The blame for the shooting deaths of ten people, including a 12 year old boy, in an outburst of gang violence in Trinidad last week lay in the collapse of the family, faith and morals, the Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-of-Spain declared. “We need to get back to basics,” said the Very Rev. Carl Williams. It began with parents supervising their children at home, reintroducing religious instruction in state schools and adopting a communitarian mindset in society as a whole. Police in the West Indian nation report that 308 people have been murdered so far this year in Trinidad & Tobago. Stopping gang crime began with the parents. “Children need the care and respect of adults who take them seriously in order for them to become oriented into the world,’ he said. Yet too many parents are “ aware that some of their children are involved in gang warfare, they may even be pulling the trigger,” but do not act. Active parenting of children from an early age was vital, but had to be coupled with religious instruction. :In order to stop violence we need to have a right relationship with God,” the dean said. From this develops an attitude of care for others. “If we see something that would cause harm to the community, then the neighbours should come together,” he said. The dean set aside 29 Sept 2015 as a day of prayer. “We are asking people to get up from their boardrooms, classrooms, living rooms and the seats of their cars and come to the cathedral where we can bring these things to God in prayer. God is able to do what we are not able to do we just have to leave it all up to him.”
