Well, I'm off to the streets. The first roadblock or sound

[Mosiah]

of gunfire I come across, I'm turning right back. Let's hope I can!

[Mosiah]

Okay, before I even set off, I hear gunshots in the distance. No idea where it's coming from.

Brickie, can you tell your peeps to ease up off a di violence in di uptown areas?

Thanks!

[Exile]

Stay a yu yadd no boss....go paint yu wall or clean yu garden...cook some food...as my mother whould say - yu haunted?

[ReggaeMike]

Stay safe king

[Lionpaw]

Thank god i live in the wonderful, highly-civilized city of portmore. I haven't even heard a dog's bark, let alone gunshots since the chaos began. i mean, i can go outside and sit on my wall like a regular day. Portmoe, and not Tivoli, is a model community.

[Mosiah]

How di JC motto go again? Work burns in the fields?

Not trying to play hero, but just have to take care of some things. I will only drive on very popular routes, except Red Hills Road, Mountain View, Spanish Town Road...what again?

[Bricktop]

Hi har not haffiliated...stay a yuh yard...

[Bricktop]

Gaza?

[Mosiah]

I spoke to someone last night. He was on his way to Hellshire to eat fish!

And I am here hunkered down in uptown. Not fair!

[ReggaeMike]

Thank god i live in the wonderful, highly-civilized city of portmore. I haven't even heard a dog's bark, let alone gunshots since the chaos began. i mean, i can go outside and sit on my wall like a regular day. Portmoe, and not Tivoli, is a model community.

Yes just need to get rid of those giant mosquitoes....or maybe they are the only thing keeping the thugs at bay...maybe you should all rent them out.

[Exile]

Yesterdays Gleaner said it was Mineral Heights in May Pen:

Mineral Heights - peaceful gem off the highway

Published: Sunday | May 23, 2010 4 Comments and 0 Reactions


The physical layout of the community makes it easy to police. - Ian Allen/Photographer





Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer MINERAL HEIGHTS, Clarendon, is in a position that makes it both attractive and vulnerable. The attraction lies in its proximity to the highway and, by extension, convenient access to Mandeville going west and the Corporate Area heading east, as well as the parish capital May Pen.
That, however, also makes it vulnerable. Mineral Heights is also at the start of the road to Hayes, parts of which have hit the headlines in very bloody ways in the last few years, with murders an all too regular occurrence. But, Mineral Heights has so far been spared from the violence.
It is not, The Sunday Gleaner soon learns on a visit to Mineral Heights, sheer luck. There are inherent advantages - the community's orderly physical layout shows a high degree of planning and immediately projects an aura of calm. Several of the homes have been extensively remodelled and speak to a certain level of prosperity, although that can attract criminals.
Maybe they have been attracted. But the residents of Mineral Heights are not lax. They not only watching out for criminals - the standard neighbourhood watch sign is up - but actively build institutions and programmes that contribute to the sense of community.
And, in this case, the process of institution building includes a physical building for community development activities, which opened in February this year. Donated by the National Housing Trust and outfitted with equipment through the United Access Fund, it is the hub of community activities.
Open every day from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., save for Saturdays and Sundays when it opens a bit later, the office hosts a computer centre and a number of activities for residents.
"One of the things we have around here is a strong Community Development Organisation and Citizens' Association. There is a strong police youth club and the message is clear," said Sherral Archer, who is secretary of both adult groups.
It does not mean that the community has escaped the violence totally unscathed. "It was most unfortunate that we had the fatality of a young man in the community. It was most unfortunate and senseless," Archer said. "There are break-ins now and then."
However, in a backhanded way these interruptions in the general calm underscore the underlying strengths of the community. The person who attacked the young man is not from the community and the break-ins occur when people are off at work, indicating a high level of employment.
According to Archer: "We are a well-knit society. We look out for each other." And she smiles as she said "We are a bit nosy. If I see you and I have not seen you around before and you are not going to somebody then I am going to question you. We are nosy in a good way."
Added to that is a good relationship with the police, which includes a community policing initiative. Not only will the police drive through but they will also stop and converse with groups of persons - not with individuals, as there is still the possibility of the 'informer' stigma.
Archer said recently there were some young men, who were not residents of Mineral Heights, in the community with guns. It was early evening and, when called, the police were on the scene promptly.
No Worry
The police are not needed for the early morning walking, though, with residents - and even people from other areas - puffing away as early as 5 a.m. Plus, there are watering holes which open late into the night without problem.
Archer singled out Hugh Cross and Everald Simms from the United Access Fund for their co-operation and said the organisation was "really great to work with. Most times they were waiting on us, we were not waiting on them".
While there are two legitimate driving entrances into Mineral Heights, Archer says persons have created two illegal entrances and the citizens are determined to close them down.
With an estimated 4,000 residents, Archer said, "It's early days yet, but we are building ... . We have to build a legacy for our children and children's children."

