Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer
SPANISH TOWN:
SEVERAL SECTIONS of the McCooks Pen main road in St. Catherine were set ablaze yesterday morning as angry residents protested the killing of two children by a truck, last Saturday afternoon.
The residents took to the street as early as 7:00 a.m. and started to block the road. Things took a turn for the worst when they went to the office of the Member of Parliament, Everald Warmington, and posted several placards. The MP refused to meet the residents, and a stand-off ensued. When they realised that Warmington had no intention of addressing their concerns, they eventually left.
The MP told The Gleaner that the residents' discontent came about as a result of his not taking part in the roadblock. He maintained that the roadblock was lawlessness and he would not be a part of it. He added that they were also disgruntled because he had not contributed to the children's funeral expenses. He maintained that it was not an MP's duty to bury constituents.
The mother of the dead children, Roma Edwards, said that the family had not got any help from the Member of Parliament and he drove by as if nothing had happened. "I am really surprise, Mr. Warrington just drive like a nuh we elect him," she added. She claimed that the visit to the MP's office was out of concern as the children's lives could have been spared, if there had been running water in the area. The children were killed on their way to fetch water.
A strong detachment of heavily armed police personnel was seen in the area, while the road was being cleared of debris. The residents, however, said they would return to the streets if their problems were not dealt with.
The driver of the truck involved with the accident, 47-year-old Patrick Chung, of a Bushy Park, St. Catherine address, is in police custody and was remanded on Monday when he appeared in court.
The victims of the accident are five-year-old Gisselle Edwards and her sister, eight-year-old Amoy. They were killed after a truck ran off the road in McCooks Pen.
