This is a response from Linda Barros, a community health worker, to the article publish this Monday ( July 4, 2005) in Boston Globe by Ms Smalley about The recent violence in the Cape Verdean community.

“Good afternoon Ms Smalley,

I work in the heart of the Capeverdean Community, especially around neighborhood safety. Tina Chery gave me your information.

What I can tell you is that we have been working so hard, year round, trying to keep the peace as much as we can. We cannot do it alone. On the other hand, it saddens me that only crime gets into people's radar. There's so much good coming out of the Capeverdean community and nobody wants to hear about it. 99% of us do good and well. I work with so many great youth, making a difference academically and socially, but their stories don't get to be heard, unfortunately. Very few agencies do real effective work with the youth, but many decision makers allocate funding to the wrong places, who disclose blank data. Currently, the work that I do is mostly through collaboration and support of those who believe in making a difference, from the goodness of their heart.

1. To my personal opinion, the surge of violence we've been witnessing around this neighborhood, and I cannot say that is solely in the Capeverdean community, especially in the past week, is partly because the C-11 police department have been over stretched in safety coverage demand. They just had eight more officers join their forces, and it's still not enough. We need adequate service year around, not only when people start dying.
2. Decision makers have to think more strategically before deciding where to allocate their strength and funding.
3. Presently we have the children from last year who have become teenagers, with not much to do, especially in this summer. When you are not occupied you'll have the tendency to hang around the corners of the streets.
4. There is an easy access to firearms, ammunition and drugs on the street. I still do not understand this dynamic. Authorities have identified the hot spots, but not enough arrests have been made. And that is not for lack of information from individuals.
5. We have now younger children (under 13) following the older friends foot steps.
6. The Boston Public Schools is in need of an urgent reform. Their system is shameful. They have great employees who are more than willing to dig into the real problems and help, however there are always the higher ups who prevent them to work at their full capacity. The BPS is referring too many of our children for IEP (special needs program), when they may not need this service. It justifies paying some people extra money instead of taking care of the problem. This is the only country that I've lived in and know of, that allows 16 year olds to sign themselves off school without parental consent. There are too many drop outs and not enough effort to use other resources to get these kids back to school or to work with truancy issues. The BPS is graduating many young people just because of their age, and not because of their faculty.
7. There's still parental/guardian/family denial around their children's behavior. Some are because of shame, some are because of fear, and some are because of lack of awareness.
8. We have the Operations Home Front that has been doing a fabulous job in our community. We have Capeverdean police officers, pastor and social workers reaching out to Capeverdean families and so far we've had mostly positive response.

How can we be effective if social programs such as affordable housing, food stamps, access to good schools are disappearing every year. Why are we allocating billions of dollars to fight a war that should not be ours instead of investing on our youth? I've lived in countries where attending high school is not an option, and where college education is quasi free. These are some things we need to think about and consider before we start pointing fingers. We cannot do this alone. We need less politics and more actions. We are full of beautiful politically correct stories. Somebody need to wake up and see some reality please!

This is my personal opinion. I want to be part of the solution, not the problem. I don't believe in sugar coating reality.”

Here is a practical solution for the gang violence:
every parent that has a teenage son, who has started to show some early evidence of street behavior and rebellion, should send him back to Cape Verde for at least a summer or 6 months to live with their relatives without sending any money, shoes or clothes from America; this way they can live and learn the hard life and strugle back home and appreciate the spoiled life they have in the USA.
So, they would have a short preview of how miserable their life can be if they screw up in USA and get deported.
Nothing better than learning while you experience it: experimental psicology!!!

Let's not make assumptions about those involved in these crimes. I'm sure if you meet any of these families they'd mirror your own. I'm not making excuses but there isn't a mother in the world, especially not CV families, that wants this for her children.

One thing that I find very disturbing is when Cape Verdeans become so ghetto and ignorant in this country. It's a shame.

We have a beautiful culture and we should learn that this country offers a lot of opportunities and it is often our choice to chose opportunity for failure or success. I rather see Cape Verdeans dying of hunger and eating mucuous with camoca then to see them shooting each other in Roxbury & Dorchester (at least the ones that are involved in it).

I don't want to read about any shooting. These people are not Cape Verdeans. They are often trashy CVs that do not know their own history and how people stuggle. We need to stick together and help them through and not judge. But let's not say it's ok to be ghetto and ignorant.

I don't use the word ghetto to mean poor. I use it to mean the life style that many turn the tough innercity life into=The negativity and hostility towards each other and themselves. Just because your father is a jail bird doesn't make it an excuse for you to call your females bitches and call your fellow brother a nigger. Nigger is a hate word. It means ignorant and stupid in America. Only niggers use the word nigger. I am not a nigger and I will never be one. Black is beautiful, but a nigger, a thug, a pimp, should be despised.

And be careful whom you immitate because you become worse than they are!

Um abraco pa tudo nos povo.

i dont know what's next for cape verdeans. we are starting to get a bad reP**Ation from all the idiots in the inner city killing each other, and creating these senseless gangs. what's the point of this? the continental africans are serious when they come to america, working hard and graduating from college, what happen to us?

