Gang ‘Reference Guide’ To Be Unveiled
Speaking in the House of Assembly on Friday [Feb.10], Minister of National Security Wayne Perinchief said that he will host a public assembly on 22nd February and that a manual with information on gang mentality, signs and symbols will be published.
Speaking about the public assembly, the Minister said, “I will convene a broad cross section of front-line public officers, volunteers, community workers and ordinary citizens engaged in grassroots efforts to combat the challenge of the gang culture.
“I expect to hear real people sharing the strategies they have employed in this effort and the team from the Ministry of National Security will carefully record best practices and note what is required to supplement their efforts.”
The Minister that that on that same date he “will unveil a handy reference guide gang mentality, their signs and symbols along with intervention strategies for families and other members of the community.”
The guide will “eliminate the mystery that surrounds the gang culture, detail why it is attractive to some of our young people and empower ordinary citizens with the knowledge required to reclaim their families, loved ones and communities.”
The Minister’s full statement follows below:
Mr. Speaker, momentum on all fronts in the effort to seize the initiative from any attraction luring our young people to the gang lifestyle is critical. Therefore, further to my Statement last week in this Honourable House I am pleased to advise Honourable Members of two key initiatives in support of this Government’s anti-gang strategy.
Firstly, Mr. Speaker, in a public assembly on 22nd February, I will convene a broad cross section of front-line public officers, volunteers, community workers and ordinary citizens engaged in grassroots efforts to combat the challenge of the gang culture.
It is important that people know just what is being done and by whom. Sharing experiences is an important first step in aligning services in the community and eliminating gaps in that service.
Mr. Speaker, I expect to hear real people sharing the strategies they have employed in this effort and the team from the Ministry of National Security will carefully record best practices and note what is required to supplement their efforts.
Mr. Speaker, in the week since I outlined the six point strategy in this Honourable House I have met with ministerial colleagues, the Bermuda Police service’s Senior Command and the leadership of one of the Island’s national sports.
Mr. Speaker, a common thread has emerged from these discussions: the need for action on a variety of fronts and the need to equip ordinary citizens with the knowledge required to individually and collectively play a part in reversing the destructive trend towards the gang lifestyle.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, also on 22nd February I will unveil a comprehensive, user friendly manual setting out clear information on gang mentality, their signs and symbols along with intervention strategies for families and other members of the community.
Mr. Speaker, this handy reference guide will eliminate the mystery that surrounds the gang culture, detail why it is attractive to some of our young people and empower ordinary citizens with the knowledge required to reclaim their families, loved ones and communities.
Mr. Speaker, Bermuda cannot afford complacency in the challenge we face, nor can we rely on others to meet the issue which defines the times in which we live. This Government’s commitment is seen in the constant attention devoted to this issue. Our aim is to restore that sense of community and to empower citizens as equal partners in this important work.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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YAWN….
so, the point of this manual is…… what exactly? a guide book for the uninitiated? a guide book for the general public so they can better understand ‘gang mentality’? give me a break. these guys, these KIDS, end up in gangs as a replacement for the family unit. they have membership, purpose and community in their gangs. their values reflect that which we see most in our own society now – materialism and personal gain, at any cost. that the gangs exist and in the face of fear, violence and danger is really not surprising.
so why are you wasting your time and the taxpayer money on a ‘manual’? how about we stop accepting as the new ‘norm’ all these young men and women having babies out of wedlock? how confusing is it for kids to have all these half-siblings, unsupportive ‘fathers’ and a mish-mash of caregivers so that the mom or auntie or whomever can go to their job or jobs to support them? i know many people believe they ARE doing their best, and are just trying to keep their heads above water, but we have had a general shift in pride of family, pride of community, and pride of accomplishment. allowing this to slip away has paved the way to where we find ourselves today, living with gang and gun violence here in tiny little bermuda – unthinkable 15 years ago. reality today.
minister perinchief, lay down, instead, some standards to which we as individuals AND as an island-wide community, all bermudians, can aspire….make them worthy and attainable. not just pie-in-the-sky meaningless words. get real. get NOW.
Very very well said! 110% agree with everything you just said..
Hmmmm, so maybe that “go fornicate in the bushes” idea wasn’t so good after all. It yielded what we have today. Who would have thunk it?
