Will this loss be in vain?

The moment I saw the picture of one of the victims in the Scarborough shooting about two weeks ago, my heart went to my throat. H had the features of a Filipino Canadian! I looked at the name: Joshua Yasay. Yasay ….it could be a Filipino surname, But I was not very sure. There was no mention in the write-up of any reference to his origin.
A friend of mine phoned me later and mentioned about Joshua Yasay, “Yes, he was one of us”; he confirmed “I got the news from reliable sources.”
Such a tragedy touches all of us, especially one happening not very far from where we live. It is a community concern. But the feeling of affinity and sorrow is greater when one of our very own is a victim, the way Joshua Yasay was.
Here was a handsome young man, full of hopes for the future, plucked in the prime of life. He had worked very hard to achieve his dreams. He had served the young people in the community that he loved. He was hoping to be a police officer, a protector of the people with whom, he associated in his everyday life. And then he lost that life, a collateral damage in the bitterness, hate, frustrations and hopelessness of his fellow youth group.
The remarks of his friends are the living testimonials to Joshua Yasay’s short but fruitful life. Those words uttered by his friends were also witnesses on how he was brought up. I did not have the privilege to meet his parents and his sisters and very little was mentioned in the media about them but the reflection of a close knit family as most Filipino families are, has emerged in characterizations of Joshua Yasay’s life. The picture of his mother clutching her son’s picture close to her heart had moved me beyond words.
Joshua Yasay’s family and friends are left with this almost unbearable pain, the in loss of a loved one. The community had lost one of its assets, a young pillar that was a model for the youth in working hard for one’s goals and contributing to community development. And yet with this irreplaceable loss, their last prayer was for peace and the disappearance of violence. Not a word of retaliation, not even a whisper of vengeance.
May this response of Joshua Yasay’s family and friends lend guidance to our leaders, local, provincial and national, in dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy. It is hoped that the culprit responsible for this tragedy be apprehended and justice be done but the hate and vi9olence that caused this sad event be ended, and no more lives be further lost. Let not Joshua Yasay’s demise be in vain. May the tears, his family and friends shed for his loss be a cleansing flow to the ugliness of hopelessness, vengeance and power of the gun.
Just imagine – how much was lost in the pop of a gun; in the flicker of an eye – the hopes and dreams of a young man, the care and years of upbringing a father and a mother gave to this life, the love and protection two sisters shared, the dreaming and planning this young man had, the satisfaction and fulfillment he shared with those he helped, the camaraderie and bonding he enjoyed with his friends.
It is not surprising that some leaders in the community would like to banish the so called “undesirables” from our community. The other alternative offered is lock them all up in jail and throw away the key. But if the root causes that produced these pariahs in the community are not dealt with, new crops will be brought up. There will be no end to this social problem
Way back in 2005, similar violent incidents occurred which brought about the expression “Summer of the Gun”. The provincial government released funds in 2006 to counteract this violence by increasing police officers in the so-called crime areas in the Greater Toronto area. A report entitled “Roots of Violence” was also released by 2011. One of the authors of said report commented that the recommendations were not fully implemented. In many instances when violence occurred in succession in a community the first step taken is creation of task forces to study the cases. After a while, interest cools down and very little action is taken on the recommendations of the investigative committees.
In these hard economic times, government budgets are very limited. Usually funding for youth social development disappears. They can be dispensed with, they are not very visible to most of the public eyes. They do not seem to be as urgent as the falling bricks from a highway or a bridge.
In these recent shoot outs in the east and west of Toronto, the usual response of meeting of high government officials has again taken place. The usual claim of too many guns in the street and the need for more police officers are again on the table. The usual promises of action are again made. But the public has to wait. Problems like these are not solved readily and in a hurry.
There is one very evident gap in all these actions being taken. Leaders in the community most concerned have not been actively involved. They are hardley consulted in the meetings. The results of summit conferences of government officials are kept secret. frustration and rejection are experienced by the communities involved. There is also the feeling of humiliation, or exclusion.
In looking for ways to solve this serious problem in our community, let us not forget the precious lives like Joshua Yasay’s that were lost. Most of the victims of violence are young, the hopes of our Motherland. Even those with criminal records who perish by the gun have loved ones who like all human beings bear the loss. Many of them are parents of children who are left orphans without anyone to protect and support them.
Let not our commitment to solving these problems of violence fade with the sounds of the guns, only to be awakened when those signals of violence reoccur.