IN JAMAICA: Exchange guns for education : Murdered soldier’s friends starting foundation to turn youth away from crime. WHAT DO YOU THINK? WILL IT WORK?

Monday, July 06, 2015

FRIENDS of Vaughn Moore, the soldier who was gunned down in the volatile community of Central Village earlier this year, are moving to launch a foundation to honour the life and work of the man who gave more than 15 years of service to his country.

The foundation will seek to target youth in inner-city communities who are involved in a life of crime,” Owen Smith, Moore’s lifelong friend, told the Jamaica Observer over the weekend.

Smith said that Moore, who was also property manager at Devon House, was a person who would always put service above self. He said members of the foundation hope to encourage youngsters who are armed with guns to hand them in to the authorities.

“In return, we are seeking to put up funds to get the carriers of these destructive weapons enrolled in various educational programmes. It is like a gun amnesty, but our aim is to not just call for the guns, we are seeking to make a change in the lives of those carrying the guns,” said Smith, who is the manager of the Jamaica Observer’s Transport Department.

Police report that on May 20 Moore was shot dead by gunmen in the community where he grew up. He had returned to the area to visit his mother.

Smith said Moore was the kind of person who always tried to help the youth, especially those in his community. “He was a hero, a leader both at community level and national level,” said Smith. “He was a disciplinarian who was willing to go the extra mile to help others.”

Smith said this was why steps were being taken to make the VAMOS (Vaughn Al Martino Moore Our Son) Jamaica Foundation a reality. “Discussions have started with representatives of the Jamaica Defence Force and other authorities about the initiative,” Smith said. more