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MALE president urges community to tackle gang surge

Henderson Tittle, President of Mentoring Anointed Leaders Everywhere (MALE), has called for a unified community effort to arrest the BVI’s surge in gang violence.

Speaking on ZBVI radio recently, Tittle expressed deep concern over the increasing incidents of gang violence and stressed the importance of a collective approach to curb the issue.

Tittle’s comments were in response to a recent alert from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) about the rise of gang-related violence, particularly the activities of a group known as the “Money Boys”.

The RVIPF’s report highlighted the pressing need for anti-gang legislation, noting that the Money Boys gang consists of around 25 young men involved in a range of criminal activities, including robberies and shootings. The gang’s members are spread across various communities, and their actions have raised public safety concerns. With no legislation specifically targeting gang-related crimes, the police said they currently have limited power to prosecute members without direct evidence linking them to specific offences.

Boys need their fathers

Tittle stressed the critical role families, especially fathers, play in steering young men away from criminal activities. “I’m going to start with the parents,” he said. “Fathers, this is a good time for you to connect back with your sons. Touch base with your son because…a lot of fathers, they’re not present in the lives of these young men.”

He added that many mothers end up shouldering the entire responsibility for raising children and emphasised that “a woman cannot raise a boy child on her own. You need the influence of the father.”

The community leader urged that there should be a comprehensive approach that allows young men to be heard.

“The young men, they’re crying out. There’s a cry. There’s a cry, and we are not listening. We are not listening. And because of that, they find other things to do,” Tittle said. “[They] get involved in other stuff because it seems more glamorous and more rewarding.”

We all have a part to play

Tittle’s call for action is grounded in his belief that everyone in the community has a role to play. He encouraged parents to speak with their children about the dangers of gang involvement and urged young men to abandon this path, reminding them that their actions affect their communities. “It’s a sad time for us, and I’m so sorry that we reached this place … all of us have a part to play,” he remarked.

The RVIPF’s alert on gang activity outlined several reasons young people might turn to gangs, including peer pressure, economic hardship, and a need for identity or protection. It also highlighted the importance of offering alternatives, such as job training and conflict resolution programmes, to help youth avoid gang-related lifestyles.

Tittle echoed this sentiment, calling on society to work together. “It still takes a village, and that’s what it’s going to take for us to do this. We need it at this time,” he said.

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7 Comments

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  1. Gang bangers says:

    What about those gangs that wear neckties?

    Like 9
    Dislike 4
  2. WAH HE TARKIN BOUT says:

    ain’t nothing new , only the names changed , because of the introduction of guns and drugs , but when you get right down to it it’s the same game / it’s like from gradual to the FAST & FURIOUS

  3. So says:

    The Community must get involved with these out of control little gangsters and stand the chance of getting gun down or their homes shot up. The law here don’t take witnesses seriously. SIR, you are so wrong when you stated that a woman cannot raise a boy is not true. I a woman raise a son on my own. My son never show me a bad day or disrespected me because his father was not present in the home. My son did what he was supposed to do now at the age of 24 my son just land his dream job at John Hopkins University Medical Center in Maryland. Yes, a woman can raise a son on her own.

    Like 12
    Dislike 1
  4. Jupitee says:

    The BIGGEST gang is RVIPF

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
  5. @So says:

    Thank you. I think the man is being bias when he said a woman can’t raise a son on her own. I know of a few women who have raised their sons as single parents on their own and the sons turned out as responsible productive young men in their community. I am not getting involved with the out of control young men because when you try to lead them in the right direction they will curse you out and tell you to kiss your MS. I also agree that witnesses is not protected by the law in the BVI or taken seriously. Even before you leave the station your name/names is spread all over the Island. Putting the witness in danger of getting gun down or some type of retaliation. People don’t say anything because they have to live on this tiny Island and they have to protect themselves and their families. I will say it again, witnesses is not protected or taken seriously in the BVI that is why people don’t say anything or is afraid to say anything.

    Like 1
    Dislike 2
  6. @so says:

    That is good for you. Humans are made to survive, man & woman.

    “SIR, you are so wrong when you stated that a woman cannot raise a boy is not true. I a woman raise a son on my own.”

    Some people dont want to acknowledge how the child is affected by the missing element. Its not helpful.

    If I didnt have my mother and only a father I wouldnt grow up violent.

    If I had my mother and no father I wouldnt grow up violent.

    But would still be me but I can say life would be very different by default of missing either of my parents.

    Boy or girl it doesn’t matter the father and mother both have a role to play.

    Each gender experiences and expresses their life different as does every person, two is more lessons and more presence, than one.

    There is nothing wrong with the traditional united mother – father family.

    And good for you for powering through on your own. If one parent dies that is what the other is supposed to do by nature.

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