Maxime Gorky and the Homeless In The City Of Kingston

A Critical Cultural Debate- Real Life Model Approach To Economic

And Institutional Development

By:- Basil Fletcher, Greater Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica W.I.

Table of Contents
Maxime Gorky and the Homeless In The City Of Kingston.....................................1

Maxim Gorky and the Homeless In The City Of Kingston.......................................2

Twenty-Six and One............................................................................................ 2
Creatures that once were Men. By Maxim Gorky................................................6
The Trade Union Movement a party to oppression.............................................9
Two male patrons engage this bartender in a friendly discussion at Chelsea Funbar and Grill in
Kingston, (Saturday, April 18, 2015)........................................................................12
The Connections Between The Housing Question and Power Politics...............14
Tansition to full serfdom....................................................................................... 15
Forced to flee - Ethnic cleansing or political genocide? Refugees in our own country?...........16
Workers Hostels Clippings (images)..................................................................20
Manufacturing And Labor In Guangdong.............................................................22
Some Arguments Posed By The Socio- Political Establishment and The Clerical
Elite.................................................................................................................. 24
NHT Crisis........................................................................................................... 27
Board now at quorum level as two directors resign......................................................27
Clipping From The Media On The NHT..............................................................35
The Siege Of Jerusalem and the Provision Of Housing For The Working Poor. . .37
Siege of Jerusalem (1099).................................................................................... 38
Background.......................................................................................................... 39
Siege.................................................................................................................. 40
Final assault......................................................................................................... 40
Massacre............................................................................................................. 41
Muslims........................................................................................................... 41
Jews................................................................................................................ 42
Eastern Christians............................................................................................... 42
Aftermath............................................................................................................ 42
The Homeless and Destitute.............................................................................43
Images of social housing projects..................................................................44
South Wales Homes named in Top 50 UK Affordable Housing Developments................49
Housing body calls for right-to-buy crackdown..............................................................52
Despite Demand, Halfway Houses Struggle to Provide Care.........54

Hunger In The City Of Kingston............................................................................56

Restaurants For The Poor-Soup Kitchens.............................................................57
2

Food Insecurity and Effectiveness of Behavioral Interventions to Reduce

Blood Pressure, New York City, 20122013....................................................58
Abstract......................................................................................................... 58
Introduction................................................................................................... 58
Methods.......................................................................................................... 58
Results............................................................................................................ 58
Conclusion....................................................................................................... 58
Introduction................................................................................................... 58
Methods......................................................................................................... 59
Participants and procedures................................................................................59
Study interventions....................................................................................... 59
Discussion..................................................................................................... 62
Acknowledgments......................................................................................... 63
Footnotes....................................................................................................... 63
References..................................................................................................... 63
Food Insecurity is Associated with Diabetes Mellitus: Results from the National
Health Examination and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 19992002.65
Abstract......................................................................................................... 65
BACKGROUND............................................................................................... 65
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 66
METHODS...................................................................................................... 67
Statistical Analysis......................................................................................... 68
RESULTS........................................................................................................ 69
CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................... 71
Acknowledgments......................................................................................... 73
Footnotes....................................................................................................... 73
References..................................................................................................... 73
Heat or eat: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and nutritional
and health risks among children less than 3 years of age................................76
Dependency on soup kitchens in urban areas of New York State..................78
Abstract......................................................................................................... 78
Comparing resources..................................................................................... 79
What We Do................................................................................................... 79
A few short clippings..................................................................................... 81
Jamaica records increase in poverty.........................................................................81
Observations and Comments............................................................................... 85
3

Red Stripe to invest US$10m in cassava for beer production.........................................89

Images of Dishes and Products Made From Generally Available Sources..........90
Jamaican Callaloo (Amaranth) And Bean Soup................................................93
Jamaican Pepper Pot Soup 1............................................................................ 93
......................................................................................................................... 94
COOKING SWEET POTATO LEAVES ..................................................................94
Stir-fried Sweet Potato Leaves in Chilli..........................................................95
Sweet Potato Vine Stir Fry.............................................................................97
Liberian Cassava Leaf Soup................................................................................ 98
.......................................................................................................................... 100
Gulai Daun Singkong Cassava Leaves Stew..............................................100
cassava leaves................................................................................................. 102
Thai Food Recipe: Pad Yod Fuhk Thong..............................................................106
.................................................................................................................... 106
Thai Food Recipe: Pad Yod Fuhk Thong........................................................106
(Pumpkin Young Leaves Stir-Fry)..................................................................106
Edikaikong Pumpkin and Waterleaf Stew...................................................110
Deegujje(Deevi Halasu) Sippe/Breadfruit Skin Chutney..............................112
The Scale Of Hunger In Kingston A Result Of The Wickedness Of Large Segments Of The
Clerical Elite, Ignorance and the Fear of Responsibility...............................................113
The Hibernia Seventh Day Adventist Church (Manchester) and the Tent City Seventh Day
Adventist Church ( Portmore, St. Catherine)............................................................114
A Few Questions For Deacon Horace Prince, Rev. Glendon West , Rev. Burke
And others Of The Younger Church Denominations.....................................117
Clippings of Some Diet Related Health Problems............................................119
Department of Health.......................................................................................... 119
Uterine Fibroids.................................................................................................... 119
This summary discusses:...................................................................................... 119
Fibroids............................................................................................................ 119
What is a fibroid?............................................................................................... 120
Uterine Fibroids................................................................................................. 120
Uterus - Womb................................................................................................... 120
Are there different types of fibroids?......................................................................121
What causes fibroids?.......................................................................................... 122
Can fibroids turn into cancer?.............................................................................. 122
Who usually develops fibroids?.............................................................................122
4

What are the symptoms of fibroids?.......................................................................122

How do you know you have a fibroid?....................................................................123
What kind of procedures may be done to find out if you have fibroids?.........................123
Will I have trouble getting pregnant if I have fibroids?..............................................124
What kinds of problems will fibroids cause in pregnancy?..........................................124
What are the treatments for fibroids?.....................................................................124
Medications.................................................................................................... 125
Hormone Therapy........................................................................................... 125
Surgery......................................................................................................... 125
Embolization.................................................................................................. 126
Are new treatments for uterine fibroids being developed?..........................................127
Myolysis........................................................................................................ 127
New Medications............................................................................................. 128
Additional Information About Uterine Fibroids:...................................................128
Dietary fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health
Study................................................................................................................. 128
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................... 128
Background:................................................................................................ 128
Methods:...................................................................................................... 129
Results:........................................................................................................ 129
Conclusion:.................................................................................................. 129
MATERIALS AND METHODS............................................................................. 130
Study population......................................................................................... 130
Diet and risk-factor assessment..................................................................130
Cohort follow-up.......................................................................................... 131
Cancer ascertainment.................................................................................131
Statistical analysis....................................................................................... 131
RESULTS......................................................................................................... 132
DISCUSSION.................................................................................................... 135
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................... 137
FOOTNOTES.................................................................................................... 138
REFERENCES................................................................................................... 138
Does diet affect breast cancer risk?...................................................................138
Abstract.......................................................................................................... 139
Introduction.................................................................................................... 139

Dietary fat and breast cancer.........................................................................139

Animal studies............................................................................................. 139
International correlation (ecologic) studies.................................................140
Secular trends............................................................................................. 140
Casecontrol studies....................................................................................140
Cohort studies............................................................................................. 141
Intervention studies..................................................................................... 141
Type of fat.................................................................................................... 142
Childhood energy balance...........................................................................142
Adulthood energy balance...........................................................................143
Dietary fiber and carbohydrate quality...........................................................144
Vitamin A..................................................................................................... 145
Other antioxidants....................................................................................... 145
Alcohol......................................................................................................... 146
Caffeine....................................................................................................... 146
Phytoestrogens............................................................................................ 147
Specific foods................................................................................................. 147
Conclusion...................................................................................................... 148
Competing interests....................................................................................... 148
Abbreviations.................................................................................................. 148
Acknowledgement.......................................................................................... 148
References...................................................................................................... 149
Endometrial Cancer: Nutritional Considerations................................................150
Endometrial Cancer: References........................................................................151
Prostate cancer prevention: Ways to reduce your risk....................................152
Choose a healthy diet..................................................................................152
Maintain a healthy weight...........................................................................153
Exercise most days of the week..................................................................153
Talk to your doctor about your risk..............................................................154
Bowel cancer risk may be reduced by rural African diet, study finds................154
Shares......................................................................................................... 155
Comments................................................................................................... 155
Six Ways to Lower Your Risk for Colon Cancer...................................................156
Risk factors you cant change.........................................................................157
10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication...........................158
6

1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline...........................................158

