What’s goin on Bermuda? I was chatting with some brothers at church the other night, planning our Men’s Day, (quick plug for Marsden First United Methodist Church’s Men’s Day June 26), and we were wondering where we went wrong as a community especially in the black community.When we looked back on our history, we remembered that black people used to have strong families, close communities, with strong, respectable men leading those families and communities.But somehow we have gotten off track. Men used to be gentlemen; but nowadays they assault women! How ridiculous is that? More on this after the Top 20.Holding at #1 is Like A G6 by Far*East Movement featuring Cataracs & Dev. Up to #2 it’s What’s My Name? by Rihanna featuring Drake. Tumbling to #3 is Bottoms Up by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj. Falling to #4 is Can’t Be Friends by Trey Songz.Shifting gears to dance music, climbing to #5 is Firework by Katy Perry. I dissed Katy’s outfit choice for the Grammys but her tracks still kick. Slipping to #6 is Raise Your Glass by Pink. Improving to #7 is Grenade by Bruno Mars who was dressed cool and avoided the ire of the fashion police at the aforementioned Grammys. Down to #8 is Rihanna’s dance anthem Only Girl In The World.Advancing to #9 is Hold It Against Me by Brittney Spears. Ke$ha’s hit We R Who We R falls into the #10 spot. Improving to #11 is Aston Martin Music by Rick Ross featuring Drake and Chrisette Michelle.Jumping to #12 is Memories by David Guetta featuring Kid Cudi, still one of DJLT’s favourite tracks.Up to #13 is Who’s that Chick? by David Guetta featuring Rihanna. Falling to #14 is Louder (Put Your Hands Up) by Chris Willis, a monster dance hit.Up to #15 is Moment For Life by Nicki Minaj, last week’s essential new tune. Improving to #16 is Higher by Taio Cruz featuring Kylie Minogue and Travie McCoy, this week’s essential new hit. Climbing into the #17 spot is Fall For Your Type by Jamie Fox featuring Drake.Falling to #18 is DJ Got Us Falling In Love by Usher (who won Best Contemporary R&B Album) featuring Pitbull. Slipping to #19 is Just A Dream by Nelly.New at #20 is Rihanna’s next hit, S&M, a clubby, dancy hit that I don’t pass over when I’m playing the CD. It’s a good track. She is definitely a bit of a freak, but I guess that sells.Now back to this week’s word Where did we go wrong?There are a number of things we can say about how we have reduced our people, our society, to a community where women head households, where men are absentee fathers, where men see nothing wrong with hitting innocent women.I was driving into work earlier this week and I heard on the news that Prince Edness was arrested for assaulting a woman, his cousin no less.Dude, come on! You’re a thug. An alleged gang leader! Is that the best you can do? Throwing a drink on a woman and/or assaulting a female. Pulleease!It used to be that there was honour even among thieves; back in the day. Even the Mafia dudes know that families are off limits; especially women and children.They would kill you and some thugs would even go so far as to kill you in front of your kid or family, but they would not harm females.There used to be honour among thugs/Mafioso. Not now and not here in Bermuda.The other issue I have with this is that the electronic and print media can name someone as an alleged gang leader but the authorities can’t or will not touch him.So if everybody believes he’s the Parkside leader, why don’t the police investigate? The answer is that this Prince dude is apparently very intelligent, good with people.But these guys can’t see that their futures and lives are not long Yankee didn’t make it to 50. If Prince Edness is involved in gangs, some other young punk is gonna kill him before his 45th birthday unless he turns his life around, changes professions (LOL) and moves on.There are not very many gang leaders who live that long. But then again, these people do not place a value on life, theirs or the lives of others.I wish we could turn geniuses like him into more law-abiding and sustainable leaders.He could be a Premier, CEO of a bank, Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Regiment or something positive. This is where we get it wrong! We can’t turn people with loads of ability into law-abiding citizens.Men need to step up and be men. Let’s stop the violence, against any and everybody. I don’t condone the drug trade but must admit that years ago it was done on the down-low.Today’s dealers are arrogant, boasty and all out in the open, daring anyone to cross their lines in the sand.This has to stop. We must grab back our communities. But people need to be willing to drop a dime on their sons and daughters, rather than defending them and enabling their illegal activity and lives.If your son’s a thug and you will not report him but instead live a happy and comfortable life from his activities, don’t ask me to feel sorry for you if one day someone comes along and shoots him down.You have been an enabler and really should also be jailed for living off the proceeds of illegal activity.So Bermuda, let’s take back our communities, our streets, our lives and our future. Let’s grab it back from the thugs.All we have to do is report their illegal activity to the police. We can begin taking our streets back by doing something as simple as that.This is how we did it back in the day. We saw a kid doing something wrong, we corrected them.When we saw an adult doing something wrong we told the police. Let’s get back to that. Fail to do this and we will never recover. Peace…DJLT.