Can Anything Good Come From Newlands?

Basil Fletcher
Greater Portmore,
St. Catherine,
Jamaica W.I.

1
 Forward; ..................................................................................................................... 3
Section One............................................................................................................... 7
They Still Dream A City Of Defiance ................................................................... 7
Old problems plague Newlands ....................................................................................... 9
Raheem Wallace on a mission to rescue his peers ....................................................... 12
Police, citizens unite to cripple Umbrella gang ............................................................ 14
Political Ombudsman moves to cramp 'political' flare-up in Portmore ............................ 16
PLANS TO REMOVE FLAGS .................................................................................... 18
Jailed leader in command .............................................................................................. 19
Did a convicted don order killing of Newlands woman? ................................................. 21
Latest News ....................................................................................................................... 22
Woman shot dead in Newlands, St Catherine ............................................................... 22
Seven detainees in Portmore killings released.............................................................. 23
Men killed, teenager injured in Portmore, Jamaica .................................................... 24
Curfew clampdown in Portmore ................................................................................... 25
Portmore groups want social intervention ................................................................... 26
Police search for persons of interest .............................................................................. 29
Lives, livelihoods affected ............................................................................................... 29
Escaped prisoner back in custody ..................................................................................... 30
ONE TAKEN BACK INTO CUSTODY ................................................................. 31
Garbage pile-up across island causing concern ........................................................... 32
Why are Jamaicans so bloody violent? ......................................................................... 33
'Spread of chik-V on the decline in Portmore' ............................................................. 35
PORTMORE, JAMAICA: Gruesome murders in Newlands Dog seen
dragging bag with mans head; other body found lying in community......A
police source said Love has been linked to more than a dozen murders in
the division. ............................................................................................................. 41
Section Two, Photographs Of Newlands As It Was Seen .............................. 55
Section 3- Those Who I Know............................................................................ 119

2
Forward;

The question as to whether or not anything good can come from Newlands and indeed
other communities similar to Newlands is one answered daily firstly by the people of
Newlands themselves, secondly by the residents of the Municipality of Portmore and
thirdly by the wider Jamaican society.

Newlands is that community, which is bordered in the West by the Portmore Pines
community, with a large storm drain demarking the border by both communities, in the
South by the West Henderson Boulevard, in the East by the Newlands-Cumberland Road
and in the North by the community of West Cumberland with an open lot of land acting
as a border between the two communities. Newlands despite popular misconception is
not a community of squatters, titled land owners can be found along the Newlands-
Cumberland Road, where one finds the main shops, bars and other businesses; while
squatting tend to be more concentrated in the interior and towards the Western sections of
the community. One also note, that there is also a tendency to confuse highly densely
populated family yards with squatting settlement, here it should be noted that while the
Indian residents live in the main in very populated quarters, very few if any are squatters
as the lands which they occupy tend to be historically family lands. By definition the
community is an inner city community (enclave) surrounded by the middle class.

The Newlands coming which exist today is characterized by high levels of employment, a
lack of basic infrastructure such access to modern sanitary facilities, piped water ; relative
overcrowding and very limited living space, high levels of functional illiteracy , partisan
political divisions and demarcations and relatively high levels of crime.

Yet up to the late 1950s and early 1960s, the then Newlands District was no different
from other districts in the sugar belt, which were characterized by seasonal employment,
small farming in particular by individuals of Indian ethnic origin who owned their own
lands, goat and cattle rearing, high levels of female unemployment, limited or no access
to skills training etc. The gangs as they exist today are not new in origin, but have their
roots in the seasonal nature of employment in the sugar industry with little or no access
by sugar cane workers and their families to agricultural lands, a situation which can be
seen even today in St. Thomas, Clarendon and Westmoreland; the youth then had no
access to skills training or to the trades, and were left to find ways of surviving by their
own devices, some did so by stealing (the history of praedial larceny in Jamaica) others
by working with or n the lands of those small farmers who had land, others by carrying
out pradial squatting on the fringe lands owned by the estates and others by migrating to
the major towns.

Nor is the over crowding and high population densities, which exists in Newlands today
new. In a typical sugar cane village, in which the housing needs of the sugar workers and
their families were not matters of burning importance to the management of the sugar
company, the barracks for cane workers, were as a rule over crowded and lacked basic
amenities as was recently shown in St. Thomas; the situation was similar in agricultural
dependent villages in the sugar belt. Access to land in these villages was very limited and

3
as the population of these village grew, they became very dense; the Newlands District,
like the Dunbeholding district, Cross roads district, Braeton District among others in the
Municipality of Portmore were typical sugar cane dependent villages. In these villages,
one also found a strong propensity to squat on lands belonging to the sugar estates, this s
so even today in sections of Clarendon.

In looking at the Newlands District as it was yesterday and as it is today, one is looking
to some degree at the institution of sugar cane slavery as it existed in Jamaica. The sugar
industry during the period of slavery depended on having access to relatively large pools
of free labour, which the barracks and the villages provided. Slaves were not intended to
live very long, and thus the estate had to have at its disposal the means of replacing those
who died as a result of over work and malnutrition, a function which was carried out by
the barracks and slave villages which were in part breeding pens. Thirdly slaves were not
supposed to have material connection to places for the simple reason that they were
chattel and could be sold in keeping with the economic requirements of the owners and or
management of the sugar estate. The post emancipation period was characterized not only
by evictions but also by what was then called the Roving Gangs of young men, moving
from district to district in search of jobs, in their wake also followed crime, for these
young men had to eat.

Up to the late 1950s and early 1960s, Newlands like other sugar cane villages in the
Portmore area had developed it own social institution, its own Churches and its own
middle class. The Newlands District was particularly lucky because was and is along the
main road leading from Gregory Park where the railway station was, a railway town
which is younger in age and in social importance at the time than Braeton, where the
major Churches were and where the Portmore middle class Christened their children and
buried their dead, in fact there was cemetery between Reids Pen and Wallen District. To
get from Gregory Park to Braeton, one had o pass using the Cumberland Road to get to
Naggoes Head and then using the Braeton Road travel west to Braeton or using the
Braeton Road to reach Spanish Town. This was the route used by those sugar farmers
who did not use the Spanish Town railway station, to get their coconuts, cattle and other
provisions to the market and slaughter house in Kingston, for example those farmers
around the community Bridgeport extending to Braeton; as it was with goods and
animals, so it was with people, all using the Newland Cumberland road to reach the
Gregory Park railway station.

The result of this follow of traffic along the Newlands-Cumberland Road, was the
development of commerce, the opening of roadside bars, food shops etc. It is also true
that the only movie theatre East of Spanish Town and South of Central village was at the
Newlands District. Newlands was a community in which people desired to live. Great
negative charges occurred for Newlands with the opening of the Portmore Causeway in
the 1960 and with the construction of Caymanas Park the horse racing facility and the
building of Independence City and other new communities. At first, the building of the
Caymanas Park Race Track in the minds of the older residents would have reminded
them of the old Cumberland Race track, and did promise some opportunities for
employment, the fact that stables were built and operated in Newlands, and the fact that

4
the walls of the main tyre repair shop one the Newlands Road is filled with racing
clippings speak to the promises which the Caymanas Park Race Track did offer.

Caymanas Park Race Track was constructed on lands which people did live, people who
were inter generational squatters whose roots were tied to the sugar industry. These
individuals had to find places to live once evicted, some went to create a squatter
community immediately behind the race track, others went to Gregory Park and some
went to Newlands. This process of eviction continued with the building of the
Independence City community, the Waterford Communities and other communities.,
leaving in its wake very small densely packed squatter communities and the accelerated
depreciation of Greorgy Park, Newlands, Naggos Head and Braeton, all receiving
refugees from the various evictions and forced removal. The second wave of refuges
came in that period between 1976 and 1980 when the entire country was flung into what
was no measuring anything less than warfare lead and organized by the political parties.

