Webster EdwardsWHY THE inner city continues to be in turmoil and upon whose shoulders should blame be ultimately placed? How did we become trapped in a subcultural value system which tends at times to be at variance with that practised by the rest of the society?
We were all born into the world as innocent human beings with the proclivity for either good or evil. It is the influences to which we are exposed which determine the kind of values which we eventually accept. No one, unless mentally deficient, is born with the predisposition for becoming a thug. It is the society in which we are brought up which moulds us, and imparts its values and attitudes.
The society exerts a kind of iron law which defines the relationships which we exhibit in our interaction with each other. It is from the early associations and the tutelage which we receive in communities that our ethical foundations are derived. It still remains true that the influences which are exerted upon us during the first seven years of our existence will remain with us for the remainder of our lives. People therefore tend to take on many of the characteristics from the communities in which they have been brought up. Communities therefore which are run-down, without proper amenities, crime-infested, hostile, are much more likely to produce individuals which are deviants.
Many of these communities are now throwing up their own peculiar patterns of leadership and behaviour and have now mastered their own unique way of addressing their grievances. But partisan political rivalry has also had a negative impact on the relationships between people living in these communities. It should not be forgotten that the invectives issued against political opponents in the past sowed the seeds for subsequent hostilities. In this regard, the divisiveness in the inner-city is a creation of the type of policies which has traditionally been practised over the years. Politicians cannot therefore wash their hands from the mayhem of our times. Remember those signs warning unsuspecting political opponents that certain areas are really off limit and that they "enter at their own risk"?
Years ago leadership was exercised by the teachers, parsons, Justices of the Peace and other people who all lived in these communities. These persons were the traditional role models whose lifestyles served as inspiration to young impressionable minds. With the large-scale development of suburbia beginning in the 1950's, many of these people moved out from the inner-city areas which created a significant void as in many instances, a voice of counsel and restraint was missing.
Today, with the possible exception of the Roman Catholics, it is difficult to find a pastor of any of the older churches living in the inner-city. What this means, is that the religious influences to which these communities are exposed are somewhat sporadic. People need to see from their pastors something of the lives that they live and how they react to the pressures of our times.
What can be done
The task of reformulating our communities must be intentional and can only be sustained by the examples which are set by those who exercise leadership. We can do a lot by our actions to recreate the idea of a single Jamaica, although in many instances this will be both challenging and threatening. It should be noted that where different classes of people live together and intermingle with each other there is far less possibility of creating a social divide. The objective situation is that the gap is widening, and religion, music and sports are now the only areas around which true community consensus can be built.
What is needed now in inner-city areas is an infusion of goodness, all that would inure to the strengthening of communities and a satisfactory and well ordered existence. There is room for people who will show kindness in the midst of hostility, patience in the midst of provocation, and the kind of ethical foundation which sees the other person as a brother's brother and a sister's sister. We need the grace to forgive, the realisation that right is not dependent on might and an approach which is both caring and compassionate. Most important, our people must have the assurance that they are not forgotten and that they are part and parcel of the creation of a new Jamaica.
Webster Edwards is the Executive Director of Operation Friendship.
