Community activist and leader of the Black Agenda Project David Muhammad has denounced ongoing gang warfare and called on public office holders and communities to band together and stand up to crime.
Newsday spoke to Muhammad this morning, who said both gangs were not true to the religions they claimed to follow, adding that traditional Islam and Rastafarianism were peaceful ideologies which sought to build and empower communities.
"Rastafarianism stands for love and Islam stands for peace. The only reason they will not be able to peacefully coexist is if these young men are not living and practising the true forms of these religions.
"While we urge the young men involved in this violence to engage in deeper introspection, the fact is if they walk away from this lifestyle there is no alternative, which is why our leaders need to become more proactive and address the causes of crime."
Yesterday's killing of 31-year-old Cirn Joseph aka "Africa" took place mere meters away from Muhammad's Kwame Ture Education Institute along the Eastern Main Road in Laventille.