THE COMEBACK:

I am tired of doing all the work here!

I may love to shop but I will never buy your CRAP.

THE MESSAGE:

FAMILY O FAMILY, WHEREFORE ART THOU?

The importance of family in Canada cannot be overstated. It is possible for an individual to become strong and independent without growing up in a loving, caring, and supportive family; however, the development becomes a much more difficult process.

Mothers who raise their children while pursuing a career, maintaining a household and nurturing a family are fabulous! Fathers who provide stability, discipline and a positive role model are a close second.

The gold medal goes to parents who work together so that traditional roles become blurred but never lost. They teach the values of honesty, courage, commitment, empathy, integrity and self-confidence through example and sacrifice.

The family is the greatest of all society’s treasures. Family traditions continue to provide love and joy throughout one’s lifetime. Sometimes parents and siblings can be a challenge but when the chips are down they are always there!

TONY TODAY:

Young children who grow up on the streets and have no familial attachment join gangs to belong to a family. These gangs ignore the rules of a society that has abandoned them. They form their own culture and have their own laws. It is time to care; to speak out; to develop ways of encouraging the development of the family in needy communities across Toronto.

The trial of Lamar Skeete

Skeete, 21, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the Dec. 29, 2009, execution-style death of Kenneth Mark, a “gentle giant” who told police it was Skeete and his brother who had previously tried to kill him when he was shot in the back in 2008.

The Crown said that Skeete could have killed Mark either by pulling the trigger himself or masterminding the murder.

“You recruited someone else to be the shooter,” said Humphrey, adding he could have done it himself. “You’re the one who has motive.”

Cellphone records also put Skeete in the area of the murder scene at the time of the slaying, as well as for 14 minutes the previous day, which Humphrey argued was when he was putting together the plan.

Earlier in the day, court heard how Skeete, an aspiring rapper, obeyed a code of silence never to talk with police, and he agreed with the Crown that Mark broke this code when he fingered him and his brother in his attempted murder, and went on to testify.

THE FOLLOWING BECAME OBVIOUS TO ME AFTER ATTENDING THE TRIAL DAILY

In certain neighbourhoods, young black males are recruited to a life of sex, drugs, guns, violence and crime at an early age.
The “hoods” can be found in Toronto's Scarborough (Galloway & Malver areas) and Jane-Finch areas among others.
Young males grow up on the street and have no father figure to act as a role model
They operate under “A code of silence.
They do not trust police and refuse to co operate with them.
The gang leaders are revered by many needy, low esteemed and young girls.
They father children who are raised by single mothers, young grandmothers and aunts in a matrilineal society.
Gangs provide a “famolay”. They have their own rules and culture and ignore those of a society that rejects them.
The code of silence extends to girl friends and relatives.
During this era, police targeted some of the neighbourhoods by stepping up patrols, attempting to gain the trust of the community and rousting suspects.
Increased policing alone cannot break the cycle of violence. Certainly vigilantes that murder innocent teenagers don’t provide the answer. It is easy to understand why communities mistrust police. It is also clear that gangs provide a sense of pride, foster loyalty, create a sense of belonging and promote “street-cred”.