By Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer
Grange
HE MOVED to Canada about 40 years ago in much the same way thousands of other Jamaicans made the move. Mother went first, then once settled, sent for the children.
A journalist by profession, Hamlin Grange is a co-host of Power 106 FM's newest flagship evening show, 'Good Evening Jamaica'.
He has just been confirmed as a member of the Toronto Police Services Board (PSB), making him one of the most powerful men in public life in that city, a position that was once held on the seven-member board by another Jamaican, Roy Williams.
"The board is a civilian oversight body that sets policy for the police. It comprises elected
officials from the city of Toronto and individuals appointed by
the province of Ontario," Mr. Grange explained recently to The Gleaner.
COMPETING INTERESTS
He noted that they operate in a public way and all in concert, with several competing interests, including the police union (with membership of 7,000 officers), the police chief, city hall and the public. But the board is going through changes and Mr. Grange said he took the job after long and hard thought.
"We are not responsible for day-to-day operations, but we set policies and procedures and deal directly with the chief of police. I have my own business to run. I have a public persona, but I am a private person, and on this board, your private thoughts become public. I decided to do it because I was asked by a number of persons and there is the opportunity to be involved in a change process, he said."
Major issues for attention include racial profiling, especially aimed at blacks; also, whether police officers should be allowed to support politicians the police association sees nothing wrong with it, but the Police Services Act, that governs the police, says no. The board concurs with the latter view. He emphasised that he is on the Police Services Board to represent the interests of all the citizens of Toronto, not just a few communities.
In the years since he has left Jamaica, Mr. Grange has only made trips home on journalism assignments for the Toronto Star and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
"Each time I've come back, I've been exposed to parts of Jamaica that I did not know before and it allowed me to see again some things through a child's eyes."
DEPORTEE ISSUE
His work on the pieces dealing with the deportee issue allowed Mr. Grange to grasp the dilemma faced by a country that has to accept persons who left the island at a tender age, become criminals elsewhere and are then forced to return 'home'.
So, why co-host the programme 'Good Evening Jamaica', at this time and particularly from such a great distance, and given the
challenges of having to be briefed long-distance on issues that he may not have the first-hand knowledge of in the way that his island-based co-hosts do?
Mr. Grange says, through 'Good Evening Jamaica', he hopes to achieve a common language and start a conversation between Jamaicans abroad and at home, as there is a lot to learn from each other. Jamaicans need to understand that the streets of Toronto are not paved with gold. "People have to work hard and there is more to Jamaicans in Canada than just sending
remittances home. People are
succeeding in positions of
authority, and have real concerns," he said.
"We are very fortunate to have signed up Mr. Grange as the
co-host of 'Good Evening Jamaica' it was not by chance that we approached him; he is
an ideal professional, whose
presence will help us to establish a bridge between Jamaicans at home and Jamaicans in various communities overseas," said Newton James, managing director of Power 106 FM.
One of the founders and past president of the Canadian Association of Black Journalists (which includes reporters, photographers, camera operators, and other communications professionals), Mr. Grange has mentored dozens of young journalists from minority groups. He told The Gleaner that the number of black and Caribbean journalists in Canada has grown since 1980, but that number could be better.
On the subject of crime, Mr. Grange agrees that crime statistics in Jamaica are shocking and is amazed that things seem to get worse every year.
SEEKING GREATER
UNDERSTANDING
Mr. Grange said that Toronto police chief Julian Fantino visited Jamaica last year, because he wanted a better understanding of why most of the crime in Toronto was being committed by young Jamaicans there. Within a week of being deported to Jamaica, some of these young men are back in the Canadian system. The cycle continues and Jamaica's reputation for crime builds.
He said many Jamaicans living in Canada do not want to return to Jamaica, because safety and crime are huge issues.
Citing the 'broken windows'
theory, he said if something is allowed to remain bad long enough, it will grow and that is why it is important to clean up Jamaica in the same way that one man began the process of cleaning up the graffiti from the New York subways.
"We need a tipping point, from the combined efforts of private
sector, police, public and government. Citizens make a city safe, police officers enforce established laws, but we have to take responsibility for it too."
