By Yolande Gyles, Staff ReporterTHERE is a stigma that haunts Flankers. The dormitory and largely low-income community, which sits at the very edge of the runway of the Sangster International Airport, has a reputation for being violently disruptive.
But its residents this week hit hard at the media for failing to speak about the different sides of the community which is also home to hardworking and law-abiding citizens, bound by strong loyalty to each other.
"We are not who you say we are" a statement that in a nutshell sums up Flankers' general view of itself as misunderstood.
Residents of the community believe that they are maligned in the media, and are always portrayed in the worst possible light.
"You see after di way oonu report bout we, me wouldn't come down here either. If me never live yah me woulda fraid," said Lorna, a long-time resident.
For four days this week, the community made front page headlines having come out in protest of the shooting of three of their own by the police David Bacchas, 63, and Cecil Brown, 66 who both died, and Audrey Stephens, 65, who was shot and injured.
Flankers finds itself the centre of attention largely because it sits between the airport Jamaica's largest and the major gateway for tourist traffic and the Ironshore Rose Hall areas where some of the more upscale hotel properties and homes are located.
If it wants to, Flankers can cripple the city's business and has done so before.
The Montego Bay community shot to national prominence 10 years ago when the community blocked off access to Montego Bay after businessman, Joe Whitter, bulldozed the homes of people squatting on his land. The roadblock caused the city to grind to a halt.
CARRYING A STIGMA
In 1998, the community was again in the news. This time, after some residents killed American businessman, Thomas Beckett, and burnt his car after he had knocked over a pot of soup while a dance was in progress. Beckett was dropping home a resident of the community on her way from work.
Even inside Montego Bay, being a Flankers resident carries a stigma.
"I don't really go telling people that I live here," said Nathalie, 19, a cosmetologist. "People treat you differently when you come from here because they think you are some awful person," she said.
The residents blame the media who they say do not report the good things in Flankers. "Everytime something bad happens in Flankers, oonu highlight it. Why oonu never come here when we doing good?" asked Carmen, a political activist. "Just last week we honoured some people on Heroes' Day, and we invited the media, and you did not come, but now all of oonu reach."
In fact, they say that it was jointly the fault of the media and police why they demonstrated again on Monday.
"You see after we heard what was being said by Ionie Ramsay on Breakfast Club and then all of oonu carry dis shoot-out story, we get irate man, because it hurt us," Carmen said.
Supt. Ramsay is the spokeswoman for the police force as head of the Constabulary Communications Network (CCN).
Another resident admitted that Flankers was not always the nicest of places to live, but, he added that it was not nearly as bad as it is being made out to be. "Yeah, we poor and anywhere that poor people live cannot all nice because we are lacking certain things, but you still have some of the best people you could ever meet living here," said 30-year-old Michael Reid, a teacher who lives in Flankers.
That, they say is why they protested on Saturday.
"You see Saturday's protest that was because the killings of Mr. Bacchus and Mr. Brown hurt this community. We all felt like a member of our family had been murdered. We had to make our voice heard," said Carmen.
TRYING TO MAKE THE
VOICE OF PEACE HEARD
But Flankers has also been trying to make the voice of peace heard in its community. As a result, they have the first mediation centre in St. James set up under the Government's Social Conflict and Legal Reform project.
They have also set up an arm of the National Council on Drug Abuse and they are also considered to be the most organised community, with all their social arms under the Community Development Centre (CDC).
The community also has seve-ral skills training and literacy programmes.
These are the things, they say, they want to publicise in the media.
You know what you all don't understand, we are a close, close community. We are 'crocheted'. You might come here today and see the two of us fighting but if you do something to one of us, we going to defend it," said Carmen.
They also say that they are not politically divided like some poor communities across the island.
"No JLP and PNP cannot come in here and mash up this and part this. Everybody support who they want support, nobody cares," said Dread, who is unemployed.
What they do care about is what they have.
"We poor and all we have is our dignity and our pride and that we will always fight for," promised Sheryl Brown, a stay at home mother.
