Kingston, Reflections

8/10/2019 Kingston, Reflections

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ContentsForward................................................................................................................... 1

The Legacy Of A Dictatorship!..............................................................................3

The Low Cost Housing Soution For The oor".......................................................#

$ingston% &e'ections On A City Dying Fro( The )rath and Arrogance Of

Dictatorship................................................................................................................ *

+otice...................................................................................................................... *

Two ounds Of &ice and A Tin Of ,ac-ere%Aways e Than-fu For The Litte /ou

Ha0e!...................................................................................................................

2utures Feasting on Sonia Feeings Sha(e and 4uit..........................................11

The Tongues and 5yes of Dar-ness and 50i6%....................................................17

The Accusations They ,a-e!..............................................................................17

4ross inco(e ine8uaity" po0erty and the )i of 4od........................................1#

The &astafarian 59a(pe................................................................................... 1:

;r


2/23

Forward

The document, Kingston- Reflections On A City Dying From The Wrath and Arrogance Of Dictatorship

see!s to accomplish t"o o#$ecti%es, firstly to pay homage to those our relati%es and friends "ho in their

li%es, made great personal sacrifices in pa%ing the road that "e can #e "here "e are today& 't is important

that "hile "e eat of the #read of life, that "e remem#er those "ho cleared and plough the fields so that

corn could #e planted& 'n this regard, ' "ant to remem#er my late grandmother, mother, uncles, #rother

and cousins&

The second aim of this document is to encourage us to loo! at "hat "e no" ha%e as the capital of this

country called (amaica) to critically e*amine the period +. to +/0, a period in "hich the largest forced

transfer of property and the most #latant trampling of fundamental 1uman Rights occurred on a scale not

seen in (amaican history since the coming of the 2nglish coloniali3es&

Finally it is hoped that #y reading this document, "e as! oursel%es not only "hat the City of Kingston

"ould ha%e #een "ithout that most unfortunate period in our history, #ut most importantly4- What is to #e

done to pic! up the pieces and re#uild the city&

5asil Fletcher

66ng& 7o%& 68+9

7


3/23

A photograph of Do"n To"n Kingston, (amaica& As can #e seen, there is not a single trash #in or gar#age

receptacle in sight&

3


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The Legacy Of A Dictatorship!

The Low Cost Housing Solution For The Poor,

#


5/23

Kingston e"ections On A City Dying Fro# The

$rath an% Arrogance Of Dictatorship

Notice

The Public is hereby advised that the Sir William Grant

Park is temporarily closed until further notice.

Please bear with us as we affect well needed repairs.

5y Order of

Ro#ert 1&:& 1ill (&:&

To"n Cler!

Octo#er 66, 68+9

On the night of ;th& 7o%em#er 68+9, at a#out /&08 p&m& the sole occupants of the par! "as a pac!

of stra" dogs "hich so ho" found their "ay into the par! and made full use of the time gi%en&

*


6/23

On the morning of the .th& 7o%em#er 68+9, the only type of repairs seen, "ere the chopping of

the grass #y one man, the ra!ing up of lea%es #y three young men, and the remo%al of #ushes #y

another t"o men- acti%ities "hich occur daily in any "ell run par!, the 2mancipation in 7e"

Kingston, or the 1ope uestion4- "hy "as the par!

closed=

Was the ?ir William


7/23

:erhaps in order to #etter understand the nature of this dictatorship one possi#le need to start #y

loo!ing a #it closer at "hat the ?ir William uent #y none other that arcus


8/23

There is perhaps also no #etter "ay to pro%e the po"er of the authorities than closing the pu#lic

#athrooms& A %isitor to the city, disco%ered the po"er of the local authority one morning "hen he

had to #e there in the city at a#out &88 or &08 a&m&, only to find that the pu#lic #athrooms e%en

at /&88 a&m& in the mornings "ere closed and that the restaurants and pu#s near to the par! "ere

e>ually closed& 7eeding to urine, the %isitor found a secluded spot and did urine, only to #e met

#y the police of the city council "ho decided that he "as to #e tic!eted and sent to court to pay a

fine& 1ere the authorities found it $ust to send out their police to tic!et indi%iduals "ho "ere

ruining against "alls in the city, e%en #efore they decided to open the pu#lic "ashroom& The

issue at hand "as not one of pu#lic order or hygiene, #ut rather the demonstration of po"er to

tic!et and fine& One only need to imagine the fate of the countless users of the city "ho are

una#le to afford to pay the fees to use the "ashrooms, cannot afford to #uy fast food to get

receipts to use the restrooms of those facilities and or cannot physically go the four hundred

meters distance to use the ne*t alternati%e pu#lic #athroom& :oor "omen "ho are pedestrians

should not get pregnant nor should men o%er forty "ho might ha%e "ea!er #ladders %isit the city

in the early mornings&

There seems also to #e a need to sho" that the residents of the city are unruly and #ar#aric& 't is

