Last week’s daylight attack on a student at the Parry Town Primary School has raised fears about the seedy criminal underbelly of the community that has been infiltrated by what police call hard core criminals.“There are more guns than dogs in Parry Town,” said a senior citizen who asked not to be identified for his own safety. He said guns were everywhere in the community and police are doing nothing about it.In fact, the North Coast Times can report that the two men charged for assaulting a seven-year-old students and punching a teacher are not Jamaicans but Guyanese nationals. Police investigations say lots of foreign nationals are squatting in and around Parry Town and Lime Bottom.Details revealed to the North Coast Times include that the boy who complained about being beaten by a school mate was from Grade 2, or about six years old. It is reported that he lives with his step father, a Guyanese national as his mother is overseas.On Friday the step dad and a compatriot made their way to second floor of the school and while the teacher was at the board, they accosted the eight-year-old, grade 3 boy.
TEACHER FRIGHTENED
A frightened teacher intervened and was shoved out of the way by one of the men who had some stinging words for the boy.Meantime, the commotion led to several teachers running away from the block and calling for the help of board chairman Ian Bell. Mr Bell was shoved in his stomach and forced out of the way by the men who were reportedly still holding and manhandling the boy.
ANY GUNS
Heated words were exchanged between Bell and the men, one of whom promised to come back shortly and deal with him. In the ghettoes of St Ann, that is normally taken to mean they would be coming back armed. That set off panic among the staff. The police were called but didn’t get there not before one of the men returned and Bell used his leg to block access to the stairs to the classroom.Mr Bell would not confirm to North Coast Times whether any guns were drawn but he said, he would not allow his school to be over run by criminals. “I don’t know what would have happened had I not been there. And it was just chance why I was there,” Bell said reflecting on the fact that the nearly 20-member staff were all women.
UNFETTERED SQUATTING
Police report that over the last several months dozens of young men from outside of St Ann and even outside of Jamaica have been drawn to Parry Town where unfettered squatting is taking place.Police say robberies are widespread in the community and, as is the case with Steer Town, there is a “culture of silence” where everbody shuts up and doesn’t give police information
POLICE IN RETREAT
Senior police operatives told North Coast Times that in a shooting in the community on New Eve, at a ball ground, what police said was a community shooting has been massively played down. They said police came close to where at least four hundred rounds were fired by youth in the community and the police retreated.One man was found dead the following day. He is 21-year-old Gladstock Blackwood otherwise called Junior of Parry Town. His bullet riddled body was found near the playfield in the community New Year morning.They said police played it down as a one-off gun salute, because they don’t want to panic the community.Some political operatives have been calling for curfews in Parry Town but police command in St Ann has steered clear of that.