The inflow of new refuges fleeing political violence , also carried with them the germ
of partisan politics, the desire for revenge and access to arms as were issued by the
political parties. With no continuous history in the communities, these the children of
cousins and brothers who have left the villages long ago, brought with them disrespect of
established institutions, weak sense of familiar solidarity among other social viruses, for
example even unto this day, violence in these villages including the Newland District is
between family members and those who are related by blood ties, between individuals
who trace their roots to a common grand or great grand mother and at time common
grand and or great grand fathers.

Where as in slavery, a person would die from a combination of over work and
malnutrition or sold away from the village, without the opportunity to live a full life,
today equally if not by conscious design and plan, many young persons in the Newland
District are not expected to live out full and useful life and many are expected to be taken
away to one or the other prison or lock up. The question remains:- Can Any good come
from Newlands?

This question is of critical importance for the wider Portmore Community, because they
have been very active participants in the process of the marginalization, the labeling
and stigmatization of the Newlands Community and its residents. The residents of
Newlands, are less than everybody body else and in fact a close friend of mine was
considered to hit his head when he a senior manager, living in company paid house and
driving company paid car, got married to the daughter of a bar owner from Newlands. A
respondent from South Borough once asked, if somebody can go talk to woman from
over deh suh? The people from Newlands have been given little or no opportunity to
prove that the same as everybody else, that they are no more genetically programmed to
be deviants and or criminals than any one else, and that the vast majority of people in
Newlands are ambitious and hardworking. The people Newlands are not saying that they
are without problems, that they are without in and there are no bad people living in
Newlands but so is it all communities occupied by man; and that they in Newlands have

5
long recognized that they have problems and are fighting to address those problems and
fighting to strive even in a bad situation.

This small document presents Newlands as reported in the newspapers and Newlands by
a person went on a fifteen minutes walk through the community. It is hoped that this pper
will facilitate answering of the question:- Can anything good come out of Newlands?

End

6
Section One

They Still Dream A City Of Defiance

Lessons from the Community of Newlands and The Wider Portmore For Members Of
The Fletchers, Manakers and Morgans Families and For Our Friends In Mali.

Introduction

-One can waste his or her life waiting either for justice or for revenge, or one can live a
fruitful and productive life, doing that which is of positive value.
The Prickly Pear, the Coolie Plum tree and the Tamarind tree grow in very harsh
environments and yet they produce good fruits. How large are the leaves of the Tamarind
or Coolie Plum tree, they are very small, how many fruits do they bear in any one
season? The Prickle Pear plant could be said to be bear of leaves. It is not the amount of
shade or cover that one has, which is of importance, but rather what does one do with that
which he or she has.

Newlands, as a community is very representative of the older communities of the

Newlands was positioned in the mind of the majority (the new comers) as a squatter
community, a place full of criminals, a place where decent people do not walk, a political
garrison and a place whose residents were not to be trusted. Indeed, the reports of crime,
violence and general deviance were to be seen in the newspapers. In fact rumors went so
far as to claim that there was a beautiful young woman from that community who was
HIV positive who went about Portmore having sex with any man who requested and that
there were some HIV positive males who were very active in the wider Portmore. In
other words, Newlands was painted as a place not to go, and its people to be shunned. In
circumstance such as that described, it would have been justifiable had the community
taken the route taken by the community of Rose Town in Kingston and many former
communities along Maxfield Avenue and along Waltham Park Road in Kingston and just
give up and die a long slow a peaceful death. Newlands however decided to live and not

7
only but also to renew itself. It has come to symbolize a City of Defiance A Place
Where Dreams Live.

It is from the experiences of the residents of Newlands that as family members that we
seek to learn, for indeed, many of us were also given up as dead, many of us were never
given a fair and a just chance to achieve our best, it was thought that many of us would
given up a long time ago, and there are those who still cherish the dream that a Fletcher,
Manaker or Morgan somewhere will give up under the pressure and fall by the wayside.
Our friends from Mali are faced with a very similar set of circumstances, in which Mali is
painted as hell on earth, a place where trees do not grow and the people are plagued with
unquenchable thirst, a place where the people live only to make war and kill each other, a
place where the people are unable to feed itself and has no desire to feed itself, a place
where the people rather than using its natural resources are prepared to trample on their
blessings and curse their land.

This small collection of lessons from Newlands are intended for us, we seek to learn how
to stand and maintain hope when our pathways are covered in darkness, from which we
seek to learn to lift ourselves if and when we fall. A Coffee Table Book the seeds of
promise and hope and the challenges which remains will be put together.

Basil Fletcher
Greater Portmore
St. Catherine
Jamaica W.I.

8
Newlands In The News Papers- What Good Can Come From Here?

Old problems plague Newlands

Head of the St Catherine South Community Safety and Security Branch, Sergeant Alfred
Simpson (left), and Community Officer Constable Anthony Roberts (third left) interact
with members of the community of Newlands, as community leader Ainsley 'Tiger'
Parkin (fourth left) looks on. - Photo by Mark Titus
1
2

Laura Redpath, Senior Reporter

NEWLANDS HAS a history tainted by bloodshed and fear, with a desire that is shared
by most residents to improve their way of life, while putting an end to killings that have
scarred the area.

The St Catherine community's motto is 'who dead?', and the pre-sident of the citizens'
association, Ronald Levy, said the State has failed, not only Newlands, but all volatile
communities in the island.

9
"The government neglected us, and there is a lack of development," Levy said. "The
government doesn't provide any means of income and security. As for development,
places that are neglected, you find crime and violence."

The citizens' association and House of Prayer and Praise Ministries, along with the Social
Development Commission (SDC), are trying to pick up where the State has left off by
reaching out for funding to help with education and support.

According to Lloyd Erskine, SDC's governance manager in Portmore, St Catherine, there

One such project is a homework centre that has yet to be established. It will provide
counselling and is to be managed by the citizens' association, as well as the House of
Prayer and Praise Ministries.

community projects

Safety and security for women and girls is also a concern of the SDC.

"There is a women's safety audit to be done within the next couple of weeks," Erskine
said.

Other past community projects include HIV testing and HEART/ NTA registration.

Newlands, according to Erskine, is a low-income community that relies a great deal on

One of the most infamous murders took place when a 90-year-old woman who was
bedridden and living with blindness died as a result of her house being burnt to the
ground in a senseless act of gang violence.

That incident, which took place in November 2009, still rests on the minds of the
remaining Newlands residents.

"You remember that?" Newlands resident Paulaasked Mary. "Wickedness, I tell you!
Wickedness!"

Erskine pointed out that residents were more concerned with survival issues while putting
developmental issues on the back burner.

Some of the developmental issues are unemployment, lack of marketable skills, inability
to register for birth certificates, poor housing, and the high level of illiteracy.

10
"The community is negatively stigmatised," Erskine said, while highlighting the good
side of the community. "(members) are involved in everything. Newlands football team is
doing well."

gunfire

However, Mary said she would leave Newlands if given the opportunity.

"My 13-year-old son," she began, "start tremble whenever him hear gunfire.

"And is not one or two gunshot," Paula added. "Is 40 to 50 shots going without stop."

The citizens' association president estimated that 95 per cent of Newlands residents were
law-abiding citizens. However, clashes between the Umbrella and Uprising gangs leave
bullet shells in their wake, staining the community's reputation.

Uprising members live in Newlands, according to residents, whereas the Umbrella

"The Umbrella people dem nuh born here. Them just come here and burn down and shoot
up what they come and see," Mary said. "As a family member of one gang member, you
haffi be careful. Me cyan tek it no more."

