The recent Cherry Tree Lane massacre in which eight people were killed and nine injured continues to fill the society with pain, revulsion, and fear. To say that gloom has descended over the community is an understatement.

Indications are residents have expressed the desire to move out. This is no doubt a result of the black blanket of fear that has enveloped the community. Some may not want to be caught up in an unending spiral of reprisals and the death and mayhem that might ensue.

But one may ask where in Jamaica can one go to get away from the senseless shooting and carnage that a quiet neighbourhood like Cherry Tree Lane experienced. Where in Jamaica is safe from this kind of senseless bloodletting? Perhaps residents in gated communities in the most preferred neighbourhoods may consider themselves safe. But would they feel safe attending parties or other social gatherings outside of those communities, in places where marauding terrorists could senselessly open fire on such gatherings? The truth is that when it comes to random shootings, no place is safe.

It, therefore, behoves the citizens of the country to become more cognisant of the danger we face and how collectively we can address it, without fear. A cursory look at gun violence in Jamaica, especially in recent times, will reveal two important realities. First, the guns are imported to Jamaica. Frankly this has always been the case, because we do not, thankfully, manufacture guns in Jamaica. We know the routes by which they come, largely through our ports, but significantly, the illegal gun-for-drugs trade that takes place on the open seas and across our porous maritime borders. Tighten these with the provision of more personnel and resources and we could make a good dent in the problem.

The Government has boasted that it has increased the maritime patrol of our coastal waters, but even on a superficial level, we know that what has been done is paltry, considering the size of the problem. There are more resources, in terms of personnel and vessels that must be poured into this area. Mere tokenism will not work. The Government should insist that the US be more helpful in this fight by cauterising the amount of illegal guns that leave its ports hidden in barrels, and other ingenious methods, and loaded on to containers. It is something that we need to be more vocal about with the US Government, especially with Congress through the Black Caucus. It would be quite a fillip if Democratic candidate and current US Vice-President Kamala Harris wins the presidency.

Whatever criticisms we hurl at the US, we cannot forget that illegal guns reaching our shores are our problem. Yes, the US may not see them when they leave its borders, but we ought to when they arrive here. What level of surveillance are we carrying out at our ports in this regard? What is the level of intelligence that is employed in detecting these guns when they arrive? These are questions to be answered by any Government that cares about the problem. But it is not just a government problem, it is also a people of Jamaica problem. We have to solve it with greater resolve and diligence.

Second, there is the question of the young men who carry out these senseless acts of violence. This begs sociological and anthropological analysis, but what has become obvious is that gun violence in Jamaica is practised by a minute group of men between the ages of 18 and 35. Some start even earlier that 18 and certainly exceed 35. But by and large, the statistics bear out an age group between 20 to 30 as the main perpetrators. Again, these are largely men who carry out the shootings, but they are undoubtedly aided and abetted by female counterparts in some instances.

Another thing to note is that they comprise a miniscule portion of the population. Admittedly, without factual evidence to support this, I would like to suggest that we could be dealing with upwards of about 150,000 young men in the age group mentioned above who are actively or otherwise engaged in this type of activity. If I am correct, this constitutes about five per cent of the population. I err on the side of caution because there could be less young men involved.

Indubitably, what distinguishes them from other young people is their willingness to kill people without a scintilla of remorse about their actions. For whatever price is paid, some are willing to snuff out the life of a person more easily than they would shoot at a stray dog on the street. They would not so waste a bullet, which for them is a precious possession.

The question with which social scientists must grapple is: Why are some of our young men so heinously disposed? What is it that lies at the centre of this depredation? It has to be more than just having been raised in poverty or a depressed environment. Show me one gunman who uses poverty or a depressed environment as an excuse for crime and I can show you hundreds of others from the same milieu who have not given themselves over to this criminality.

So the country has a lot of work to do in using the major organs of socialisation, including strengthening the family unit and the school curriculum, to begin to arrest the problem. Law enforcement holds a significant place in taking those who offend off the streets, but strong-arm tactics will not work in the long run. Here community response is critical. Citizens need to be sensitised to the fact that there should be no haven in their communities for the people who carried out the Cherry Tree Lane massacre. After the killing, the killers have to return somewhere. We have the benefit of the sea to assist us. Creative detective work in the communities must become a priority.

Much ado has been made about Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s statement regarding gunmen turning themselves in to face a judge or deciding to meet their maker. The prime minister’s statement might have been a bit inelegant, but no one could glean from it that he was arguing for the extra-judicial killing of any citizen. If gunmen decide to take on the security forces, they should expect that it is likely they will be killed in the encounter. It is better that they turn themselves in and face the court system. This I believe is the gravamen of the prime minister’s thinking here. But community vigilance and support must be the linchpin in any effort to cauterise the senseless killing of innocent people.

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; Your Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues — on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.