There are two men in custody for the murder of Patrick Dill. They may or may not be guilty of the crime, but the wider question is: what is Bermuda going to do about a problem that is eating away at our community.

Not the black community. Not the white community. Not the Portuguese community. Not the expatriate community. Not the business community. But our community.

They are all intertwined. And the 28th shooting death of the past seven years must now surely qualify Bermuda — this “paradise on Earth”, this “Isle of the devils” (more like Isles of the Devil) — as a serious contender for murder capital of the world.

Not a distinction that any country should aspire to, let alone one that is meant to be in the serious business of attracting visitors to its shores.

Patrick Dill was less than a week shy of his 27th birthday when his life was cut short. By most accounts, he was well liked — touching hearts here and abroad — was a loving father and had his best years ahead of him.

Significantly, too, police ruled him out of having any involvement with gangs or the nefarious behaviour that is commonly associated with them.

Twenty-eight shooting deaths in seven years is a far more serious problem than the threat, real or imagined, presented by the proposed Bermuda Immigration Amendment and Protection Act 2016, which led to Senator Michael Fahy being shown a pathway of a different sort — from the home affairs ministry to that of tourism, transport and municipalities.

It also led to island-wide work stoppages for the best part of two weeks, marches that discoloured our most famous street, endless speeches and a hunger strike of sorts. Such actions are well received when there is said to be a common enemy; in this case, the ruling government.

Twenty-eight shooting deaths in seven years is a far more serious problem than the threat, real or imagined, that allowing same-sex marriage and civil unions will destroy the moral fabric of Bermuda.

The mounting death toll is far more serious, too, than the threat, real or imagined, that a “No, No” vote at a non-binding referendum in three weeks’ time would be the catalyst for putting Bermuda on the wrong side of history.

However, as the citizens of this country, and those farther afield, grapple with the definition of human rights, marriage equality and everything else to do with this polarising topic, there is no shortage of information to bombard and influence the undecided, whether it be from those in favour or those against.

Whichever camp you are in, the shouting has been loud and proud, and where possible the full might of pocketbooks and cybercommunity reach has been brought to bear — by both sides.

But where were the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Kenwandee Robinson, Kumi Harford, Garry Cann and Shane Minors in 2009?

Where were the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Perry Puckerin Jr, James Lawes, Kimwandae Walker, George Lynch, Dekimo Martin, Freddy Maybury and Troy Rawlins in 2010?

Where were the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Colford Ferguson, Randy Robinson, David Clarke and Jason Smith in 2011?

Where were the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Stefan Burgess, Jamiko LeShore, Joshua Robinson, Lorenzo Stovell, Michael Phillips and Malcolm Augustus in 2012?

Where were the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Ricco Furbert, Haile Outerbidge and Jonathan Dill in 2013?

Where were the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Erin Richardson and Prince Edness in 2014?

Where were the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Rickai Swan in 2015?

Where are the furore, the outcry, the thousands-strong protest march, the demonstration, the “hunger strike” for Patrick Dill in 2016?

Where are the unions? Where are the People’s Campaign? Where are the churches? Where are the rent-a-protesters, those so determined that the country is being run by villains and imbeciles but yet cannot decipher whether “airport” should be spelt as one or two words? Where are the “hunger strikers”? Where are the liberals? Where are the activists? Where are the Pathways to Status supporters? Where are the human rights campaigners? Where are the politicians?

Forget the politicians, where are our leaders?

Where is Bermuda, if not sunk without a trace and replaced by a parallel universe where anything goes?

What will it take for this country to face this evil head-on? Are we so desensitised to gun death, as the Right Rev Ewen Ratteray has suggested, that we could care less about the next murder? A resigned shrug of the shoulders, if you will.

Yet we are prepared to rise up in arms, crash and disturb press conferences, and argue, counter-argue and argue again over whether we need a new airport. Meanwhile, young men, mostly in their twenties and thirties, are being stalked and are dying a death most vile.

The police have done all they can, it appears; even in a jurisdiction that is only 21 square miles. And some of the aforementioned crimes have been solved, with lengthy custodial sentences handed out. But that is not enough; not when there are many guns in our community and at least twice as many young men of a mindset to use them with fatal intent.

They should be easy to find. They are not lone wolves but hunt in packs and crave the safety of numbers. We know who they are and in many cases we know where they are. They are among us, especially in those communities that often have most to complain about — and sometimes with justification.

We now need these same communities to stand up in peaceful protest against the enemy from within. For, quite unlike the government of the day, they are our common enemy.

And so, late this morning, the procession begins to lay Patrick Dill to rest — a father of three young daughters who cannot begin to comprehend what has happened.

This Bermuda of the millennial age has let them down in a big way. We have let them down by not rooting out this cancer long before now.

Twenty-eight shooting deaths in seven years, not to mention the several incidents over that time span that have not resulted in a fatality, suggests we really do not care.

Forget undermining the Government. Forget having a pop at the Opposition. This is the scourge of our existence as we know it. This is the time when the cry “Enough is enough” has genuine merit.

It is the time for us collectively to grow a pair and to do the right thing by our children. To stop the crying, to stop the nightmares, to stop the retribution, to stop the vengeance. To stop grandparents and parents from having to bury their children.

Do we have it within us to stand up to an evil minority without fear or have the “me first” mentality and fast-spreading amoralism taken such hold that we are truly lost and waiting for that next volcanic event along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to start us anew?