I have your back

I remember one year when I was in France there was a campaign called 'Touche Pas Mon Pote' a phrase which I think approximated to - Don't Touch My Buddy. There had been a surge in racism and racist attacks in France and so this campaign was in response. Several of my friends there were involved and I can definitely say that it made life seem a lot more comfortable.

In the last few weeks in Trinidad there has been such an increase in incidents amongst people that I know - one attempted rape, one kidnapping, one murder, a few buglaries. We need a 'Touche Pas Mon Pote' campaign everywhere in this country. EVERY neighbourhood needs to be sending a strong message that it will not tolerate bullying, victimisation, or a compromise of the personal safety of its residents.

And this is not only needed in the large chaotic communities. Why should a small village in Tobago like Black Rock have 13 - yes 13 - break-ins during the past couple of weeks. And unfortunately one of these happened to a friend of mine. A nightmarish experience. The locals need to make it clear to any confused individuals that they will not get away with their intimidating behaviour. In this scenario, the tourist becomes the 'Pote'.

What would it really be like for us to have a similar campaign here in T & T? What would it be like for uprisings of support to happen whenever they were necessary and in the early stages of problems brewing- not after serious incidents happen but when the development of the scenario for these incidents was taking place?

Yesterday in St. Anns my neighbourhood had a meeting for us to meet each other. It was great! About time that people recognize each other, wave, look around as children pass by, etc. I am looking forward to more of these.

Of course deeper issues need to be addressed in order to remove the culture of violence. I found Amy Chua's book 'World on Fire' to be a superb insight into why some countries - such as T& T - are facing a spiralling in violent crime and some others, despite poverty - are not. Her solutions, however, are incomplete and unhelpful. The book is still worth reading but just don't look for it to provide the answer. But even while these deeper issues are being addressed it is critical for us to make it clear that endangering personal safety is not acceptable for anyone - Woman, Man or Child.