Many people, especially whites, will be tempted to dismiss National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief’s comments that if 16 young white men had been killed as a result of gun violence then the UK government would have intervened.And on the face of it, Mr Perinchief is wrong, both on the idea that the UK government would have stepped in when in fact it has assisted in many ways, and on the basis of race. Similarly, his suggestion that international companies should do more to fund the fight against crime also failed to recognise that in fact the companies have provided millions in funding for just that as well as to charities trying to change the conditions that give rise to gang violence.It is one of the rare times that Mr Perinchief has put a foot wrong since he became National Security Minister and the charitable viewpoint might be that he spoke out of frustration, since solving gang violence is harder than most people would expect.Still, Mr Perinchief’s statement should not be a career destroyer because he has done a good job. But the deeper issue Mr Perinchief raised is an important one. The fact is that all of the victims of gun murders have been black men, and mainly relatively young men. All, with a few notable exceptions, have been connected with gangs. It is also true that the majority of crime in Bermuda has been committed by black men and this is reflected in the prison population.Mr Perinchief referred to Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda chairman Cordell Riley’s evidence to the Joint Select Committee on Crime for some of the answers. Mr Riley tried to answer the question of why gang violence had risen during the tenure of Bermuda’s first black government and posited that it was due to black social and economic deprivation stemming from slavery and segregation but still not fully addressed today. Mr Riley may be right, although it should be added that the Government has consistently failed to create the best circumstances for a growing opportunity in which people can succeed.Still, it would be wrong to assume that this is the sole reason, and Mr Riley and Mr Perinchief would be among the first to admit this. Only now, after a decade and a half, do the Government schools seem to be focused on excellence in a rigorous way. If there is a sense of hopelessness among some young black men, then at least part of that has to do with the failure of the school system to provide them with the tools needed to succeed.Similarly, as pointed out by Dr Ronald Mincy in his report on Black Males, the same group lacks the soft skills to succeed in “mainstream” life, and find themselves on the outside as a result. Some of this goes back to dysfunctional upbringings and home lives.None of these problems is insurmountable and many can be solved, especially if gang members are willing to go back to school and to learn skills which will qualify them for the world of work. If Dr David Kennedy’s Ceasefire programme is adopted, it will offer many of the solutions, although it is critical that it work in tandem with local grassroots groups and charities. Premier Paula Cox’s EEZ districts will also help as more entrepreneurs take advantage of the opportunities they make available. That is not to say the problems will go away. And until Bermuda settles on an approach to solving the problem and then fully supports it, it will drag on and become more intractable.Mr Perinchief says he has opened a dialogue with international business and Governor Sir Richard Gozney has sensibly remained silent. Mr Perinchief should let both sides know he was wrong and misspoke, but it is important that his major concerns about gang violence are not ignored as a result. He was right to raise the concerns and it is the community’s job to solve them.