[Exile]

Youth club, sports engage Mineral Heights' youngsters

Published: Sunday | May 23, 2010 0 Comments and 0 Reactions


Two youth club members smile for our camera.



Most of the young people are actively engaged in Mineral Heights. - Photos by Ian Allen/Photographer




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With younger persons, in their teens up to mid-20s, frequently figuring in the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]crime [COLOR=orange! important]statistics[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], experts agree that engaging that age cohort is the key to keeping any community peaceful and progressive. Mineral Heights, Clarendon, accepts that argument and keeps its many young people engaged through sports and the police youth club.
Andrenne Burrell is busy making a poster in the Mineral Heights Community Development Office when The Sunday Gleaner sees her on Thursday afternoon.
She is scheduled for a meeting later that afternoon and the public relations officer for the Mineral Heights Police Youth Club seems to have a packed schedule.
As does the club in general and it seems that they do not 'play around'. Burrell says the club meets at the Mineral Heights Primary School on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 and has a regular attendance of 30 persons, from a general membership of 65.
Boys Intrigued
That includes a number of boys, and Burrell smiles as she says: "I think it was the skirt tails that attracted them, but when they came and saw what we were doing they got intrigued and stayed nonetheless."
The 'play' - a games evening - is not a huge factor in the club. Discussions - sex, crime, managing the recession, dealing with [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]stress[/COLOR][/COLOR] - are, and Burrell says that the police are very active in the club's activities.
Burrell glows in describing the club as "amazing" and says "all of our members are currently involved in school". Also "volunteerism is encouraged, a whole lot". The club is trying to get registered, with the intention of getting sponsorship from Digicel and the National Housing Trust.
Nadine Sharpe manages the netball team and is also sports coordinator for Mineral Heights. She points out that there is only one multi-purpose court in Clarendon and it cannot hurt that it is in Mineral Heights. The Jamalco open league is held there on Sundays, then on Wednesdays the parish's primary and all-age schools have their turn.
Mineral Heights' netball team is named 'Optimist', and that is not only the name of a service club, but seems to reflect an outlook. Sharpe says "One of the uses of netball was to get the girls off the streets. I notice it gets the boys off the streets too."
The football and netball programmes target the 13-28-year-olds, the basketball goes further up the age ladder, and there is also a cricket team, all coming together to keep not only the players active, but also the spectators engaged.
-M.C.

[Lionpaw]

snap, mi chat too quick. 5 men get shot inna braeton mi jus a hear. unconfirmed tho. mi nah worry still, di mosquito dem a lock di endz and a watch wi headback. cant get rid a dem.

[Don1]

How di JC motto go again? Work burns in the fields?

Not trying to play hero, but just have to take care of some things. I will only drive on very popular routes, except Red Hills Road, Mountain View, Spanish Town Road...what again?

New JC motto for the times: Tan teddy an mek di wuk gwaan bun

[Exile]

Mek mi see if yu know tune? Yu remember a song whe sey "Tan teddy likkle gyal tan teddy, tan teddy pon a bigman b_ _ dy".