2. Exercise regularly.................................................................................... 158
3. Eat a healthy diet.................................................................................... 159
4. Reduce sodium in your diet.....................................................................159
5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.....................................................160
6. Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke.....................................160
7. Cut back on caffeine................................................................................160
8. Reduce your stress.................................................................................. 161
9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and make regular doctor's
appointments.............................................................................................. 161
10. Get support from family and friends......................................................161
Diabtes............................................................................................................ 161
Healthy Eating................................................................................................... 161
Build a Healthier Plate.................................................................................... 162
Shop Smart..................................................................................................... 162
Eat Smart........................................................................................................ 162
Simple Steps to Preventing Diabetes.................................................................163
Search the Nutrition Source........................................................................163
Introduction................................................................................................. 164
What Is Type 2 Diabetes?............................................................................ 164
Type 2 Diabetes Can Be Prevented..............................................................165
Simple Steps to Lower Your Risk..................................................................166
The Bottom Line: Preventing Type 2 Diabetes.............................................169
References................................................................................................... 169
Terms of Use................................................................................................ 173
Physical Activity and Cancer..............................................................................173
Key Points.................................................................................................... 174
Hunger pains: Underfed children fill public schools - In-need students take lunch
home for dinner................................................................................................. 179
Chapelton Seventh-Day feeding the hungry......................................................180
Outreach programme feeds the hungry............................................................182
Examples Of Soup Kitchens In The United States and Elsewhere......................184
Soup Kitchens represents an acceptance of reality, Soup Kitchens do not
create poverty............................................................................................. 184
Soup kitchen......................................................................................................... 185
Contents........................................................................................................... 185
7

History............................................................................................................. 186
Emergence of the modern soup kitchen................................................................186
Spread to the United States...............................................................................187
In the 21st century.............................................................................................. 188
World's largest soup kitchen.............................................................................. 188
Comparison with front line food banks and pantries..............................................188
Curry Without Worry.......................................................................................... 189
Rumford's Soup.................................................................................................... 189
Contents........................................................................................................... 190
Ingredients........................................................................................................ 191
Nutrition........................................................................................................... 191
In popular culture.............................................................................................. 191
Langar (Sikhism)................................................................................................... 191
Contents........................................................................................................... 192
History............................................................................................................. 192
Open-air langars................................................................................................ 192
Langar (Sufism)................................................................................................. 193
Masbia................................................................................................................ 193
Contents........................................................................................................... 194
History............................................................................................................. 194
Operations........................................................................................................ 194
Fundraising....................................................................................................... 195
Offering a Lifeline for Growing Number of Jewish Hungry and Poor...................201
With Poverty Rising, Met Council Funds Outreach to Orthodox...................202
A fish story.................................................................................................. 205
The Susso............................................................................................................. 206
Contents........................................................................................................... 206
Background....................................................................................................... 206
Causes.............................................................................................................. 206
Effects.............................................................................................................. 206
The susso.......................................................................................................... 207
Volxkuche............................................................................................................ 207
Contents........................................................................................................... 207
History............................................................................................................. 208
English Spelling & Pronouciation..........................................................................208
8

USA Locations................................................................................................... 208

Food Not Bombs................................................................................................ 208
Contents......................................................................................................... 209
Principles........................................................................................................ 209
History............................................................................................................ 210
1980s.......................................................................................................... 210
1990s: Further development.......................................................................210
2000s: Anti-war activism.............................................................................211
2010s.......................................................................................................... 212
Causes............................................................................................................ 212
Resistance to restrictions on food sharing...................................................212
FNB's involvement in the Occupy Wall Street movement............................214
Occupy Sandy............................................................................................. 214
The Food Not Bombs Free Skool..................................................................214
Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act of 1996.........................................................214
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Salt Lake Temple, which took
40 years to build, is one of the most iconic images of the church.....................216
CAIRO A number of American Islamic and interfaith organizations have been
included in a list published by Huffington Post as examples of how faith-based
groups are doing good in the world today and how their belief is a major vehicle
for service to the world and peace promotion...................................................217
.......................................................................................................................... 217
.......................................................................................................................... 217
Dr. Frenzel is involved with a small group of surgeons, nurses, scrub techs,
general helpers and translators that travel to various third world countries.....218
Homelessness, Members of Parliaments of Kingston.........................................220
Thwaites to place emphasis on early-childhood education..............................................220
JTA president says Thwaites' utterances affecting teachers morale..................................222
Thwaites calls on students not to waste education resources...........................................223
Education must guide Jamaica's progress - Thwaites....................................................225
Be grateful to be Jamaican - Thwaites........................................................................229
'Conserve on utilities', Thwaites to schools..................................................................230
More than 200 teachers relocated - Thwaites...............................................................232
Ronnie must battle his own dragons..........................................................................233
Thwaites emphasises quality over quantity of subjects.....................................236
Desmond McKenzie claiming political victimisation...........................................238

Too close for comfort - Gunmen open fire on Desmond McKenzie's bodyguards
downtown.......................................................................................................... 239
West Kingston in fear, says MP McKenzie..........................................................241
Basket to carry water: First-time MP Desmond McKenzie laments the treatment of
his constituency................................................................................................. 242
Desmond McKenzie, bodyguards attacked by gunmen......................................244
Desmond McKenzie pleads for 'special attention' for West Kingston.................245
Desmond McKenzie to be confirmed for West Kingston seat.............................246
Attacker of Desmond McKenzie's bodyguards in hospital..................................247
Desmond McKenzie frustrated with NWC...........................................................247
Desmond declares war... ................................................................................... 248
Goodbye to the 'unquestioned general'.............................................................251
Budget Updates Davis labels Shaw the trillion-dollar man............................255
US feared for Peter, Omar....................................................................................... 256
Davies dug graveyard of entrepreneurship: FINSAC failed................................259
More Articles from Letters................................................................................269
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's inaugural address..................................270
Portia Simpson Miller and Dr Peter Phillips: Then and now ...............................274
'Nothing spectacular about Portia's $50 million travel bill'................................275
PROFILE ON THE MOST HON PORTIA SIMPSON MILLER, M.P.,LEADER OF THE
OPPOSITION....................................................................................................... 279
Simpson Miller makes Time Magazine's most influential list..............................281
Central Kingston police intensify crime control measures.................................282
Central Kingston peace talks net two murder accused......................................283
'Mama Joy' - Central Kingston's toughest crime fighter.....................................284
Kingston Central police forge ahead with anti-crime plan.................................287
Teenager shot dead in Central Kingston............................................................292
Police seek 19 men from four Kingston gangs...................................................292
DOWNTOWN SECURITY - A police station is a stone's throw away....................293
Extortion menace - Crime on the rise as downtown Kingston returns to pre-Tivoliincursion state................................................................................................... 294
West Kingston losing crime-fighting gains.........................................................297
Young thugs on the rise - West Kingston residents blame families of infamous
gangsters for upsurge in crime..........................................................................299
Hope lost in West Kingston................................................................................302
Police concerned about West Kingston violence upsurge..................................305
West Kingston in fear, says MP McKenzie..........................................................306
10

Efforts to fight crime in west Kingston bearing fruit , say police........................307

West Kingston criminals now afraid, says McGregor..........................................308
Commissioner hails capture of 'most dangerous' West Kingston criminal.........309
Seven juveniles arrested in West Kingston for gun crimes recently...................310
West Kingston explodes..................................................................................... 310
Abducted St Andrew woman rescued................................................................316
Different without dons - Commish profiling 'criminal actors'.............................318
Curfews imposed to tackle upsurge in crime.....................................................322
Top cops to be promoted................................................................................... 323
'You're moving too slow, NWC' - International agencies say commission taking too long to
implement well-needed projects already financed.........................................................325
Get cracking on downtown Kingston redevelopment.........................................328
Drought drains NWC's revenue.......................................................................334
Page 35 - JAMAICA MEMORANDUM ON THE BUDGET 2012-2013...........................336
New taste for Kingston Harbour water?.............................................................344
Tivoli residents to get sanitary facilities............................................................349
Govt to spend over $70m on Tivoli clean-up....................................................350
Dry spell - Drought heading to crisis level...................................................................354
Majesty Gardens and Tivoli Gardens........................................................................356
Police call for street lights at Ward Theatre.................................................................360
Giving up gunshots - Central Kingston's 'Tel Aviv' ready to reject a life of funerals
and fury............................................................................................................. 361
Decking the halls downtown.............................................................................. 372
Customs, utilities target Kingston cheats.......................................................378
Lawsuits may shock JPS for anti-theft blackouts................................................385
Desmond's destiny................................................................................................. 387

Introduction
Maxim Gorky and the Homeless In The City Of Kingston as a document written in
part and compiled in part in keeping with the tenets and approach of the Critical
Cultural Debate Real Life Model Approach To Economic and Institutional
Development and as such it tries to explore for and find some of if not the most
important underlying reasons for the state of socio-economic dysfunction which
has come to define life in the City of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica.

