Under the theme of ?Unity in the Community?, forum leader Kevin Santucci is appealing to residents to attend a meeting next week to devise solutions to gang violence.

He said Government Ministers, Senators, and members of the Island?s business community have expressed interest in attending the meeting. Yesterday, flyers advertising the public forum went out to all churches, clubs and neighbourhoods on the Island calling on residents to become part of the solution.

Mr. Santucci, a Seventh Day Adventist Elder, who has been spearheading the community dialogue, said the public discussions aim to strengthen community support to help young, black males become more productive members of society.

Although he welcomes legislative support, Mr. Santucci said now is the time for the community to handle the problem independently in a grassroots effort. Rather than letting the issue go out of the public spotlight one of the aims is also to target apathy.

?These meetings are important, often we are discussing issues which took place years ago and the action that was talked about was not carried forward. The main focus of these meetings is moving forward in an action manner.?

Mr. Santucci has organised meetings in St. George?s, Hamilton Parish, and Warwick for throughout the month of May so people who live in these neighbourhoods will have a chance to discuss problems in their area and draft solutions.

The final meeting will be held at the end of May and Mr. Santucci said ?every posse, every crew, and group on the Island is welcome to attend. We are going to hold the meeting at a central location so everyone can attend?.

?We?re opening the floor to look at suggestions of how we can strengthen the community, we encourage everyone, including people from Sandys to come out because this must be a community effort.?

At last weekend?s three-hour forum, the audience heard from a variety of speakers, including a white woman who told the Island?s white community to wake up and join the black community in helping young men forward to success and opportunity.

This week NLP leader Graeme Outerbridge told that instead of holding pressure cooker public talks about the issue, parish councils should take responsibility by directly dealing with young men in their area who are not part of the functioning social group.

Former Premier Sir John Swan also said he should have been more forceful about his call several years ago for an at risk facility designed to support young men who express anti-social tendencies.

Among the topics of discussion at the meeting will be the role of the family, a speech by a reformed drug user and a presentation by commentator Rolfe Commissiong who will be speaking on a Commission of Inquiry.

The meeting begins at 7.30 p.m on Tuesday at the Sandys Middle School.