Tweet
COREY ROBINSON, Observer staff reporter robinsonc@jamaicaobserver.com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Drewsland resident Octavia 'Mitzie' Rose dances as she participates in a peace march through the Waterhouse St Andrew community on Wednesday. (Photos: Lionel Rookwood)
MORE than 200 Waterhouse residents, moved by the performance of one of their own at the games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing, China, staged a peace march through the community on Wednesday in hopes of bringing warring factions together in their Western St Andrew community.
On Sunday, the Waterhouse-born-and-bred Shelly-Ann Fraser led a historic Jamaican sweep of the 100-metre race for women with a personal best of 10.78 seconds to win gold followed by compatriots Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson, who were both tied for silver - also a first in Olympic history.
Wednesday, the residents were still beaming with pride, so much so that they decided to put their differences aside and mend the divide caused by years of war between different factions based in the community.
"Shelly-Ann Fraser is our girl, worldwide people want to know where she come from and we are here firing shots at each other. Is Jamaica time now, is gold time now and we tired of the war in the place," screamed a flag-bearing female resident as she danced among the huge crowd of participants who turned out for the march organised by several war-weary residents and the Peace Management Initiative (PMI).
For many of the residents in the lengthy peace march through the area, it was the first time in years they were venturing into sections of the community other than where they lived.
"I couldn't tell when last I walk around them place here. The whole a these places where I use to be regular just look strange," one female Drewsland resident said, who was among the approximately 200 marchers who squeezed their way through a narrow dirt-passage in a section of the community known as 'Samocan'.
"I can't believe that di whole place is the same Waterhouse to how dem split it up an a war 'gainst one another. Is 33 years mi live bout yah and over [Drewsland] never see my face yet," said another female resident who resides on 'Lyrix Corner'.
The march, which according to the residents was long overdue, targeted the areas known as Top and Bottom Drewsland, Lyrix Corner, Sunshine, Dust, Samocan and Buckers.
It was not the first peace march to take place in the area. But this time, the flag-bearing residents had reason to believe the peace would hold, saying the involvement of the PMI was an important part of the initiative.
"We want to show people that the place can be better. We want to show people that they can walk around anywhere and feel free that nobody will harm them. Unity is what we want in Waterhouse and that's why we call for this march," said Marlon Wilson, the Drewsland resident who helped to organise the march.
"We want the peace, too much places at war one time in Waterhouse and we need it to stop. And if everyone come together we can do it," he added.
Wilson's sentiments were echoed by PMI head Horace Levy, who has been trying to bring a truce between at least seven warring factions within the community.
According to Levy, with time, Waterhouse - deemed one of the major hotspots in the St Andrew South Police Division - will acquire a level of calm. More than 30 persons have been murdered within the community since the start of the year.
"We have been working with sections of the community for the past three months and I can say that there is a strong chance that this time the peace will be held. It will not be a smooth road and it will definitely take some time but I think that many of the residents are willing to make this attempt work," said Levy, following the two-hour long march.
Wednesday, as the crowd - made up of mainly women and children - paraded through the community, Deveena Duncan-Stone, operator of the Fiwi Homework Centre on Balcombe Drive in the community, watched the procession with a blank stare.
According to her, the violence was preventing the children from utilising the centre, which opened its doors to the public last year October.
"We do not get good support because of the violence. Children from down the bottom just afraid to come up here and their parents are afraid to send them also. We just hope that the violence can just cease. Things are really getting bad when children are denied an education because of the foolishness," she told the Observer.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Drewsland resident Octavia 'Mitzie' Rose dances as she participates in a peace march through the Waterhouse St Andrew community on Wednesday. (Photos: Lionel Rookwood) MORE than 200 Waterhouse residents, moved by the performance of one of their own at the games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing, China, staged a peace march through the community on Wednesday in hopes of bringing warring factions together in their Western St Andrew community.
On Sunday, the Waterhouse-born-and-bred Shelly-Ann Fraser led a historic Jamaican sweep of the 100-metre race for women with a personal best of 10.78 seconds to win gold followed by compatriots Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson, who were both tied for silver - also a first in Olympic history.
Wednesday, the residents were still beaming with pride, so much so that they decided to put their differences aside and mend the divide caused by years of war between different factions based in the community.
"Shelly-Ann Fraser is our girl, worldwide people want to know where she come from and we are here firing shots at each other. Is Jamaica time now, is gold time now and we tired of the war in the place," screamed a flag-bearing female resident as she danced among the huge crowd of participants who turned out for the march organised by several war-weary residents and the Peace Management Initiative (PMI).
For many of the residents in the lengthy peace march through the area, it was the first time in years they were venturing into sections of the community other than where they lived.
"I couldn't tell when last I walk around them place here. The whole a these places where I use to be regular just look strange," one female Drewsland resident said, who was among the approximately 200 marchers who squeezed their way through a narrow dirt-passage in a section of the community known as 'Samocan'.
"I can't believe that di whole place is the same Waterhouse to how dem split it up an a war 'gainst one another. Is 33 years mi live bout yah and over [Drewsland] never see my face yet," said another female resident who resides on 'Lyrix Corner'.
The march, which according to the residents was long overdue, targeted the areas known as Top and Bottom Drewsland, Lyrix Corner, Sunshine, Dust, Samocan and Buckers.
It was not the first peace march to take place in the area. But this time, the flag-bearing residents had reason to believe the peace would hold, saying the involvement of the PMI was an important part of the initiative.
"We want to show people that the place can be better. We want to show people that they can walk around anywhere and feel free that nobody will harm them. Unity is what we want in Waterhouse and that's why we call for this march," said Marlon Wilson, the Drewsland resident who helped to organise the march.
"We want the peace, too much places at war one time in Waterhouse and we need it to stop. And if everyone come together we can do it," he added.
Wilson's sentiments were echoed by PMI head Horace Levy, who has been trying to bring a truce between at least seven warring factions within the community.
According to Levy, with time, Waterhouse - deemed one of the major hotspots in the St Andrew South Police Division - will acquire a level of calm. More than 30 persons have been murdered within the community since the start of the year.
"We have been working with sections of the community for the past three months and I can say that there is a strong chance that this time the peace will be held. It will not be a smooth road and it will definitely take some time but I think that many of the residents are willing to make this attempt work," said Levy, following the two-hour long march.
Wednesday, as the crowd - made up of mainly women and children - paraded through the community, Deveena Duncan-Stone, operator of the Fiwi Homework Centre on Balcombe Drive in the community, watched the procession with a blank stare.
According to her, the violence was preventing the children from utilising the centre, which opened its doors to the public last year October.
"We do not get good support because of the violence. Children from down the bottom just afraid to come up here and their parents are afraid to send them also. We just hope that the violence can just cease. Things are really getting bad when children are denied an education because of the foolishness," she told the Observer.
Comment