11

The document as such seeks to search for and identify the cause for the bad
state of the existing housing stock in the city, the reasons behind the high level
of homelessness and hunger affecting the working poor, the old, the destitute
and others in the city. It seeks to identify the reasons why the National Housing
Trust , the agency responsible for the funding and or building of affordable
housing solutions has failed in the main to meet the housing challenges facing
the working poor, the document seeks to look at the role played by the trade
union movement and the political parties in preserving if not permitting the
expansion of the numbers of the homeless in the city.
The document also critically examine the blatant failings of the Church and the
role played by theology in the maintenance and creation of homelessness and
hunger. The document also seeks in a very detailed way to show that the Church
and its sub-ordinate bodies could far better meet the needs of the needy were
they to increase their usage of local inputs and reduce waste in their operations,
steps which reduce their dependence of foreign aid and reduce the role the
Church plays in the creation of preferences for imported food products.
The document in addressing the operations of Restaurants For The Poor, also
shows how the religious community in the United States address the issue of
hunger caused by unemployment, low wages, pensionlessness and etc. through
Soup Kitchens, Food Banks and other such forms. The document also goes into
great detail to show the relationship between diet and health.
End

Twenty-Six and One

BY MAXIME GORKY
Our proprietor stopped up our windows with iron that we might not give his bread to the poor
or to those of our companions who, being out of work, were starving; our proprietor called us
cheats and gave us for our dinner tainted garbage instead of meat. (page 2) Is this not the
view of the average customer entering Mr. Chin wholesale and possibly Mr. Chins view of
his employees-they are cheats or potential cheats?
Question:- While the working conditions and work flow in the Chinese shops in Papine and
the stores along the Constant Spring Road, is very much different, is not the mental strain
which face the average worker very much similar to those described below, strains and
conditions which even Mr.and Mrs Chin also endure but are paid for? Would a worker in
Tastees in Half Way Tree Square and in Papine not feel that Maxime Gorky was describing a
situation which they understand very well? Would the workers at Tastees on Orange Street
Down Town Kingston not understand these conditions? Yet Maxime Gorky describes Russia
in the early 1900s!

12

And all day long, from morning till ten o'clock at night, some of us sat by the table rolling out
the elastic dough with our
hands, and shaking ourselves that we might not grow stiff, while the others kneaded the
dough with water. And the boiling water in the kettle, where the cracknels were being boiled,
was purring sadly and thoughtfully all day long; the baker's shovel was scraping quickly and
angrily against the oven, throwing off on the hot bricks the slippery pieces of dough. On one
side of the oven, wood was burning from morning till night, and the red reflection of the
flame was trembling on the wall of the workshop as though it were silently mocking us. (page
2)
And we had grown so tired of looking at one another that each of us knew all the wrinkles on
the faces of the others. We had nothing to talk about, we were used to this and were silent all
the time, unless abusing one another--for there is always something for which to abuse a man,
especially a companion. But we even abused one another very seldom. Of what can a man
be guilty when he is half dead, when he is like a statue, when all his feelings are crushed
under the weight of toil? But silence is terrible and painful only to those who have said all
and have nothing more to speak of; but to those who never had anything to say--to them
silence is simple and easy. . . . Sometimes we sang, and our song began thus:

Thus we lived, twenty-six of us, in the cellar of a big stony house, and it was hard for us to
live as though all the
three stories of the house had been built upon our shoulders.
(How many of the workers in the stores, shops, fast food restaurants who work in Papine, on
Constant Spring Road, in Clock Tower Plaza and Down Town Kingston, live in conditions
similar if not worse than Gorkys cellar, for example in some of the near collapsing buildings
in Denham Town, Pink Lane, Bread Lane, Tulip Lane, in the squatter settlement across the
road from the UWI Hospital, in the lane on Hagley Park Rd, just below the St. Andrew Parish
Church in Half Way Tree?)
We, dirty, dark, deformed men, look up at her from below--the threshold was four steps
higher than the floor--we look at
her, lifting our heads upwards, we wish her a good morning. We say to her some particular
words, words we use for her alone. Speaking to her our voices are somehow softer, and our
jokes lighter. Everything is different for her. The baker takes out a shovelful of the brownest
and reddest biscuits and throws them cleverly into Tanya's apron.
We always spoke of women in such a manner that at times we were disgusted at our own rude
and shameless words, and this is quite clear, for the women we had known, perhaps, never
deserved any better words. But of Tanya we never spoke ill. Not only did none of us ever
dare to touch her with his hand, she never even heard a free jest from us. It may be that this
was because she never stayed long with us; she flashed before our eyes like a star coming
from the sky and then disappeared, or, perhaps, because she was small and very beautiful, and
all that is beautiful commands the respect even of rude people.
And then, though our hard labor had turned us into dull oxen, we nevertheless remained
human beings, and like all human
13

beings, we could not live without worshipping something. We had nobody better than she,
and none, except her, paid any attention to us, the dwellers of the cellar; no one, though tens
of people lived in the house.
And finally--this is probably the main reason--we all considered her as something of our own,
as something that existed only because of our biscuits. We considered it our duty to give her
hot biscuits and this became our daily offering to the idol, it became almost a sacred custom
which bound us to her the more every day. Aside from the biscuits, we gave Tanya many
advices--to dress more warmly, not to run fast on the staircase, nor to carry heavy loads of
wood. She listened to our advice with a smile, replied to us with laughter and never obeyed
us, but we did not feel offended at
this. All we needed was to show that we cared for her.
She often turned to us with various requests. She asked us, for instance, to open the heavy
cellar door, to chop some wood. We did whatever she wanted us to do with joy, and even
with some kind of pride.
But when one of us asked her to mend his only shirt, she declined, with a contemptuous
sneer. We laughed heartily at the queer fellow, and never again asked her for anything. We
loved her; all is said in this.(Page 5)
(Gender relations are not the easiest to understand, because it contains elements of power and
the struggle for dominance, elements competition and cooperation as well as individual selfperception and perception of others, the need to feel loved, the desire to become better than
ones self-image. Yet here the views of the these bakers are not very much different from
those men who load the buses in Half Way Tree, the taxis by the gas station next to the bus
park in Half Way Tree, the loaders of the Constants Spring and Golden Spring Road, the
drivers and conductors on the Portmore coaster buses.
They have been beaten by the society, many from broken, fatherless homes, many of whom
have been on the road from an early age. Men who have seen women at their best and their
worse, men who have good reasons to lose their respect for many of the women who have
passed by the places in their lives, yet who despite it all will go to the ends of hell to help
many of our young ladies. Here one speaks of Ruff who sells near to the stairs of the Juice
Beef Patty Shop at Clock Tower Plaza, who looks out for and is in many ways an hidden
protector of many a female students. In many of these men, one sees through their attitudes to
some of the women who passes through their world the struggle to overcome the brutality
and ugliness which the society has imposed on the inner city urban male.
Nowhere is this seen better than at the taxi stand by the Mandella Park in Half Way Tree,
where the taxis to Papine and Three Miles pick up passengers. These men in one moment can
be heard uttering words which would by the harshness make all the saints known to the
Franscian nuns at the nearby Holy Childhood High School weep, yet in the next moment
when a nice young female student arrive to get a taxi to one of the two universities in Papine,
they take onto themselves the tender holy form of John the Disciple of Christ-confusing the
poor nuns were they there.)
But when one of us asked her to mend his only shirt, she declined, with a contemptuous
sneer. We laughed heartily at the queer fellow, and never again asked her for anything. We
14

