This is a column that I just have to cut to the chase.

Why are we approaching a murder rate of 50 and we have not declared a state of emergency? Is it because we are becoming desensitized to violence?

One student gets swine flu and school districts shutdown schools until the bacteria are no longer present. We have a virus in the schools called violence and it's business as usual. Is it because we won't stand for communicable diseases but we can take community diseases? Is it because we KNOW we can kill a flu but not sure if we can "kill" a felon?

We have allowed our young to run wild for far too long. As we can see, it is getting worst and not better. A criminal would go the extra mile to commit an offense but we wouldn't to prevent one. We have become afraid to call the police on our neighbors, strangers and sons. We prefer to turn a blind eye to crime as if that will make it go away.

This is why I decided to host the first Going Against the Grain Peace Walk from Red Hook to Emancipation today beginning at 8 a.m. This was a last minute thing and I made all attempts to get the word out quickly. So don't be too upset if you didn't hear about it. I was scheduled to be in Dallas right now, but my heart couldn't sit right getting back on that plane without doing my part to raise public outcry.

Cynics told me that the distance was too far; my heart told me it's not far enough. We can't just say we are against crime and would fight it until the end, if there is a limit to the distance we would travel to fight it. Our young boys must feel we are serious. The offenders in our community must see us in the trenches. They must know we are willing to stand face to face with them until they stop stealing the lives from us they never created. At the end of the day we will be able to sleep knowing the criminals are not outside our windows preparing to climb through it and add to our growing murders.

- St. Thomas native Devin "Dutchie" Robinson is a six-time author and columnist. He can be reached at www.devinrobinson.com.