April 27, 2012Dear Sir,I feel inclined to write to you and share my opinion in reference to the continued gang violence Bermuda has been faced with for quite some time now. It is no secret that this issue is far beyond a concern and is an issue that needs to be addressed with the greatest of urgency. How we address it is what concerns me most. I must stress to all that this gang violence has no political affiliation, and no politician on any side should be seen using this issue to score political points. I have seen far too often people pointing at the rise in gang violence as a downfall under the Progressive Labour Party Government. The reality Mr Editor, is that those who engage in these activities have no regard for the government of the day nor the general public as a whole. These young people need help and in order to offer that help we need all hands on deck. We need to come together as Bermudians for Bermuda. There are many social programmes begging for volunteers to assist the youth and help guide them towards becoming positive members of society. Programmes such as Mirrors and Big Brothers Big Sisters are crying out for assistance and it seems their cries are going unheard, particularly by the men in our community. We may look at them now and not see them as a threat but remember that these children will become teens and young adults one day and if nobody answers their calls now, the streets will later.There is a lot of anger going around at the moment and that anger stems from many years of hardship faced by the underclass in the community. There has been a lot of abuse physically, mentally, and spiritually as well as neglect taken by young people on this Island and if one were to listen to a few of the many stories of what our young people have been through, they would get a better understanding of why they act with what seems a heartless mentality.The next biggest problem we will face is the children who are now suffering the lost of their fathers. Mr Editor, if we reflect only a few years back and count the amount of fathers that were lost due to murder or road fatalities, we would see that Bermuda has a fatherless generation on the rise. This can not be ignored and those youth need guidance, and to see that people are there for them to support them through life, and that they do not need to fall victim to their loss and can still be successful in life. Can you imagine these children growing up knowing the child of the man who killed their father? If they are not taken hold of now the repercussions can be great in the future.Bermuda we must act now and we must act fast. We can no longer keep quiet due to our personal benefit or because we want to protect our loved ones. We must embrace our people and encourage them to put down the guns and pick up their hearts. We must be active in the lives of the children and vocal towards our young adults. We cannot let the street life win. I know that life well and it is not the life we want to see grow. My eyes have seen a lot in the few years I have been on this earth and from my childhood in Detroit, Michigan, to growing up in urban areas in Bermuda I know enough to say that it is not too late for us. Please Bermuda answer the silent cry for help coming from our children and play a part in their development.We can save this place, but we must act now. I am an 80s baby and I know my generation has played a part in this mess, the 90s babies in my opinion have contributed even more to this issue, yet it is the Millennium babies who can make or break us. Have you all heard them speak? Have you seen them in play? They are on a whole different level, they can ether be great members of the community, or they can completely destroy the community, they are at the crossroads, and can go ether direction, it is up to us to help determine which direction they will go. They are already far smarter then any of us were at their age, let’s help them channel that in a positive way. Its up to us Bermuda. Will we play politics with this issue or will we take a collective stand? Thanks to all already playing a part.MAKAI DICKERSONSandys