loved her; all is said in this. A human being always wants to bestow his love upon someone,
although he may sometime choke or slander him; he may poison the life of his neighbour
with his love, because, loving, he does not respect the beloved. We had to love Tanya, for
there was no one else we could love.
There in Clock Tower Plaza, in Half Way Tree, by the Betting Shop, the Chinese Wholesale
and the bar next to the Chinese wholesale which sells nail polish, hair pieces and other such
female things, are a group of men, sometimes they can be found in the bar watching TV, or on
the slot machines, there is an older man with no legs- to assume that any were angels could
be to make a very bad error, and for them the only place to invest the best of them, those
feelings of that which is good is in the admiration of some of the women who comes
frequently to shop in the plaza, some of the women who work in the plaza-women who from
a standpoint of intimacy they know that they cannot get and would not want because that
would be in some ways the destroying of an image of that which is good, and for most of
these men life has not been very good and jail the only certain house and the jail floor and
food the only things which are certain in life.
Here the observer would like to remember Fire Dread who he had met in the early 200s while doing
some translations for some Czech prisoners who were being held at the St. Catherine District Prison.
Fire was an inmate doing time at the facility who for some strange reason thought that the observer
was an employee of the National Housing Trust. One released, Fire Dread, started to do some very
small vending on Half Way Tree Road, at the location where the TIP Friendly Society today is
located, this is for all sense and purpose across the road from the Catholic Church. Fire Dread sold his
few cigarettes at this location for about two or three years, then one night in an argument with a friend
(also a former inmate turned fisherman) he stabbed and killed him. Fire Dread was held at the Half
Way Tree Police Lock Up for about two or three years, then he was released.
On release, Fire Dread, found a then abandoned house in front of Campion College which is in one of
the better neighbourhoods of the city, where he was able to stay for but a few months before he was
evicted. Fire Dread then found a place to stay in Rose Town, from where he removed to who knows
where. Fire Dread after his initial release from prison had nowhere to go and hardly anyone to turn to
for help. Somehow he was able to hustle the money to purchase a few boxes of cigarettes and boxes
of matches and that was his business from no more than four boxes of cigarettes he was supposed to
feed himself, find shelter and clothe himself.
Many of the men in and around Clock Town Plaza lived in an informal settlement behind the Bank of
Novia Scotia; this settlement however was demolished and the bank built some additional structures
and places a driveway there. Today many of the former male residents can be found in the Plaza early
in the morning up to three o clock in the night, having apparently nowhere to go. The night is spent
gambling and providing minor services for the taxi men who are at the front of the plaza and passersby who possibly want to buy some cigarettes etc. There is also some cooking done across the road,
where a person can buy grilled chicken, pork and or soup.
These men and others like them are in the city classified as casual labourers with no fixed address,
this classification hiding the existence of male homelessness, the challenges and perils many of them
face on the road. Where they eat and what they eat, are not concerns of the society.
It is possible to assume, that the squatter community which existed at the rear of the Clock Tower
Plaza on lands owned by the BNS Bank, was demolished not because it posed a danger to the public,
it was in its own way a gated community which existed behind a large zinc fence gate which hid
15

the community from the public and there was at all times a sugar cane vendor with his cart directly in
front of this gate, who blocked access to the community by the public, but rather because the presence
of squatters even if they are invisible reduced property values and perhaps should not be in a region
where decent people come to do business-a fundamentally incorrect view, given that the residents of
this community provided valuable services to the local business community without intruding into the
path of potential shoppers. These are the individuals who prevented thieves and pick pockets from
invading the plaza, they were the people who kept the plaza clean of refuse, they are the people who
regulate the gates to the plaza and at the same time gave watchful eyes on the cars parked in the plaza,
all done without asking shoppers for a cent. Perhaps it was their way of paying rent. Even today, many
of these men continue to provide invaluable services to the unaware shoppers who shop in the plaza.

Creatures that once were Men. By Maxim Gorky

In front of you is the main street, with two rows of miserable looking huts with shuttered windows
and old walls pressing on each other and leaning forward. The roofs of these time-worn habitations
are full of holes, and have been patched here and there with laths; from underneath them project
mildewed beams, which are shaded by the dusty-leaved elder-trees and crooked white willows-pitiable flora of those suburbs inhabited by the poor.
The dull green time-stained panes of the windows look upon each other with the cowardly glances of
cheats. Through the street and towards the adjacent mountain, runs the sinuous path, winding through
the deep ditches filled with rain-water. Here and there are piled heaps of dust and other rubbish-either refuse or else put there purposely to keep the rain-water from flooding the houses. On the top of
the mountain, among green gardens with dense foliage, beautiful stone houses lie hidden; the belfries
of the churches rise proudly towards the sky, and their gilded crosses shine beneath the rays of the
sun. During the rainy weather the neighbouring town pours its water into this main road, which, at
other times, is full of its dust, and all these miserable houses seem, as it were, thrown by some
powerful hand into that heap of dust, rubbish, and rain-water. They cling to the ground beneath the
high mountain, exposed to the sun, surrounded by decaying refuse, and their sodden appearance
impresses one with the same feeling as would the half-rotten trunk of an old tree. Page 5)

16

Squatter Community In
Jamaica,

Squatter Community
in Mona Commons, Jamaica, September 2009 (This community in the year 2015 still exists equally as
the community in the photograph above)
Maxim Gorky in the extracts above described a section of a Russian community in Tsarist Russia over
100 years ago, in Kingston Jamaica, many citizens live in conditions which cannot be by any measure
be called better than those described by Gorky. Tsarist Russia was an absolutist state ruled by a
despotic Tsar supported by a morally compromised clerical establishment, a society in which the
average Russian was not allowed to freely express his or herself. Jamaicas democratic traditions are
much older than that of even the United States of America, yet the average man or woman, the
working poor and the unemployed in the city of Kingston, continue to live in conditions befitting a
different time and a different social system. Why is this so?
17

A squatter community in the

Municipality of Portmore, Jamaica, photo taken in 2012
In the first instance this situation exists, because the as far as the political elite is concerned a citizen
votes either for a political party or for a Prime Minister not a Member of Parliament. Thus while in a
formal sense there are elected Members of Parliament who are the law makers in parliament, in real
daily life, the citizen has no representative in parliament, as will be shown latter in this document,
should one follow the print media and was able to capture data from the electronic media, the
instances are far and between when any given Member of Parliament speaks on any issue which
directly affects his or her constituents, the most notable exception to this reality is Desmond
McKenzie, the Member of Parliament of West Kingston. Both in the constituencies of the Prime
Minister and that of the Leader of Opposition, there are many instances of sub-standard housing and
squatting among many other issues, however it would be a most difficult task to locate an instance in
the last four years when these individuals spoke as Members of Parliament, thus in effect while
formally there are elected Members of Parliament who are tasked with raising and or addressing the
issues of their constituents in Parliament, in reality the citizens except for funerals and the most brutal
acts of crime do not have political representatives in parliament.
Secondly, the Church has the single largest non-government organization in Jamaica, has in the main
with exception of the Roman Catholic Church through the Food For The Poor charity organization
and Brothers For The Poor which provide a shelter in Kingston, has studiously avoided this and other
similar issues affecting the most down trodden segments of the population of the city, apart from those
issues of funerals, violence and death, thus casting on the communities a reflection very similar in its
concerns to the elected Members of Parliament. There are several possibly theological reasons for this
blindness to the housing issue.
First among these theological reasons, is the debate as to whether or not the Church is supposed to be
a fish and bread organization thus representing Jesuss commandment to Peter about Feeding His
Children and the position representing the imposing and or maintaining the trials and tribulations of
Job, thus encouraging if not forcing the citizens to find their solution in God rather than in the good
deeds of man, finally there is a third theological positions which reflects the views of those who are of
the view that man should not seek to build heaven on earth, a position which is in essence identical to
the position of the oppressors of Job. This theological conflict has in effect renderthe Church as a
body unwilling if not incapable of chapioning the interests of the poor and marginalized on the issue
of the provision of suitable housing and as will be shown later equally unwilling to take action which
would lead to the creation of Restaurants For The Poor or other similar institutions.
18

A third and perhaps the most important source of paralysis of the Church has to do with its view on
homosexuality and how they should be threated. Here to say that large segments of the Church is
homophobic would be incorrect, correct is the statement significant segment of the Church is
violently homophobic, to the extent that there have instances of utterence of encouraging violence
against homosexuals coming from the pulpit and from even the mouth of a most popular Bishop. If
one seeks to address the problem of squatting, homelessnes and related issues, one would be taking
actions and or measures which would benefit those members of the gay community who are homeless
or are currently living in substandard housing units. Thus rather than taking actions which could as an
externality or directly intended benefit the even the most down throdden members of the gay
community, this segment of the Church seems to prefer to support actions or inactions which results in
the denial of measures to alleviate the housing and shelter needs of the mass of the working poor,
many of whom are Church members and are possibly equally homophobic, rather than taking any
action which might be of benefit of the homeless members of the gay community.

Photograph of a homeless gay man in New Kingston

Jamaica.

Homeless LGBT youths sleeping in Jamaican sewers.

(Photo courtesy of Micheal Forbes)

The net result of the approach of the Church places it in a position very similar to the position of the
Russian Orthodox Church in its partnership with the oppresssive Tsarist regime in the early 1900s.

The Trade Union Movement a party to oppression.