As for where the bad blood between the two factions came from, residents said that "bad
mind" started the gang warfare.

"Jealousy and bad mind," Mary said. "One see you dress up inna fancy clothes and him
want it too."

While residents are afraid of these gang members who are unknown to them, their fear is
doubled because of the police.

"One policeman from town (Kingston) say we mustn't call no 'Hundred Man' (St
Catherine South division) police. Him say we mustn't trust them."

Paula recalled past incidents where police personnel from Kingston made it to Newlands
faster than those from the St Catherine South division.

In a community with a dusty football field and zinc shacks lining the road, citizens'
association president Ronald Levy said most residents were self-employed.

"Maybe a handful not working," he said. "But there are cabinet shops, welding shops,
tyre business, cook shop, hairdressing, grocery shop and a hardware store.

"We could do with some more."

11
The Newlands Police Youth Club was closed and Levy lamented the lack of educational
opportunities for persons who have to leave the community to attend high school. Naggo
Head Primary School is located in a nearby community, while St Jalas and Newlands
basic schools are the only schools found in Newlands.

"We need education," Levy said, "starting with the youth, and then the youth will refrain
from violence."

Name changed.

[email protected]

Raheem Wallace on a mission to rescue

Raheem Wallace, 16, deputy head boy, Waterford High School working to change the
face of his community Rosemerry Castle known as Newlands, Portmore, St Catherine.
1
2
3

12
Karen Sudu, Gleaner Writer

PORTMORE, St Catherine:MOTIVATED BY the joy he got from helping an older

The native of Rosemerry Castle - popularly known as Newlands in Portmore, St

"I want these young people who sit on the corner doing nothing constructive to believe
that they can become the next prime minister, the next soldier, the next doctor, or the next
lawyer," the optimistic 16-year-old told The Gleaner. "I want to motivate them to be
positive and take charge of their lives in a meaningful way."

Wallace, the deputy head boy at Waterford High School, admits that it is a tough job but
said he is not daunted by the challenge as he is undertaking his mission knowing God will
see him through.

Already, several young people have joined forces with him in their quest to highlight the
positives in the community, which has produced the likes of four-time-champion jockey
Omar Walker and national footballer Fabian Taylor.

Peta-Gaye Wright, the club's second vice-president, obtained five passes in the Caribbean
Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations including mathematics and
English. The 18-year-old was very emotional, as she related how she lost her father in
2010 during a spate of violent activities.

"My father and I had a close father-daughter relationship, and his death messed me up,"
related Wright. "The club is a good thing to occupy the children's minds other than for
them to grow up and take up the gun," said the aspiring member of the Jamaica
Constabulary Force.

bridge the gap

Shinnetee Walters, 13-year-old Greater Portmore High School student, serves as

"Crime and violence affect us in every way, but the club makes a lot of sense because we
want to try and get the young people together and make a change," she said. "We are
trying to use this set of young people to bridge the gap."

The club's first vice-president, Tamoni Dreckett, also a student at Greater Portmore High
School, recognises that if left without positive leadership, the youngsters in the
community will remain hopeless.

13
"The club is about hope and change. I want to help to talk to them, point out the wrong
from the right, and help to change the negatives to the positives," said 13-year-old
Dreckett.

For Erica Porter, who has been living in Newlands for 34 years, said Wallace's move is
an inspiration.

"I feel good about what Raheem is doing and what the young people are trying to do
because sometimes them just idle themselves away.

"We want them to understand that life is more than just sitting on the corner and idle. It's
about getting a skill, getting a good education, doing something good," Porter noted.

It is her mother who has given the youngsters permission to have their meetings on her
property, while another member of the community assists with chairs. Notwithstanding,
they are desperately in need of a proper venue to hold their meetings as well as host some
of their long-term activities such as parenting seminars and skill-training projects.

For Wallace, who is integrally involved in church and school activities and places
significant importance on volunteerism, the youth club cannot be effective without the
support of the older members of the community.

"We want them to come and give a word of encouragement, share the experiences that
they had with the younger ones, tell their stories so that we can learn from them," he
stated.

Ronald Levy, president of Newlands citizens' association, has recognised the importance
of the involvement of adults if the youth club is to succeed and is backing the youngsters.

"I will put out all my effort to help them and guide them because of lot of clubs have
been formed and broken up.

"So it's really commendable that a young person like Raheem wants to make a difference
in Newlands, and I will always support the club," Levy told The Gleaner.

[email protected]

Police, citizens unite to cripple Umbrella

14
THE MAY 16 Gun Court conviction of Travis 'Shrek' McPherson and Odean
'Zeeks' Samuels was so celebrated among lawmen that Police Commissioner Owen
Ellington, in a closed radio broadcast, personally congratulated the St Catherine
South Police Division.

McPherson and Samuels, named by St Catherine South's Senior Superintendent Colin

They are to reappear before before Justice Sarah Thompson-James for sentencing on
Friday.

"This is not a joke gang, it's a serious gang," Pinnock told The Gleaner.

"They are involved in murders, extortion, shootings. They are rivals to the Craft and
Guerilla gangs. They have frequent conflicts that lead to violence," he added.

Hunting criminals

Pointing to the general area of Naggo Head, Newland, and Portmore Lane as being the
Umbrella gang's stamping ground in Portmore, St Catherine, Pinnock said the conviction
of McPherson and Samuels was a result of relentless pursuit of gangsters in the St
Catherine South division.

Part of that strategy, Pinnock said, was cutting off the head of the serpent.

"We have made significant inroads because the leadership of that gang has been
convicted and is in prison right now," the senior superintendent said, referring to an
infamous figure whose name, though incarcerated, once drove fear into residents of
Newland, Naggo Head and Portmore Lane.

Pinnock agreed that the incarcerated Umbrella gang leader, and other similarly jailed
thugs, still have some influence on the outside.

"He is serving probably a 15- or 20-year sentence," he said. "At times, they are more
dangerous in prison. They stay there and give instructions to kill people. Their
imprisonment, sometimes, is more dangerous. When behind bars, people might believe
they can't do anything, but they're very effective.

"It is the prison authorities who must try to minimise their communications, putting in
telephone blockages as much as they can," the senior superintendent pointed out.

On the outside, Pinnock said he and his men are doing as much as possible to shut down
the gang for good.

15
"There are some residual elements still around and we're keeping them under tight wraps.
We've been targeting these elements and have been successful in minimising their effect
in the area."

The once-cowering citizens, Pinnock said, have played a big role in assisting the lawmen.

Great support

"We have got tremendous support from the citizenry from the areas in which these gangs
operate. That has allowed us to police the area in an effective way. What we've used is
the strategy of community policing, which is one of our major planks to police Portmore
especially.

"We've had good interaction with the citizenry by having widely publicised meetings,
neighbourhood watches and other meetings at different levels," he explained.

As Zeeks and Shrek await sentencing, Pinnock issued a stern warning to the "residual
elements" of the gang.

"When you get rid of those from the community, it sends a message to the other gangsters
that top-tier members also go to prison.

"What I would say to the others out there is to move away from your criminal behaviour
and embrace the kind of community we're trying to build," he said.

"Their actions will not be tolerated. If you get involved in criminal activities, we will
charge and put you before the court. This is not a 24-hour argument, it is continuous. We
will be relentless in ensuring things never return to where it was before, where these men
would shoot, kill and extort at will," the senior superintendent warned

Political Ombudsman moves to cramp

16
File
Parchment Brown

NEWLY APPOINTED Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment Brown has sent a strong
message to members of parliament and caretakers islandwide, as she moves swiftly to
stem any further violent flare-ups in Newlands, Portmore, St Catherine, in what appears
to be a resurgence of political violence, with the killing of two persons Tuesday night.

