By Anastasha Elliott
The St. Kitts Nevis Defence Force has taken the fight against crime one step further with the launch of graffiti eradication exercise.
Currently members of the Force are circulating around the island painting over gang insignia, threatening words and other insightful depictions, drawings and words.
For some time, residents and businesses have been complaining about person/persons spray painting on the walls surrounding their property, whether home or business.
The Defence Force has now come to the aid of those persons. Major Leroy Percival explained that it has been noticed that around the country, particularly in the Basseterre area persons or gangs are going around defacing private and public property.
Percival said that many of what is written on the walls is threatening to other persons and many of it is being done to send a message whether to a rival gang or individual persons.
He explained that some of words used, such as ‘Kill the Police for fun’ or ‘F the Cops’, ‘Kill a bitch’ is threatening and can bring about a retaliation of violence.
“Sometimes you give people and inch and nothing is done, then they take more and violence is done,” said Major Percival.
The exercise of painting walls around the island, that has sprayed on messages, or gang insignia on them began two weeks ago. To date the soldiers have painted over walls in Newtown, the Village, Mc Knight, Conaree, the Bay Road and Bakers Corner.
Wednesday morning, March 15 two members of the Defence Force including Major Percival visited George Street, Newtown where they painted over the walls of the Miss Martin Pre School, the Roman Catholic Primary School and also the walls of a resident in the area.
Some residents, business-persons, and workers in the area came out to witness the event. One man spoke up and said of the exercise, “if a man has something in his heart to do he will do it regardless. I think what they doing is good but I don’t think it will stop people from doing what they want.”
The exercise is a Police and Defence Force initiative that came out of dialogue between the two entities. The soldiers themselves join together and buy the paint used to paint over the walls.
What is done according to Major Percival, in the event that the wall belongs to a private individual, that person is asked whether or not they want the markings painted out, “and so far consent has been given,” said Percival.
Some words which are sprayed onto walls include; ‘blood line’, ‘Crips’, ‘Blood’, ‘Damu’, ‘Eastside’, ‘Westside’, ‘F Blood’ ‘Crip with the C crossed out or Blood with the B crossed out.
We decided we would wipe them out said Major Percival, who added that many of those who are participating in defacing the walls don’t know what the words mean.
Another initiative the Defence Force is undertaking is that of persons wearing clothing, particularly t-shirts that have threatening words printed or painted on them.
“Personally I think anybody can wear what they want, but when someone buys a shirt and then puts on threatening words, then we will pick them up and take them to the police station and let them deal with them,” stated Major Percival.
Meredith Charles, the incumbent Deputy Police Commissioner when questioned, in relation to what would or could be done in the event that the soldiers brings in someone found wearing an item of clothing with insightful and/or threatening words printed on it, declined to comment.
He however commended the Defence Force on the job there are doing in assisting the fight against crime and violence and the alleviation of gang related activities.
