Waiting for Justice

According to Wikipedia, the population of New York as of 2006 was 19,306,183. New York is a total of 54,475 square miles (141,089 km²) in area, making it the third most populous city in the USA.
According to Wikipedia, the population of Trinidad and Tobago as of 2005 was 1.3 million. Trinidad and Tobago is a total of 1,979 square miles (5,128 km²) in area, making it a fraction of the size of New York.
According to the BBC, the murder rate in New York for the year was 428 as of November 18.
According to the Express, Guardian, Newsday, Bomb, Punch, Tanty, Granny and everybody else, the murder rate so far in Trinidad and Tobago is 338.
So could someone explain to me how the hell a country that is the size of a pimple on the face of New York could have a murder rate that almost as high as that of New York? Even more disturbing is the fact that while New York's murder rate is going down and is presently at the lowest it has been in 40 years, in T&T ours seems to be going up.
According to the BBC,

The soaring murder rate of the late 1980s and early 1990s was largely a result of turf wars between gangs running the crack cocaine trade. The turnaround in violence from the early 1990s was attributed to the city's zero tolerance policy, which saw police crack down on minor offences and drug dealing.

Gang warfare? That sounds familiar. But zero tolerance policy? Even on minor offences? Eh eh. Not in sweet T&T where anything goes, and our national motto is "Free Up Yourself".
In addition to the attitude of citizens, a big part of the problem is the ridiculous justice system where cases are tied up in courts for years and years. The Bible as a book of wisdom explains T&T's position quite simply but accurately in Ecclesiasties 8:11. It says:

When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.

Plain and simple, there is the root cause of our problem. Everybody could do anything and get off scot free, so everybody does what they want.
Even in the schools, students rule because they can't be disciplined or expelled for bad behaviour, so they do what they want.
Murder, crime, violence, road deaths; all are tied in to the lack of accountability in T&T. Anything goes in this sweet land of ours.
To the authorities... Bring back accountability. Please fix our justice system or lack thereof. It's killing T&T.

P.S. If you want to have media briefings from the police, please find someone who can speak clearly and fluently and who will not pause after every three words to think of what to say next. It's annoying to have to listen to that sort of nonsense and it makes those who run the system appear even more incompetent.

And the Next Award Winner Is...

From the Trinidad Guardian Monday 15th October

42 held in two-day police raids

BY RADHICA SOOKRAJ

South Western Divisional Task Force police surrounded the Siparia cemetery on Saturday night and busted a drug den, ending a two-day exercise that netted 42 people.

As the suspects fled in various directions, officers managed to apprehend a 26-year-old man who sought refuge under a tombstone. The suspect was caught lying on his abdomen clutching 20 grammes of marijuana.


At the end of the exercise, a total of 12 people were held for drug-related offences. Three others were held for breaching protection orders, 23 were nabbed on outstanding warrants, while four were held for burglary, larceny, assault occasioning a wound and disorderly behaviour.

The suspects are expected to appear before a Siparia Magistrate today to answer the charges.

What I want to know is how stupid you have to be to see the police chasing you, and before you get rid of the evidence, you lying down on it and trying to hide it. So 20 grams of weed was so important to this man that he he refused to let it go? I think he is line for a Darwin Award.
But I think the police should get an award too. They had the place surrounded and only manage to hold one man? I think I have to agree with my pardner Jumbie and deduce that the police rather duncey.

Law and Disorder....Criminal Minds

So the police killed seven people last night and I have to say that in six of those cases I am
not sorry at all. In my books, only one of those people was an innocent. Wendy Courtney was killed by a stray bullet as she tried to close her window to protect herself. (Please note: A window is hardly likely to stop a bullet. The best thing to do is get as far away from the window that you can.) Still, it was sad that she had to die because some stupid fellas decided that they wanted to follow the wrong path. Of course the families of those killed are not likely to admit that their loved ones were on the wrong path. According to the mother of one of the men shot, a 17-year-old boy to boot:

"My son was working to buy his school-books and was waiting for his CXC results, he was a hard-working boy."

Hear more:

Friends of Blake and Lewis, who wished to remain anonymous, also angrily expressed their feelings saying "the police willfully kill the men, they had no gun on them, nothing to deserve what they get."

So all the men that police shot yesterday were innocent. Police just decided that these random men, going about their random business needed to be killed yesterday. Police said "You know what, we have too much bullets today. Let's go open fire on some innocent men and kill them, then say that they shot at us first."

It's amazing. If we go with what the families of men who are killed or arrested by police, there are no criminals in Trinidad and Tobago.

I think the families of these people who know that their relatives are involved in shady activities and say that they are innocent, while they reap the benefits of their nefarious deeds are just as much criminal as the ones they try to protect.

In my book if the police had to shoot at you then you were up to SOMETHING and it couldn't be good.