19

It is very easy for individuals to forget that trade unions and trade unionist provide representational
services for a price, with is formally called union dues, which means that their services are not
voluntary and secondly the demand for and supply of trade union representational services obey the
laws of supply and demand. For most of the working poor, their wages fall below that which would
enable them to employ the services of the trade unions, in for example those employees of wholesales,
loaders and baggage men who work with truckers at hardwares,supermarket clerks, security guards,
and many other similar classes of workers.
Secondly, one also has to examine the non-price determinants of demand for trade union services. If a
particular group of workers as a result of their own efforts are able on their own behalf to negiotate
better wages and working conditions for themselves, then this group of workers do not have a demand
for the services of a trade union. If an individual worker or group of workers employed by an
enlightened employer, receive benefits equivalent or better than those received by individuals
represented by trade unionists, then this individual or group of individuals has/have no demand for the
services offered by the trade unionists. If a service organization, NGO or anyother similar body
appauled by the working conditions and salary of an individual worker or group of workers and
negotiated on their behalf better working conditions and salaries equivalent or better than that offered
by workers represented by trade unionists, this individual or group of workers do not have a demand
for trade union services. Equally the actions taken by an enlightened government to better the
conditions of those workers not represented by trade unions, reduces the demand for represental
services offered by trade unions.
Thus, the trade union movement in general do not have an interests in worker self representation, the
independent actions taken by well thinking organizations or in possitive actions taken by government
to benefit this class of workers, for the simple reason that these actions reduce the demand for trade
union representational services and reduce the pool of unionizable workers.
Should action be taken to provide affordable housing for the most vulnerable employees, the working
poor, it acts as an increase in the real salary of these individuals without the payment of fees for trade
union representation. The construction of hostel type housing for the marginalized and the destitute
has the same type of effect. The benefit to the individuals and to the small or micro-businesses which
employs these individuals is of no economic importance to the trade union movement-but rather the
trade union movement from the perspective of its market position would see these measures as anti
union activities and measures.
The effect of the approach of the trade union movement, has had real impact on the working condition
of the no-unionized members of staff of many establishments. Below is a clipping from one of
Jamaicas main daily newspapers, speaking about bars extending their openning hours, a move which
has from an economic perspective, however, the increase in the length of the working day does not
mean necessarily that the bar tender will benefit from an increase in salaries or enjoy better working
conditions, in fact one could find the bar tender incurring increased costs in order to keep her job,
costs related to child care services, costs related to eating prepared meals at work rather than
parttaking in meals prepared at home for the family, costs related to transportation because she might
need to use the services of private taxis rather than public transprtation in order to get home.
Simmiliarly, most of the larger supermarket chains and stores are staffed by young women on six
months contracts. While these employees might based on their dedication and quality of service might
be recognized, for example the supermarket in Greater Portmore near to the library has a worker of
the month recognition system, the fact that these employees are on six months contracts means that
20

they have have no job security, no possibility for upgrading their education and skills, no pension
provisions and critically important considering that one is dealing with young women, no provision
for maternal leave. In addition there is no provision for lunch or afternoon snacks for those employees
who have to work longer than scheduled working hours or on those days when the supermarkets are
exceptionally crowded.
In both the Upper and Lower House of the Jamaican Parliament there are active and or retired trade
union representatives who could have easily spoken about the plight of these workers and possible
pilot laws and or recommendations aimed at improving the conditions of work of these categories of
employeses, however as earlier pointed out, trade unions offer services at market conditions and only
in a very few instances on find trade unionists who are willing to voluntarily campaign on behalf of
any class of workers, here Dr. Trevor Munroe formerly of the University And allied Workers Union
comes to the fore, as a trade unionist who gave years of service to the trade union movement without
being paid and perhaps was the only trade union leader in the history of Jamaica to have been attacked
and seriously wounded while carrying out voluntary work on behalf of a trade union, he was in fact
also sued for speaking out against those who planned and instigated the attack against him. The Dr.
Trevor Munroes of the yesterdays trade union are by their actions from the economic and financial
interests of the trade union movement unwelcomed because they have the potential of reducing the
demand for the paid services of the trade union movement.
Here one should recognize that the heroesism of National Heroe Sir Alexander Bustamante was lead
by self interests and this is shown even in the name of the trade union which he founded The
Bustamante Industrial Trde Union (the BITU) and by his relationship with that union, thus it is not
possible to put Dr. Trevor Munroe and Sir Alexander Bustamante in the same legue as trade unionists,
one had a pocket and ownership interests the other did not.
Perhaps, in no other instance is the hypocicy of the political directorate and the compicity of the trade
union movement more clearly demonstrated that in the case of the security guards, perhaps largest
single contigent of the working poor. Most security guards are by law private contractors thus are not
entitled to trade union representation, and are not entitled to any of the benefit normally given to
unionized employees, not even restr room facilities have to be given to them, in addition their
necessary working hours (hours reqiured to earn a liveable wage) in many instances exceed fourteen
hours per day.
While from time to time their plight is raised by parliamentarians, the fact remains that the
Government of Jamaica is the single largest employer of the services offered by security firms and
security guards. As the single largest purchaser of security guard services, the government has the
right to determine if it wish its offices and facilities to be secured by private contractorsor by paid
employees, it has the right to determine how long it wants a given security guard or set of security
guards to man its facilities; thus the government of Jamaica has within its power to change by a
simple Act of Parliament the working conditions of the the security guards manning its facilities, it
can choose to top up if it so desires and offer benefits to those guards it employs.
Regardless of the form such action/measure takes, it would lead to a change in the conditions of work
of the security guards throughout the industry, starting with the embassies, banks, insurance
companies, hotels, straight down the line. If the guards manning the Kingston Container Terminal or
the National Housing Trust, have better working conditions and benefits than others in the industry, to
that or those companies would the best, most experienced and most reliable guards seek employment,
thus changing the face of the industry. Instead of taking actions which would have real impact on the
21

conditions of service of the guards one find individual parlementarians making moral appeals to the
security guard companies, hiding the fact also that many of the owners/managers of these firms retain
very close relationship with the political directoriate at all levels and indirectly with the two major
trade unions which are affiliated to the political parties.

Photograph of a store clerk in Kingston,

Jamaica

Two male patrons

engage this bartender in a friendly discussion at Chelsea Funbar and Grill in Kingston,
(Saturday, April 18, 2015)
News
Longer opening hours for barsY BALFORD HENRY Sunday Observer senior
reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, November 04, 2012

Two male patrons engage this bartender in a friendly discussion at Chelsea Funbar and Grill in
Kingston yesterday evening. An amendment to the 84-year-old Spirit Licence Act will allow bars like
this to open

22

BAR operators and those to whom they cater could soon be raising their glasses in
celebration of a move by the Government to extend the opening hours of bars across the
country.
For years patrons as well as operators of drinking establishments have been expressing
dissatisfaction at what they cited as the archaic legislation which stipulates that bars should
be closed at 9:00 pm on weekdays.
Taverns are allowed to remain open between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm during the week and
between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm Sundays.
The provision, which is contained in the Spirit Licence Act, has caused many bitter quarrels
involving patrons, bar operators and police personnel who, from time to time, take steps to
enforce the provision.
In one high-profile incident two years ago, former Jamaican and West Indies fast bowler
Jerome Taylor was arrested after he reportedly challenged policemen who had gone to a bar
in Junction, St Elizabeth, to close the establishment which had remained open beyond the
designated closing time.
However, in recognition of the changing lifestyles of Jamaicans, the Ministry of National
Security is facilitating an amendment that will allow bars to remain open until midnight.
Cabinet has agreed to an amendment to section 34 of the Spirit Licence Act to empower the
minister to prescribe both the opening hours and opening days for bars, taverns and clubs.
The chief parliamentary counsel is to draft an Order for the minister, which is to be gazetted,
allowing bars to open between 7:00 am and midnight Mondays to Saturdays and on
Sundays between 3:00 pm and 11:00 pm.
The restriction will not affect hotel bars as these will be allowed to serve customers between
7:00 am and midnight seven days a week.
The Cabinet said that changes to lifestyle and patterns of socialising are affecting the
enforcement of the law governing bar opening hours.
Despite the opening times stipulated by law and the few altercations involving peeved
drinkers, many bars and taverns across the country have been keeping much longer hours,
and are largely ignored by the police in the process.
This may be primarily due to the fact that the 84-year-old Act, which although providing
strict guidelines for opening and closing and the treatment of customers, carries very low
fines for offences.

23

For example, breaching the opening hours regulations could result in a fine of $500, and the
fine for allowing drunkenness and disorderly conduct is as low as $200.
The fines for persons found guilty of accommodating prostitutes is $300 for the first offence
and $500 for subsequent offences.

This large old house had the most dismal aspect amid its surroundings. The walls bent outward, and
there was hardly a pane of glass in any of the windows, except some of the fragments, which looked
like the water of the marshes--dull green. The spaces of wall between the windows were covered with
spots, as if time were trying to write there in hieroglyphics the history of the old house, and the
tottering roof added still more to its pitiable condition. It seemed as if the whole building bent toward
the ground, to await the last stroke of that fate which should transform it into a chaos of rotting
remains, and finally into dust.
The gates were open, one-half of them displaced and lying on the ground at the entrance, while
between its bars had grown the grass, which also covered the large and empty court-yard.(Extract
from:- Gorkys The Creatures Who Were Once Men) The conditions in which many of Jamaicas working
poor and destitute live are same if not far worse than in the Tsarists Russia of Gorkys days, and these conditions
exist not out of need but rather out institutional agreement that the housing conditions of the working poor and
the destitute should remain so.

