Mercy Committee decision as bewildering as the spate of violence

WHAT A HORRENDOUS three weeks this has been in relation to crime and violence for Vincentians. Five young men shot dead, two others injured by guns; two women killed then dumped like garbage, one in a bag, the other in the back seat of a car; and yesterday, an innocent child was found dead in a vehicle.

Predictably and understandably, several pages of this edition of SEARCHLIGHT, posts on social media and calls to talk shows on radio stations all echo one theme – that “something” must be done to stamp out acts of violence in our society, particularly violence against women and girls. Our society is again outraged and we all want to act, do something, anything to make a difference.

This morning, the children of some of our nation’s schools will stand on the sidewalks, dressed in orange and holding placards as their response to what is happening around them. The orange colour that many of them will wear represents a future free from violence for women and girls. Our children can do very little other than raise awareness and vow that when they grow up, things will be much different. And earlier this week, the President of the National Council of Women (NCW) lent her voice, yet again, to the situation. At a press conference (see page 3) she called for more vigilance by police and harsher penalties for perpetrators. Like our school children, the NCW is powerless when it comes to funding crime fighting initiatives, enacting laws and enforcing them. They are most effective at the grassroots level, working with our women and children so that change can begin in the home.

Those who pull the triggers or pelt the blows are not the only ones who perpetuate gun or domestic violence in our society. The guilty include those who turn a blind eye when illegal firearms and ammunition are hidden in the home, or the friends or pastors who tell our battered women to go back home and make things right with the abusive husband/boyfriend. We must all be on the same page if we are to make any headway in relation to violent crime – from the policy makers to our children. We must have zero tolerance for all the enablers, as well as the perpetrators.

It was therefore beyond disappointing that with the proliferation in homicides committed here with illegal guns, we learnt this week that the Prerogative of Mercy Committee had met and agreed to free a woman who had been jailed for possession of an illegal firearm. She had served just over one week of her sentence when she was sent home. We need to decide what we want in this society. Though it may not have been its intention, that decision by the Mercy Committee has the appearance of undermining the courts and is a slap in the face of law enforcement, who were praised last week for acting swiftly in apprehending the guilty and seizing the firearm after it was brazenly posted for all to see on social media. We can’t on one hand say we are being tough on crime, then be soft on punishment. The mixed message is just as bewildering as the spate of violence and does little to comfort our troubled society.