I write this message to the people of Bermuda, not as a critique of my people but as a message of hope. In Ethiopia, the Negus Nagast — the King of Kings, the Sons of Solomon — were principled and dedicated men. Placing family and community first, they developed a culture that was morally superior to any of those developing in modern times.

But this isn’t a history lesson. Negus with guns and knives; that’s what it is.

Kings, involved in a culture fostered by broken homes and a lack of opportunity.

I see my Negus with love and appreciation for all of them. This love among brethren has been fostered through the interconnection of community clubs, schools, sports teams and families over time.

This love is one that has evolved through decades of friendship and commitment to ideologies that grow our communities and develop environments for the benefit of the next generation.

I feel you, Negus; those are the things that real Negus do, and for which you are appreciated.

Today our problems emanate because of a divergence from this honourable culture — we’ve stopped building our communities and, within them, our families.

I am guilty of this. This isn’t anyone’s fault; however, accountability must be acknowledged on our side without allocating blame elsewhere. Taking accountability is the first step to building. It’s acknowledging what is wrong and looking for solutions to make it right.

Our communities should come first, but that should never be at the expense of another community.

These men leading us today are not real Negus. They aren’t creating or fostering an environment for growth and the development of families or communities. They have brought about no systemic change and, whether inadvertently or otherwise, have aided the conversion of our communities into ganglands.

Behaviour in the community is and always has been influenced by the examples set by its leaders. And while these leaders bemoan the antisocial acts, they fail to address the root cause and instead have sought to surveil and invade the privacy of your mothers and children.

There is a culture that gets our Negus to kill your Negus, and your Negus to kill our Negus. This culture can be changed only by creating a cultural shift in Bermuda — and that shift must come from us.

Where does it start? It starts with you, my Negus. Every one of us has to take accountability and understand that being real Negus doesn’t mean harming other Negus.

Real Negus build. Real Negus develop. Real Negus teach. Focus on your families, fix your relationships and commit yourselves to being the Negus that you are.

Grow your communities; if you take from the community, put back in the community. If you’ve hurt others, work towards healing others.

It starts with you; it doesn’t start with the elites or White people. It has to start with us.

Here’s my solution: join your local sports club. Don’t just go there to drink. Coach a youth team. Go to a cricket game. Play a few games of bingo. Just get involved with your community.

Have a family; put a ring on that woman and call it a day; these streets are tired. Go to your church or mosque. Pray.

Whether you know it or not, there are people that love you and want to see you grow. It’s the aunties picking their lucky bingo cards every weekend. The uncles that ask you why you ain’t kicking ball any more. Your friend’s nana inviting you to Friends and Family Day. It’s the kids that ride their bikes in your neighbourhood and hope that they can be like you one day.

My solution to the community: protect these Negus; pray for these Negus; continue to love these Negus. See them for who they truly are. See them through the eyes of the Creator.

Make it your responsibility to develop these Negus and help them to heal. Offer them employment and training opportunities. Embrace and present them with a different way of viewing their communities. But, most importantly, hold them accountable.

To clarify, this isn’t a Free Democratic Movement v Progressive Labour Party thing. This is a seed being dropped. Hopefully, the seed is picked up and planted by someone, and the shift that I am calling for begins.

I hope that my words are clear and my intentions understood.

• Rayki Emery is the chairman of the Free Democratic Movement