Community and church groups hold brain storming session in response to latest shooting
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Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier and various community organizations came together yesterday morning to organize an emergency Community Conference out of a series of events and conversations in response to the incident at Jasonís Barbershop inside the Bermuda High School assembly hall. (Photo by Akil Simmons) July 20,2012
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Various community organizations came together yesterday morning to organize an emergency Community Conference out of a series of events and conversations in response to the incident at Jasonís Barbershop inside the Bermuda High School assembly hall. (Photo by Akil Simmons) July 20,2012
The fight to reclaim communities threatened by gang violence needs a common touch, according to campaigners at an emergency conference yesterday.
Imagine Bermuda, Spanish Town and other community and church groups held a brainstorming session at Bermuda High for Girls, in response to the Jason’s Barber Shop murder.
About 50 members of the public took part in a series of presentations and discussions throughout the morning.
Gladwin Simmons, of Spanish Town, explained: “This is just bringing everybody together and reinforcing the need to be more understanding, more patient, more sensitive and showing the common touch to life.
“I feel the leadership in all aspects of society that we have now is not inspiring confidence that we can turn this situation around.
“But people can make a difference by starting to look beyond where they have been looking presently. We need to be able to interact with that which is already happening.”
St George’s Mayor Kenneth Bascome said: “We have a tendency to try to use professionals in everything we do.
“The young people we are looking to reach are not dealing with people that are professionals, they want people on their own wavelength, their equals.”
At the meeting, groups including Bermuda Sloop Foundation agreed to cooperate with each other to develop an improved network to ensure young people have more non-gang related options.
And the idea of a national mourning session was raised; organisers will discuss the form of that initiative at a later date.
Glenn Fubler, of Imagine Bermuda, who helped organise the event, said: “We as a community need to take some time out to reflect on where we are at.
“We recognise that the answers are within our community. This event was a quick check-in for our various organisations to come together and think about what we can do to move forward.”
Mr Fubler believes last month’s daylight shooting death of Joshua Robinson, 31, in Jason’s Barber Shop, North Shore Road, Pembroke, took Bermuda’s gun troubles to a new level as it happened in such everyday circumstances.
National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief has said mediators have been in contact with gang members under a StreetSafe programme, one of a number of initiatives addressing gun violence.
Other groups involved with yesterday’s community conference include the Anglican community in Pembroke, Coalition for the Protection of Children, the Family Centre, First Church of God, Mirrors programme and Pembroke Seventh-day Adventists.
The team will meet again in three months.
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Published Jul 21, 2012 at 6:58 am (Updated Jul 21, 2012 at 6:57 am)