We don’t want it to erupt!

MEMBERS OF the church community and law enforcement said they will not allow the serious gains made to sustain peace within Grants Pen, St Andrew to be eroded by recent acts of violence and growing tensions.

The latest incident took place early Friday morning when six persons from the community were shot during an attack by gunmen on Constant Spring Road in the vicinity of Market Place. The persons were allegedly making their way home from a birthday party for dancehall entertainer Mluleki Clarke, popularly known as ‘Jahsii’, who escaped unhurt.

Tension had already been high in the community before that shooting. On June 21 Jashii was questioned and released by the police, following the June 7 murder of 45-year-old Omar ‘Romie’ Wright.

Wright was shot and killed by unknown assailants in Grants Pen.

Jahshii reportedly had a verbal dispute with the deceased on the day he was killed. This reportedly stemmed from an alleged argument the now deceased had with the entertainer’s mother.

Jahsii mother has, however, publicly denied those allegations.

The church, meanwhile, is doing all it can to help in maintaining peace within the area.

Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, Pastor Sandra Linton-Watson of the Love, Light Church of God, expressed concerns.

“It doesn’t have to be like this, it doesn’t have to get there. We can deal with this in a different way. As a pastor in the community, I don’t want that, we have too many activities in the church. We can’t afford that now or ever,” Sandra-Linton said of returning to the ‘old’ Grants Pen, which was afflicted by many violent incidents.

Pastor Linton said if the peace is eroded everyone would be impacted.

“Some of these children are in fights with each other because that’s how the adults are behaving. The children idolise how the people around them behave,” she said. “So we get them to be engaged in the relationship of Jesus Christ and how they should behave with each other, peers and parents,” she said.

“We don’t want it to erupt. We say no to violence… If we have to go march, we ago tek it by force in the name of Jesus,” Pastor Linton-Watson said.

Elder Dave McNish of the Shortwood Seventh Day Adventist says they have been active in the community for over 70 years.

“A good cross section of our members are from the community. We have had a good relationship over the years catering for them and we have early childhood school that most of the children attend,” McNish said.

He said his pastor and church have a “close knit” relationship with residents.

“So that is some of the ways we help with keeping the peace and conflict resolution,” McNish said. “For the last two or three months we have been having these meetings with the community and that has really helped. All the areas we have gone to they said we should come back. All of those are things we have done to maintain the peace in the community,” McNish said.

The police say they are aware of the potential for chaos and breakdown as tensions continue to rise. Residents, in the meantime, pointed to the approach by the police in combating crime, and the new station that was built. They even singled out one particular officer for the peaceful existence.

“A police Davis response for that. The youth dem have to behave themselves. When him start out, the place did wild but now it under control and we don’t want this wid Jashii dem fi get the place dark again because you don’t really know the truth,” a resident said.

She also pointed to businesses in the space being able to survive because of peace.

“Why you think ‘Maize’ and ‘Big J’ dem shop can open til all three ‘o clock a night time, a di peace weh deh here now. If the place get back hot ... people start lock down again,” she said.

The policeman mentioned, Detective Constable Craig Davis, told The Gleaner that while there’s tension the police remain resolute in their duty to maintain peace.

“We show them that you have people that will challenge you so it’s either you stop it or you face it,” said Davis.

Member of Parliament for the constituency, Delroy Chuck could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the police met with dancehall artiste Jahshii on the weekend, following the shooting on Constant Spring Road.

This is the second time in recent weeks that the police called in the entertainer.

The artiste, through his attorney, Peter Champagnie, KC, had strongly denied allegations of criminal conduct.

“He has pledged continued support in promoting in any way that he can a peaceful environment within the community from which he hails and encourages all to respect and observe the law,” Champagnie told The Gleaner.

In just under two years on the entertainment scene, Jahsii has given back over a million dollars in philanthropic efforts. He has donated to Edna Manley Health Centre, Upper Room Community Church, Shortwood Practising Primary and Infant School and Shortwood Basic School.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com