Warning for all TT Post workers – DON'T WEAR GANG NUMBERS

WORKERS with the TT Postal Corporation (TT Post) are being warned to avoid wearing clothing or accessories that display certain numbers, as this could provoke attacks from rival gangs who use these numbers to identify themselves.

A memorandum from TT Post dated May 16 was circulated on social media on Wednesday. It advised employees not to wear clothing with the numerals 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9.

In the memo, TT Post said the advice had come from the police.

It added that the policy was necessary owing to an increase in violent gang activities.

Criminal gangs have carved out territories in East Port of Spain, Beetham Gardens, Sea Lots, Laventille, Morvant, St Ann's, Diego Martin, Enterprise, Chaguanas, Maloney, La Horquetta, Blake Avenue and Damarie Hill in Sangre Grande, Trainline, Marabella and several other areas along the East-West Corridor, among other districts.

In those areas, gang insignia can be seen painted on walls and buildings.

Contacted for comment president of the TT Postal Workers' Union Shellon Trim thanked TT Post and the police for their interest, as there was at least one incident in which a postal worker was threatened while delivering mail.

'6' ON AN UMBRELLA

Trim said that worker was carrying an umbrella with the number 6 displayed at the side when she was confronted by gang members while on the job in Port of Spain.

"Certain people told her, 'You lucky we not strapped, because if we were strapped we would have pelt some shots behind you.'

"Some people may laugh and think it's funny, but this is actually a very real, very serious matter."

Trim said the six on the umbrella was an indicator of which route or postal district it belonged to, as a means of distinguishing property at the postal office.

Police said the number six, sometimes stylised as "Sixx," is used as a symbol or identifier for a gang that broke away from the larger Rasta City gang, which went on to refer to itself as Seven in response.

Trim said boundaries set up by gangs not only affected residents of these areas but also workers for different services who have to visit the areas.

He said the boundaries of two gangs could be relatively close, so it could be dangerous for workers who simply want to do their jobs.

"Also in more recent times there would have been an upsurge in gang violence, and – I'm being honest – when I delved into what was going on, I was very shocked.

"On one side of the street is Sixx and the other side of the street is Seven, and they are at war.

"We have officers who need to go across the boundaries, so in one particular case – the officer understands how the community is divided – one day they will work in the Sixx side, the other day they will work on the Seven side.

"They don't cross over. That's how ridiculous it has come."

Trim said the issue of safety and security for postal workers was one of several topics expected to be discussed during a national executive meeting on Wednesday.

He added that while police escorts have not been considered for postal workers, there were instances where mail delivery in certain neighbourhoods was suspended indefinitely, but this alone may not be a solution.

"People would then have to go to the post office to get their mail.

"That would create another problem, because people cannot leave their home to go to the post office, because the office is in a rival gang's territory."

Investigators said the territory of the Sixx gang included St Paul Street, Laventille Road and Lower Gonzales in Belmont, while the territories of the Seven gang included Duncan Street, Beetham Gardens, Sea Lots, Lower Nelson Street and Belle Eau Road in Belmont.

RIVALRY INTENSIFIES

Gang rivalry among factions of the Rasta City gang and other breakaway factions has heightened after the daylight murder of Trinibad artiste Antonio "Wacko Dan" Reyes on May 3, at Symond Valley, St Ann's.

Reyes was featured in a song threatening the leader of a Port of Spain gang days before.

On May 13, a media statement from Going Global Team, which is associated with Trinibad artistes, said it was embarking on a 90-day hiatus to produce positive songs under the theme "TriniGood" as part of its efforts to reduce violence.

Several Trinibad artistes – such as Kyle "Rebel Sixx" George, N'kosi "Fari Dan" Bovell, Brad Bailey, Carlton "CJ Dan" Campbell, Danie "Mad Dog" Hamilton and Keenan "Craigman" Craig – were murdered between 2020-2023.

Another artiste, Kalonji Arthur, survived a shooting which claimed the life of his girlfriend at the Brix Hotel in St Ann's, and there have been several attempts to kill Taryll "Prince Swanny" Swan.

Police Commissioner Erla Christopher was asked about the memo by Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal when she appeared before a parliamentary joint select committee on the criminal justice system on Wednesday.

She could not confirm whether the document was legitimate correspondance.

"The letter was brought to my attention just prior to coming to the meeting. I am in the process of verifying the authenticity of the document. I am not sure and neither (I nor) any of my deputies are aware of such instructions."

Contacted for comment, Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales, the line minister for TT Post, confirmed the memo was authentic and said it was intended for internal circulation only.

Gonzales said he had not received any reports of staff being assaulted or threatened, but it was important to issue the warning as a precaution.

"From time to time, even in my capacity as a minister going out into communities, I have to be very cognisant and take the necessary measures to ensure my personal safety.

"This is something we are grappling with regionally and internationally, but it's also something we're grappling with in the utilities sector.

"There are some communities where utility workers, especially WASA and T&TEC, find it very difficult to venture in to deal with day-to-day operational matters, because of the level of violence and criminality...There are some areas where WASA and T&TEC can only go once they are supported by the district police."

NEED TO BE EVER VIGILANT

One officer in the Port of Spain Division said the police continued to take all threats seriously, but did not feel postal workers would be targeted even if they wore clothing or carried accessories with specific numbers, as they usually wore uniforms to show they were postal workers.

Despite this he felt there was some validity to the concerns, as workers known to be from the area of a particular gang might be targeted if they visited the neighbourhood of a rival gang while working.

He added, "Whether they are working or not, some gangs may feel that this person may be coming to pass on information to the other gang in their own neighbourhood."

He advised postal workers to continue to be vigilant and urged TT Post to find workers to deliver mail in areas where they live to avoid their straying into hostile neighbourhoods.

In October, 2021, garbage collector Nizam Ali Cadette was gunned down while emptying bins on Laventille Road, east Port of Spain.

Police and residents said Cadette was killed for working in the territory of a rival gang.

The officer said since Cadette's murder, police have been assigned to escort garbage trucks to different parts of east Port of Spain on the collection days of Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Delivery drivers selling bread, cooking gas and other commodities have halted business in some hotspot districts because of threats and robberies.

Newsday sent a WhatsApp message to an official from TT Post's marketing department, but did not receive a response up to press time.