The installation of green and orange flags by supporters of the People's National Party
(PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are said to be linked to the killings.

Yesterday, Parchment Brown met with the general secretaries of both parties in an effort
to cool tensions in the East Central St Catherine constituency.

"There seems to be a strong amount of confidence in the idea that these are politically
connected deaths," Parchment Brown told The Gleaner yesterday.

A resident of Newlands, Sandy Forbes, was killed by gunmen who drove up beside her
and opened fire while she was walking on the Newlands road on Tuesday night. She had
earlier objected to the erection of party flags in the community. A man was subsequently
stabbed to death in what some people in the community believe to be a reprisal killing.

The Gleaner understands that more than 20 persons have been detained in a joint police-
military operation in relation to the killings.

17
While indicating that the police would have to decide whether the killings are linked to
politics, Parchment Brown said whether or not this is so, "the public feels that is the
reason, and that will affect how the public behaves".

With an unenviable record of political violence, particularly in the 1980 general election,
where more than 800 people were killed in politically linked violence, the political
ombudsman warned politicians that Jamaicans would no longer tolerate acts of political
tribalism.

"I want to say right now that Jamaica will not tolerate aspirants for political power
directly - or through their representatives - causing harm to us. I condemn in the
[strongest] of terms all persons who are connected with this, and they can expect both to
feel the full force of the law from the Jamaica Constabulary Force when they have
completed their work. But in addition, the candidates will need to ensure that there are no
further acts anywhere in the island of Jamaica, whether directed by them to benefit them
or in relation to which their names are connected," Parchment Brown declared.

PLANS TO REMOVE FLAGS

The political ombudsman told The Gleaner that last week she spoke with Horace Chang
and Paul Burke, the JLP and PNP general secretaries, respectively, about the urgent need
to remove political flags and cease the painting of light posts with party colours.

She said the flags should have been removed over the weekend and a status report
submitted to her on the matter.

"I had initially requested a meeting with them for the purpose of coming up with an
urgent plan for the removal of all [flags] and prevention of the posting of any more
political material. This intimidates, this antagonises, this provokes," she charged.

She noted that the agreement on the Political Code of Conduct prohibits any action that
would tend to provoke or that defaces private or public buildings with a view to sending a
political message.

On the question of pronounce-ments on the campaign trail, Parchment Brown said there
have been utterances on political platforms that have been unbecoming of the candidates
and not beneficial to their objectives.

She argued that utterances on platforms that are intended to denigrate or diminish others
do not result in a safer, more acceptable political climate.

"I want to call on every person who represents a political party, who supports a political
party, who is a candidate or aspirant, who is a funder of a political party or if you are the
leadership or institution itself, the code that was signed is a serious commitment. The
laws that have been passed govern all of us, and I am calling on them to step back, take a

18
deep breath, rethink their strategies and, therefore, make sure that what they say or do
does not cause me or the police to have to act."

[email protected]

Jailed leader in command

Ronald Levy, president of the Newlands Citizens' Association, said that the State has
failed the community. - Ian Allen/Photographer

Laura Redpath, Senior staff reporter

THE 'Umbrella' gang has emerged as one of the "most brutal" criminal organisations
operating across the country.

The gang has made its name in Newlands, St Catherine, where it is involved in a bloody
battle with a gang known as 'Uprising'.

Thugs from the gangs are also involved in extortion, rape and other crimes.

According to some residents, the members of the Umbrella gang create more trouble
because they are not originally from Newlands but are trying to take control.

19
The St Catherine South police claim the gang is responsible for more murders than any
other in the history of the division.

At present, the gang is said to be led by its jailed leader.

"It is distressing," a political source told The Sunday Gleaner. "You don't need him to
be caught, he is already incarcerated. People are suffering, and he is behind bars," the
source said while requesting that his name be withheld.

Earlier this year, four other alleged members of the Umbrella gang, three of whom were
on the St Catherine South police division's most-wanted list for six months, were arrested
and charged.

Travis 'Shrek' McPherson, Romaine 'British' Edwards, Patrick 'Mad Max' McDonald and
Odean 'Zekes' Samuels have been described by the police as key players of the gang, and
among those involved in unleashing a reign of terror on the Newlands, Naggo Head and
Portmore Lane communities.

The Umbrella gang has also attracted several young members, who the police say are
involved in "acts of intimidation".

At the start of the year, Minister of National Security Dwight Nelson alleged that the
Umbrella gang, along with other large criminal ope-rations, were collaborating with their
overseas networks when carrying out their criminal activities.

Newlands residents are aware of the wide reach the jailed leader of the Umbrella gang
has and said it stretches as far as Montego Bay, St James.

Community residents also said the gang members hide their ammunition in the bushes
surrounding Newlands, specifically on a plot of land where a hospital and community
centre should have been built.

"The don from prison say him man haffi get work while dem ah build, or the building
dem nah go up," a resident said.

funding

According to a Gleaner source, Umbrella gang members have access to funding through
businesses owned by the jailed leader.

The police have vowed to dismantle the gang, but some residents of Newlands say the job
of the police is being made more difficult because of the corrupt nature of some members
of the force.

According to the residents, some members of the force give gang members the phone
numbers of persons who call with information.

20
"You will dial and try tell the police wha you know, and then you get a phone call from
the gang dem a threaten you fi kill yuh or burn down yuh house."

While the Social Development Commission (SDC) in Portmore has been developing an
initiative since late 2009 that would address gang warfare, there are persons within the
SDC who say they are unaware of the gang's operations in Newlands.

[email protected]

Did a convicted don order killing of

An investigation has been launched into reports that a convicted gangster ordered the
murder of Peoples National Party activist, Sadie Forbes.

21
Forbes was killed in Newlands, St Catherine on Tuesday after reportedly objecting to green
flags, which represents the Jamaica Labour Party, being placed at her gate.

It is being alleged that Forbes refused to answer a phone call for the gangster and was
gunned down less than half an hour afterwards.

The gang leader is serving more than 30 years in prison.

The police have identified suspects in the murder and are hunting them down.

Forbes was shot multiple times as she walked in the community. She was pronounced dead at the
Spanish Town Hospital.

Minutes after Forbes was killed, persons attacked a newspaper vendor, Jermaine Vassell, also called
Copper and stabbed him to death.

The killings have reportedly heightened political tensions in the community. It was fueled by Senate
president Floyd Morris who declared on Facebook on Tuesday that We have just experienced the
killing of one of our members who was brutally shot by thugs and cowards who turned the gun on a
supporter of the PNP because, as reported, she took down a flag that was posted at her gate by
members of the JLP."

Latest News
Woman shot dead in Newlands, St Catherine

Wednesday, December 02, 2015 | 9:14 AM 29 Comments

Tweet

ST CATHERINE, Jamaica A woman was gunned down late Tuesday in Portmore, St

The Jamaica Constabulary Force's Corporate Communications Unit confirmed the

OBSERVER ONLINE has learnt, however, that the woman, said to be a supporter of the
governing People's National Party (PNP), might have been the victim of political
thuggery.

A Facebook status posted by Senate President Floyd Morris suggested that the woman
was killed because she allegedly removed a green flag from her gate in the Newlands
community in the parish. The area is considered to be a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)
stronghold.

22
Morris said: "I am a very angry and sad man tonight. We have just experienced the
killing of one of our members who was brutally shot by thugs and cowards who turned
the gun on a supporter of the PNP because, as reported, she took down a flag that was
posted at her gate by members of the JLP."

The woman was said to be making preparations for canvassing as a general election
looms.

The senator condemned the killing, insisting that "this is madness and must not be
condoned on either side of the political divide".

Member of Parliament for the constituency, Arnaldo Brown, (St Catherine East Central)
also condemned the killing.