!no"n that the inner city communities surrounding the par! are %ery densely populated, "ith no

social space for rela*ation and or recreation& 't is also !no"n that the possi#ility of conflicts

increases "ith the num#er of interactions indi%iduals ma!e, especially in close en%ironments&

Close the par! and ta!e a"ay that most accessi#le social and recreational space, then one "ould

ha%e made his or her case& r& Ro#ert 1&:& 1ill (&:&, To"n Cler!, did e*actly that, closed the

par!&

r& Ro#ert 1&:& 1ill (&:&, To"n Cler! and the ?ir William uestions are4- +B 1as this

dictatorship #ecome too deep and entrenched for anything to #e done a#out it= and 6B 's

Kingston "orth sa%ing=

This paper "ill also sho", that the Dictatorship in Kingston is #ut one model, of preser%ing a

system #ased on the po%erty of many and gro"ing ine>uality, a model "hich should not #e

allo"ed to #e e*ported to other de%eloping countries or to any country in the region&

5asil Fletcher

=


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Two Poun%s Of ice an% A Tin Of &ac'erelAlways (e Than'ful

For The Little )ou Ha*e!'n each city, one finds #oth static and dynamic components) generally indi%iduals are grouped

among the dynamic components of the city& 1o"e%er, in the city of Kingston, particularly Do"n

To"n Kingston, the %ery large num#ers of the destitute and the insane ha%e #ecome a static

feature of the city& 'n fact it has #ecome nearly impossi#le to thin! of the Kingston :u#lic

1ospital, Kings ?treet and the area around the ?ir William


10/23

Then there is the factor of fear- the fear of losing ones $o#, e%en if the employer is unreasona#le,

e%en if the employer is not paying "hat he or she should, e%en if the children of the #oss do not

!no" their place and ha%e no manners, e%en if the employer does not "ant to "ash her o"n

under"ear- gi%e


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Vultures Feasting on Sonia Feelings Shame and Guilt

?onia $ust could not ta!e it any longer, e%ery day "hen the #us let her off Do"n To"n, and she

has to "al! up 2ast Gueen@s street, passing the old #ro!en do"n Church #uilding, passing the

scrapped #uildings and turning up the lane near to the old cinema, to get to her home, her headhurts&

When ?onia thin!s of her three fatherless children, "hose fathers disappeared much faster than

they came, her #elly pained& ?he $ust could not ta!e it any more&

't "as that "eight on her shoulders, the pain in her #elly and the thro##ing in her head "hich

caused ?onia to go to Church& 't the politicians forget a#out her, if the men to "hom she ga%e her

s"eetness ha%e all $umped fences and disappeared, if the men on the road only thought of her as

#eing fit and ready and she has no family to call on, then


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hardships and po%erty "hich caused ?onia@s !nees to gi%e "ay& That ?hould 7e%er 5e Washed

A"ay& A Hulture Feasting on ?onia@ Feelings ?hame and


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#oys or su# teen age #oys made any mo%es on her, in fact it "as as if she "as one of the

#oys& ' sat and o#ser%ed these indi%iduals for the #etter part of t"o hours&

'n ho" many of the s"imming pools of the mem#ers of the dictatorship and the religious

esta#lishment could this ha%e occurred "ithout the young lady going under the most serious of

se*ual assaults or mo%es= 1o" many young ladies ha%e #een forced to disappear from the#enches of the Church #ecause of the mo%es "hich come their "ay= 1o" many o%ernight

"eddings ha%e the mem#ers of the religious esta#lishment ha%e #een forced to organi3ed

#ecause their sons do not !no" ho" to !eep their penises in their pants= 1o" many of the

daughters of #oth the dictatorship and the religious esta#lishment ha%e #een forced to ha%e

a#ortions= The truth #e told, the call for the legali3ation of a#ortion is loudest in the ran!s of the

dictatorship and the mem#ers of the religious esta#lishment&

ast nigh at the #ar #y the :in! lane and Charles street intersection, there "as a party "hich

seemed in the main to #e organi3ed #y the young "omen of that part of the community, "hile at

