All For Ranks!

By Kerwin De Matas

`Dem youth an´dem jus´dyin´out fuh ranks yes´.
Trinidad is very hot now, lots of gangs, a large majority of them made up of kids ready to kill and die for this thing called ranks. There is a housing project in Trinidad called Maloney Gardens, that’s where I lived for the most part of my life. Sounds like a beautiful neighborhood with well kept trees and playgrounds right? Wrong, nowadays, this is only one of the projects in Trinidad that’s hot for drugs, prostitution, gangs and murder.
In the time I lived there, large scale crime was not a problem we had like maybe two serious gangs, the occasional killing and some small time prostitution. Even in those days, ranks were a thing that most boys and even girls would go after for the respect that they felt they deserved. These ‘rude boys and girls’, would always be on the prowl in the buildings corridors, street corners, parking lots, basket ball courts etc, with dancehall reggae in the background keeping an eye on their turfs. Sorry be the kid or, in rare circumstances, adult from a different part of the housing project coming onto their turfs, they would react maybe by asking a lot of questions as to the reason for that person being there, not giving the right answer might result in a slap-up and warnings on what might happen if they returned. Only in serious cases would a person be seriously chopped or even shot at.
Remembering the building I lived in, I would sometimes recall the times when on my return from school in the afternoons there were guys whom I jokingly referred to as being included with the construction of the building (these thoughts I kept to myself of course!), because man, it seems like they were there 24/7! Well, on passing these guys, I would always make it a point to hail them out, but to continue walking and not looking back. Reason why I acknowledged them: being the kid of a police, you had to know how and where to walk; and because these brothers would all be high on cronic or other things, and most times armed, it wouldn’t be a good idea to just pass silently by. In their minds, this would be going on as if better than them, and therefore you never knew what they might be capable of, just one of my happy memories as a kid growing up in Maloney Gardens.
Well this thing called ranks has come a very long way, and it has gotten a lot more dangerous, because now it comes with heavy guns and the urgency to keep it (ranks), even if it means killing for it. The way in which most of these brothers go about killing in a somewhat casual manner these days really brings us to their reality and to the realization that they are down for whatever, no matter what. According to Damian Marley, Welcome to Jamrock! But in this case, Welcome to Trinrock! Most of these guys are from backgrounds while growing up, where drugs, guns, prostitution, criminals etc, were a norm for them, or in other words, in their very homes….
The thing also is that, most of these crimes would go unsolved, and gang members would go on as if immune to the law because of hesitation on the part of witnesses to testify. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago are in the process right now of trying to pass a bill where witnesses could testify without having to present them selves in court, because the lifeline of a state witness these days is very short. As far as I see it, it seems as if the saying from the streets, walk and live; talk and die, carries a lot of weight these days, because when a person gets killed in any one of these projects in Trinidad, it is incredible how no one ever sees anything and that only the shots are heard.
Ranks has definitely evolved, and it is showing Trinidadian society that it will stop at nothing to get the respect that it deserves, even if it means certain death. I think the Police service has a lot more on their plate than before with this new specie of gang members running around, because from what I’m gathering in the news, it seems that these gangs fear nothing and no one when they are together. Then again, most of them are getting smart by just terrorizing and hiring hit men to do their killing for them, therefore they keep clean and ranks are still earned, interesting, huh? Most are asking nowadays, if these gangs are immune to traditional law, then how will they, the gang members ever get the justice that they deserve. News bulletin everyone: If they don’t die in a police shootout, then a gang members’ justice would always be handled within their files, even if it means hurting a family member, maiming or murder; retaliation from another gang would always mean certain death. Either way, the life span of a gang member is very short. So, under these circumstances even if it means dying very young, one would ask, why? Are they in it for the drugs and the promise of wealth that it’s supposed to bring? Yes, illicit drugs do have a part to play in these gangs, but I will say from my observations, that drugs only play a small part since most of them don’t ever get rich, what with all the internal disputes they have. Then why do young brothers get involved in gangs? Maybe for them; cars, fancy clothes, sneakers, jewelry….everything to bling out now whilst alive, and of course most importantly without a doubt: ranks and turf, two things they strive to protect for what’s left of their self-esteem. I am not pretending to be an expert on this subject now or ever, but just giving out highlights from what I experienced while growing up in Maloney gardens, and issues which are evidently obvious after going through the news reports. The same information just keeps coming up continuously, which does not really make it a chore to piece the ends together.
Can a solution be gotten for this problem that’s occurring on my sweet isle? Because after all, this natural urge for respect, but going about it the wrong way when it begins to border on violence, is something that is ingrown in a lot of kids from the projects in Trinidad. From their teenage years most of them are prepared for everything that comes with gang involvement, since it is there they find people that seem to respect and like them, but for all the wrong reasons, therefore I am at a loss as to what a solution might be. All I can say is that guidance is needed for these lost kids opting to die for this type of respect and status that most of them seem to long for; and well worded advertisements showing the consequences of joining gangs, should be continued. What else can be done? More concern for these kids, that’s what, bless.