Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodhan is calling for a gun amnesty in a bid to rid the Central borough of the illegal firearms police believe warring gangs from Enterprise may have in their possession.
“I am saying that it is time that we relook the amnesty for guns and other weapons in the community and in all communities in the borough Chaguanas and outside in the environs,” Boodhan said following a Peace Walk hosted by the Inter Religious Organisation in Chaguanas yesterday. “...there should be some mechanism in place revisit that amnesty so that we could have peace, love, that amount of camaraderie and that friendship and fellowship back in the community again.”
Boodhan said an amnesty over a limited time frame should be explored so people with illegal firearms could turn over those weapons to the police. He said this move would go a long way in curbing crime, especially in hotpots such as Enterprise where recent violence between warring gangs have had residents under siege.
The mayor said he was happy to see increased patrols by the police and army in Enterprise, noting a strong police presence was needed in the community. Boodhan, however, expressed disappointed that the majority of his councillors, aldermen and the deputy mayor did not come out to support yesterday’s event. He said all stakeholders should have rendered a show of solidarity to the victims of crime in Enterprise.
But Muslim leader Imam Muwakil Abdullah was a little more forceful with his words on the issue. “What we are calling for in this march is for the people to carry in their guns to Johnny Abraham and if not throw it away. If they fraid to carry it in go and throw it away, not rest it down, throw it away, because if they rest it down when you get angry again you will pick it back up.
“So I am asking the brothers, whatever, Rasta, muslims, whatever...whatever religious body throw away your gun...because we dont want no drugs and no guns in the community because nobody ever prosper and survive for long in drugs and gun. As the bible says if you live by the sword you die by the sword.” He admitted, however, that many more peace marches may be needed because of the type of criminality that exists todays.
“We need more praying, more walking, this is a generation of vipers we are dealing with. We need to change them so that they could be good people still.” Abdullah, who is the head of the Crown Trace Mosque, also said he found nothing wrong with the timing of the march during the Islamic month of fasting, since the march was about praying to God for deliverance from crime.
“Prayer is something we need, whether in Ramadan out of Ramadan. The prophet Mohammed said we should pray in season and out of season. The lord always love someone calling on him, he (God) always love to answer our prayer and when we stay away from prayer then we have a problem.”
Licks for Cadiz
Community member and businessman Rishi Kanick said Chaguanas East MP Stephen Cadiz should have done more to ease the crime problem in the area. Kanick, a resident of Boodram Trace who also filed nomination papers with the UNC as a Chaguanas East prospect, said Cadiz went into the parliament on a crime busting ticket as the head of the Keith Noel committee.
“We need to enhance and create an area that is free of crime… I would say to an extent that he (Cadiz) failed to deal with the issue of crime in Enterprise and the general community,” he said. The march started around 7 am from the Esmeralda Recreation Ground under a heavy police presence.
The politicians gathered - Boodhan, Cadiz and Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie—were not allowed to address the gathering before or after the event. However, Inter Religious Organisation (IRO) head Brother Harrypersad Maharaj allowed acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams to speak before the procession left.
Williams said the police and army will continue to police the area and focus on redirecting young people away from crime into productive activity. “The Enterprise community has been crying out for help and we cannot, as good citizens, stand aside, criticise and turn our back on Enterprise, and it is in that context that initiatives such as this one, where the IRO has decided to come to the community and give support with a clear demonstration through a peace walk, that we must support.
“T&T can only become a better place when we the citizens come forward and do whatever we can to improve our society.” The procession headed east from the ground to the Southern Main Road then proceeded south. Heavy rains hit the procession as it headed north along Connection Drive to emerge at the head of Crown Trace before making its way back to the starting point before 9 am. But some participants said the march should have gone into the heart of the hotspots at Crown Trace and Enterprise Street rather than stick to a safe route.