Years ago, Richie Spice, through his song Earth a Run Red, gave a clear picture of the affairs of the day, highlighting, among other things, the need to be vigilant in the streets based on the prevalence of illicit drug and gun trafficking, theft, and violence. A line in the refrain says, “I hear a next yout’ dead, whoa!”

For those of you who know the lyrics of Richie Spice’s song better than I do, is there any semblance of its content reflected in today’s Jamaica?

According to data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), there were 507 people murdered up to May 15 this year, representing a 1.6 per cent increase compared to the corresponding period last year, in which 499 people were killed. Again, we see that the first few months of the year have been bloody. Gang violence, gender-based violence, and police-gunman shoot-outs continue to be some of the main contributors to these escalating figures. Additionally, we have been seeing a new norm — or, maybe not so new after all — of reportedly accidental, but which is sometimes intentional killings.

We could consider the recent cases of the best friend who killed his friend, the teenager who took the life of his 6-year-old cousin, or even the father (businessman) who pumped a bullet into his own son’s body.

We do not get much time to celebrate positive things in our country. And, yes, there are many beautiful things going on. However, those things are either not propagated much or the moments are short-lived. This is because the news is predictable. Some people engage the different media outlets just to keep informed of whether any of their family members has been taken out, or if violence has finally reached their doorstep.

However, we really cannot continue like this. For a so-called highly Christian and religious country there is really no fear for God. Instead, we seek to engage in and promote what is immoral and contrary to what the word of God teaches. The summary of the Ten Commandments lies in love for God and love for our fellow man.

It is evident that too many guns are out there in the streets, and too many young men are ushered into criminality from an early age. Most times our socialisation plays an important role in how we turn out in the end. Where would a teenage boy get a gun in the first place to be playing with around a child? We also recently learned of another teenage boy who was caught robbing a gas station in the Corporate Area. Who is responsible for these youngsters?

We are aware that many of the social ills in our country are connected and more opportunities and social interventions are needed. However, we cannot continue to blame poverty forever for a lot of these incidents. The fact is that, if guns were not being imported into the country, in the first place, there would be fewer of those crimes.

There are many other countries in the world that have similar or worse economic conditions to that of Jamaica, but we do not hear of so many killings taking place. I am aware of the conditions in much od Haiti and some countries in Latin America, if ever you thought I did not know.

A lot of these youngsters and their cronies have a lazy and dependent mentality. They do not want to work. They believe in obtaining quick cash through any means available, including scamming. They do not see it necessary to find opportunities in a crisis — like the average young person who is struggling but still striving to make it in life — honestly. What is unfortunate is that several of these teenagers or young adults end up being killed or imprisoned, while their superiors continue to recruit others who will, no doubt, have the same fate.

Our armed forces, through the help of the citizens and the relevant government structures, including the judiciary, should continue their great work to making Jamaica a safe place. It would be a delight if the latter part of 2021 gave us better results in terms of the level of bloodshed. Wishful thinking?

The current state of things really does not entice returning residents and some tourists to take a trip to Jamaica, “No problem, mon”. It is doing quite the opposite.

Oneil Madden is a PhD candidate in didactics and linguistics at the Université Clermont Auvergne, France, and president of the Association of Jamaican Nationals in France (JAMINFRANCE). Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or oneil.madden@uca.fr.