Bloods & Crips

The Editor
The Anguillian

Dear Sir,

BLOODS & CRIPS

10 years ago, in 1998, I wrote my very first article in the LIGHT, and then it was published in the Anguillan entitled, “when will it stop!” I had noticed that certain young men in the Valley, South Hill and Blowing Point were starting to fight wherever they met. These fights had escalated to the use to knives and my article highlighted this and asked, if it will stop when persons died.

Needless to say, persons have died since that article and the violence has escalated on our small island paradise. This is the reason why our slogan was changed from ‘Tranquility wrapped in blue’ to ‘feeling is believing’, because we were no longer tranquil. Now, we have gone to another level and this is perhaps the worst possible scenario where we have expanded to other villages throughout the island and some have even adopted a dangerous practice of wearing either red, or blue in tribute to a most destructive element born in South Central Los Angeles. Those are the colours worn by the bloods and crips. Blue for Crips, red for Bloods.

Almost daily I now see t-shirts that state either blood or crip on them. I have also witness students of the ALHCS wearing bandanas either before school or after school. They wear them around their heads, tie them on pant loops or leave them hanging outside their pant pockets or school bags.

I’m now hearing of young men who has gotten rid of all their red clothing if they are blues and all their blue clothing if they are reds. This practice is foreign to us and will pose the biggest problem yet in our country.

This is the time for every one of us to get involved if we want to save our country from this potential pariah. Parents need to look for the signs by checking closets and looking closely at their children before and after school. If they see the signs, have a conversation. As a matter of fact, have that conversation before the signs are shown.

Anguilla, now is the accepted time to try to save our youth and by doing so, save our country.

Haydn Hughes