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Vol. 30, Issue 7 BROOKLYN EDITION Feb. 15–21, 2019
GANG
WAR
FEARS
Major cause for concern in
Trinidad and Tobago
By Bert Wilkinson
Gunmen in Trinidad killed
four people in 14 hours overnight
Tuesday, sparking fears
that the country is again on
course to experience yet another
bad year for violent crime
and concerns that gang wars
are spiraling out of control.
Crack police anti-crime
squads are battling to infiltrate
heavily armed gangs in eastern
districts of Port of Spain, the
capital, in the wake of a murder
toll that has already reached 70
so far this year, accounting for
nearly two murders each day.
Shaken up by what officials
call a rash of senseless killings,
Prime Minister, Keith Rowley
poured his heart and feelings
out on a visit to home island,
Tobago, this week, complaining
that too many of the youth
of today might well be victims
of poor parental supervision.
“A lot of the behavior of the
young people in this country
in particular is parents who
allow their children to grow up
without a decent standard of
behavior. I know some people
will take offence, but I have
no other story. The churches
are still open, but they are
not going to make a difference,
because from toddler stage parents
must instill in their children.
There is right and wrong.
There is yours and there is
theirs. Good behavior is what
will give them the best opportunity
to inherit what this
country has to offer,” he said.
The latest round of killings
has put the country on course
to match or even surpass the
516 people killed last year. The
comparable figure for killings
as of mid February 2018 is 75
but police say there is every
Council Member Jumaane Williams marches in the 2018 Cannabis Parade.
Offi ce of Councilman Jumaane Williams
Bill to restrict pre-employment drug testing
By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn Council Member
Jumaane D. Williams on
Wednesday introduced legislation
that would prohibit
employers from testing prospective
employees for marijuana
usage before employment.
Williams, who represents
the 45th Council District
in Brooklyn, said the bill,
Intro 1445, would prohibit
New York City employers
from requiring a prospective
employee to submit to
testing for the presence of
any tetrahydrocannabinols
(THC), the active ingredient
in marijuana, in such prospective
employee’s system
as a condition of employment.
Williams said exceptions
are provided for safety and
security sensitive jobs, and
those tied to a US federal or
state contract or grant.
The legislation was cosponsored
by the City Council
Majority Leader Laurie A.
Cumbo and Council Member
Carlina Rivera.
“We need to be creating
more access points for
employment, not less; and,
as we move toward legalization,
it makes absolutely
no sense that we’re keeping
people from finding jobs
or advancing their careers
because of marijuana use,”
Williams said.
“I’ve long advocated for
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