Philipsburg: --- The mother and grandmother of two students who were attending the Milton Peters College have condemned the police for not acting against gangs and youth violence. Ruth Alias in an interview with SMN News said she has two children in the police force who are busy protecting the community but her son and daughter, are not able to protect their own relatives against gang violence. The elderly woman said her grandson Hensley Gumbs had to leave the island on Thursday fearing for his life, while the police have done nothing with those attacking her grandchildren. Alias said there are a number of youths all students of the MPC who have been attacking her grandchildren with guns, knives and other weapons and even though they filed several complaints with the detective department and prosecutor’s office nothing is done about the matter.
The two women produced a stack of process verbal to this reporter as proof of the amount of complaints that were filed about the constant attack on their children. Alias said the gang from Philipsburg has been going all the way to her home in South Reward, and at the school to attack her grandchildren. She further explains that her entire family is at risk with the constant attacks that they had to put surveillance cameras around their home. Alias explained.
Alias said these attacks have been going on for the past three years and just recently, one of her grandson has were attacked and stabbed while he was at his grandparent’s place of business. “Even though police arrested the attackers and found drugs on one of them, he was released that same evening.” She condemned the police since according to her she does not believe police is handling the case correctly. Alias said the police would arrest the gang members and would release them shortly after, she said when they are released they go back to attacking other youths. The woman said her grandchildren are not the only victims for this gang. Alias said right now she is living in fear and is calling on the relevant authorities to take action, because she does not want to bury any of her grandchildren that she raised.
Lisa Leonard the mother of Signald and Elicio Leonard said about a year ago her sons were involved in a fight with one of the gang members and his jawbone was broken. She said ever since then the fights got worse. The distraught mother said her son was arrested for the assault and he was even punished twice because the school expelled him while the other youth that was involved in the fight remained at school.
Leonard said just recently one her sons had to attend a meeting and his brothers accompanied him to the school knowing that if he went alone he might have been attacked. She said while her son Elicio was outside a confrontation began with the same gang and a security guard from the school got hit. Because of this, the woman said police arrested her son while the others are out free even though “weed was found on one of them.” Leonard said she tried everything to get the police and prosecutor to act on this matter but they never did and bringing this matter public is her final attempt to getting justice. She also plans to send a letter to the Governor General where she would include copies of all the complaints that were filed with the police.
