Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer
The Rodney Memorial building in Emancipation Square in Spanish Town. - Andrew Smith/Photography Editor
APPROXIMATELY 27 factories closed. More than a thousand persons killed. These are some of the uncomfortable facts behind the decline of Spanish Town in the last decade and a half.
For Dennis Robotham, president of the St. Catherine Chamber of Commerce & Industry, these are not mere statistics, but are representative of lives - those lost to criminals and those plunged into hopelessness by the murders and the decline of businesses.
He, like many others in Spanish Town, point to one particular event - the killing of a popular businessman in 1993, as emblematic of the tragedy that has befallen the Old Capital.
Errol Cann, 41, proprietor of Candon Enterprises/wholesale and retail on Cumberland Road, was robbed of $500,000 and shot dead by three gunmen on Adelaide Street as he made his way to a nearby bank to make a lodgement.
His murder shocked not only those who knew him well in Spanish Town, but many across the island. He was, after all, one of the best known philanthropists in St. Catherine, contributing to many causes in the fields of education and sport among other areas.
While Candon Enterprises survived the murder of its co-owner, the business has assumed a lower profile in subsequent years.
Thirteen years on, more than thirteen hundred more people have been killed in St. Catherine; among them, at least twelve businessmen, according to Dennis Robotham.
"Some of these killings (of business people) were unexplained, but their deaths, understandably, caused a certain amount of fear in the business community.
Furthermore their murders contributed to economic decline and loss of jobs in the town", he said.
A MAJOR FACTOR
While not attributing all the business closures to the crime problem, the chamber president remains convinced that this has been a major factor, and must be reversed if the town is to recover.
He is joined in that hope by Assistant Commissioner of Police Glenmore Hinds, who heads the intelligence driven Operation Kingfish. Among other measures, Hinds wants to see greater cooperation between residents and the police, with information being shared about the extortion racket and other crimes.
He's warning, however, that law enforcement alone will not restore Spanish Town to relative tranquility and prosperity. "It will require collaboration from other agencies and the business community for a full restoration to take place", he said.
In that regard, Dennis Robotham is fervently hoping that the latest initiative - Spanish Town Redevelopment Company (SPARCOM) - will prove to be that badly needed catalyst. The government/ private sector entity, lead by businessman Aubyn Hill, plans to refurbish the city's historic Emancipation Square and make it an inviting prospect for heritage tourism, among other opportunities. The state owned Jamaica Social Invest-ment Fund - JSIF - will be doing parallel projects aimed at restoring dilapidated infrastructure in some of the more depressed communities in and around Spanish Town.
But, like many others, Robotham is not getting carried away with enthusiasm just yet. "I've heard too many other promises before. Let's see some real work
on project implementation
before we get too excited" he
cautioned.
