By Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
Blair
COMMUNITY LEADERS from the violence-plagued communities of Brooke Avenue and Sherlock Crescent in Duhaney Park, St. Andrew, have agreed to put down their guns and stop the bloodshed.
"There is now a ceasefire," chairman of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), Bishop Herro Blair, told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.
On Friday the PMI met with factions of both communities in a closed-door meeting, where the community leaders expressed their concerns and discussed ideas to foster peace between the neighbouring communities.
"We plan to meet again early next week," Bishop Blair said yesterday.
Factions from Brooke Avenue and Sherlock Crescent have been involved in a feud going back more than 15 years. But each time that violence erupts between the communities, there have been temporary attempts to restore normality.
Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner on Wednesday, residents of both communities said the rival gun gangs comprised youths who once attended school together and played football in the community.
"All this changed during the 1980s, politics separated the community and the two set a man dem start to fight against one another," a group of women on Sherlock Crescent said.
Up to August, the rival factions were socialising together at Friday night parties held in the communities. But the fun and excitement were suspended about a month ago, following a double murder on Waterhouse Drive.
Head of the Duhaney Park Homicide team, Detective Inspector Michael Phipps, said since then at least four persons have been killed.
"We are in dialogue with persons from the Victim Support Unit to see how much they can assist the affected persons," said Inspector Phipps.
While the PMI is continuing its mediation process, the police are searching for a number of suspects believed to be involved in the shootings and murders committed in the recent flare up.