"We certainly do not support any acts of violence in the constituency, especially acts of
violence against women and children," he told OBSERVER ONLINE.

He described the killing as "bizarre" and "suspicious" citing that the community has been
"relatively quiet".

"Over the course of the period that I have been member of parliament Newlands, in
particular, has been relatively quiet. We haven't really had many incidents of this nature
and I think it's quite unfortunate that this situation has arisen," said Brown.

"Certainly we are cooperating with the police as best as we can...and we hope that the
police will be proactive in terms of dealing with it," he added.

OBSERVER ONLINE attempted to contact JLP caretaker Alando Terrelonge but calls to
his phone went unanswered.

In the 2011 General Election, Brown won the seat by 558 votes. Some 21,436 electors are
registered in the constituency.

Kimone Francis

Seven detainees in Portmore killings

23
The police have released the seven people arrested in a joint police-military
operation in Newlands in Portmore, St Catherine following two killings Tuesday
night.

Head of the St Catherine South division, Senior Superintendent Noel Christie says the
persons were released last night after being processed.

He says a motive for the killings has still not been established.

"We are still collecting statements", he said.

The Political Ombudsman and political representatives have intervened to stem any
further violent flare-ups in Newlands.

Men killed, teenager injured in Portmore,

Two men were killed and a teenager shot and injured in separate incidents in Newlands,
Portmore St Catherine yesterday.

The police say a 31-year-old barber identified as Jermaine Virgo was shot dead, while a
15-year-old teenager was shot and injured around 3.30 p.m. yesterday, in Southborough,
Portmore.

According to the police, Graham and the teenager were at a barber shop when three men
armed with handguns entered the establishment. The gunmen opened fire at Virgo and
the teen hitting them. They were taken to hospital where Virgo was pronounced dead and
the teen admitted in serious condition.

And shortly after 11.50 p.m. last night the body of 39-year-old Donavon Gillo Wright, a
taxi operator, was found dead at his home with gunshot wounds in Newlands, Portmore,
St. Catherine.

24
The police say Wright was at home sleeping when gunmen kicked open his door and
opened fire hitting him several times.

He died on the spot.

The St. Catherine South Homicide Unit is investigating.

Curfew clampdown in Portmore

A policewoman frisks a motorist in the Newland neighbourhood of Portmore, St

Patrina Pink, Gleaner Intern

Anxious young faces lined Power Avenue in Newland, Portmore, yesterday. The
tightly assembled group was the product of a two-hour sifting of the area by

25
Jamaica Defence Force soldiers who used the verandah of a house on that avenue as
a makeshift holding centre for almost 30 detainees.

Close to midday, dozens of soldiers swarmed the community, cordoning roads and
establishing checkpoints along the Newland main road.

Soldiers were tight-lipped about why they had detained the residents, including two
young females, but were insistent that they were in the community to "get the guns and
criminals" believed to be ensconced in the area.

Backing from residents

Some Newland residents welcome the move by security forces to dredge the community
of crooks.

While expressing fears that the curfew would affect her business over the next few days,
Sandy Evans, proprietor of a bar and lounge there, said it was time for action.

"The soldiers have to find out what is what. The violence flares up here all the time. They
need to control the area to get the right results," she said.

Corporal Alfred Ricketts is optimistic that his team will be just as successful in Newland
as cops and soldiers were in Tivoli Gardens.

"The operation isn't nowhere as big as it is in Tivoli but within a couple of days, this will
be sorted out.

"We are here to get the guns, drugs, ammunition and criminal elements and we are going
to do that," said Ricketts.

Curfews were also imposed in the Rio Minho region of Clarendon at 2 p.m. yesterday.

[email protected]

Portmore groups want social intervention

26
1
2
3
4

Mark Beckford, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) Yvonne McCormack, councillor, Greater Portmore East. Fitz Jackson, member of

SEVERAL STAKEholders in Portmore, St Catherine, believe a combination of

27
These views were expressed during a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the Portmore Municipal
Council offices in Portmore Pines, St Catherine, last week.

Increase in crime

In the last year, sections of Portmore have seen an increase in murders, robberies and
shootings. Communities such as Newlands, Southborough and Waterford have provided
grisly fodder for newscasts about several serious crimes.

Most participants at the forum argued that young people, who were involved in crime,
were easily influenced and, therefore, should be one of the first groups to be targeted.

The Reverend Valerie Blake, pastor of the Elim Open Bible Church in Newlands
contended that crime was the end product of a plethora of problems that exist in the
communities in which her church serves, including Naggo Head and Newlands.

"We have to partner with the other stakeholders in society. Naggo Head has its own
problems, the matter of land tenure is a problem, there are a myriad of problems but they
can be addressed," said Blake.

Time to be proactive

In supporting the call for more social intervention, Yvonne McCormack, councillor for
Greater Portmore East, said it was necessary for social agencies and community-based
groups to be proactive and get close to youth at risk before they form gangs or engage in
other anti-social behaviour.

Meantime, member of parliament (MP) for South St Catherine, Fitz Jackson, argued that
poverty was not an excuse for crime, and noted that Jamaica was facing a social crisis. He
said that greed played a large part in the perpetuation of crime.

"Persons who we know are directly or indirectly involved in crime, we need to dissuade
those persons," he said.

South Central St Catherine MP Sharon Hay-Webster wants a long-term study to be done

Patrick Watson, parish manager of the Social Development Commission, said that his
organisation had begun to go into schools to mentor children, but appealed for support
from other agencies to take care of certain logistical issues.

"We will be having a proper parenting workshop, counselling sessions where we can
influence the youth about career decisions. These are the things we are focusing on,
which is social intervention," Watson told the forum.

[email protected]

28
Police search for persons of interest
Published:Monday | August 3, 2009 | 12:26 PM

The Police are seeking the help of members of the public to locate several individuals in
connection with a number of incidents in Portmore, St Catherine.

The incidents reportedly occurred in Newlands, Portmore and the adjoining communities
of Southboro, Naggo Head, Portmore Lane and Cumberland.

They are Luke Young otherwise called Ricky Trooper, Patrick Morris otherwise called
Max, Rasania Alexander otherwise called Dutty and Devon Williams otherwise called
Dego.

The police are also searching for three other persons known only as Tafari, Dudu and
Parrie.

The police are asking residents of these communities who have information to contact
Operation Kingfish at 881.

Lives, livelihoods affected

MR JENKINS hurriedly locks up his grocery shop. The guns are barking and he is taking
no chances.

Gun violence is the single greatest problem affecting the lives and livelihoods of
residents in Newlands, Portmore, St Catherine. They fear for their lives and the lives of
their children.

29
Rival gangs at war have seriously hampered and curtailed many activities in the
community from time to time, say residents.

Police from the Community Safety and Security Branch, which is set up to push forward
the agenda of community policing, told The Sunday Gleaner that there are real
challenges in the area.

Held at ransom

"Each time there is a flare-up the community is being held to ransom, with persons
unable to travel as they please. Therefore, a multi-agency intervention is needed," a
spokesperson from the Community Safety and Security Branch told The Sunday
Gleaner.

The Social Development Commission (SDC) has joined the police to bring back social
stability to Newlands, one of the original housing developments in the South St Catherine
constituency.

Among the interventions is the formation of a citizens' association.

"We have been working in partnership with the SDC to bring the Newlands community
to the potentially good place that it can be. We started to deal with community policing
there but had to stop after crime got in the way. However, following police operations,
things started to progress once more," Corporal Jacqueline Grant of the Community
Safety Police Division told The Sunday Gleaner.

