Shooter gets life for Caribana killing –Star, Dec.19/08.

“Gun-tooting drug dealer”. It is clear that we have a gang problem, with mostly young, black men killing each others for the most trivial reasons; sometimes for a slight or “disrespect”, or for drugs and money. This is black on black violence, – tribal warfare of the most base kind. These young people with nothing to lose, obtain handguns readily on the black market, and use them for the basest reasons, without thinking of the consequences.

Certainly, anyone using a gun in any criminal way should be dealt with harshly, and when they kill someone, whether the intended victim or a bystander, the maximum penalty of 25 years to life should apply automatically. However, there will be another young man to take his place, because the social environment in which they live, breeds this kind of behaviour. It’s like a cancer, it metastasizes and grows, unless it is excised and the proper chemo-therapy is applied, to ensure its permanent eradication. Or, to use a gardener’s metaphor, you must take the weeds out by the roots, or they will soon return to blight your garden.

If we cannot find the determination and strength to tackle this problem in an effective way, and expending the efforts and funds needed to bring these young people into the mainstream society now, we shall surely suffer greater ills and expenses further down the road. In fact, this might be a good time to start such a project. If we can make most of these young gangsters into productive citizens, the returns on investment might be greater than any other “infrastructure” project we can envision.