An initiative launched by the activist group Strive to broker peace between the rival Sixx and Seven gangs has received wholehearted support from the Chairman of RISE St. Lucia Inc.
“I think it is beautiful and long overdue. It should have happened sooner,” Dr. Venus Cherry told St. Lucia Times.
However, the RISE St. Lucia Chairman recalled his own involvement and that of others in attempts to broker peace after an outbreak of deadly gun violence in Vieux Fort in 2023 linked to gang rivalry, noting that such initiatives take time and effort.
“I am elated to see the attempt to bring about togetherness and unity among these young men because, in reality, what they may have just done is save many people’s lives, not just those young men. They could have possibly saved your life or my life because a stray bullet knows no boundaries,” Cherry stated regarding the Sixx and Seven peace drive.
The two groups’ rivalry often erupted on the streets of Castries, where young men became involved in violent clashes.
However, Dr. Venus Cherry has asserted that for there to be peace among young people, there must be peace among adults.
“We have this thing that we want to hold kids more accountable than adults,” Cherry told St. Lucia Times.
“If you look at Saint Lucia, you can notice how divided we are,” he observed, adding that the divisions would likely increase as general elections approach.
The RISE St. Lucia Chairman stated that it was ‘okay’ for people to disagree, have differences of opinion, and not see eye to eye on policy or procedure implementation.
“But it is not okay for us to slander, insult, disrespect or degrade one another and when our young people see that coming from us, it’s just as dangerous as pulling the trigger. So maybe their method is the trigger or the knife or the gun and that of our adults is to slander, disrespect and insult each other,” Cherry told St. Lucia Times.
“The gun and the tongue are causing severe decay in our communities and our country,” the RISE Chairman observed.
RISE is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation, formed in Saint Lucia in 2007 to foster people’s healthy development, especially youth.
It is also a partner in the “Seeds for Justice: Peace and Economic Prosperity” project, dedicated to addressing the root causes of violence in vulnerable communities.