The Connections Between The Housing Question and Power

Politics

"The Bargain" by Nikolai Nevrev (Sale of a serf

girl)

The origins of serfdom in Russia are traced to Kievan Rus' in the 11th century. Legal
documents of the epoch, such as Russkaya Pravda, distinguished several degrees of feudal
dependency of peasants, the term for an unfree peasant in the Russian Empire, krepostnoi
krestyanin ( ), is translated as serf.
24

Serfdom became the dominant form of relation between peasants and nobility in the 17th
century. Serfdom only existed in central and southern areas of the Russian Empire. It was
never established in the North, in the Urals, and in Siberia. Tsar Alexander I of Russia wanted
to reform the system but was stymied. New laws allowed all classes (except the serfs) to own
land, the privilege that was previously confined to the nobility.[1] Finally, serfdom was
abolished by a decree issued by Tsar Alexander II in 1861.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom_in_Russia#Eighteenth_and_nineteenth_centuries)
Tansition to full serfdom

The Sudebnik of 1550 increased the amount of pozhiloye and introduced an additional tax
called za povoz ( , or transportation fee), in case a peasant refused to bring the harvest
from the fields to his master. A temporary ( , or Forbidden years) and later
an open-ended prohibition for peasants to leave their masters was introduced by the ukase of
1597 under the reign of Boris Godunov, which took away the peasants' right to free
movement around Yuri's Day, binding the vast majority of the Russian peasantry in full
serfdom. These also defined the so-called fixed years ( , or urochniye leta), or
the 5-year time frame for search of the runaway peasants. In 1607, a new ukase defined
sanctions for hiding and keeping the runaways: the fine had to be paid to the state and
pozhiloye to the previous owner of the peasant.
The Sobornoye Ulozhenie ( , "Code of Law") of 1649 gave serfs to
estates, and in 1658, flight was made a criminal offense. Russian landowners eventually
gained almost unlimited ownership over Russian serfs.[5] The landowner could transfer the
serf without land to another landowner while keeping the serf's personal property and family,
however the landowner had no right to kill the serf.[6] About four-fifths of Russian peasants
were serfs according to the censuses of 1678 and 1719; free (black) peasants remained only
in the North and North-East of the country.[7]
Most of the dvoryane (nobles) were content with the long time frame for search of the
runaway peasants. The major landowners of the country, however, together with the dvoryane
of the south, were interested in a short-term persecution due to the fact that many runaways
would usually flee to the southern parts of Russia. During the first half of the 17th century the
dvoryane sent their collective petitions (, or chelobitniye) to the authorities,
asking for the extension of the "fixed years". In 1642, the Russian government established a
10-year limit for search of the runaways and 15-year limit for search for peasants taken away
by their new owners.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom_in_Russia#Eighteenth_and_nineteenth_centuries)

While there are those who would like to believe that the condition of serfdom was perhaps
rural Russian and that it ended as a system along time ago, for many in the city of Kingston
even unto this day live under conditions which could be called urban servitude with all the
main features of serfdom present albeit in an urban setting.

25

In the inner cities of Kingston and St. Andrew where the majority of the working poor and the
destitute live, one in many instances find the control of many of these communities by a
handful of dons who claim allegiance to one or the other of the two political parties, here one
notes that this is so equally in the constituency of the Prime Minister as it is in the
constituency of the leader of the opposition.
These community dons control nearly every aspect of the individual life, ranging from
which of the two political parties the individual must vote for, which colour he or she can or
cannot wear, who will benefit from development projects carried out in the communities,
how much each working residents must pay over as taxes from their incomes, down to the
Right of The First Night, wherein the feudal lord has the right to sleep with a female serf
before she can marry another serf-in the inner cities of Kingston and St. Andrew it is the right
of the don to claim any woman, married or unmarried.
One should also note that the right to private property does not exist in many of the inner
cities where the working poor and destitute live. One can be evicted from ones own home
which was purchased with money worked hard for, a persons private car, motor bike or
bicycle can be commandeered on the desire of the don.
The underfunding of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, its understaffing, and direct political
interference by politicians in the daily affairs of the police in addition to distrust of the police,
undermines the ability of the police force to effectively control these communities, here one
recalls that less than five years ago, now being 2015, the political establishment demanded
the removal of police officers from the Spanish Town Police Station, police officers who
were carrying out their lawful duties, while that is the most recent publicly known incident of
the political directorate taking control of and seeking to determine the actions of the police in
the carrying out of their duties in the inner-city, the history of inner city Kingston is replete
with similar cases.
The clipping from one of the islands two major newspapers gives some insight into the
working and operations of these urban serfdoms.

26

Forced to flee - Ethnic cleansing or political

genocide? Refugees in our own country?
Published:Sunday | August 29, 2010
Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
'If a ethnic cleansing, make it stop'
- Buju Banton, 'Rampage'
'From Jungle to Back O' Wall
Within their political stronghold
Pure innocent a bawl'
- Buju Banton
MOVING TRUCKS throttling. Heavily armed police personnel standing guard. Furniture
packed in haste. Fright, relief, and even near-hysterical humour etched into the faces of those
who are leaving their homes behind.
It is a decades-old phenomenon in many Jamaican communities labelled 'inner city' where
people who have 'violated' an unwritten code have to flee.

27

Others who have not been specifically targeted are also caught on the run for fear of their
lives as pervasive violence perpetrated against them and their family becomes too much to
bear.
That violence often takes political overtones, with communities long aligned to either the
Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) or the People's National Party (PNP), as happened in the January
3, 2002, massacre of seven people at 100 Lane, off Red Hills Road, St Andrew. That
community had long been at odds with the nearby Park Lane.
Homogenisation
The 1997 Report of the National Committee on Political Tribalism defines the steps in the
establishment of a garrison community as follows: "The development of large-scale housing
schemes by the State and the allocation of the houses therein to supporters of the party in
power, homogenisation by the dominant party activists pushing out the minority from within
and guarding against invasion from outside, and the expelled setting up a squatter
community."
Homogeneity also means ethnic cleansing, which a 1993 United Nations commission
described as "the planned deliberate removal from a specific territory of persons of a
particular ethnic group, by force or intimidation, in order to make that area ethnically
homogenous."
Dr Clinton Hutton, lecturer in the Department of Government, University of the West Indies
(UWI), Mona campus, after detailing the bulldozing of Back O' Wall shortly after Jamaica's
Independence, and listening to the definition of ethnic cleansing said, "It fits."
Horace Levy, who compiled They Cry 'Respect'! Urban Violence and Poverty in Jamaica
and wrote Killing Streets and Community Cleansing, describes the inter-community
political violence as "a kind of cleansing". It is "a political cleansing, cleansing out persons
from another political party".
"If you change the word 'ethnic' to 'political' every time it occurs, the same thing applies,"
Levy said.
He pointed out, though, that it does not apply to the recent massacre in Tredegar Park.
Although previously, James Hines had been trying to force out persons from the general area
who were not People's National Party supporters, Levy says, "What happened the other day
was not a part of that. It was not an attempt to force out anybody. They were going for a
couple of individuals and they just killed everybody. It is part of their brutality."
Rema Commission

28

There are instances when the eviction is formal, yet the process reeks of political polarisation.
That was the case on February 2, 1977, when the Ministry of Housing evicted 1,000 persons
from Wilton Gardens, more popularly known as 'Rema'.
The violence which erupted that day led to a commission of enquiry conducted by late Puisne
Judge of the Supreme Court, Ronald Small. The Rema Commission Report was serialised
in five segments by The Sunday Gleaner, beginning May 7, 2006.
It was reported that then Opposition Leader Edward Seaga, in a statement to The Gleaner
about the incident in which one man was killed and there was significant violence and chaos,
said: "The illegal operation was a purely political purpose of replacing 1,000 JLP supporters
with 1,000 PNP supporters."
Senior Superintendent of Police Eric Sibblies and Superintendent Roy E. Thompson testified
that 'Junglists' (people from PNP stronghold Arnett Gardens) gathered in large groups. They
pre-empted the police, housing officers, and their workers preparing for the eviction, ready to
take over the housing units. The police turned away the crowd, but they took side roads back
into the community and met a barrage of gunshots fired by persons from Rema. One woman
from Jungle lost an ear.
Sibblies testified that at one point in the morning when the official eviction was on, several
truckloads of people and furniture arrived to take over the vacated apartments. The
newcomers, all Junglists, declared they wanted an entire high-rise building for themselves,
and by this time, they began to throw out legal tenants.
Still, the 'cleansing' may not be politically motivated.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2004, scores of persons - most of them women and children - were
chased out of their homes in Arnett Gardens. Accusations of 'informer' had been slung as rival
gangs in the area battled for turf. The individual stories were harrowing:
Sonia Edwards, a 40-year-old mother of nine, said she was attacked and beaten by gunmen
who gave her less than 24 hours to leave her home in the 'Pegasus' area near Collie Smith
Drive.
A 78-year-old woman said her family was given until the end of the day to leave its home on
Crooks Street, Jones Town. She said: "A dem same man dem who kill me son pon Good
Friday a seh we fi leave the area."
Three years later, it was the turn of Torrington Park, St Andrew, when over 20 families were
forced to flee in the first few months of 2007.
Genocide does not apply

