Good afternoon.
Another night, another shooting, and again, a very near miss. In the early hours of this morning, an 11-year-old sleeping in their own bed was injured by glass shards as a bullet passed through the window.
In total, 15 bullet casings were discovered at the scene. Further proof that most likely, automatic weapons were involved again.
It's the frequency and regularity with which these violent acts are taking place, together with the absolute disregard on the part of the gunmen – or most often gun boys – that is perhaps most shocking.
The people who are firing these weapons are part of the community. Often, when you speak to families in the neighbourhoods, they know exactly who they are but are powerless or too scared to say anything or do anything about it. The problem is, the authorities also seem powerless.
The people suffering most are the people amongst whom the criminals are living. It's a vicious circle, leaving these communities increasingly cast adrift from the prosperity and opportunities enjoyed by the rest of the city and country.
We have spoken to families in the past who say they no longer want to bring up their children in such an environment, and who can blame them?
But uprooting your life and moving – effectively starting all over – is not that simple. And anyway, why should you have to? You should have the right within reason to believe you can make your home and raise your family where you choose, without fear of criminals and gang warfare every day.
You should furthermore be able to tuck your child into bed at night, secure in the knowledge that they are in the safest place they can be – with their dreams of the future – without the possibility that those dreams can be snatched away in an instant as they sleep.
Most of all, you should be able to believe that the government and authorities will do all they can to protect you and allow you to live your lives in safety and calm wherever possible. It's the least you can ask.
The fact that this is currently not the case here begs some very difficult but important questions about the motivation and conviction of those in authority. The calls for action will only get louder and increase as episodes like last night's continue to make headlines.
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