Ashley@s shop "hich is not more than t"enty steps a"ay) a group of a#out fi%e men of ages#et"een t"enty fi%e to si*ty, including men "ho dro%e the #est of cars, men "ho !no" there

"ay around, sat& The music played came from the late +.8s to the present and "ere from all

genres, including 5oy


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-ross inco#e ine.uality, po*erty an% the $ill of -o%

One of the arguments put for"ard #y the staunchest defenders of the current state of the gross income

ine>uality and po%erty "hich characteri3es, if not defines, the city of Kingston in particular the Do"n To"n

Kingston, is that it is the Will of uotations of the 5i#le "hich spea! directly to the "ill of man e%en as it spea!s to the "ill of


15/23

anything&

What is perhaps most dangerous, is that the religious esta#lishment, not contented "ith its "or! in (amaica and

specifically in Kingston, is no" acti%ely see!ing to ta!e steps to e*port this doctrine of poison to the inner

cities of 7orth America, to countries such as Trinidad and To#ago,


16/23

The astafarian +/a#ple

'f the period #et"een the mid +8s and the early +/8s could #e defined as a period defined as

one in "hich the largest forced and %iolent transfer of property from small home and #usiness

o"ners in the city of Kingston too! place since the 5ritish con>uest and su#se>uentcolonialisation of (amaica, 't could also #e characteri3ed as a period in "hich the Rastafarian

mo%ement not only gre" in strength and num#ers #ut also sho"ed the strength and %alue of

unity in times of turmoil&

The Rastafarians in (ones To"n, in particular those on yers ?treet #y the ?al%ation Army

Church in the mid +8s, "hen many indi%iduals "ere li%ing either in fair of %iolence or the fear

of unemployment caused #y small employers lea%ing the country, recogni3ed that they could

ma!e a li%ing #y selling "atches, tams, Rasta #elts and pants lengths the length of cloth re>uired

to ma!e pantsB and other small items& As a group, they set up %ending stations in 1alf Way Tree

at the corner of ?outh Odeon A%enue& Remnants of that group are still to #e found there today&

'n Allman To"n on Wild ?treet, "hen the children of "ar "ere ta!ing o%er the to"n, the

Rastafarians reali3ed that as a group at Dad@s shoe ma!ing shop, they "ere safe from the e##s

and flo"s of the %iolence "hich sought to rule the to"n& '7 Waterhouse, the Rastafarians "ho

li%ed near and around 5alcome Dri%e came to the same conclusion&

'n this same period, the T"el%e Tri#e Rastafarian mo%ement, sho"ed that it "as possi#le to

li%e "ithin a society and not #ecome a part of the dar!ness "hich sought to engulf that society,

their regular dances at the ?tudent@s Inion #uilding campus at the Ini%ersity of the West

'ndies, ona Campus, pro%ided on a regular #asis alternati%e entertainment, free from %iolence,

se*ism and negati%ity& The 5u#o Dreads in the hills of in 5ull 5ay in the south eastern corner of

?t& Andre" "ere "ell ad%ance in de%eloping their o"n co-operati%e type of commune&

't "as also the era of 5o# arley and the Wailers, "ho "ere not only chanting against the

system, #ut also putting for"ard a %ia#le alternati%e&

1:


17/23

'n this period of time, many mem#er of the (amaican Chinese community and many of the

5ro"n community "ho decided to gi%e up their group identity and group approach to life,

found that the mem#ers of their communities "ere ta!en apart and soundly flogged #y the

dictatorship "hich ruled the city& The Chinese community as an ethnic group end up #eing the

single largest loser of property, their cemetery on Waltam :ar! Road today stands in ruin, their

#usiness along 7orth street, Orange ?treet, :rincess ?treet and else"here do"n to"n Kingston

a#andoned&

The %ast ma$ority of 5lac! home o"ners, "ho formed the largest single contingent of small

property o"ners in the city, failed to see themsel%es as a group and failed to recogni3e their o"n

interests and sta!e in the city as #eing different from all other classes, "ere decimated, many

forced to flee lea%ing their property, many had their properties destroyed in the flames of "ar

and their communities such as Allman To"n, (ones To"n, Kingston


18/23

Kings ?treet 'n Front Of The ?upreme Court

0r1an &oral Fatigue an% O1ligational Tire%ness

For real impro%ements to occur in the conditions of the li%es of the poor and the destitute in anycity, all sta!eholders must accept and play their respecti%e roles and accept their o#ligations to

impro%ing conditions of the poor and the destitute& This is sadly not so in the City of Kingston&

