00:00Mr. Griffith, who lived abroad for 40 years before he was deported to Trinidad and Tobago,
00:07explains that criminality gets you nowhere in life.
00:11He revealed that he was homeless and living on the streets on cardboard boxes, but he
00:18refused to join a life of crime.
00:21The life of crime is very short.
00:23It's either you're going to live or you're going to have a short life, you know.
00:27I choose to have a long life, you know.
00:30I choose not to rob.
00:33Of course, I was engaged to be like a gangster and to be in a gang.
00:39I was engaged.
00:40Don't get me wrong.
00:41I was engaged.
00:42But I said, no, I'm not going to live that type of life, because I want to live.
00:46So people would have approached you in Trinidad and Tobago to join a gang?
00:50He says the grassroots work in depressed communities is extremely important.
00:57Noting that once young people get to a certain level within the gangs, it is hard to get
01:02them out.
01:03According to Griffith, he understands exactly how it feels to have nothing and to be all
01:09alone.
01:10Meanwhile, President of the Scrap Iron Dealers Association, Alan Ferguson, is pleading with
01:17the private sector for support.
01:19He also wants both government and the private companies to assist with at-risk communities.
01:26It's not about bringing things to the community.
01:28You have to work in the community to find out what are the problems with the people
01:34in the community.
01:36Because it's not about work sometimes alone, you know.
01:39It's about the mental mind.
01:41You have to understand that the mind sometimes takes them to different places.
01:46Sometimes some of them grew up in such a home that they have a lot of problems.
01:51And if we don't go in and find out what is the problem, how will we solve the problem?
01:55We think throwing money, throwing all these programs will help it.
02:01No, it can't work like that.
02:02Ferguson tells the business sector, in helping at-risk communities, they help society.
02:10We want to be able to go to these communities every fortnight and when we get your help,
02:16when you help us, you come like you're helping yourself.
02:21When we help them, we will help them not to come to rob you or come and invade your house.
02:28So we're doing a serious part because we have the influence to be able to stop these youths
02:33from going to these communities.
02:35Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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