An anti-gang campaigner has urged the community to unite against the spread of youth violence on the Island.

Pastor Leroy Bean, a founder of CARTEL Challenging and Reclaiming the True Essence of Life, said what was needed was a "collaborative effort" to combat growing anti-social behaviour.

Rev. Bean, of Transfiguration Ministries, founded non-profit group CARTEL with Pastor Lynn Landy, of Agape Faith Kingdom Ministries, two years ago.

It seeks to educate against, but also support, youngsters who are seduced by the gangster lifestyle.

Concerned at the rise in youth violence in Bermuda, Rev. Bean recently invited a former Los Angeles Crip and ex-Blood to speak on the realities of gangbanging to schools, prisons and community forums.

He said last month: "Often when people are going gangbanging, they either end up dead or in prison."

Commenting on yesterday's events, Rev. Bean said: "It's going to take a collaborative effort on behalf of the people in the community to find a solution to this problem.

"At the end of the day, everybody is affected by gang activity. And there are really no experts because the behaviour we are finding among Bermuda gangs is somewhat unorthodox."

He explained that rather than being violence motivated by the need for money or drugs, young Bermudians were seeing guns and violence as some kind of a status symbol.

"They're not even doing things because of a need or necessity to survive," he said.

"They are doing it because this is the thing to do. It promotes a style and status to be identified with.

"To be identified with violent behaviour, it gives them a sense of status."

Rev. Bean said therefore, what was needed was a homegrown solution.

"In order to combat this particular type of activity, we need to find a solution ourselves by identifying the mechanisms in Bermuda," he said.

"It can't come from the traditional view, such as from the US. It is going to take building relationships with care givers the families, members and affiliates of the gangs themselves, plus the support of Government."

If you need advice and support concerning gang-related activity, contact CARTEL on 734 7972.