The Hour of Killing | Columnist

It was the address in Freeport that caught my attention. Six bandits (the police did not use “alleged”) were shot dead in Freeport. Normally I would only pay casual attention to such reports, as the killing grounds of the criminals operating in this country can be anywhere, as we are so small.

I listened more carefully now as I spoke to my brother Feroze, trying to find out if we knew any of those killed by the police earlier that day, having lived most of our lives in what I call “Greater” Freeport. As the TV anchor continued with a little more than routine story, I realized that the perpetrators were not from Freeport. They had rented the house in a district that extended far beyond what I knew. For all we know, one of them could be from Cedros and another from Toco.

So we learn that the criminal enterprise is expanding day by day to virtually every residential area in Trinidad and Tobago. Their territory is not limited to the communities in which they grew up, and the victims of their bestial behaviour could be you or me or anyone else.

It's scary. Just think: you're walking down your main street, minding your business, when suddenly cars' brakes screech and people nearby try to avoid another attack. You're not safe in your homes, in your workplace, when you're driving in your private vehicle or on public transport, walking to work or sitting down comfortably – hell, when you're sleeping in your damn bed, you're not safe.

Outside – and therefore all over the country – there are killing grounds that are not only unsafe but also deadly. The speed with which we are sliding into total disorder shows that the criminals know no boundaries. Neither a church, nor a mosque, nor a mandir are sacred grounds. The age of a child has no moral bearing on them. How the hell did we get here?

I sat there speechless, my brain racing as my brother and I talked. We spent much of our early years in the “greater” Freeport area – from McBean in the south to Chase Village in the north, Chickland, Arena in the east, and Waterloo-on-the-Sea in the west. When we were boys and out with our “troops,” we knew – or so we told ourselves – every “badjohn” inside and outside our borders. It filled us with pride to be from Freeport and to know these men. They were not like the savages of today who show utter disregard and shoot anyone, regardless of age or gender.

Operating out of my hometown of Freeport, these mostly young maggots inspired nothing more than a sense of disgust in the cavemen of my childhood – Ozzie and Daley, Pilgrim and Critchlow, Stanley and Abidh, to name just a few of the Badjohns of my day. Some were criminals, but by and large the “Badjohn” was someone who lived in the district and looked down on other criminals who violated the rules of conduct – respect for elders and the sanctity of children.

In those glory days, badjohns were often real community leaders, beating up politicians while fighting – sometimes literally – for their fellow citizens. Today's unfortunate young criminals owe no loyalty or respect to the womb from which they emerged. They are neither inhuman nor animalistic, for animals have codes; nor do they have any empathy.

If we want to rid society of this plague that has fallen upon us, we must first agree that in the war we are waging, we must all be united in the army of humanity. To justify the war necessary to eliminate the aliens, we must eliminate from our ranks the traitors who support the “hunters of the ark”. It does not matter whether they are ministers, business leaders, police officers or thieves.

The big question: who is bringing the weapons and the huge amounts of ammunition into the country? Wipe them off the face of the earth! They are the cause of our downfall. They are importing the weapons, knowing full well that they will be used against you and me.

You see, this fight against crime that everyone talks about but nobody does can only be won if we are prepared to eliminate those members of the law enforcement forces who are themselves deeply rooted in criminality, aiding, arming and encouraging these young maggots.

After the bigwigs of crime have been eradicated, the scriptures tell us that there is a time for peace, and there is a time for war; there is a time for killing. Now is that time.

—Raffique Shah