The following opinion piece was submitted to The Royal Gazette

It was once highlighted that it was the single parent family that had a problem with their children — how quick that has changed. It is now like cancer — spreading out of control.

The only thing that remains the same is that it apparently appears to be just happening in the black families with our prison population housing approximately 95 percent young black males (they appear to be the only race committing all the crimes that are taking place in Bermuda).

As a single parent and a mother of one son I send out a plea to all parents who are right now experiencing problems with their sons to wake up and pay attention. Do not wait until a knock on your door or the phone rings to inform you that your son has died. I know what I am talking about because I have been talking ever since my son was twelve (12) years and he will be thirty (30) this year. I have had to race to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital when informed that my son was wounded and that he was in Emergency and his injuries unknown. I am just one single mother reaching out to you — there have also been other mothers over the years who have reached out but their sons have already died.

People will say that there is plenty of people and places to go for help — I am here to tell you that is not 100 percent true. I approached his father, family, therapists, teachers, principals, clergy, members of Parliament, persons of "Power" and they listen — give you words of wisdom and you should be able to figure out the rest. Now society's advice to you is turn in your sons to the police and have them walk through the doors of Westgate Facility for ten to fifteen years and this will encourage them to be a repeat visitor when they are released. This is considered the solution even though Westgate is running out of space now. What do you think it will be like when we hand our sons over?

At this point I would rather throw sand on top of a coffin then see him spending the rest of his life in prison. (This might sound hard to many how I feel at this point but for the last seventeen years I have been crying for help because I knew I could not do it on my own) All I know is "prison is not the answer".

I look at my son everyday and the love I had for him when he was born is the same love I have for him 29 years later. I see a different human being to what society sees and labels as a threat to society. He looks at me and he tells me he loves me — he also sheds tears when he knows his life is not right and that he could do better. Lots of times we as parents are the last to know what our children are doing because society has changed so much that when your children are doing undesirable things society turns a blind eye to it and says it is not their problem and in most cases walks away.

How do we stop it? I do not have all the answers. What I do have is faith and my trust in God that one day things will get better and that our small community we live in will come together as a nation of colours and respect each other as human beings. Be strong and know that you are not alone.

They ask "why?" I Ask when? (I wrote this letter two years ago, handed out to a few people and held on to it) The family of the deceased young man asked the question "why" — I as a single parent of a young black male ask the question "when". When will I get that knock at my door or the telephone call to say that my son's life has finally come to an end? I experience many sleepless nights worrying about when things will finally end.

This goes so deep for me because I made so many attempts in my Island of Bermuda to seek help for son. There does not appear to be glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I was living in Bermuda of yesterday. The Bermuda where when you went to sleep you could leave your doors unlocked and your windows open. The Bermuda where when your children were seen out and appeared to be "acting up" the phone would ring or they would make it a point to get word to you.

The days when you sent your children to school and the teacher would let you know when things did not appear right and that your child was falling back in their school work and needed help and that same teacher would stay back to help your child or even go a step further and arrange for the school to be opened on a weekend because he was making them attend school to catch up. That was Bermuda yesterday.

Once upon a time when a child did wrong, the first thing people would say — "They are from a single parent family". Now a days it appears that is no longer the case. Children no longer fear their families they fear the persons with whom they gather and associate with. I carried guilt for days, wondering where I did I go wrong? Could I have done things better? Women constantly say "I can bring up my child alone — he does not need a father". That statement is incorrect, I have learnt the hard way because if a "strong" man was in my son's life he possibly would be different today. Thinking us, as women can be a father to our young boys is the biggest mistake we can make.

I am almost certain that the majority of the young black males on the walls today lack the love and attention of their fathers. Their mothers are working one and two jobs in order to run the household. This allows them to think that they are the man in the household.

You are now faced with a group of disenchanted young men who have dropped out of school, nil jobs and looking to have it all (money, bikes, cars, clothing, jewellery, women and sex), the quickest way possible i.e. selling drugs burglary etc. The sad part is that we as a society witnessed this happening, tried to deny it was a problem, even talked about it, then just let it fester until the young men started chopping, stabbing and murdering. It's now a problem. Has anyone ever wondered why just one race of mainly males has been singled out, encouraged to sell drugs, get hooked on the drugs and become dependant on the substance, brains fried and then shipped off to jail, becoming a prisoner in jail and when released from prison and become a prisoner in their own country, being an outcast, still lacking education, unable to obtain a job that pays enough money because of the cost of living and being unable to travel and eventually ending back up from whence they came — prison?

It is interesting to note that our Government has finally admitted that our education system has failed some of our children. Look how many years it has taken to finally establish that fact. Should we now take time to reflect and possibly reach out to some of those children who fell through the cracks of our education system and offer them an opportunity to return back to school?

What should we do for all those so called criminals who are able to steal a bike, strip it right down and then assemble the bike back together in some cases putting the bike back better than it was before they stole it? Why can they not now go to school to obtain a degree in mechanics? (We need Bermudian mechanics desperately). We need policemen, firemen, masons, carpenters (just look at the work they create whilst in prison), male teachers etc.

When are we as a country going to take our Island back and say "enough is enough" regardless of what race it is? I know for a fact that it is not just one race selling drugs, using drugs, dealing in illegal activities. We have buried enough young males. Let's put our heads and our minds together and come up with something to spare our Island of this "evil infestation". Death is so final! As a mother I do not want to hear another family ask the question "why" whilst I wait and question "when"?