On a visit to Saint Vincent I was awed by Ernesto Cooke’s February 9, 2023 article in the Saint Vincent Times “Gun Crimes and Cocaine a Run Away Train on the Island of Saint Vincent”. As a veteran of confronting gun violence, cocaine distribution and despair in New York City, I offer these perspectives.
Gun murders, motivated by rampant cocaine distribution, places the lives of all Vincentians at risk. SVG tourism is in danger. Should tourists learn that SVG has the seventh highest murder rate in the entire world they soon will abandon your magical isles. New businesses fearful for the safety of their colleagues and property will follow suit. Cocaine can contaminate sea water also putting the vital fisheries industry at risk.
Where does the SVG cocaine come from? Coca leaves grow in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, Columbia and Peru. Cocaine distribution is controlled by Mexican cartels. Beware, Venezuela too is a well known supplier of processed cocaine. Cocaine Chemical tests can determine the origin of the coca allowing for the tracing of distribution routes.
And the guns? Most guns crossing borders from the US are illegal. Criminal high velocity pistols are made in Europe. Increasingly guns are transported by cartels from Columbia where Israeli rifles used by police are manufactured.
To dramatically reduce the flow of guns from the US, the US government MUST first take guns from violent criminals. In major U.S. cities left leaning politicians refuse to prosecute illegal gun possession due to perceived racial disparities. This issue requires the understanding of the SVG government .
What is a Golden Hand Grenade?
A military hand grenade contains a high explosive encased by an iron jacket. Our Golden Hand Grenade is symbolic of the strength of a nation. The inner core are her people. They possess the nuclear energy of their will to force change. To eliminate violent gun crime and cocaine abuse the will of the people is encased not by iron but by strategies required to make their communities safer. These include:
1 Eliminating cocaine drug dealing at the street level. Drug money funds guns and violence. Drug gangs perpetrate the related murders. Community residences know all the drug purveyors. They will assist law enforcement if citizen identities are protected.
2. Targeting, and quickly incarcerating, known felons and gang members who violate gun and drug laws. This is required to ensure the safety of the innocent.
But also, offering incarcerated individuals the opportunity for rehabilitation, drug abuse treatment and employment is needed. Some may be saved!
3. Educating parents on the dangers of illegal drug use while reminding them that children start using drugs that are easy to obtain. Often these drugs are found in their home. Marijuana is a gateway drug which can lead to a life time of other drug addiction and even death.
4. Rallying schools, churches, businesses, and government leaders to speak frequently to students and citizens on the dangers of cocaine use, while identify drug dealers as the most dangerous villains of SVG society.
5. Increasing initiatives to support single mothers and their children. Violent gang members often come from single parent households. Their mothers must be protected from domestic violence.
6. Never abandoning the power of Prayer!