29

With genocide defined in part as "killing members of a group", "causing serious bodily or
mental harm to members of a group", and "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of
life calculated to bring about physical destruction in whole or part", the long-standing
political conflict between supporters of the PNP and the JLP does not qualify. "Genocide is a
serious word," Hutton said, adding that based on what he knew he would not want to go in
that direction.
Levy said about three-quarters of the murders leading up to the 1980 general election were
political. "It was the closest we have come to a civil war," he said.
But genocide does not apply.
Hutton puts the clearing out of Back O' Wall to create Tivoli Gardens in the context of the
pervasive housing shortage in Jamaica and what home ownership meant to the formerly
enslaved.
"One of the most important of the problems that the country inherited from colonialism is
housing for ordinary Jamaicans," Hutton said. "The housing stock in the country was really
poor for the majority, and particularly so in Kingston and lower St Andrew."
"The fundamental problem is in the way that our political representatives tried to deal with
the problem, especially coming after Independence," he said. So housing became "a
fundamental problem in post-colonial politics and in the nation that we are still reeling from".
Hutton said: "The 'Dudus' affair cannot be separated from the way our political
representatives - at least, some of them - tried to deal with the housing problem."
In addition, housing is a deeply emotive issue as "one of the ways black Jamaicans
constructed freedom after Emancipation was to assert that a free person is one who is able to
'turn' his or her own key, especially on 'buy land'. Home ownership became an expression of
freedom".
With Back O' Wall being part of an area known as Smith's Village, prior to 1962, political
representation see-sawed between the PNP and the JLP.
Garrisonisation
In 1962, Edward Seaga became the West Kingston member of parliament, and Hutton said:
"It has as its residents many persons of the Rastafarian faith. Some of the persons living in
Back O' Wall came there from Pinnacle (the Sligoville community established by Leonard
Howell which was destroyed by the police in 1954)." It was also a cultural hub where persons
such as Lord Creator and Wilfred 'Jackie' Edwards visited. Prince Emmanuel, later King
Emmanuel, founder of the Bobo Shanti Rastafarian order, lived and worked there.

30

Hutton said: "In 1963, the first bulldozing took place." The Tivoli houses which replaced the
housing there were allocated to persons from outside the area, the original occupants of the
land, over 3,000 persons, dispersing to Central Village, Riverton, August Town, and Warieka
Hills.
In 1966, there was the biggest bulldozing, of some 800 shacks, in the 'Dungle' off Foreshore
Road (now Marcus Garvey Drive).
Hutton noted that the JLP started 'garrisonisation', and the PNP followed suit in 1972.
Arnold Bertram, writing in The Sunday Gleaner on November 6, 2005, also refers to the
Back O' Wall and Dungle bulldozings. He said: "The concept of the garrison was first
pioneered by D.C. Tavares in South West St Andrew, who, after the JLP victory of 1962,
became the first minister of housing in independent Jamaica. His most successful protg was
Edward Seaga, on whose watch some 2,300 huts, which housed the most militant PNP
supporters, were bulldozed between 1963 and 1966, and the occupants forced 'to move and
keep moving'."

Workers Hostels Clippings (images)

Clippings

31

This poster, dating from 1915, promotes supporting the Women's War Time Fund, which provided
hostel housing to women workers during World War I A Canadian poster,

The payment system data puts construction workers at an annual income of 14,211 UAE dirhams. The
dirham is pegged to the US dollar at about $0.27, so this gives an income of slightly under $4,000.
This would put hourly wages for construction workers in the vicinity of $1-2, but these are augmented
by non-cash benefits such as worker dormitories, and reduced by various costs. These construction
wages are in the same ballpark as those for low-skill migrant construction workers in Singapore, after
taxes (although that means the pre-tax productivity looks higher in Singapore). (source:http://reflectivedisequilibrium.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-does-migration-to-united-arab.html)

32

Manufacturing And Labor In Guangdong

Uniforms and laundry hang at a workers' dormitory in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, on
Saturday, June 26, 2010. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged local governments and companies to take
'effective measures' to address labor-cost issues and to build 'harmonious employment relations,'
China Central Television reported. Photographer: Nelson Ching/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(Credit: Bloomberg / contributor, All contents copyright 1999-2015 Getty Images. All rights
reserved.)

33

At Singapore's largest dormitory for foreign workers, Lovlu Mia is cooking chapatis over a
hot flame in a giant kitchen.
The 36 year-old Bangladeshi works on construction sites, earning $720 (492) a month and
he sends most of it to his wife and five-year-old son back home.
He is one of thousands of migrant workers housed at the Tuas View Dormitory - a huge new
complex in Singapore's industrial far west.
In the past, foreign workers' accommodation has been the subject of criticism from human
rights groups. So Tuas View, with beds for 16,800 men and medical and shopping facilities, is
being hailed as the ideal model for housing them.
It's like a small town, with a mini-market, a food court, a medical clinic and a dentist.
Employers pay the bills - $220 per month for a bed and a locker. The workers' laundry and
cleaning are done for them.
There's also a well-equipped gym and a cricket pitch. At night the men watch the latest
Bollywood movies on a large outdoor screen. There's even a view of the sea.
But for the residents there is a trade-off. While they enjoy better facilities here, they give up
some privacy. (Source:- http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32297860)

34

Image of Housing For

Migrant Workers In Canada

Photograph of housing For Migrant Workers

In Canada

Some Arguments Posed By The Socio- Political Establishment

and The Clerical Elite
One of the most frequent argument posed by the socio-political elite and the Clerical elite is that not
everything which works overseas works in Jamaica, can work in Jamaica and that there is a need to
find solutions that are in keeping with the Jamaican culture. This argument in regards to housing is
based on a deliberate and blatant denial of the socio-economic history of the city Kingston. It is based
on the deliberate attempt to remove from the history of the city the numerous lodges which dotted
the city up to the early 1960. The history of Half Way Tree Road, North Street, and many other
streets, in particular in the Lindearst- Lincoln Roads areas; lodges which provided accommodation for
young professionals and skilled workers from the rural areas. These were single sex, accommodations
which provided housing for the aforementioned young people; even to this day on some gate columns
one find signs such as Ceceilo Lodge among others. Thus the idea that a hostel for young
professionals in the city of Kingston is alien to Jamaicas culture is totally false, without foundation in
history. One should also note that up to this day the Jamaica Constabulary Force provides hostel
accommodations for some of its members serving at the Harmon Barracks in Kingston and the
Hundred Man Police Station in Kingston.
35

The second argument is that the modern usage of hostel accommodation is targeted for migrant
workers, this argument also holds no water, for the simple reason that for the average low income
worker in Mona Commons or in any other informal settlement, the ability to move to affordable and
suitable accommodation is a migration from an undesirable but necessary housing situation to one
which is better. Secondly, hostel accommodation for young workers would be a type of transit point
from a state of childhood to a state of employment and self-sufficiency to one of home ownership.
The third argument that is posed when dealing with housing for the working poor, is that the National
Housing Trust is not intended to provide this type of housing. This argument is blatantly false for the
simple reason that the Housing Trust Act does not restrict for whom housing should be provided and
as such housing has been provided in several inner city communities for low income persons by the
National housing Trust. Here one notes that it is the duty of the National Housing Trusty to act on the
behalf of its contributors by collecting the mortgages and or rents due. The failure of the NHT to
collect that which is owing to it is another question a question which is beyond the competence of the
staff and management of the Trust to address owing to the fact that these low income housing units
were built in the political garrisons those serving the Serf-Lord relationships which characterize
those communities.
One also note that the National Housing Trust has in recent years undertaken the under writing of the
financing of student accommodation at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, a financially
sound investment. Thus the question is rather why has the Government of Jamaica, the National
Housing Trust refuse to recognize the housing needs of the young supermarket clerk, the young nurse,
construction worker who are in dire need of housing. The National Housing Trust falls under the
Office of the Prime Minister and the current Minister of Housing, both of whom are Members of
Parliament for inner city communities. However as earlier pointed out, the average Jamaican votes
for one of the two political party and or a Prime Minister and not a Member of Parliament, hence as
far as these political representatives are concerned, they have no duty, responsibility or obligation to
meet the needs of the politically inactive members of their constituencies or any other group of
residents, their first and primary obligation is to the party and not to the people.
The Board of the National Housing Trust in its composition also reveals a second set of reasons for
the lack of interests of the National Housing Trust in meeting the housing needs of the working poor.
The Board consist in the main of members of the political elite, the trade union elite and members of
the clerical elite. No individual can become a member of the Board of The National Housing Trust on
the basis of solely technical or business skills and or experience-should there be any such persons,
they are kept deliberately as minority without much or any influence and for window dressing in the
main.

