30. Saskia Wijngaarde
31. Mark Mangal
32. Denise Dias
33. Ewan Shanks
34. Monica Wong
35. Carol Ann Marcus
36. Kathleen Whalen
37. Wil Campbell
38. Sarah Wong-Williams 39. Terry Caesar
40. Devta Ramroop
41. Veronica Langford
42. Pauline Bullen
43. Huichang Yang
44. Sabanto Tokoroho
45. Christell Chesney
46. Cherie Crandon
47. Aliyah Anderson
48. Tisel Patterson
49. Malika Singh
50. Arianne Harris
51. Reanna Khan
52. Landra Richards
53. Jomeala Gilkes
54. Deopaul Somwaru
55. Kevin Jeffrey
56. Denise Jeffrey
57. Jessica Xavier
58. Patricia Sheerattan
59. Suzette Fortune
60. Sonia Vanessa Madera
61. Royston Savory
62. Mohamed Amin
63. Patrick Reid
64. Rehaad Ali
65. Chelsea Fung
66. Schemel Patrick
67. Winston Jackman
68. Devya Hemraj
69. Ann Geer
70. Sarena Kawall
71. Timothy McIntosh
72. Cladia Van Sluytman
73. Kamla Rampersaud
74. Sandra DePaul
75. Human Rights and Social Justice Commission, Diocese of Guyana