The call came from space, and sent a chill through a roon full of engineers who instantly knew they were in a dire situation.

The now famous words, "Houston we have a problem", shattered the calm of the NASA control room as Apollo 13, bound for the moon, encountered a major malfunction that threatened the ship along with the crew.

It was a problem of such proportions, that it required a solution outside of the trouble shooting script. In other words they had to solve what initially appeared unsolvable.Failure was not an option, and through utter determination and technical support at the highest level, the troubled spaceship and the crew made it safely back to earth.

Bermuda, we have a problem with some of our youth who threaten our beautiful island ship in the Atlantic. Solving this problem could very well demand the same determination applied in the Apollo mission.

The death of young Kellon Hill, at the threshold of his life, must never be in vain, in fact the best monument to his memory would be that Bermuda came to its senses after his senseless murder, and collectively launched a campaign with one message – the Country is not going to tolerate this type of savage conduct any more.

However, before going into battle, generals usually like to know what they are up against. Without this knowledge, the enemy will always have an advantage.

So just what are we up against in Bermuda? Widespread illegal drug activity has become a monster that is eating away at the foundations of the core values that are needed in a decent, respectable society. If ever there was a problem that seems unsolvable, it is surely this.

This multi-million dollar illegal drug business can only be operated by people with high-level management skills, because no matter how many busts are made, the flow of the substance continues. When a community, even in the shadows, is a quiet client for this deadly trade, they keep the business alive, and when the effects spill over into the light, there are very unpleasant revelations.

Many children in this country are silent victims to unacceptable conduct from adults who could care less about using profanity in front of them, and often abuse or bash then about while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, making their lives a nightmare. Unless something drastic is done, and I do not have all the answers, some of these victims will be tomorrows social time bombs.

The world for children today is more dangerous then ever, with every type of negative distraction, not to mention the illegal drug dealer constantly looking to keep business alive by hooking young people before they even know what is happening. Our society seems to ignore this, because in a small arena, so many people prefer to look the other way, partly because friends and relatives are involved. Ugly but true.

Holding a peace rally to address the current crisis is a positive move, but one has to be careful that such a gathering is not in a sense, a massive therapy session where plenty of words are used, but no hard action is taken to stamp out anti-social conduct that is threatening to wipe away what previous generations fought so hard to build.

Thankfully we still have parents in our community trying to give their all to steer young minds in the right direction, at great sacrifice. This is not easy in a society where the negatives seem to be closing in at every turn. Sadly there are children who are not privy to crucial vital early guidance, thus making them vulnerable to the negative element.

The opportunity for Bermuda to take drastic action now, to crush gang activity, is at hand. If it means new tough legislation, with no loopholes to dance around, that would send a sharp shock to those who simply ignore the law and have little or no respect for community life, then that is what is required.

Being afraid to take action required by not providing full support to the Police and authorities would be our biggest mistake. There will be tears and some pain in the struggle ahead to save our children and our communities, but the consequences will be far worse, if we simply talk but do nothing.

The moment is at hand for making young Mr. Hill's death a milestone for action in reclaiming our streets, and neighbourhoods. Bermuda is meant to be much better than that, and no one who loves this country should settle for anything less.