Gary (Tuba) Mallory?s message to the Island?s youth is simple: ?Stop the violence!?

The Somerset Eagles? coach, whose son Tekle was stabbed to death outside the Ice Queen restaurant in Paget three years ago, yesterday pleaded for the entire community?s support to help rid the Island of gang-related wars being waged in nightclubs, on the streets and at football matches ? the majority of which go unreported.

Mr. Mallory tried in vain to break up a horrific melee which erupted during Sunday?s Friendship Trophy final between Eagles and North Village (the game was abandoned after 19 minutes) at Wellington Oval, but was left powerless as a brazen assault with various weapons took place in full view of spectators watching the game from the scorers? pavilion.

Three men were injured in the attack while three others, believed to have been involved in the incident, were apprehended shortly afterwards at a Police road block on the Causeway.

For Mr. Mallory, witnessing Sunday?s attack meant reliving the loss of his son to a senseless act of violence.

The former Boulevard and North Village player, himself set upon by attackers four years ago at BAA Field, says lessons have not been learned from the past.

He said it was time for the community to take a ?collective? stand against the problem.

?This is the worst I have ever seen ... in life ... period,? he said. ?What we saw yesterday wasn?t a pretty sight. Everybody who was there ... I hope it opens their eyes. This was a sign of the times.?

Mr. Mallory said yesterday that he was still struggling to come to grips with Sunday?s gruesome scenes.

?I was more or less in a state of shock,? he said. ?A lot of my players (Eagles) were calling me back but, spontaneously, I just tried to do what I could to stop it. Seeing somebody laying down and getting struck like that took me back to my son?s death.

?Seeing that gave me mixed feelings. To a certain extent I was reliving my son?s death.

?It?s scary to see young guys going after each other. Yesterday I had to try and stop it. I was telling them it doesn?t make any sense ... think about your family.?

But it was the sight of young, innocent children ? spectators at what was meant to be a fun, sporting event ? screaming and crying that left the strongest impression in his mind.

?All I can remember is the small children ... they are our future,? he said. ?We are seeing these 20-year-olds doing these things. It was a scary feeling and all of us have got to think about the children who were there and all the innocent people who suffered.?

The former Cougars? player ? like many others ? feels preventative measures should have been taken.

?When I arrived at the game I didn?t see any Police presence. I think their presence alone would have been a deterrent. Once they see an uncontrolled environment they just reign supreme.?

Mr. Mallory said the writing has long been on the wall with regards to gang violence but people repeatedly choose ?to turn a blind eye to the situation?.

?Mothers, grandparents ... everybody has to make a greater impact to ensure that these things don?t take place,? he said.

?We all have to take a collective look and speak to our children.

?Back in the day, each person used to look out for the other but now we are scared to do that. We are the problem and the solution.

?The youth need to learn from the older generation and so on. It?s just a few who are making it hard for the rest.

?People want to come out and have a nice time. It was a good day, everything was going along lovely and then you saw what violence produces.

?It?s supposed to be all about love and loving the next man ... it?s really hard to put your finger on it.?

Mr. Mallory said ?we all are family? in one way or another.

?We have to think of the families. My grandma instilled in me many years ago that family means a lot. We all are family. You have got your immediate family and then you have your outside family. That?s what we have to get back to. We need to get back to sitting down at the dinner table and talking about how the day went.

?When we did wrong there were consequences, but nowadays, they do wrong and nothing happens.

?We can all talk but then when you are faced with something like (Sunday) a lot of things run through your mind.

?I have experienced the same incident and so I feel what these parents are going through. Seeing guys laying down was a different type of feeling ... and I don?t like to see bloodshed.?