May 24, 2009

Dear Sir,

Please afford me the space to voice my opinion on the violence and illegal activities being experienced in Bermuda today.

It is my opinion that parents who know their children (and I mean children of all ages) are staying out late night after night for no apparent reason and who are involved in illegal and violent activities are contributing to the Islandwide problems we are presently facing and are the reason why it has gotten as bad as it is.

Are your children too big or too old and are providing most of what you have via illegal means that you put the blinders on and turn a deaf ear to their wrong doings?

Are you the parent who blames the Government, the Police, your neighbour who complains, the lack of work or the lack of education for your children's behaviour?

Is it the love for your children that makes you ignore their wrongdoings or are you afraid of your children?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you must look in the mirror because the problem starts and ends with you. If you cannot control your children and are turning a blind eye to their unsociable behaviour, then you are the cause of the problem. If you want to stop this madness and want to really show love for your children, then you must look at yourself inwardly and decide if you want your children, you, your neighbourhood and your country to be constantly living in fear of being killed be a stray bullet because you do not want to do the right thing to stop your child. If they are not listening to you, then this island will experience worse.

If we think that a few gunslingers cannot stop this Island from functioning, think again. They break in your house in the daylight hours and they shoot guns in the streets in the daylight hours. It gets closer to home every day. This does not concern you? I am concerned about your innocent neighbours that are living in fear of reprisal if they speak out against the illegal activities in your neighbourhoods. I am also concerned about the people who cannot visit their loved ones at the hospital when it had to be shot down because of the shootings. People who could not see their dying relatives for the last time and men whose wives were having babies and could not be there for them. I ask all parents who are protecting their children and their illegal social behaviour to take a long hard look at yourselves and look deep into your hearts and ask yourselves how long, how many lives, and how far are you willing to allow this country go down the tubes before you expose your unruly children?

You are the only ones that can do this for the long term. If you want your children to respect you, they may have to be mad at you for a while first. They will get over it just like they expect you to get over it and live with what they are into.

Parents, you can stop the madness.

GERALD BEAN

Paget