IF RESIDENTS of South St. Andrew don't ring in the new year with the traditional firecrackers, you can't blame them. They heard too many explosions in 2004.Those explosions were not celebratory - they were shots from guns owned by gangs that have besieged this community since April. According to the Constabulary Communication Network, 19 persons have been murdered in South St. Andrew since April; on Wednesday morning, Randy O'Neil and Hughie Powell of Wilton Gardens, commonly known as Rema, became the latest victims of the warfare when they were murdered by gunmen.
ONE A THE TOUGHEST YEAR
"Bwoy, a one a the toughest year dis mi ever si," says George Pringle, a lifelong resident of Top Jungle. "Da war yah woulda shake up anybody."
Mr. Pringle was one of several men either playing cards or dominoes or just hanging out on the corners of South St. Andrew last Tuesday. As in most inner-city communities in Kingston, unemployment is a big problem here and oftentimes many youth are drawn to a life of crime.
"Nuthin nah gwaan 'bout yah so, yuh nuh. A jus' one set a people a eat the food an' dat a uppa Jones Town," said one man, who also told The Sunday Gleaner that his younger brother was murdered by gunmen from Jones Town.
Many of the problems in the constituency surround differences between its old guard, led by George Phang, and those pushing for change. Among the advocates for a new day was the articulate Horace 'Ran Johnnie' Murphy who was gunned down in Top Jungle on August 30.
Mr. Phang is an 'Elder' in South St. Andrew. In the 1970s he was one of the youth who helped Member of Parliament Anthony Spaulding transform the former animal pen to a community of high-rise buildings, and in the 1980s forged a reputation as a successful record producer.
In recent years, Mr. Phang's reign in South St. Andrew has been under threat. He was shot 17 times by gunmen on the evening of March 17 as he and friends played dominoes in Jones Town, but has fully recovered from his wounds.
The bloodshed has twice forced schools in the constituency to be closed. On September 29, Member of Parliament Omar Davies and Police Commissioner Francis Forbes visited several of them to assure staff and students that security would be beefed up to ensure their safety.
INEFFECTIVE MP
Yet, several residents say Mr. Davies is an ineffective MP who has done little to ease tension in his constituency. "Bwoy, him fi jus' go wey from 'bout yah 'cause him nuh do nuthin' fi nobody 'bout ya," said one man from Top Jungle.
But Patrick Roberts, chief executive officer of Shocking Vibes Productions which sponsors several projects in South St. Andrew, says Mr. Davies has done his best to promote empowerment among his constituents with educational programmes.
Many of the youth in South St. Andrew say finding employment and getting off the corners is high on their wish list for 2005. Job creation, they believe, can help their community shake the monkey of violence off its back.
- H.C.
