Soulless humans

EDITOR: There is no doubt that the spate of crimes in St Vincent and the Grenadines has reached an all-time high. The response of the people is indeed very bewildering. There are those who play the blame-game – Blame the Government! Blame the education system! Blame the homes! Blame the society! And of course, blame the churches! The fact remains that persons within the society know the persons involved in the killings and their motives, but they close off their humanity and become soulless human beings. How is it possible that a gunman shoots a young woman dead and without remorse wipes his feet on her body in an arrogant display of disrespect and no one sees so that the police can make an arrest? In an area where persons are always milling about and playing dominoes, how can a gunman walk up to the domino players, single out one of the young men and shoot him in the head and no one sees anything?

The fact of the matter is that everyone should accept some blame for the situation that currently has evolved. These callous young men and women, who believe that life is transient and there is no difference between a movie shown on television and the reality of taking someone’s life, did not suddenly become this cold-hearted and unfeeling. The process started years ago, when parents did not pay attention to their parenting styles, nor did they support the schools when the child was identified as portraying deviant behaviour. The constant bickering between political parties did not help either and the money-grabbing lawyers, who trot out the trite statement of “innocent until proven guilty”, do not discriminate about the cases that they take, as they argue strenuously for acquittal or delay the process of the court system.

Truthfully, while some of the churches have become involved in the political milieu, the majority have tried to point their congregation in the right direction, but the lack of interest in anything that is spiritual by young people has led to significantly reduced numbers that go to church either on Saturdays or Sundays. More so, Sunday Schools for children seem to be a thing of the past, as parents allow children to dictate whether or not they want to go to church. Coupled with the greed for money, the drug dealers appeal to the “get rich” mentality of our young people, who do not want to work very hard to achieve their ambitions. There are parents who know their children are involved in the drug trade, but they accept the drug money willingly and turn a blind eye.

So now, we are left with young men without souls, who show no remorse for taking a life. Young men without souls, who are rubbing shoulders with all of us as we walk through the town! Added to this is that some of the online media news seem to relish posting footage of bodies lying in gore and blood, so that the ghoulish Facebook surfers can send these pictures all over the world, as the Opposition rub their hands in glee and the ruling party mumble defensive excuses.

Let’s get real, people! The Police Department, to my mind, needs to train personnel in more advanced investigative procedures – such as handling evidence and confidentiality! Bring back the death penalty! These soulless human beings are worse than animals and should be treated as such! The drastic crime situation calls for drastic measures and we should employ them!

Concerned Citizen