The years 2006-2008, has seen an increase in violence in the African Nova Scotian community with a number of individual loosing their lives to senseless violence. To honor those that lost their lives and to this madness and to bring awareness, I believe the African Nova Scotian community should construct of a wall of remembrance for the victims of violence. I also believe the community as a whole should implement a "Healing Circles" and a public speaking lecture series on the impact of violence on our community and on preventing violence through the development of greater self-esteem and determination.
I honesty believe we have a responsible to address violence on an individual and community basis. Equally, I believe the Provincial and Municipal Governments have a significant role to play.
This crime problem can be curbed through traditional and non-traditional means of education and re-education. This education and re-education must illustrate how present systems dominates our lives and breeds the conditions that we currently exist under, then we can begin to re-educate people in the knowledge of self. Armed with this knowledge, I believe we will see the problem of violence decrease in our community.
We must show strongly that we value live in our community and recognize and appreciate all members of the community, not just those that are seen to have the education of the larger system.
We must ultimately understand this violence serves the greater good of others and is largely encouraged. This disease of violence has taken years of conditioning and brainwashing to put in place and it will take much time to eliminate. It's not the guns or the drugs that enter our community creating the violence; it is caused by a mentality.
By M. Raymond Sheppard