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I have been silent during these last couple of days because my heart and community are truly hurting from the tragic events that have taken place. I haven’t had the time to reflect because of my busy schedule. I have spent some time talking to the young boys and men in my community, making sure that they have the chance to speak and truly express how they feel.
I look at a CBC article and I read this: “owner of The Nook, a coffee shop, says her staff came to work on Wednesday comforted, at least, by the fact the shooting wasn’t a random act.
“‘My main concern was making sure that all my staff was fine last night getting home,’ she said. ‘Honestly, business goes on. Life as usual. Unfortunately, it’s a realism of the world we live in now.’”
Tragic loss of life is never “business as usual.” Those suffering from this tragic loss are not comforted by the fact that this act was not random.
As a community leader and prospective city councillor, there are things that I feel are important and need addressing: Our education system for our young black learners and school reviews for our schools in our area; Lack of activities for youth in the community, and a lack of young people feeling they are part of the community’s growth; Our Transit system, the need for better housing, better spending, et cetera.
NONE of these issues come before the loss of young lives, and the impact this has on communities from the day it happens, and many years after. When I hear that young men’s—especially young black men’s—lives have been shortened it really hits home. These victims have left children and families—some of these children I work with everyday—and the community mourns way after media stops reporting. It is very hard to understand that when this happens it’s not just “Young man killed.” When it happens to us it’s “Tyler Richards, father, community leader, all-Canadian basketball player, murdered, leaving many communities hurt and feeling hopeless.”
These incidents really hit home for me, and with the loss of so many of our young people and the unsure future of many coming up before us, my heart really hurts and I pray that we can avoid as much loss as possible.
We need to educate and support our young people coming up so they are not the next victims or offenders.
I love my people and my community and pray for the families that are, and have been mourning.
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This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2016.
Someone needs to intervene between the two warring factions. They may just be killing each other but at some point, someone else will be killed in the melee. Similar to the Spryfield groups, HRPD does nothing to stop this (probably because no one outside these groups have yet to be victims). Increased presence on Gottingen will do jack-shit; they will kill you somewhere else. Instead of buying AK47S, spend some money investigating the crack-wars. FFS!
Create a recipe for success.
This notion “well it wasn’t random … so don’t worry about it” is a killer. There are many so called “random acts of killing” in North America where the shooter and victims knew each other.
This attitude simply allows us to go back to sleep until it happens again.
At the last HEMDCC I brought up Joey Cameron. Afterwards there were people approaching me with “their version of events” and all I could think was, “well did you go to the police?”
They had no idea but they had a story. A story that would help them believe that something like this could never happen to their kid.
The HRM , we are small enough community, we can do something about this. There are lot’s of reasons we probably won’t, but no good ones.
We can have a coordinated comprehensive youth engagement strategy.
Bring the love to them.
Take the existing programs and coordinate them.
The police are now running Youth Live and the Youth Advocacy Program.
How effective might we say that is?
On paper we’ve saved money per young person but in the big story could we not expand this region wide and involve more civilians? Trained professional civilians? Art teachers? Cooking instructors? Music teachers? Basketball coaches? Psychologists?
Do we think youth feel comfortable dealing with the police when they know criminals in their peer group will likely never see inside a court room?
How do we think this culture of silence grew to such a thunderous volume?
And is it not possible this gaping hole in our society would allow less kids develop into killers if we brought the love?
Not the stick, hand cuffs and cages?
We created something youth wanted to be part of , in a large way. An attractive way. That trumped the lord of the flies mentality we’ve left them to today? Essentially to fend for themselves.
We don’t need another round table on crime.
We don’t need another half a million dollar study to tell us we’re doing everything we can and crime went down 1% last year so the police are doing a great job.
I know the police are doing what they can, everything. But they are police you see.
More police will not make one bit of difference to the attitude and the long term prognosis for youth in our community.
Let’s say yes to our youth. Let’s initiate a youth engagement strategy through our community centers.
One in every district.
Open up an area twenty four hours a day , 365 days a year and have activities for youth who don’t want to be in trouble but have no options.
Watch this now frightened almost invisible crowd grow.
Become attractive.
Watch youth want to be a part of the community when we start giving the respect we expect.
#WESOP Warren Wesson – Alive in District 5
Don’t buy drugs and don’t tolerate drug dealers in your neighborhood. If demand goes away, so will they.
A good start is not to get involved in crime. Most victims know the perpetrator and in the vast majority of cases it’s criminal v criminal and to a lesser extent, but as serious, if not more so, a domestic situation. There are very few stranger murders.
We as the HRM community need to address the poverty, housing, and addiction issues and also support positive youth engagement initiatives. Crime grows where poverty and hopelessness exists because there is always someone (a crime leader) ready willing able to direct these young people to life of crime & usually drugs (escapism), giving them a opportunity ‘to make it’ … but what they don’t say is that they (crime leaders), reap the rewards of said crime while keeping our youth addicted and in need of crime endeavours to feed their addiction. Why can’t we as a community offer a more wholesome, life affirming approach to these folks in need. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Lindell sorry for your loss my brother. You are a good man, a leader, and very jovial individual. I feel your pain. I have spoken to a couple of my black friends who are from Nova Scotia. I am not from Nova Scotia and when I see the underrepresentation of Blacks at universities it is disheartening. I and one of my fellow black Nova Scotians planned to form of group with emphasis being placed on Black Nova Scotians with the goal of getting into universities. What is the issue, one might ask? It is the same issue that is taking place right now. The easy alternative,money,and “good life”. It still bothers me as to why? The government has in place subsidiaries to alleviate the cost of going to university. All one has to do is apply oneself. What happened to our parents? Do they sit by and watch as their child participate in illicit activities and feel comfortable? There are more questions than answers but we need amicable solutions to deal with these ills that plague our youths. What do those look like?
Condolences to the families who have lost loved ones. Time for us to act. One love.