The Minister that that on that same date he “will unveil a handy reference guide gang mentality, their signs and symbols ALONG WITH INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR FAMILIES AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.”
HOW ABOUT YOU READ THE WHOLE STORY INSTEAD OF JUST THE HEADLINE?
Intervention strategies? Is Blakeney trying to coax Ewart out of retirement so they can both run parenting classes?
Such wonderful role models that both are. In some circles your standards & morals don’t have to be very high & not much is expected or demanded to obtain a position of leadership.
Such are the depths Bermuda has sunk to.
All of you in this post block are a bunch of condescending cracker jax. Babies out of wedlock is nothing new in Bermuda so stop using it as a scapegoat. Lets cut through the BS & get right to it the women you mention are majority African descended this is obvious even if failed to mention. Now that we pin pointed where you are going with this lets take it back to long before 15 years ago. In the 1800s African descended women in Bermuda were having children from their slave owners OUT OF WEDLOCK & then in the 1900s African descended women in Bermuda were having children from American, Native American & British Military men & Portuguese migratory workers OUT OF WEDLOCK. All these children in the past born OUT OF WEDLOCK did not spawn the gun violence we have today.
I agree @ you have to be kidding me you are correct about general shift in pride of family, pride of community, and pride of accomplishment. So you may not be as much of a condescending cracker jack as the others but the mishmash of caregivers is not confusing to kids who have a deeply imbedded African culture of the tribe raising a child but this clashes with the western idea of every man for himself causing confusion. This dog eat dog western mentality stripped away the African culture years ago in America for inner city children but has only started recently here. We need to focus on what has happened in America to rip apart strongly nit communities to recognize were we have gone wrong here.
First thing that went wrong in African American culture is Africans were stripped of their identity & then taught if they wanted to succeed they had to perpetrate european characteristics. Even though we pushed pass this early on & had African descended premiers way before Obama but plp in the mid 90′s decided soil this progress with their race cards.
Second thing that went wrong in African American culture is after slavery & segregation hurdles were passed over new hurdles of competing with mass importation of foreign labor to get a job. We didn’t have a problem with having a lack of job positions for all the descendants of the African slaves in the past like America did but within the years of plp governance this has arose form the same foreign labor importation practices America adopted long ago. It’s very ironic that a government elected to curb unequally in race relations has actually caused a this problem to snowball. Now because of this parents of low income households must work more than one job to make the amount one job paid in the past. This problem started to come about years before the recession but now the economic climate is being used as an excuse for it.
Third & the one that puts the final nail in coffin. African American culture being exploited by media & music industries falsities about gang culture being part of African American culture. Bermudians especially African descended ones trying to find identity gorged on these types of medias poisoning all their ancestors fought for. We adopt Jamaican dancehall as ours when Jamaican dancehall artist are lost & have gone far from their Bob Marley roots into horrible gangster rap/dancehall concoction. We allow our children to watch ill thought out poorly produced gangster films instead of banning them as prodomently African descended culture who does not need that brain washing trash. Our stores allow the young purchase games like grand theft auto & play them to their hearts content. Our bars serve underage drinkers without batting an eye. All done out of love of money not love of the community.
We are letting our letting our island slowly transform into an American type ghetto. We used to be a culture that was sooooo conservative you could get a ticket by wearing shorts to far above the knee. Now a child can walk down the road cursing at the top of their lungs. This is what’s spawned this gangster mentality not women having babies out of wedlock.
Is that you, Vanze…?!
Don’t know who this vanze dude is but if your confusing his wording with mine he must be a gentleman & a scholar.
Is this so you can prepare yourself for gang initiation?
Another consultant thing.
Handbook?
I love you, will you marry me. We can have children and…………………………………
I wonder which board member was hired as a consultant to write this report?
Just a couple of years ago the higher up’s were adamant that there were no gang’s in Bermuda ….just guy’s that like to hang out together.