"Illiteracy forms part of the problem, as persons involved in criminal behaviour can
hardly write their names, so they can easily be manipulated. So the Jamaica Foundation
for Lifelong Learning has been brought on-board to help and re-educate those who are
being led astray and want to turn their lives around," Corporal Grant added.

Member of Parliament Fitz Jackson said the problem needs urgent attention and that the
police need help.

"Gang feuds have crippled the community. The problem is not abstract, it is seriously
disrupting the lives of residents, who keep wondering who is next. Therefore, it must be
tackled now," Jackson said.

- R.T.

Escaped prisoner back in custody

30
While the Inspectorate Of Constabulary (IOC) has commenced investigations into
Saturday's jailbreak at the Spanish Town Police Station's lock-up, head of Area 5,
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Derrick 'Cowboy' Knight has issued an early
warning that sanctions will apply to any of his colleagues implicated in the incident.

"The investigation is progressing smoothly," ACP Knight told The Gleaner yesterday.

The senior officer further warned that persons found hiding or facilitating these escapees
in anyway will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

"It is really painful to spend such a long time hunting down some of these criminals, for
example Duran Colman, who have been implicated so many other things, and to see them
escape and back on the street again is really taking a toll on me. But we are tracking them
down and we are going to find them. We are appealing to the public to just cooperate
with the police and help us find these men," said ACP Knight.

ONE TAKEN BACK INTO CUSTODY

In the meantime, one of the five escapees has since been taken back into custody. He is
18-year-old Akeem Hall of Beverly Flats, Newlands, Portmore, in St Catherine. He was
charged with robbery with aggravation. He was accompanied by a pastor to the Spanish
Town police.

Information received is that during a check of the facility, it was revealed that five
prisoners were missing from their cells. It is believed the men escaped by cutting a grille.

The police remain on the lookout for the other escapees.

Still on the run are:

- Andre Siddon, 19, of Lindel Close, Fraser's Content, Spanish Town, St Catherine, who
was sentenced to seven years and two years in prison for illegal possession of firearm and
ammunition and assault, respectively.

- Duran Colman, 26, of Cockpit district, Clarendon, who was charged for murder.

- Jevon Bashford, 20, of Big Lane in Central Village, St Catherine ,who was charged for
illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

- Omar Bramwell, 27, of Red Church Street, Spanish Town, St Catherine.

The police are asking anyone with information that can lead to the recapture of the
escapees to contact the Spanish Town Police at 984-2305, police 119 emergency number
or the nearest police station. The police are also reminding the public that it is an offence
to harbour a criminal.

31
Garbage pile-up across island causing
concern
Published:Saturday | January 12, 2013 | 12:00 AM

A car passed rubbish on the side on the Newland main road in Portmore, St Catherine,
following a collection backlog in 2010.-FILE

THE MINISTRY of Health is indicating that the pile-up of garbage in sections of the
island poses significant threat to health as it could lead to an outbreak of various illnesses.

Dr Kevin Harvey, director of the Health Promotion and Protection Unit in the Ministry of
Health, listed leptospirosis, dengue and cholera as the likely diseases that could occur if
the garbage is not contained.

"We are at risk if the garbage is not cleaned up. The garbage will increase the number of
rats, and rats carry leptospirosis. Not only that, the plastic pieces in the garbage cause
water to settle and so dengue is another thing that can happen," he cautioned.

"We are concerned about the pile-up. Even if we are not seeing the outbreaks yet, it is a
huge threat and they need to do something about it," he stressed.

SEEKING TO ADDRESS PROBLEM

32
Harvey said the health ministry is in dialogue with the National Solid Waste Management
Authority (NSWMA) to address the problem.

Members of the public have been complaining about the non-collection of garbage in
some communities over the past weeks.

Last month, the NSWMA said that the non-collection of garbage in some areas was due
to mechanical problems with some of its trucks.

Why are Jamaicans so bloody violent?

Mourners view the body of Haile Selassie High School student Sheriefa Saddler, 14, at a
thanksgiving service on February 24. Saddler was kidnapped, murdered and her battered
body thrown from a car on Lothian Avenue, Kingston 11, on January 30. - File

Ethon Lowe, Guest Columnist

A schoolgirl on her way to school is abducted, raped and murdered, and her body
dumped on the road like useless baggage. A mother's agony after her two children
are brutally murdered by her ex-partner hell-bent on revenge.

One of the highest murder rates in the world? You've got to be kidding. How can that be?
After all, Jamaicans are regarded as one of the friendliest people in the world. Ask any
tourist. Luxuriating in the warmth and hospitality of the Jamaican people, pampered by

33
overblown, embarrassingly servile attention to their needs, the tourist is, not surprisingly,
bewitched.

Negotiating the hills and valleys of Ram Puss district, the Kingstonian, in his shiny SUV,
seeks directions to Miss Dulcie's house and is greeted warmly by the villagers. Like the
tourist, he shares a similar sentiment: "Bwoy, de country people dem nice, yu si." Or, so
it seems.

Offend Miss Dulcie (or her goats) and the wrath of Ram Puss' assorted populace, from
the mangy family dog to the village obeahman and village madman, is unleashed.

Beneath the joyful, friendly veneer of many Jamaicans lie aggression and volatility
bursting to get out. Channelled in the right direction, they become world-class athletes
and musicians. In the wrong direction, more skilled con artists, rapists, and cold-blooded
murderers you won't find. Barring none.

In fairness, a person is to some extent a prisoner of his genes. About 50 per cent of his
inherent qualities are controlled by his genes - mental qualities such as being happy,
quiet, aggressive, etc., and physical qualities such as height, colour, etc. Thus, 70 per cent
of Jamaican world-class athletes have the ACTN3 gene-enabling 'fast twitch' of their
muscle fibres for sprinting, hence the superior performance of our athletes.

SHAPING BEHAVIOUR

About 10 per cent of the person's character and behaviour are due to life's circumstances
such as economic background, single parent, etc. The remaining 40 per cent, more or
less, are determined by our thoughts and actions - to make things happen, despite genetic
influences and life's circumstances.

Although there may be a correlation between increased levels of testosterone and violent
Jamaican males, this has not been proven. But testosterone levels among female inmates
in prisons have been shown to be higher than in the general population.

While Jamaica's violence is related to its gangs, social deprivation, poverty, family
dysfunction, etc., the country is also noted for its religious madness. Is violence related to
the latter? In the USA, low intelligence and poverty are linked to religiosity (i.e., faith-
based beliefs) and also to crime. Persons who affiliate themselves with Christianity make
up almost 80 per cent of prison populations. Atheists make up about 0.2 per cent. It is
safe to conclude the godless do not fill prisons.

While it may not be true to say that religion causes criminality, it at least shows that a
population's adherence to a religion does not reduce levels of socially unacceptable
behaviour.

Religious countries tend to have more wars, higher homicidal rates, higher levels of
corruption, more AIDS, more rapes, more teenage pregnancies, and more abortions.

34
Why? Believers may more likely resort to uncivil behaviour because of irrationality.
Their beliefs are acted upon without the critical and sceptical way of judging right from
wrong.

This is a vicious society where the Jamaican psyche of lewdness, loudness, rampant
indiscipline and lack of respect for others predominates. It is the singer, not the song,
stupid. Guns, I remind you, are not in the habit of killing people; people kill people.

So, why are Jamaicans so bloody violent? Is it because of nature or nurture? Both.

This no-problem island paradise chalked up 1,087 murders in 2012.

Alas, a meaningful life for the majority, hard-working Jamaicans, seems an unlikely
prospect - whether gainfully employed in productive endeavours or a life of quiet
contemplation - being constantly and tragically mindful of an early and untimely demise.

