The Corrupted World Of Floyd Banks

8:30PM Protecting criminals... please don't

Today i'm just going to write out an article that I read in a newspaper named 'Newsday' from Trinidad & Tobago. The article was published on the 12th June, 2005 The name of the article is 'Why do we protect the thieves and killers in our midst' . It was writted by a brilliant journalist named Suzanne Shepard. I have slightly modified her original newspaper article, so that it would be more applicable to all countries and not only focusing on Trinidad & Tobago. The title for the article is very self-explanitory as to what is about. Though the article looks lengthy, it's a good read. JUST READ IT!AND LEARN SOMETHING FROM IT



In the killing fields of the world today gangs/groups have their own territories, defiant men patrol their illegal turfs, their criminal confidence bolstered by the firearms they carry and the folk hero status they have cultivated among their peers and neighbours.

They claim to be modern day Robin Hoods, robbing the rich to give to the poor. That is a lie that has been repeated so much vailidty, that many have misled into believing it. In reality these bad boys who ar eoften painted a sromnatic legendary figures by society are "robbing hoods". They don't discriminate - they rob the poor and the rich. They rob and kill their neighbours in the ghetto with even more ease than they do the wealthy because they are easier targets.

Unfortunately, large numbers of people in society actually believe that the bad boys in their midst are harmless, that their unfriendly neighbourhood bandits, drug pushers and killers are victims of unfair economic, social and political systems that have elft them with no choice but to lie, steal, rape, kidnap and kill.

These myths and misconceptions have created comfort zones and havens for crime through countries - pockets of lawlessness and defiance within which criminals not only survive but thrive, able to gain the upper hand over law enforcement and justice. Ironically, many of these miscreants are actually being protected by their victims.

Despite best efforts by police, detectives, organizations such as Crime Stoppers etc., very few citiznes are willing to blow the whistle on crime - unless it directly invades their lives and homes. Even if they know who is in possession of the illegal guns, where the drug dens are and where wanted murders are hiding out from the police, they are reluctant to "sell out" the criminals in their midst.

And so, the men and women who should be behind bars, roam freely, secure in communities where their criminal actions make them heroes rather than villans. They are well insulated by relatives, friends and acquanintances sold out on a culture that glorifies convicts and gives high status to anyone who can break laws an get away with it.

Too often, the few who are caught and sentenced emerge from incarceration unrepentant, unrehabilitated, their criminal tendencies enhanced and reinforced by their jailhouse experience. They return to society several rungs higher up the ladder in the underworld hierarchy and with higher criminal qualifications to continue their dirty works.

Our battle in this country, is not only against those who do the crime and escape from doing time, but the large numbers of poeple, who honestly believe they can be law abiding citizens and still look the other way when crimes are committed right under their noses.

The same people who will, in general terms condemn crime and call for the hardest penalities to be imposed on offenders, will even more passionately defend the criminals in their midst, dclaring the innocence of brutal killers and bandits. Once the suspect is a friend, relative or even causual acquaintance, it seems, he or she couldn't possibly be capable of carrying out heinous acts.

Never mind, the suffering of the victims and their loved ones. Someone else did it. There is another disturbing dimension to this situation. The very people who will rush to the defence of their neighbourhood criminals, are hostile to their neighbourhood policemen. They see every police action as outright brutality or at the very least, unfair.

It certainly doens't help that our police officers are doing little to improve their image and teir relations with the general public. In fact, their tendency to be rough and abusive only adds to their unpopularity within our communities. Too many officiers are too rough, callous and downright disrespectful, treating members of the public like everyone is a criminal.

I agree that they must be firm and decisive in dealing with crime and criminals. They are there to enforce the law, after all. However, too many officers seem to think that enforcement means brute force regardless of the situation and in carrying out their duties they seem to forget their motto "To protect and serve". The reality is that people in this country don't feel protected or served by our police officers, so there is very little chance for full cooperation between law enforcement and the general population.

In such an atmosphere of mistrust and resentment, it is no wonder that our police officers are always several steps behind the criminals. It is no wonder that the lawless continue to have the upper hand over the law enforcers! Effective gathering of intelligence cannot take place in the hostile, anti-police enviroment that is becoming so widespread in this country.

We need a new breed within the police service, an improved image and better public relations, so that our officers will be able to infiltrate and counteract the criminal culture that has become so deeple rooted in so many communities across Trinidad & Tobago.

Across the board, we need new attitudes and a better understanding of the battle in which we are all embroiled, willing or not. The nature of crime has evovled significantly in a few short years. Unfortunately, there hasn't been equally rapid development and improvement of our systems of law and order.

We are under attack from a criminal culture, a malignant mindset that has pilled out of the ghettos and is infesting our entire country. We must attack this enemy, not protect it.


I hope everyone really learned something from this article. I know I did. The person you're protecting today could be your killer tomorrow..... I'd like to thank Ms. Suzanne Sheppard for writing such a wonderful piece and making it possible for me to share it with all of my loyal viewers and others new to my blog/show. Stay tuned for the next show folks! I'M OUT!