or risk turning the Island into another Los Angeles, a Progressive Labour Party MP warned yesterday.

"I have lived in one of the most violent cities in America -- Los Angeles -- and I can see a number of the same warning signs here as existed in the early days there,'' Dr. Ewart Brown told Hamilton Rotarians at the Princess Hotel.

"As nothing breeds crime like powerlessness, we must address this issue, particularly among young black men.'' Dr. Brown, who was elected as a representative of Warwick West during last year's election, claimed the United Bermuda Party was in danger of escalating the current crime problem by ignoring the alienation of young black males.

He added the PLP was attuned to the needs and aspirations of this segment of society.

"The PLP is poised to deal with this problem,'' Dr. Brown told listeners.

"Although we don't have any ready-made answers, we have the sensitivity and the commitment to deal with the issue.'' In an effort to come up with some answers, Dr. Brown will take part in a PLP "information gathering'' session this week that aims to confront the issue of violent crime.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will take place at 8.00 p.m. on Thursday at the Leopards Club in Hamilton.

In other comments to Rotarians, Dr. Brown cited some of the highlights of his first year in Parliament, including the PLP's role in choosing the new Speaker of the House of Assembly and the controversy that surrounded the passage of the Stubbs Bill.

That bill, which caused "a flurry of phone calls'' to Dr. Brown's office, resulted in the decriminalisation of consensual sex between males.

"This bill caused Bermudians more than any other to come out from a number of areas,'' the rookie MP recalled.

On the subject of the Speaker of the House's election, Dr. Brown said the Opposition resisted pressure from the UBP and the media to back the intended candidate.

Instead, he said, the PLP exploited divisions in the Government to secure the election of a less partisan choice.

"That was a very special day for us because as the Opposition it is rare that we can savour the tastes of any victory.'' In addition to looking back, the MP said he was "convinced'' the PLP would form the Island's next Government.

Claiming the party has "the brain power and the leadership skills'' to govern the Island, he also predicted a rebirth for the PLP and Bermuda.

"When we come to power,'' he told the Rotarians, "you will see the death of the caterpillar -- the death of the caterpillar and the birth of the butterfly.''