Ethon Lowe is a medical doctor. Email feedback to [email protected] and

'Spread of chik-V on the decline in

Acting mayor of Portmore, Leon Thomas. File

35
Ruddy Mathison, Gleaner Writer

PORTMORE, St Catherine: ACTING MAYOR for the Portmore Municipality Leon

Thomas told The Gleaner that the municipality embarked on an ongoing drain cleaning
and garbage-collection programme in July, targeting the eradication of mosquito breeding
sites as one of its primary objectives.

"The municipality of Portmore, based on its natural breading sites for mosquitoes, would
be considered a prime locality for the spread of the chikungunya virus, but I can boast
that this is not so. We are experiencing the lowest index when compared to the other
affected areas, according to the reports given to me by the St Catherine Health
Department," Thomas stated.

comprehensive effort

He said some 147 truckloads of garbage have been collected since the operation began,
scores of drains cleaned and hundreds of mosquito breeding sites fumigated. Thomas said
this comprehensive effort by the municipality was conceived even before they knew
about the first imported case of chikungunya. The acting mayor also said he met with
principals and carried out fumigation of all the school compounds in Portmore, prior to
the reopening of the institutions in September.

"So as to ensure that the municipality stays on top of the situation, we have broken down
the area into four zones to give us an opportunity to deal with the various communities in
a detailed manner," he said.

Thomas said Zone 2, which comprises Newland, Naggo Head, Southborough,

He said the municipality, in its quest to be proactive, will also be embarking on a public
education campaign to sensitise the communities in the various divisions about the Ebola
virus. He said he will be alerting the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency
Management, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the Health
Department and other agencies to participate in this exercise which will begin next week.

[email protected]

36
Portmores mayor brings cheer to elderly
couple
Monday, May 27, 2013

37
 Tweet

AN elderly couple, forced to live for years in less than suitable conditions in the gritty community
of Newlands, St Catherine, are now the proud owners of a newly renovated home, courtesy of the
Portmore municipality which made the initiative a Labour Day project.

Mayor of Portmore George Lee said the plight of 82-year-old Vincent Beckford and his 78-year-
old common-law wife Brenetta Blake was highlighted by concerned citizens and political
representatives in the community.

According to Lee, after weeks of discussions and several visits to the location, a decision was
made that the house would be the area of focus for Labour Day.

The couple could hardly contain their joy as they observed the transformation of their run-down
three-bedroom dwelling.

"I really have to give thanks for the help because the house was really in need of repairs,"
Beckford said.

According to Beckford, he did not know where the help would come from until he was contacted
by the mayor.

"Is just the mercy of God that lead the mayor here," said a feeble-sounding Beckford, who stood
in a section of the board house and watched as workmen carried out renovations.

Blake, whose legs were amputated in 2012 because of poor circulation, was equally thankful.

"I really can't find words to express how I feel right now; is just happiness,' said the elderly
woman, who explained that she had great difficulty moving around the house because of the
state it was in.
(Jamaica Observer Wednesday, February 17, 2016)

38
Newlands Seventh Day Adventist Church below:-

39
40
PORTMORE, JAMAICA: Gruesome murders in Newlands Dog seen
dragging bag with mans head; other body found lying in community......A
police source said Love has been linked to more than a dozen murders in
the division.
WHEN residents of Washington Mews in Newlands, Portmore saw a mongrel dog dragging a bag
with an object in it they grew curious and investigated. To their shock and horror the bag
contained the head of 36-year-old Dane Cross, also called 'Vigilante' or 'Vigo'.

An elderly man starts work on a

41
Cross was one of two men killed in the community. His friend, 26-year-old cabinet maker
Franklyn Robinson, also called 'Married Man', was identified as the other victim. Robinson, the
police said, was employed to Courts Jamaica Ltd.
The remainder of Cross' body was not found up to last night, despite of the best efforts of the
police yesterday. Robinson's body was found in the community, but with his head intact.

Andre Love, popularly known

According to the police, residents reported hearing loud explosions about 10:45 on Monday night.
Police believe the two were the victims of those gunshots as the head and body were found about
7:00 yesterday morning.
Yesterday, the police went into the community and took several persons in for questioning in
connection with the murders.

A woman holds her child as

42
 (PHOTOS: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)

At the same time, the St Catherine South Police have named Andre Love, popularly known as
'Duggo', as a person of interest in the macabre murder of both men. A police source said Love
has been linked to more than a dozen murders in the division. "This is not the first time
beheadings have taken place in the Newlands area," one policeman said. Sections of Newlands
reportedly has links with the feared Klansman gang, known for the beheading of its victims. read
more
(http://rulabrownnetwork.blogspot.com/2014/01/portmore-jamaica-gruesome-murders-in.html)

Portmore Images:-

This Is What Marginalization Looks Like:-

The road through Newlands

A typical Portmore community road

43
Typical street in Portmore below:-

44
45
46
47
The Big homes in Great Portmore looked either like this below when they were bought
or

like that in the photo below

From the above two types of basic housing units, many in Portmore, through hard work
and sacrifices make castles like the one below:_

or like this cottage below:-

48
Looking at Portmore from above:-

Note that the lot sizes are very small, hence to create the home of ones dream on such a
small lot one has to be very creative.

Another section of Portmore below, lot sizes here are a bit larger:-

49
Another view of Portmore below:-

Another close up of Portmore:-

50
A new house below:-

Inside an enlarged Portmore house:-

51
 1

Coming Back From The Dead

In coming back from the dead and reasserting itself as a viable community, Newlands has
had to deal with several major challenges and is still fighting with some of these ghost of
its past, not least of them is a culture of violence and division. Many a detractor and ill
wishers would like to paint the entire Newland community and all its residents as being
violent. Nothing is further than the truth, and such views and expressions are aimed at
discouraging the community from rebuilding itself, aimed at keeping the community and
its residents in shackles.

Violence is not widespread in the Newlands community and when it occurs one more or
less knows the two or three locations where it is most likely to occur and who are most
likely to be involved, depending on the nature of the crime.

A significant element in the urge to violence, is pent up frustration with the individual
having no or very limited access to suitable outlets along with a lack of self control. In
many respects the environment also tends play a role in either intensifying or reducing
the individuals sense of frustration. When a person wakes in the morning and go on the
main road, firstly one has walk on in many cases dirt track, which are not comfortable to
walk on especially after rains. Then when one reaches the main road, the Cumberland Rd,
one is faced with a vast open land, fill with construction rubble heaps, a football field on
that same barren land, on which grass refuse to grow and overhead is the constant
presence of vultures (John Crows). Just coming out on the main road is in itself a
potentially depressing and frustrating experience. Many attempts have being made to
beautify at least the borders of that large open land, but to date the efforts have failed to
make even a dent into it.

We have to realize that all, sane mentally healthy males are potentially violent and will
kill if he does not have a clear understanding of that pull to violence and poor self
control. A friend of mine, Peter Jarret, caught up in very serious anger and frustration
ended up in a fight with one of his friends. Rather than attacking the individuals trunk
and upper body, he ended up directing all his efforts at the individuals feet. The fight end
up with a crowd of laughing spectators. This is the essential nature of violence in the
inner city, Newlands not exempted, and familial conflicts; individuals end up attacking
those who have the least to do with the frustrations and anger felt. It is a lashing out at
those who are the closest to them and most reachable.

It is the duty of the individual and the family to develop not only self control but also the
mechanisms needed for the release of the anger and frustration felt. Society tells our
young males that they are too old to watch cartoons, cartoons are for little children, yet
laughing in many instances provided the release necessary. For a young man in Newlands
to say that he is going for a walk, to the plaza or up the road that in the eyes of many is
strange. The situation for young mothers is even worse, there social or recreational
facility for mother and child, and many are yet to understand that a young mother who

52
has to be with a child or children all day, has a need to take a break, to go for a walk, to
breathe fresh air. No! Society and those around have taught the young Newlanders that
they are robots and have no such need for such things. So, a comes home tired from work
to meet a young mother who is equally tired, drained and frustrated like himself, the fall
of a pin causes an argument.

