In the wake of a deadly shooting in Grand Riviere, Gros Islet, that claimed the life of 26-year-old Rakim Romlelle Joseph, Youth Development and Sports Minister and Gros Islet MP Kenson Casimir has made an emotional appeal to young people to resolve conflicts peacefully and take advantage of programmes designed to support their growth.
Speaking at Monday’s pre-Cabinet press briefing, Casimir described the tragedy as deeply personal. Joseph was fatally shot on the night of Monday, May 19. The investigation is ongoing.
“Yeah, this one actually hit home in the sense that I knew the individual—close with the family, know them very, very well. That night I visited the family, spent time with the father and mother, of course. They’re no strangers to me. I’m related to his mother,” he said.
Calling for a shift in how youth approach conflict, Casimir urged them to channel their energy into available development opportunities.
“I just continue to encourage young people to take advantage of the many programmes, many interventions that we as a government have in place—interventions that were never in existence before. And find a different way of dealing with conflict, dealing with other individuals in the community that you may run into,” the minister urged.
Addressing wider concerns about crime, he said he does not support politicising such incidents.
“I’ve never made crime and violence a political issue. I would never post on social media about somebody’s death and not even visit the family, and make statements that you say are not political but are definitely political—to indicate as if the government is not doing anything. We all have a part to play,” Casimir insisted.
The United Workers Party’s candidate for Gros Islet, Marcella Johnson, had criticised the government’s handling of crime in a Facebook post on May 20.
“I’m not saying this government caused the crime, but they have to take responsibility for not having a real plan to deal with it,” she wrote.
“Their so-called efforts to fight crime have been all over the place—no clear direction, just bits and pieces thrown together. The truth is, this administration has been ‘moo-moo’ on crime—weak and slow to act when it matters most. The United Workers Party knows we have to be tough on crime. We want to focus on real prevention and deal with the root causes, not just put a band-aid on the problem,” Johnson stated.
However, Casimir highlighted recent infrastructure projects in Grand Riviere as part of the government’s strategy to engage youth and reduce crime over time.
“There’s no way as a parliamentary rep I would have been able to decipher or discern that this was going to happen and, therefore, do something about that activity. What I, as a parliamentary rep, can say is that we have proactively ensured that we work on our venues, work on our different infrastructure,” Casimir said. “We’re about a month from actually opening the Grand Riviere Community Centre, so we can have programmes: drama, music, [and] dance programmes, to actually get young people involved in activities. The multipurpose court—never been done—it’s in Grand Riviere.”
Casimir expressed confidence that these long-term interventions will help lower crime rates.
“I’m confident that we are going to continue on our path and we are going to see the numbers go down,” he told members of the media.
Sad!!! Accept my sympathy. However, now the govt maybe moved to so something. Gun violence is OUT OF CONTROL
Countless ppl have been murdered in the northern district….only when it hit home you hear those politicians appeal…you wrong for dat Casimir,typical politician.