Why wait?

We all grew up on adages like 'a stitch in time saves nine' and 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'. They espouse the wisdom of anticipatory intervention. We know that if we reduce or prevent negative occurrences, we can minimise or negate their consequences. The financial and human costs incurred after things have gone horribly wrong are far more than that incurred by preventing problems in the first place.

So, whereas I applaud this administration's efforts at assisting the traumatised citizens in troubled communities like Tivoli Gardens and, more recently, Tredegar Park, I am concerned that we always wait until terrible and shocking events unfold before we provide security, financial and psychological intervention. By the time we intervene, lives have been lost, families decimated and irreparable psychological damage has been done to people of all ages that will resonate for generations to come.

There are many other well-known, deprived communities teeming with all the ingredients that it takes to bring about a veritable explo-sion of crime and barbarity inside and outside their precincts. Poverty/inadequate, poor or deplorable infrastructure/non-existent or minimal education/political manipulation/ abandonment by the State/ helplessness/ hopelessness/dependency on politicians or dons/drugs/desensitisation to gruesome acts/weapons and antisocial acculturation are all in the mix.

It's troubling to note that since the reported (temporary) dismantling of large organised criminal gangs, there have been observations of smaller, less organised street-corner gangs. And, even though the police announced that there have been no increase in downtown criminal activity since the ousting and deportation of Dudus, word on the street is that crimes (extortions, robberies, rapes) have increased in the usual areas. However, since the victims are afraid of the perpetrators, distrusting of the State and unaccustomed to our brand of justice, little or no formal reporting has been made. This is an environment ready and waiting for another 'president' to replace 'Dudus'.

We know all this, yet we either ignore the people of these needy communities or we do "what we can with the resources that we have". That translates into "nothing much for now because there are more pressing issues that require our scarce resources and attention". We will continue on that path until the situation is such that these communities get up in our face with rampant criminality and murders ... only then will they constitute the "more pressing issues".

Depressed communities

Since it is the crisis of lawlessness within or from those communities that usually get our attention (and not their persistent needy status), the security forces constitute the first wave of intervention. It is, therefore, indeed extremely sad that many of our fellow citizens from depressed communities only interact with mainstream society through violence. What are we to expect from them and their progeny? Even if we cannot afford to provide all the amenities that a civil and caring society should provide to everyone, we owe it to all our citizenry to show that we care before they show us that they don't.

Whether we want to admit it or not, our little country is deeply divided by politics, poverty and education. And, as Abraham Lincoln is quoted to have said in June, 1858, "a house divided against itself cannot stand". Jamaicans live in worlds far apart from each other. However, when they collide, they do so with catastrophic consequences. We must deploy our scarce resources to establish across the board fairness and equity or face interminable criminality.

n Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practise. Feedback may be sent to garthrattray@gmail.com or columns@gleanerjm.com