Community Life

Dozens of young people from the Faith Temple Youth Group marched from the North End in the town centre to Thornton Heath the site of several stabbings.  They wanted to create awareness of the futility of the current killings which have taking place across the capital. 

“Think about the right path you want to go down … gangs and violence isn't the answer… life is very valuable once someone takes away someone else’s life, they don't get another chance, once someone is gone there're not coming back,” says   Jonathan

Delores Henry, Faith Temple

waste of life

Following a two day conference in June held by their church, and, faced with some frightening statistics, they [the youths] took the decision to act says their Leader Delores Henry.

“The idea was to give us information help us to deal with what’s going on in society hence, when I met up with the youths a few days later, they were now saying they were ready for action, they had done the talk now they wanted to walk the walk”.

15 year old Lureece Wiggan is another of the young people wanting to make a stand.  She said:

“It’s [gang violence] quite scary because the teenager that was stabbed on Sumner Road, [Nilanthan Murddi] ….  I was at the top of the road so that was quite scary ….. it’s just quite upsetting to see people dying over something that’s quite stupid”

“Personally one of my friends got stabbed due to gang violence in Thornton Heath, that made me sit down and thing that if that can happen to someone than I know, there’s a possibility of that happening to my family member or me for that matter”, says Jonathan

To hear more from Jonathan, Laureece and Delores, click onto link to interview below or top right hand of this page.

What do you think of these young people’s action?  How do you feel about the level of gang violence in the borough?  Let’s have your views/comments.  Email: evadney.campbell@bbc.co.uk