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Christmas 'dead as cemetery' for street boys
published: Tuesday | December 27, 2005
The Jamaica Gleaner (all rights reserved)



A street boy takes a nap on a grave inside the St. Andrew Parish Church cemetery in Half-Way Tree, St. Andrew, yesterday. - TEXT AND PHOTO BY NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

WHILE MOST of us were celebrating Christmas with family and friends in the comfort of our homes, for at least 15 street boys, the most celebrated of Christian holidays was spent in the cemetery of the St. Andrew Parish Church in Half-Way Tree, St. Andrew.

As I entered the cemetery, I was first greeted in a hostile manner with the warning: "Big man, we don't want no camera in here." However, after assuring them that I was there to listen to their plight, they soon opened up to me. At least one drifted off to sleep on one of the tombstones, but the others were willing to speak. This they did over a game of cards.

POOR FAMILIES

Their reasons for being on the streets range from being from poor families which could not support them, to fleeing the inner city in order to avoid being caught up in the crime wave now gripping the country.

In fact, some of them are from as far away as Negril, Westmoreland, and one from, of all places, Africa.

For 19-year-old Dwayne who told The Gleaner he was on the streets for nine years, this has been "the worst Christmas I have seen. We are very sad as nothing is going on for us this Christmas." He continued that: "The police chase us away from the stop lights every day so nothing is going on for us." Dwayne insists he wants to learn a skill in order to get off the street.

For his part, Garfield Bernard was critical of organisations, including the various centres and individuals, politicians included, who have promised much and delivered very little. "I think they are focusing on the wrong youths," Bernard said.

SURVIVAL

"I would like society to see us as children who are in need and from a poor background as that is what caused us to be on the street. We are not responsible for how we came in this world so we have to love ourselves and and try to survive," he added.

Another youngster told The Gleaner that he would like to see the authorities address poverty, which he thinks would reduce the high crime rate. He is adamant that wiping windshields is a difficult job which is made harder when they are 'dis-respected' by people who accuse them of robbing motorists. He insisted that they are not the ones who prey on motorists.

One boy concluded by describing this Christmas as being as "dead as the cemetery." He was hopeful, however, that the new year will bring a "change for the best."

that's so sad.we have too many resources and food in the windies nobody should be hungry man

I have a hate for the Jamaica Govt. you wouldnt even understand. Education is crappy and so is poverty and medical care.
The Govt works for one set of people-The upper class. Jamaica imports chicken and bottled water and the cost fairly the same as the local product. Every thing in Jamaica is farrin this farrin that....they do very little to protect their own investment.

Everyone focus is on crime and these youth live virtually undetected.

Simon check this documentary out to better understand why this is http://www.lifeanddebt.org/. This is the results of World Bank and IMF activity.

I'll watch but you should know it is less about IMF. The absurd cliche rich get richer, poor get poorer is a system being employed in Jamaica right now. No one spends money back into the system, most are reaching with their hands out, and then hoarding. Everyone cant be a reaper.

That is very sad to see we live in a world where there should be no such thing as "world hunger" whether it be Jamaica or Africa.

I could go on about goverments but I would hate to get banned I merly said demo.... one day and it was edited

__________________
*I have been Born Again*

showing disagreement via poster convention...

govt working for one set of people.. fella check ur facts.. each time a government tries to enact socialist reforms chaos happens.. it is difficult to progress when your island is still in the orbit of the capitalist system

I do every day Senor.....
why do you think crime is prevalent in the poorest neigborhoods...

what socialist reforms are you talking about?
the ones where only the rich upper class benefits?

Jamaica is "foreignized"- everything foreigners say do they do. The Govt does not make it their duty to make Jamaica for Jamaicans.

darlin the government stop so in every damn country the world over.
there's a supermarket in vincy that would rather import the produce from overseas than buy from the local farmers, but everybody preaching 'buy local'. the taiwanese people them in vincy making hybrids of the crops, and farming all kinda thing but they only sell to the local farmers they don't show them how to produce the crops. you have to buy a tree if you want to grow wax apple, and they only selling by the 100s so if you ccan't afford it yuh ass is grass. but everybody preaching 'buy local' i tell you boy i really don't understand things sometimes. but then i not a politician so i obviously don't know anything

check out jamaica's political history.. Manley-Seaga Cuba-US

do you realize that none of these men are in office...one is dead and so is his legacy...
Seaga's brand of politics is shoot the enemy who wears red...that is all thats left of them...

i would not say the legacy dead, i would say that legacy is being used to gain political office, but that is a different convo, my point is that in order to make social advances a lot of sacrifices have to be made across the board.. manley tried that and look what happened he lost the election..

what r u talkin about

the 80 election that was a JLP murder spree or the 83/84 contest that Manley chose not to contest because he feared the same thing?