SOS SALT SPRING | A ticking time bomb?

After living through years of bloodshed and lawlessness, residents of Salt Spring in St James have welcomed efforts by the authorities to bring order to their troubled community, but there are concerns that this new-found peace could be temporary unless all the players embrace the positive trend.

Located just three kilometres on the outskirts of the city of Montego Bay, the tough inner-city community of Salt Spring is home to over 10,000 residents, who must observe imaginary borders established by the gangsters, sometimes just a few streets apart.

The community has been a haven for criminals over the years, but residents like businesswoman Ann-Marie Douglas are hoping things are turning around for good, even as they note the fragility of the peace.

“Life in Salt Spring is good now. It's not 100 per cent, but it's about 75 per cent better than it was,” said Douglas, who operates a small grocery store in Re-pasture, a neighbourhood in Salt Spring. “The police are doing their job, but while things have calmed down, I am worried that any minute the gang war can erupt … . It can trigger off any minute now, … but I don't want it to reach back there.”

Recalling days when being on the outside was a huge risk, the 48-year-old mother of five is now happy that the younger generation are being introduced to a new way of life.

“Three years ago, eight gunmen shot after me just outside my business place and I had to defend myself with stones against them,” said the animated community leader.

“I am not a ninja, but I have to help myself. In fact, back then, we could not sit down outside here. We had to be looking in all directions and if we see a shadow, we would run, but now, we can sit down and even drop asleep.”

The genesis of the bloodletting dates back to the '70s and '80s, as supporters of Jamaica's two major political parties fought for dominance, with the People's National Party (PNP) controlling Meggie Top and adjoining communities, while the lower areas from Hill Top to the much-feared Lammie Lane were predominantly Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) territory.

However, by the 1990s, the political influence began to wane, as a succession of ruthless gangsters took the spotlight robbing and killing with seeming impunity.

Among them was Lenroy 'Len' Bircher, who led the notorious Flower Hill gang. He has been linked by the St James police to several homicides before meeting his own demise in a gunfight with the police at his Salt Spring hideout.

MODERN-DAY ROBIN HOODS

By the end of the decade, the infamous Stone Crusher gang, made up of men and a few women in their early 20s, were in control of not only Salt Spring, but all 23 informal communities in the tourist city. They were able to get good cover from the difficult terrain, dilapidated roads, few street lights and a culture of silence among residents, who saw them as community protectors and even modern-day Robin Hoods for their willingness to share the proceeds of the ill-gotten proceeds of their robberies and other illegal activities, such as the illicit lottery scam.

As the leadership changed hands – some killed by the police or fellow gangsters, while others sought refuge in countries like Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the United States – killings became more brutal, with the beheading of victims the new signature of the younger leaders, who took on a more forceful image.

However, when the ruthless gang leader Eldon Calvert was killed in Salt Spring in September 2014, the Stone Crusher gang splintered into other gangs such as the G-City and the Unknown gangs – later the Nine gang – and began to fight for turf.

“In days gone by, the Stone Crushers were worshipped by those around them who saw them as a necessary evil, especially in times of trouble,” said a resident. “These are youngsters who went to school together, played football, cooked, ate and drank together, but they are now fighting against each other, and there are a few that could resurface and start the foolishness again.”

Eighteen-year-old Kerry-Ann Campbell is a top-performing student at St James High School. She recalls the challenges faced while studying during the numerous gunfights.

“It was difficult to study in the past because of the gunshots, but things have simmered down now, and while studying is still hard, you don't have these issues that can cause anxiety,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

Sisters Beverly and Donna Wedderburn have lived along the dreaded Lammie Lane all their lives and currently serve as justices of the peace. Both shared that the transformation began in 2019 when community leaders came together and staged several events in partnership with the Community Development Committee, including the popular Salt Spring Jamboree that saw warring factions interacting with the police.

“Yes, there was a time when crime and violence was very high, but there have been some changes in the last three years,” Beverly said. “Our big event, Salt Spring Jamboree, was held at the Montego Hills Police Station because we wanted people to know that the police are here to serve us, and I believe that that was the turning point for us.”

Donna shares her sister's enthusiasm and believes continued partnerships with government and private entities can see the community becoming a model of change for other such settlements.

“I was born here and I can truly say that my community has transformed from the rugged poverty-stricken gangster image it had fallen to, and residents are now able to breathe,” she noted.

Three murders and two incidents of shooting have taken place in Salt Spring since the start of the year, the same as the corresponding period last year, and head of the police's Community Safety and Security Branch in St James, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Yvonne Whyte-Powell, believes improved police-citizen relations have contributed significantly.

The police have also been deliberate in their social intervention, which included feeding and summer programmes, which was supported by corporate Jamaica and key agencies such as the Citizen Security and Justice Programme and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).

“Targeting the children opened the opportunity for the police to interact with wider members of the community,” White-Powell told The Sunday Gleaner.

“While most social-intervention programmes target persons between the ages of 17 and 29, we believe that that is a little late to change behaviour, so we started our programme at the infant, basic and primary school level, the age six to 12 stage, where behaviour can be influenced.”

CRUCIAL PROGRAMMES

The annual summer camp also has an extended feeding programme that includes lunch and breakfast, while basic life skills – including social graces, nutrition, behaviour and discipline – are taught. A field trip outside the community is also a crucial part of the intervention.

“The children today are very receptive to the police in their community. They see us as their friends, but I would not call it (Salt Spring) a ticking time bomb, but given the nature of Jamaicans, anything can happen,” the DSP noted.

“But we are encouraged because community policing is working in Salt Spring and it can work anywhere else, but it takes time and commitment.”

While sharing the optimism of his constituents and stakeholders, Heroy Clarke, member of parliament for the Central St James constituency in which Salt Spring is located, believes that real progress will be realised when all the players come together for the good of the community.

Likening the effort to a football game, the two-term MP argued that everyone has a role to play.

“The crime situation has been worse than it is now, and I am not going to try and fool anyone to say that everything is OK, or everything is nice. At this point, Salt Spring is divided in two,” he stated.

“You have persons who say them come from up so and you have persons who say them come from down so, and it is the youngsters who have created that divide. So in Salt Spring, you have an imaginary [turf or border] line, where if you go close to the line you can be at risk, but we are working closely with JSIF, PMI and other agencies to see how quickly we can break that stigma to get the youngsters to understand that it is one community.”

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com