'n the mid +.8s, if not from #efore, the ?t& Anne@s Catholic Church in 1annah To"n, from the

premises of the ?t& Anne@s 'nfant ?chool on :ercy ?treet, on a monthly or #i-monthly #asis ga%e

out tins of oil and pac!ages of food to the poor from the neigh#oring Denham To"n community&Today the Roman Catholic Church through Food For The :oor has to pro%ide from time to time

housing units in addition to the regular food aid though %arious Churches in #oth 1annah To"nand Denham To"n on a much "ider scale&

The ?al%ation Army through its o"n outlets and Churches, has for decades #een pro%iding foodand clothing for the homeless and the destitute, and toys to the children of the poor& Today, the

1=


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?al%ation Army is called on to do the same on a much "ider scale&

?o gra%e has the situation facing the poor and the destitute #ecome in the city of Kingston and so

large ha%e their num#ers gro"n, that the Roman Catholic Church in (amaica has found itnecessary to set up an ne" Order-issionaries For The :oor&

Within this same period of time, roughly fifty years, many indi%iduals and some of the smaller

Churches, ha%e seen the need to play their role in assisting the poor and the destitute in the city-#ut Alas E Despite the most %aliant and self sacrificing efforts made #y so many, the ran!s of the

army of the poor and the destitute continue to s"ell as a direct result of the continuous decrease

in real per capita uantities of

resources and efforts from those "ho are prepared to gi%e& 7o longer is one spea!ing a#out

ar!et Failure and Frictional Inemployment, #ut rather a#out "hat appears to #e , from all

possi#le angles or directions , the result of deli#erately planned and implemented policies andplans , aimed at e*cluding an increasing percentage of the city@s population from the economic

life of the city and the creation of an e%er increasing num#er of encla%es of dire po%erty and

"ant&

2%en "ithin these encla%es of dire po%erty and "ant, they "ho rule the city seem #ent on

frustrating the #est efforts of the donors and gi%ers of resources, time and effort& The cellularphone company DegiCell, it "as reported, made significant efforts to refur#ish a children@s par!

in the Denham To"n community, some years ago, a much needed facility in that community&

?adly ho"e%er, after all the effort and resources "hich "ent into that pro$ect, they "ho rule thecity, did not thin! that they had a duty, responsi#ility or o#ligation to maintain the refur#ished

par!-the par! as a result is once again in need of refur#ishing&

The citi3ens of the e%er increasing num#ers of encla%es of dire po%erty and "ant are #y nomeans angels and in many instances, carry out acti%ities "hich "orsen their o"n standards of

li%ing and the communities "ithin "hich they li%e, thus adding e%en more "eight to the #ac!s of

an already #urdened donor and %olunteer community& 1ere a large part of the #lame for thesemisguided actions, must #e laid s>uarely and firmly at the feet of the political directorate "hich

taught indi%iduals of my parents generation and of my generation in the mid +8s and early

+/8s , that it "as correct and desira#le to #urn, scrap and loot #oth pri%ate and pu#lic property&

The cases of indi%iduals "ho "ere gi%en less than a day to lea%e their homes are too many to

recount, the num#er of pri%ate d"ellings scraped in communities such as (ones To"n, incommunities off a*field A%enue, ountain Hie" A%enue, off 2ast Gueens street and else"here

are too many to count-that self destructi%e attitude and disrespect for life and property "hich "astaught and encourage in those parents and their children is not easily o%ercome&

The com#ined factors of an e%er continuing decline in peal per capita uality in the distri#ution of income, neglect #y and freedom from responsi#ility of the

political directorate and state officials coupled "ith incidents of self destructi%e #eha%ior of

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many residents in the encla%es of po%erty and destitution ha%e ser%ed to create an e%er increasing

sense of ur#an moral fatigue and o#ligational tiredness&

5asil Fletcher

The econstruction Of The City Of Kingston

A

The reconstruction of the City of $ingston assu(es the foowing6%

&espect of property rights.

Ti(ey and correct wages for wor- done.

&espect for contractua agree(ents.

&espect for the rights of the indi0idua.

An e@cient and functioning ustice syste(.

The right to (a-e a proBt on any or a acti0ities" production" distri


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The poitica dictatorship created a type of serfdo( in which6%

1. roperty rights were thrown out through the window they deter(ined who

they want to


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C

A. oth the agencies of the state responsi


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H. The Cha(

Kingston, Reflections

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