Spanish Town business community experiencing downturn, says chamber president
Published:Thursday | April 25, 2024 | 9:08 AM
President of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dennis Robotham says the business community in Spanish Town is reeling from the effects of the killing of Clansman enforcer Sheldon 'Termite' Walters in Top Bank last Friday night.
Despite the efforts of the St Catherine North police to bring calm to the area since an initial flare-up by symphatisers of the gang leader early Saturday morning, Robotham said businesses in the town have been experiencing a downturn.
"All of us here in business have been reeling from the effect of what happened on Friday night and the effects since then, as you can see, you just have to look in the town and see that businesses have been affected," said Robotham, who was addressing a St Catherine North police business leaders forum in Spanish Town last evening.
He added that normalcy is returning, but noted that when things like this happen in Spanish Town in the past it takes time, sometimes up to two months, to get people back into the frame of mind of operating freely.
"This is something that has always affected Spanish Town and the parish over the years. We sit on a time bomb in Spanish Town, if there is any uprising everybody scatter and stay low for a period of time. I don't think there is any other parish that undergoes this kind of situation," Robotham argued.
He said some semblance of authority is visibly on the ground, and that the business community wants to see more being done to bring Spanish Town back to its glorious days.
He urged residents not to give up, become cowards and cede the space to gangsters.
Meanwhile, Commander of the St Catherine North police Superintendent Hopeton Nicholson again decried misinformation about the situation in Spanish Town that is being circulated on social media platforms.
Nicholson said this is making the work of the police more difficult.
"These social media influencers don't care about your safety, most of them don't even live here, but we are here and here to stay, we will occupy the space," Nicholson assured.
- Ruddy Mathison
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