I think the reason why people become "Lost" in this society, is because when we emigrate to the United States, we move to the inner city. and its not saying that Boston is a bad place to live in, because its not. but i think that the youth becomes influenced in deviant ways instead of positive ways.

Mario Rodrigues,
I feel you to the fullest.
I also just want to throw out there its not only the capeverdean's acting out with violences. Black on black crimes,latinos and every other race. The violence is out of control. And I think if more people like Mario got to gether to help fight violence we would see a change. Oh yeah Mario I read what you stated in the news paper you said your brother is knee deep into what is going on and if something was to happend to him you dont know how you would act. Understanding life is hard I said the same thing. My brother got shot three times I wanted to go get the person who did it. If I had nothing would have been solved it would just add fuel to the fire. Tell your brother to sit down and think about where does he see himself in five years. Mario Just know that even as a leader trouble still follows. No block is worth a life. They say you are nobody untill somebody kills you. I tell everyone to just love, live, life. Because life is very very short.

With CV love,

Lamonte Pires Aka Harshima Pires

Why do we have to choose violence instead of so many great tings out there in this society?
Somebody, explain to me why and do few Cape Verdean youth became so involved in violence and personal hate? Is there a help for them

Violence in our community.... It's getting out of control. So many parents burying their young children due to stupid violence. We cant really sit here and point the finger at anyone and say their to blame for the way our youths are acting. If your son or daughter chooses to run with a gang or turn into prostitution, no one made them, thats a life they chose on their own. I've lost so many friends to stupid shootings either being a victim or a suspect sitting in prison for making the wrong choice. I grew up in Roxbury in the 80's and early 90's I saw just about everything that went down and was always in the middle of something, not because anyone made me, but because thats what I wanted to do. I guess God looked out for me cause I stayed out of jail and I'm alive today. My family never really gave me the scoop about growing up I figured stuff out on my own as I went along the way, they was always quick to blame someone else for my behavior or made the situation worst then what it really was. After years of seeing my friends being shot and getting locked up, i started to turn myself around and walked the other way and I did it all on my own. It seems like the cape verdean parents always wanna look down on their children and think negative about them even when their not doing anything wrong. I've witnessed so many parents calling their kids a bumb and just bad mouthing their kids. With so much negativity about cape verdeans in the news now all the police want to do is harrass our young men walking the streets, and what do the parents do, they applaud the police without knowing whats really going on. Where are the police when we really need them? I never knew how hard it was to have someone u know being murdered till my own brother was murdered. His killer shot up so many blocks before he got to him and where were the police when the first shooting happened? I now know the pain of losing someone u see and talk to everyday, somedays it seems like a nigtmare other days u know it's real when that person isnt around when ur looking for them and u know they aint never coming back. Now whos' left to suffer, the families and friends, but also the killer who's constantly watching his back for the police and also for retaliation. Is it really worth it taking someone's life away? We cape verdeans need to stop the madness, were so busy hating on eachother, we got other people coming into our neighborhoods and killing our friends and family and just vanishing away without leaving a trace. My nightmare has always been getting a phone call saying 1 of my brothers have been shot, thats happened 3 times, the worst was when the doctor walked in and said he died. Thats everyone's worst fear to be told that ur loved one is gone and never coming back. Why do so many of us show up at funerals and cry ourselves crazy, but then we out there dong something crazy. C'mon fellas our moms have been through alot, think about what they go through besides the pain that they live with for the rest of their lives. All I wanna say to our young men is think before u act, and to the parents dont be to quick to blame others unless u know the facts. It is true, the good die young, I guess God needed a strong man by his side and he chose u. I luv u Izz and I miss u.. We out here...RIP Esmael Izz Canuto..and to all the others that were gone before their time....

What's upsetting is these young children are killing eachother because they "represent" a different side in town, but when they die get buried right next to their enemies. They kill eachother because they come from different streets, but when you visit the cememetry they on the same street. That's sad

I am an 18 year old Cape Verdian young lady who grew up around gun shots and violence. The violence was not only in the community be in my home too. Only 11 years old I was seeing bodies on the ground when leaving for school. My oldest 2 brothers were involved in gangs. Their enermies seemed to grow everyday. It got to the point that my brother ended up shot in the face. My family was under intense stress. But the lord was truely watching over my brother that day and he survived.
What I realized from all the violence in the streets is that it will never end until someone is dead or in jail. The on going hate and anger towards eachother causes the ongoing violence to never end.
The best thing the community can do is get involved. Crime watch will always help put the bad gay away. Getting involved with the police department can also help end violence.
My brother survived the gun shot to the face. But is left paralized on one side of his face, his eyesight is getting worser as he is ageing, and the worst part of it all, he was sent to jail when I turned 12 years old and I only got to see him once when I turned 15 years old. Since then he got deported back home to Cape Verde. My other brother is still in jail to this day. I was placed in foster care for 2 years for care and protection. Then enrolled into the job Corps program and am truely suceeding and definently not following the path of violence.
My condolences go out to the family of Joseph Lopes.
Thank you for taking the time to read my opinion in the violence in the Cape verdian Community.

