They have nightmares about gunshots.

They can't play outside for fear of being a target.

These are Bermudian children who live a reality of gun shootings in their neighbourhoods and are terrified they could be next.

Since May last year five men have been gunned down four were killed between December 5 and January 4 and another 13 shot.

The shootings have had a particularly strong impact in Pembroke, where many of the victims lived.

Students at two primary schools in the parish, Northlands and Victor Scott, wrote about how the violence has affected them.

On Martin Luther King Day, Dionne Tuzo's class at Northlands wrote 'We Have a Dream', a short essay in which they laid out their hopes for Bermuda.

Ms Tuzo said she scripted the speech and the six-year-olds added what they wanted. The result is the short story on this page.

Yesterday one of those children, Jahquesai said: "I feel sad for people. I feel scared because every time I heard something shooting, it was just the wind."

Another child, Owenea said: "I feel mad because people keep on going to the hospital just like my uncle. When I was in my mama's bed watching a movie, I heard 'boom, boom, boom'... I was almost going to cry."

Antonio agreed, saying: "I feel scared because when I hear something like 'boom' I just hide under my sheets."

And Alexcie said: "I feel very sad. I don't want no more shooting and no more fighting and no more going to the hospital."

Sabria's grandfather Maxwell Brangman was one of two men violently murdered by Darronte Dill in St. David's in September 2008.

"I feel scared because I think the same thing is going to happen to me," she said. "They don't think about how much we are going to cry when they kill people in our family."

The students had definite opinions on what was needed to stop the violence.

Jahquesai said: "I think they should think about the children and how the children feel and stop shooting other people."

Aayah agreed, adding: "People should think before they do it."

And Kyare said: "They should put the guns away and the people that don't want to get shot, when the people shoot the other people, they should get the phone and call 911 and tell who did it."

Victor Scott teacher Lawriette Watson said her nine and ten-year-old students gave their views on violence in Bermuda after a classmate wrote about how it affected her. (See page four.)

"She inspired the rest of them to share their process," Ms Watson said. "It was about the time that Shane Minors got shot. It really affected them.

"It moved into a big conversation and they wrote the pieces from that. The majority of them live in the area. It was actually a bit inspiring but a bit disheartening to know that they are exposed to these sort of things."

Not all of the students' parents gave them permission to talk with this newspaper about how the shootings made them feel.

One wrote simply: "I want to be happy again."

Another, Xai-Asia, said: "I always have nightmares. I can't sleep properly because I always think somebody's going to break into my house and shoot me and I think that I am not safe and that I have to protect myself. My parents tell me not to worry about it."

Said another girl: "It hurts me because I have to walk home or have to go down the hill to my auntie's. I wonder if somebody's going to come and a lot of guys hang around there and I get scared."

One girl added: "I feel bad because I can't go over my friend's house anymore or go on walks. I feel bad because I can't go nowhere because my mama said that something might happen to me. I asked her if she could come with me but she said she can't because she don't have time."

Taqueeta said: "I feel scared because a lot of people's daddies are going and it scares me with all this violence happening."

Another student, Kandi said: "It makes me feel nervous and frightened. You can't really walk around town anymore and you just don't feel safe anymore because there's a lot of shootings and everything going on."

We have a dream

We have a dream that Bermuda will be a safe place again because we are afraid. We have a dream that all people will be kind to each other.

We have a dream that all of the fighting will stop. We have a dream that people will stop shooting each other so that we can go outside to play.

We have a dream that no one else gets hurt and goes to the hospital. We have a dream that we won't hear scary sounds at night like gunshots so we won't have nightmares.

We have a dream that there will be no more killing. We have a dream that no one else will go to prison. We have a dream that Bermudians will live in peace.

We have a dream just like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

By Primary 2 Tuzo/Hill

Northlands Primary School

See >Victor Scott School letter –on the Opinion Page