Minister presses for community healing amid rising crime

“As a community, we have failed.”Minister for Equity and Social Justice Emma Hippolyte spoke openly about the community’s challenges during last week’s Brian Bernard Memorial Lecture.She pointed to her own constituency, Soufriere/Fond St Jacques, as an example of how rising crime and weakened social ties can split families, with relatives sometimes finding themselves on opposite sides of violent conflicts.Hippolyte told the audience that these divisions seriously affect community life and need to be addressed soon.