I have to agree with the post by A mad Parent... I am a college student and even though there is an increase in the amount of Cape Verdean Youth atteding and graduation from college little attention is place upon it. Students more than ever are organizing and helping schools in cv.....

Now I have to say some of the blame has to go to the parent. My questions are:

- why is a 11 year old kid is outside in the street after 11pm in a school night and not acconpanied by parents or any other older figure?

- why is that you must give your kid a Nextel cellphone because its on style when you kid is not attending school?

- Why parents say I can't control my kid and the same kid is dressed with clothing and shoes that is on style?

Some parent go far enough to please the children with material stuff and not realizing the damage it can do to the child. Also, some parents need to open their eyes about education. Some of them are happier when their kid is a manager in a the fast food restaurant, drive a nice car and is illuded about sucess than when this same child could be in college, broke as he can ever be, eating some noodles and taking loans. Why is that?

These are some of the question that I need to find answers to Like the mad parent said they prefer to party, go to all the SALE on stores, all cristal shows rather than attending thier child school activities. How bad is it for a parent not to know what is her child majoring in while in college until she/ he actually graduate and get lucky enough to enter the field of study.

Capeverdean parents need to analize their parenting skills while living in the US and also think how they can shape their child's life and choices.

Besides worrying about the politics back home, let's take care of our dirty laudry in our communities here first. Our youth keep shooting and most of the times killing each other everyday single day in Boston, Brockton, Pawtucket and New Bedford.

Are we as much intesrested on this issue as we are fon the politics back in the islands? How can we help solve the plroblems of Cape Verde if we can't solve our own here?

How can we help these youngers to get in the right direction and clean the dirt this cycle of violence has put on the Cape Verdean people's name all over the media in Boston again?

How can a small community like ours endure much violence like this for decades without any clear strategy to solve it?

Any help out there or is this a lost battle?

I've lived in America for close to 12 years and I've never had any confrontation with an American white nor has any one of them ever tried to redicule or put me down because of my CVness.
My experiences with the American Blacks, however, have been quite different. Just about all of the non-CVs that I've had confrontations with or who have rediculed and put me down have been American Blacks. I've even been threatened with physical violence by American Blacks merely because of my being a CV.
Worst yet, some of these American Blacks are individuals of influence such as college professors. I remember a professor of African American studies, which is a required course in just about all American universities, flat out labeled my views as backward, merely on account of my refusal to see the world as he does. And he had the audacity to label my views as "typical" of CVs. It was so bad to the point that I felt compelled to re-adjust my views just so he wouldn't hurt me in the grading process. But that's just one incident.
The most adversely impacting ones, however, are the regular joes in the streets of Providence and Boston, who automatically assume that I don't know what/who I am or that I'm F-uped in the head merely because I'm a CV.
I mean, really, the pressure for CVs to reject our culture and thought process and adopt that of the American black is so great. So great in fact, some of us not only adopt the culture and thought process of the American black, we begin to incorporate their CV bashing rethoric against each other.
Thus enter the sad acts of CVs who bash and hurt other CVs - because in the mind of, say, a young, inexperienced CV, the culture and mentality of CVs are the reasons why Blacks Americans deride him so much.
So what does he do? he begins to practice a sort of a group-deprecatory rethoric onto other CVs. This can range from verbally deriding CVs face to face, writing anti cv posts on forums like this, to stabbing and shooting other CVs. It's really that bad. All because of the arrogance and nativism of American Blacks which needless to say has a devastating impact on other ethnic non-American Black youth.

"Violence claims a 2d son of activist: Victim, 24, shot in Dorchester

A steady stream of friends and city officials poured yesterday into the home of Isaura Mendes, a Dorchester activist who over the weekend lost a second son to the violence in Boston she has spent a decade fighting.

Mendes's son Alex, 24, was fatally shot Saturday night on Wendover Street, not far from the intersection where her son Bobby was stabbed to death in 1995.

Yesterday Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has walked with Mendes in her annual march against violence, joined mourners at the family's home on Groom Street, which also carries the name Bobby Mendes Way.
..."(TheBostonGlobe.com)

What's wrong with the Cape Verdean community?
Why are Cape Verdean youth killing each other again like crazy?

ask a youth ?
there are several reasons and each one unique to that kid, so find one, care about one and change one's life !

The community is in pain and in need of confort and solution from this tragedy.

the solution is to work on the problem daily and not to think its a quick process. . .peace and love is taught over a lifetime, and passed down to generation.

I'm proud to be Capeverdean but I'm not proud of the fact that some people are!

then you do not have enough love to help those that need it.
don't judge them and seperate them from you, find out what you have in common and build on that, try to help.

We've been blaming the cops, society, tv...
It is time to take a good look in the mirror and say:
WE HAVE A PROBLEM.
Parents ought to be more responsible. Let’s Stop purchasing furniture, electronics and crystal that you will not use.
Let’s Go to meetings in Schools