Westmoreland residents under curfew plead for adjustments to save community businesses

Residents in sections of Westmoreland affected by a recently imposed curfew are pleading with the Government to ease restrictions, arguing that the measure is crippling livelihoods and worsening hardships already caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The appeals came during interviews with The Gleaner, as residents complained about lost income, aggressive policing, and deteriorating living conditions. However, Senior Superintendent of Police for Westmoreland, Othneil Dobson, defended the curfew, saying it was necessary to protect lives following a recent spike in violence.

Kalia Forrester, a resident of the Frome Division, said communities such as Burnt Savannah are struggling to cope under the restrictions.

“We are saying, the curfew that is on us from 6 a.m in the morning till 6 in the evening, it’s madness,” she said. “Most of us here are shop owners, bar owners, bar-hop persons. That’s our livelihood, that’s what we use to build back ourselves from Hurricane Melissa.”

Forrester said many residents were still trying to recover from the storm damage while supporting children and elderly relatives.

“We have hardly even gotten any support from our prime minister,” she added.

Calling for an adjustment rather than a complete removal of the curfew, Forrester urged the authorities to allow businesses to operate during late-evening hours.

“Give us till from 7 in the night till 12 at midnight. Most people don’t come home from work until, like, 11, 12 o’clock. That’s our peak hours to make money,” she said.

She also recounted tensions between residents and the police during a candlelight vigil for a deceased community member.

“[On Thursday] we had a candle lighting for a dear friend … everybody came out to support him,” she said. “After 7, the police come, four jeeps [came, and the police said], “Gwaan a you yard. Pack up!” As we walk off and [were]going home, the police start to pepper-spray everybody.”

Forrester alleged that even children were affected by the police operation.

“[One] eight-year-old girl got pepper-sprayed so badly,” she claimed.

She questioned reports that machetes were involved during the incident.

“Where police get machete from, what kind of community we’re living in?” she asked.

Appealing directly to Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, Forrester said residents were desperate for relief.

“We need justice, we need freedom from this curfew,” she said. “Give us from 7 p.m. ‘til 12 midnight to keep our round robins, keep our shops open, keep our bars open, so we can keep our kids in school.”

Another resident, a bar operator from Burnt Savannah who did not give a name, echoed similar frustrations, saying the curfew made it impossible for small business operators to survive.

“I cannot open my bar or pay a bartender to come and work in that bar at 6 o’clock. I don’t make no money like that,” the resident said.

The resident argued that many people in the area depended on bars and small shops to provide for their families.

“We pickney them to go to school, lunch money fi find, book to buy, snacks to buy, transportation fee,” the resident said. “We don’t put uniform in there yet, much less utility bills.”

The operator also claimed residents were not properly informed about the curfew order.

“When big crime a run and them a drop barricade, we get it on TV, saying, ‘Oh, curfew is here and from this time to this time,’” the resident said. “None of that we don’t know. We don’t know about nothing mandatory.”

The resident accused the authorities of unfairly targeting business operators.

“Them a target the shop people, the bar people, and a bar we survive off of,” the resident said.

Meanwhile, Angela, a vendor from Truro, said the curfew and ongoing electricity issues had left her unable to operate her business.

“My things are in a cooler ‘cause I can’t put them in the fridge. So all of them are sitting there, they’re going to spoil,” she said.

Angela explained that she was also struggling to support her child’s education.

“The little girl get homework and she has to go out by the councillor office… we can’t get Internet,” she said. “People charge me $300 to charge phone,” she added.

She said transportation costs were also becoming difficult to manage.

“She’s going to school, $1,000 every day to go to school,” Angela said.

Despite the mounting complaints, Dobson maintained that the curfew was aimed at preventing further bloodshed in the parish.

According to Dobson, the restrictions were implemented because there had been three murders in five days in the affected areas.

Additionally, the reason for the curfew is to protect life in the Frome Division and surrounding areas.

Residents, however, insist that while they understand the need for security measures, the authorities must also consider the economic and social realities facing struggling communities still trying to rebuild after the hurricane.

 mickalia.kington@gleanerjm.com

CAPTIONS:

(A and B)

Mickalia Kington photos

Residents of the Frome division hold handmade placards during a protest against the curfew, arguing that the restrictions are hurting small businesses and making recovery from Hurricane Melissa even more difficult. 

(C)

Mickalia Kington photos

A section of the roadway in Burnt Savannah, Westmoreland, as residents say the curfew has slowed business activity and added to the struggles already facing the community.