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Dr. Allison Jean has expressed concern over the escalation of gun violence in Saint Lucia, declaring that there seems to be a semblance of anarchy.
Jean, a government Senator, spoke in an interview with reporters on Tuesday in response to the question of whether Saint Lucia could be identified as a failed state due to the crime situation.
“I don’t know if to go as far as saying it’s a failed state, but certainly there seems to be anarchy, some semblance of anarchy in our country,” was her response.
And Jean declared it was time to curtail the problem while expressing concern over Saint Lucia’s image.
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“The last weekend was terrible,” Jean noted, a reference to two fatal shootings and fourteen people sustaining gunshot injuries in separate incidents.
She recalled that there had been crime symposia in the past offering recommendations.
In this regard, the Senator told reporters there was a need to examine those recommendations and work towards implementing them.
“For example, if you have witnesses who are not coming forward, what is the reason for that? There is mistrust in the police but is there adequate witness protection of these individuals? Because you are are hearing sometimes that people who are being targetted are witnesses in a criminal case,” she asserted.
“So there are several things that must be done in order to restore the confidence of the community in the government, the police – all of these agencies that are responsible for curbing crime. But something has to be done,” Jean said.
Jean’s son, Botham Jean, was shot dead on the night of September 6, 2018, by off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer Amber Guyger.
Guyger entered Jean’s apartment in Dallas, Texas, and fatally shot the unarmed 26-year-old.
She later claimed she mistook the young man’s apartment for hers and believed he was a burglar.
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Allison Jean disclosed that years after the fatal shooting of her son, the family is still grieving over his loss.
She also expressed sympathy for grieving individuals.
Jean noted that a family, a community and a country mourn when someone is killed.
“The community needs to come together. The focus is on the police, but if the police do not get the evidence in order to prosecute these cases, then they are just going to go down the drain,” she observed.
“There may be many suspects and sometimes you speak to people in the community and they could tell you who the suspects are. But if they don’t give that information to the authorities then nothing is going to be done, Senator Jean told reporters.
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