Yet Newlands is not defeated, one will see along the road, where residents have set up
various look out and relax positions, it might be a set of women playing cards on the
roadside, it maybe the Indian bar owner and his in-laws sitting on the roof of the bar, it
maybe three women sitting by the crab lady or it maybe the Indian elders relaxing by the
big yard with the tire shop or it might be people gathered around Vincent shop. The
people are learning not only that it is critical to create the mechanism for the release of
frustrations but also to relax, to reduce the stress, to laugh. This lesson is yet to be learnt
in many other sections of Portmore.

An area of concern is the need to point out that a big man can walk away from a conflict.
Even a mad man can shoot a person who dises him or his family members or friends, it
takes a mature person to seek to settle the matter peacefully or to walk away. As a youth
a man called Demon Dread, tried to get me in problems with the law by throwing water
on my mother. I said nothing, I walked away, today neither he, his wife nor his child is
alive, I touched nor took any form of action to harm a single one of them. A trouble
maker will run into trouble from which there is no coming out.

Here I would like to point out that people who design and set traps for others, generally
catches them and or their own. One cannot run away from his own hands. Here it is
important that the Elders in Newland be not afraid to teach that Time is longer than
rope, for there will be those who come to community to create problems and there will
be those in the community who seek to create problems on behalf of outsiders. If it is
possible allow time to solve the problem, one has to learn to overcome the challenges of
ego.

Another aspect of the resistance and defiance in Newlands is the building and
maintaining institutions required for the cultivation of self control and release , one can
see that process of institution building in the number of bars along the main road, the
number of Churches in the community in particular have expanded over recent years.
Many in the community are coming to the realization that the root cause of the anger and
frustration felt is systematic by nature and driven by forces external to the community in
their origin. The root causes of high youth unemployment, social and individual
marginalization have their roots in forces external to Newlands. This consciousness has
led many to understand that their struggle is that seeking to survive the best they can to
use all positive uplifting opportunities open to them, to develop themselves firstly as
individuals, secondly as families and thirdly as a community at peace with itself and with
others.

53
In the wider Portmore, the causes of frustration , in addition to a relative lack of
developmental opportunities and personal growth, there is a sharp clash between social
and individual expectations and reality; disappointment with self and near others,
unemployment, car loans, motor vehicle insurance, monthly bills and relatively
inadequate salaries, money to send children to school and or colleges.

It is perhaps in this context , a meal at Burger King, KFC and lawn keeping is best
understood, as elements in the arsenal of resistance and defiance against those forces and
elements bent on keeping them down, a loud declaration that I am and I will not be
bowed nothing and no one. It is in this context the drive to education is best understood
as a weapon against the forces of marginalization.

54
Section Two, Photographs Of Newlands As It Was Seen

55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
Soldiers Marching To Their Training Bases

81
82
83
While correctly the community we are looking at in the three photos below are not part of
Newlands District in the mind of many passing through the community it is regarded as a
part of Newlands.

84
85
86
Back in Newlands

87
88
89
90
91
92
Jung Supermarket across the road employees several persons from the Newlands
community

93
94
95
The Northern Border Of The Newlands Community

96
The Seventh Day Adventist Basic School and Church

97
A Rastafarian Owned Pub and Fresh Produce Stall

98
A Basic School on the Northern Border

99
This adobe style building in which the Rastafarian pub and fresh produce stall tells the
age of the community

100
Soldiers on the move

101
102
The Neighbours Of West Cumberland

103
104
Jong Supermarket which employs many individuals from the community and provides a
protected vending environment for at least four small vendors and a street food vendor
who sells at its gates. It is within the walls of this supermarket that residents of all the
communities along and near to the Newlands Cumberland Road, get the opportunity to
meet and greet.

105
Soldiers on the move.

106
The Newlands-Cumberland Road

107
The Rastafarian Pub and Fresh Produce Stand

108
109
The Neighbours Of East Cumberland

110
The Bar and Tyre Shop by the Newlands-Cumberland Road and West Henderson
Boulevard are open for business.

111
Business Going On During The Night

112
 Taxis Parked Under The Coolie Plum Tree In The Night, The Jelly Coconut Stall Is
Closed For The Night, The Vendor Is Possible Across The Road Sipping A Cool Beer in
The Bar.

113
The Absence Of Street Lights In The Newlands Community Is Of Significant Concern

114
115
Little Boys Playing Football In The Dark

116
117
118
 Section 3- Those Who I Know

This small document which has as one of its aims, the showing of the Newland District
which does not appear in the media and to encourage those who are a bit hasty in drawing
conclusions abut a people and their community which they do not know and have up until
this point have not tried to know to reflect on themselves, on the motives which underlie
their thought process, is not written by a total stranger to the community, but rather by a
person who has had reasons to pass through and along the Newlands community for at
least five years. As such over the years I have met individuals who are living and
working in community, for example Vincent, the Indian shop keeper who operates a
small shop in his family compound, there I have met some of his relatives who operate
taxis. In my days of driving, from time to time, I would get my car tyres fixed at the
Indian tyre shop, which along with a bar and a grocery shop form a part of his family
compound. Their niece who attended Campion College is known to both me and my
daughter and in years gone by these two girls and I would travel together to Campion
College in the mornings.

Then I know the young Rastafarian who operates the pub and fresh produce stall. Over
the years I have used the opportunities given to me, to closely examine the building
which host the pub, both from within the pub and from outside and compare it with other
structures in the community. Then I know the elderly bar owner, whose daughter is
married to a friend of mine, they are both now in Canada. One of my favourite shops in
the community, if not my favourite, is the Brownings Sisters Shop which is relatively
near to the West Henderson intersection and has a plum tree on the other side of the road.
I consider them to be my friends, I know the faces of all the women who gather there, I
know the sisters, I know the spouse of the main sister who operates the shop. I know
their children and now grandchild. It is a favourite observation point for me.

Then I know workers who live in the Newlands community. Here I should mention a
young man who worked at the library of the Portmore Community College, who attended
Kingston College in his high school days. I cannot leave out that young supervisor and
mother of two who worked at the Shoppers Fair Supermarket in Greater Portmore. She
lives in the yard with the Blue upstairs building which has a bar and another business
establishment downstairs. An Indian family also lives there. I now remember a beautiful
young mid twenties near thirties young Indian lady (girl) who would usually ride pass me
on her bicycle with a smile on her face.

The Edna Manley College has two employees living in the Newlands community who I
know very well and are friends of mine. I also know at least two health workers (nurses)
who live in the Newlands community. The number of individuals in the community who
I know are too much to remember, here I have not mentioned the Rastafarian who
operates a small shop next to the Brownings, nor the construction workers who I know
living in that community, one of whom worked on my daughters mothers house.

I have gone through this exercise to further impress on all that there is the Newlands of
the media, one which is crime ridden and occupied by the most violent of criminals and

119
there is the Newlands of real people who gets up in the morning open their shops, put
their taxis on the road, head to school and colleges, the Newlands from which people
leave to go to work in the hospitals, in government offices, in schools and colleges, on
construction sites and in factories. It is within the power of the residents of the Newlands
District, the wider Portmore Municipality and the Jamaican society to determine which of
the two Newlands will win in the struggle for existence. Here one can only hope that
those who control access to state resources and determine their usage, the politicians, will
do what is needed to address the housing needs of the people, their infrastructure needs
and their security needs. One also hope that they would have come to the realization that
level of youth and female unemployment in the community of Newlands is frighteningly
high.

End
March 14, 2017

120