The group of anti socialist in Bermuda are not really gangs as defined as organized crime. They are sort of like trekies who watch star trek & imitate what they see. These so called gangs are just groups guys from parts of Bermuda who watch gangster movies & listen to gangster music & try to imitate just as trekies do with star trek. Its only the government & media that have bolstered these groups as gangs. The media does this because hyped up stories are their job & government does to lay excuse to to the disorganization of them their police service. The only ones really organized in the criminal organizations in Bermuda are the ones importing drugs who I’m 100% sure have no “gang” affiliation what soever & probably spread their supply to all drug dealers without prejudice.
Above commenters, please stop being so ignorant. If you were paying attention to earlier news reprts, you would know that once anti-gang legislation comes into effect, there will be programs created to help identify children with ganglike behaviour.
SO OBVIOUSLY this pamphlet will help parents, teachers, guardians, etc. to be aware of certain behaviours and symbols that young people may be displaying!
too little too late.
Soo… I can gather from the Ministers statement that he is just coming to grips with the who’s and why’s of gang membership/lifestyle… And how long has it taken to get to this early stage in the game? 2 years maybe? 2 years to put in a handbook what the majority of us out here (under 35 at least) already know? What a sad situtation indeed. Does this mean that we are another 2 years from even beginning to address the problems? Time for change!
Clinton, you are full of it.
You think you know it all, but I’m sure a PARENT who is OVER 35 would welcome somthing that would at least let them know their child is involved in a gang…
You OBA folk are so short sighted and critical.
Better question, what would YOU & the OBA do? You can’t keep critcising forever.
How exactly would you make sure parents and teachers knew the signs of gang activity?
Understanding… do you understand? if you are involved in your childrens lives you would certainly recognise the signs that they were involved in gang activity. this is basic old news and the focus needs to be on the initiatives to sort out the problem not identify the problem we already know exists. btw I’m a parent and over 35 and I don’t think I am blind. its a PLP thing to do a report on something to find out what to do about it. waste of time and money. disassosiated youths will find alternative support systems i.e. the welcome easy money and “family” of the streets. don’t matter where you come from, what political party you are affliated or how much money your parents have in the bank. the point here is about practicaity not party affliations. did you just have to put OBA out there like they are the only ones against this???
How can you judge if all the members of these anti socialized groups (tired of spreading the gang fallacy so will call them this from here on) really came to be this way because there parents didn’t involve themselves. How can you judge a mother who works more than one job to feed & shelter her children. Where does a mother in this situation find the involvement time you mention. If these women were getting paid livable wages they could make time for their children. This is plp’s fault for allowing employers to market manipulate & OBA doesn’t even have a solution for this. Instead the leader of OBA along with employers just goes on a lambaste campaign of Minister Minors Act to give jobs back to Bermudians without college degrees. If these children grew up knowing that there government would give them a chance to succeed with what they have at current they wouldn’t be enticed by these anti socialized groups. UBP had it so Bermudians made enough that they could live & the anti socialized groups like whitewall & frontline at the time had no pull as parkside, 42nd & mob do now. We have foreigners working here at the moment who have children back home they are only involved with a month out of the year. Their children don’t join anti socialized groups because they know mommy & daddy are getting paid enough in Bermuda to by me a home, food & an education. PLP except for a few of their ministers is all about helping themselves not their people & OBA seems to want to do the same. There is zero hope from politics on all sides in 2012.
Hey Now Hey Now! Can’t we all just get along?
Everyone knows that gangs are gangs, but NOT everyone knows which folks will BE in games, CATCHMYDRIFT?
You gotta b stupid 2 need a manual to tell u want a gang is lol! How can this help anyone!
Its probably a collaborative effort between Ewart and Glenn. The sequel will be parenting 101.
soon they should release a pamphlet on how to recognise PLP cronie-ship and gang lifestyle within politricks…they are the ones who f%$ked this place up, they are the ones who indebted us, they are the ones who live lavishly whilst the rest of us suffer for their bad behaviour etc….
Take the black market out of mary jane you bunch of idiots. Stop protecting the drug mules. We all know that mary jane stays illegal so you guys way up the chain can make your millions. Gangs get their money from mary jane. No money=no organization and it really is that simple. Stop making up excuses as to why you can’t do it. Even if you did a trial period of two years and see how many gang murders occur once their is no black market. My bet is a big fat 0. Nothing to fight over. Duh. Stop the prohibition you idiots.