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Heartaches echo in Silent Gardens
BY PAUL HENRY Sunday Observer staff reporter editorial@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, December 07, 2008
A woman hurriedly walked by clutching her belly, pain etched on her face.
Keeping her distance as she rushed by, her face turned away, the heavy-set woman exclaimed without looking back: "Every time mi look pan it mi belly hurt mi. Oh God!"
These passers-by took time out to view the names of the more than 400 children killed in Jamaica since 2003. It is said that up to a thousand persons per day visit the site since its establishment in November. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
The "it" to which the woman referred was the monument erected in early November by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) at the corner of Tower and Church streets in memory of the 450 children from zero to 17 years old who have been murdered across the island over the past five years.
On average, up to a thousand people visit Silent Gardens per day, according to the group of people responsible for maintaining the $10-million site. Some come to take pictures, others out of curiosity, while family members and relatives come to leave flowers.
Some visitors, once they start reading the names and ages of the victims, find it hard to mask their emotion. And some cry openly. One woman even fainted and had to be rushed away after viewing the monument, according to Keith Mussington, one of the ground's caretakers, who added that the site has seen visitors from as far away as Clarendon.
"Jesus Christ, mi belly a hurt mi, whe mi pickney dem deh?" exclaimed one woman at the sight of the numerous names carved into the dark granite structure, on which is erected the face of a child, with endless streams of water flowing from both eyes.
Upon viewing another section of the monument where the names continued, the overwhelmed woman again lamented, "Jesus Christ! A so much pickney dead? Jesus Christ, mi belly a bun mi like pepper," before quickly leaving the site with a female friend.
Shouts of "Jesus" could be heard coming from a few elderly women once they caught sight of the streams of water flowing from the eyes of the giant face that is meant to represent the murdered children.
A huge space has been reserved on the monument in anticipation of the continued attacks on the nation's children.
"Mi hope to God it no full up," said another woman as she shook her head in grief. "It jus chill mi. Mi body jus run cold fi know how many children dem kill," said one woman, Nikesha Osbourne, as she snapped pictures of the monument with her cellular phone and a small digital camera.
Added another woman, Paulette Forbes, "Every time mi come here mi feel different. Even though it mek mi sad mi cyaan stop look pon it."
Amid the emotion, a raging debate erupted over the death penalty with the majority of people calling for murderers - especially those who kill children - to be executed. Two women even came close to exchanging blows.
"Any time dem ketch dem killer yah dem fi bruck dem neck or put dem inna di electric chair mek dem feel something before dem dead. Mi neva know say a so much pickney dead. Mi neva hope fi see so many kids go down," said an emotional Patrick Campbell.
Shortly after the death penalty debate died down, a group of visiting high school students came in for a verbal lashing from one emotionally charged woman who lamented that too many students were killing each other.
She then picked a bunch of nearby flowers, placed it on the monument and commented, "Mi know unu cry, mi a cry wid unu to".
During the 45 minutes the Sunday Observer was at the site on a particular day late last month, more than a hundred persons stopped by. Among the number was Leon Clarke, the father of 10-year-old Stacey-Ann Clarke who was shot near her home in Seaview Gardens in Kingston, during an exchange of bullets among gunmen in May this year.
"The girl promising, yu see man. A pure A's she get. She is mi only child," said Clarke, who was visiting the site for the first time.
Added Clarke: "Mi still trying to work out life. Every time mi hear sey another child dead is like a she."
The youngest victim on the monument is Royane Dyer, who was killed on July 2, 2006, several months before his first birthday.
BY PAUL HENRY Sunday Observer staff reporter editorial@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, December 07, 2008
A woman hurriedly walked by clutching her belly, pain etched on her face.
Keeping her distance as she rushed by, her face turned away, the heavy-set woman exclaimed without looking back: "Every time mi look pan it mi belly hurt mi. Oh God!"
These passers-by took time out to view the names of the more than 400 children killed in Jamaica since 2003. It is said that up to a thousand persons per day visit the site since its establishment in November. (Photo: Joseph Wellington) The "it" to which the woman referred was the monument erected in early November by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) at the corner of Tower and Church streets in memory of the 450 children from zero to 17 years old who have been murdered across the island over the past five years.
On average, up to a thousand people visit Silent Gardens per day, according to the group of people responsible for maintaining the $10-million site. Some come to take pictures, others out of curiosity, while family members and relatives come to leave flowers.
Some visitors, once they start reading the names and ages of the victims, find it hard to mask their emotion. And some cry openly. One woman even fainted and had to be rushed away after viewing the monument, according to Keith Mussington, one of the ground's caretakers, who added that the site has seen visitors from as far away as Clarendon.
"Jesus Christ, mi belly a hurt mi, whe mi pickney dem deh?" exclaimed one woman at the sight of the numerous names carved into the dark granite structure, on which is erected the face of a child, with endless streams of water flowing from both eyes.
Upon viewing another section of the monument where the names continued, the overwhelmed woman again lamented, "Jesus Christ! A so much pickney dead? Jesus Christ, mi belly a bun mi like pepper," before quickly leaving the site with a female friend.
Shouts of "Jesus" could be heard coming from a few elderly women once they caught sight of the streams of water flowing from the eyes of the giant face that is meant to represent the murdered children.
A huge space has been reserved on the monument in anticipation of the continued attacks on the nation's children.
"Mi hope to God it no full up," said another woman as she shook her head in grief. "It jus chill mi. Mi body jus run cold fi know how many children dem kill," said one woman, Nikesha Osbourne, as she snapped pictures of the monument with her cellular phone and a small digital camera.
Added another woman, Paulette Forbes, "Every time mi come here mi feel different. Even though it mek mi sad mi cyaan stop look pon it."
Amid the emotion, a raging debate erupted over the death penalty with the majority of people calling for murderers - especially those who kill children - to be executed. Two women even came close to exchanging blows.
"Any time dem ketch dem killer yah dem fi bruck dem neck or put dem inna di electric chair mek dem feel something before dem dead. Mi neva know say a so much pickney dead. Mi neva hope fi see so many kids go down," said an emotional Patrick Campbell.
Shortly after the death penalty debate died down, a group of visiting high school students came in for a verbal lashing from one emotionally charged woman who lamented that too many students were killing each other.
She then picked a bunch of nearby flowers, placed it on the monument and commented, "Mi know unu cry, mi a cry wid unu to".
During the 45 minutes the Sunday Observer was at the site on a particular day late last month, more than a hundred persons stopped by. Among the number was Leon Clarke, the father of 10-year-old Stacey-Ann Clarke who was shot near her home in Seaview Gardens in Kingston, during an exchange of bullets among gunmen in May this year.
"The girl promising, yu see man. A pure A's she get. She is mi only child," said Clarke, who was visiting the site for the first time.
Added Clarke: "Mi still trying to work out life. Every time mi hear sey another child dead is like a she."
The youngest victim on the monument is Royane Dyer, who was killed on July 2, 2006, several months before his first birthday.