After telling the nation that there are no gangs engaged in acts of violence on the island, the Grenada Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell has been forced to intervene to settle a bitter and bloody conflcit between two rivals gangs in his own St. George North-west Constituency.

The Grenadian leader met Saturday morning with some of the key players in the Grand Mal and Fontenoy communities in order to help restore peace and order in the two nearby villages. An official government release after the meeting said that Prime Minister Mitchell endorsed the idea of a Peace March as a further conciliatory measure to quell the violence which recently reared its ugly head in the two villages.

The meeting held at the Happy Hill R.C School, brought together residents of Grand Mal and Fontenoy, and top members of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) , including Commissioner of Police, Winston James.

According to the statement, the residents, including the young people from Grand Mal involved in the conflict, congratulated Dr. Mitchell and the Police Force for their efforts to deal with the problem, propagated by what is being termed misguided conduct.

Generally, it was felt that the Nation as a whole must resort to Christianity, the ideal conduit in dealing with situations of conflict, said the release. Prime Minister Mitchell observed that both villages were making a concerted effort to resolve the dispute and move on with their lives but apart from the meeting of minds there¹s an urgent need for prayer, as suggested by two prominent residents.

One of the residents gave testimony of his life to Christ and how it benefitted him to be a decent citizen. Applauding the idea, Dr. Mitchell asked that the communities take responsibility for organising the Peace March, which in effect is the opening up of the heart’ and another major step towards an amicable solution.
He suggested that religious leaders should be brought into the middle to coordinate the process.

Reflecting on historic periods of torment and turmoil, the revolution and in fact the two devastating hurricanes, Dr. Mitchell stated that Grenada has gone through serious stages of peril and it is opportune for the Nation to get down on its knees and pray, so that idle minds can be developed to get closer to God.

He suggested that the Peace March be the pill to cure the entire society. A date and time for the Peace March for Grand Mal and Fontenoy will be arranged. Apart from the violence in the communities, one of the residents reported that there is a growing incidence of gambling in and around the vicinity, which is today having a debilitating effect on the young people.

Suggestions coming from the Grand Mal and Fontenoy residents for the emergence of disciplined communities were the need for counseling for disturbed individuals, more social programmes, as well as sporting activities. Both Prime Minister Mitchell and Commissioner James recognised that the communities need to be more educated about their roles and responsibilities in nurturing good citizens, indicating that people need to hold greater dialogue in dealing with problematic issues and not resort to violence.

Grenada is a peaceful country when compared to other countries and we have to learn to manage our problems. Let this meeting be the turning point, said Dr. Mitchell. Commissioner James vowed that the police will not stand idly by and allow the problem to escalate.

He urged the residents of the disputed areas to support the law enforcement agents in their work by swiftly reporting all incidents and bring forward information that will bring perpetrators to justice, including the drug dealers.

Prime Minister Mitchell also told the gathering that the police have to do their job and we have to help them. We need to speak out. You are in charge of this country and people must know their rights and when you see people doing wrong, speak out. We must not be allowed to tolerate lawlessness, he remarked.

Commissioner James said the Police will be doing all that is necessary to curb the problem and the people must see the law officers as their friends. According to him, since the reports of the feud between the youngsters of the two villages, there have been constant surveillance and several persons have been arrested and charged.