36

News
We will not resign, chairman and NHT board members say

Monday, November 24, 2014 | 12:18 PM

The Jamaica Observer

Douglas...will not resign as NHT board chairman

KINGSTON, Jamaica Chairman Easton Douglas and the remaining members of the
embattled National Housing Trust (NHT) board say that they will not resign.
Addressing the media during a press conference held at the Trust's New Kingston head office,
in the wake of the controversial Outameni property purchase, Douglas told journalists, "I
can't speak for my colleagues, or from a legal standpoint but I am not resigning!"
The remaining board members present -- O'Neil Grant, Norman Horne and Percival
LaTouche -- gave support to their chairman also insisting that they would not resign.
Douglas said that although the board has not met the minimum requirement in terms of
numbers to function they still considered themselves a board.
"I don't believe myself or any board member has betrayed the Trust. I don't think I have
betrayed the Trust," he insisted.
However, Douglas said that the NHT technical team advised against purchasing the property
for housing but rather from a cultural standpoint.
When pressed as to whether the prime minister knew about the purchase of the property
Douglas maintained she had no knowledge.
"On no occasion has the trust ever advised the Minister of any purchase of any property," he
said.
Kimone Francis

37

News

NHT Crisis
Board now at quorum level as two directors resign

BY BALFORD HENRY Senior staff reporter balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com

Tuesday, November 18, 2014
NHT

THE National Housing Trust (NHT) plunged further into crisis yesterday when two more
members of the board of directors resigned, leaving the Government's major housing finance
agency with only enough members to form a quorum.
Trade unionists Kavan Gayle and Helene Davis-Whyte both handed in their resignations,
casualties of the raging controversy over the Trust's purchase of a tourist attraction, the
Outameni Experience, in Trelawny for $180 million.
Their resignations come seven months after those of the Rev Oliver Daley, banker Minna
Israel, economist Dr Davidson Daway and attorney-at-law Deborah Martin.
They had resigned in April following the sudden firing of Managing Director Cecile Watson.
The board needs nine members to form a quorum for meetings, which means that all sitting
members -- Chairman Easton Douglas, academic Robert Buddan, contractor and People's
National Party (PNP) activist Percival LaTouche, businessman and PNP treasurer Norman
Horne, PNP Senator Lambert Brown, Jamaica Civil Service Association President Oneil
Grant, civil servant Sonia Hyman, Jamaica Employers' Federation CEO Brenda Cuthbert, and
trade unionist Vincent Morrison -- will have to be present each time for the board to sit.
"I would suggest that all board members recuse themselves, because right now as it is, I don't
think that the board can effectively continue with just nine board members," Senator Gayle,
who is president of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU), commented yesterday.
Davis-Whyte, who is general secretary of the Jamaica Association of Local Government, told
the Jamaica Observer last night that she decided to resign to give the prime minister a free
hand to name a new board, although there has been no indication that the board will be asked
to resign.
She said that she had discussed the matter with members of her trade union, as well as her
family, and came to that conclusion.
"We felt that at this time, it would enable the prime minister to act freely. That is the real
reason," she said. However, she said that she was not sure if other trade unionists on the
38

board would do the same thing, although she was aware that Senator Gayle had also resigned
yesterday.
"I don't know if there are others who will. I can't say, because I haven't really consulted
anybody (on the board). That was just my personal decision, having had the discussions with
my union and my family," she said.
Gayle told the Observer that there were two reasons for his resignation:
"I have been having consultations with my executive, and given the information that keeps
coming out that were not presented to us during board meetings, as well as the public outcry
against the procedures and the processes that led to this, I believe it requires a review," he
explained.
"I am calling for that review but, in doing so, I have decided as a board member to recuse
myself from the board, to allow the prime minister a free hand to make the necessary changes
in terms of the review and to correct any mistakes that may have been made," he stated.
He said that the BITU's management executive council was also concerned about the
distraction that had been created by the controversial deal.
Yesterday's resignation was a marked departure from the situation a week ago when NHT
board members emerged from a six-hour-long meeting to discuss the controversy, saying that
they would stand by the decision to purchase the property.
LaTouche said then that they were in "one accord".
"We did not make any mistake, we have done our job and it (Outameni) will go down in
history as maybe the best buy that we have ever made in the housing trust," he said.
He said virtually no emphasis was placed on the criticisms from the Opposition as well as
members of the public, about the purchase, at that board meeting.

News
Its $12-m, not $18-m for Outameni lands, says NHT chairman
Monday, November 17, 2014

, The Jamaica Observer

DOUGLAS what we, in fact, achieved is immediate profit of $100 million or $131 million just
by the purchase alone

39

Easton Douglas, chairman of the embattled National Housing Trust (NHT), rebutted claims at
the weekend that the State-run housing body paid $18 million for 9.12 acres of Outameni
lands, saying the actual sum was $12 million, or $1.3 million per acre.
Douglas sought to correct widely repeated claims that the Trust paid $18 million per acre for
the lands, and gave a full breakdown of the value of the total acquisition for which it paid
$180 million based on a 2011 valuation by David deLisser and Associates.
Had the land been vacant, the price per acre would indeed have been $18 million, Douglas
told the Jamaica Observer. But the land value indicated in the deLisser valuation is
$12,739,700.
Douglas, a three-time Government minister who has an MSc in urban land appraisal, said the
NHT paid $180 million for land, buildings and related developments valued at $311,163,800
by deLisser, licensed land valuators, acting for Outameni, and $280 million by independent
valuator Norma Breakenridge and Associates, chartered valuation surveyor and licensed real
estate dealer.
What we, in fact, achieved is immediate profit of $100 million or $131 million just by the
purchase alone, said Douglas. That sounds like good business to me.
Delissers $311 million value was broken down as follows:
Land - $12,739,700
Great house - $58,496,800
Theme Park:
Building where shows are done - $79,836,500
Display area - $79,037,800
Walkways - $39,516,000
Other buildings - $8,211,400
Juice bar - $1,770,600
Jerk centre - $1,714,000
Games room - $2,751,200
Washrooms - $1,330,600
Security post - $64,700
40

Ticket office - $198,000

Outbuildings:
Building one - $1,000,700
Building two - $3,389,700
Building three - $273,200
Building four - $58,400
Tanks - $5,082,000
Land development - $15,246,000
Responding to criticism that the NHT did not purchase the intellectual property, Douglas also
explained that it would have been unwise to do that before ascertaining what had caused
Outameni to run into financial problems.
By proceeding this way, the Trust is keeping its options open as to its future use of the
property. We could buy the intellectual property or goodwill, or we could decide against it.
That also is good business sense, he suggested.
The NHT owns several other properties in the vicinity of Outameni, including the 1,000home Stone Hedge developed at a cost of $1 billion; the 709-acre Dry Valley now in the
design stage; Harmony Cove jointly owned with the Jamaica Development Bank (JDB);
Silver Sands, owned by JDB, NHT and private interests; and the 30-acre Windsor property.

National Housing Trust's $2 billion of investments in

limbo
Published:Wednesday | April 22, 2015Edmond Campbell, The Daily Gleaner

41

Rudolph Brown

Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis has revealed that investments by the National Housing
Trust (NHT) totalling $2 billion in three major projects have failed to produce any returns
after periods spanning five to more than 10 years.
The government oversight body said the Trust invested in the Jamaica Lifestyle Village,
Central Wastewater Treatment Company Limited (CWTC) and Harmonisation Limited
without taking into account the cash-flow impact and the expected rate of return on the
investments.
In addition, the auditor general found that the Trust did not ensure that the investment
decisions were in line with the strategy of the NHT.
In June 2010, Cabinet approved the transfer of the NHT's shareholding in CWTC to the
National Water Commission (NWC) for the nominal sum of $1.
The minutes of a March 29, 2004 board meeting of the NHT indicated that the project would
be undertaken as a build, own, operate and transfer project, with NHT, the Urban
Development Corporation and a private company transferring their interest to the NWC after
they have recouped their investment.
Monroe Ellis reported that, to date, the Trust has not received any income from the
investment of $302.09 million in equity and $105.03 million in loans and advances.

42

Responding to queries from the auditor general in March 2015, the NHT said the project was
a social investment.
However, Monroe Ellis said there was no evidence in the minutes of the board meeting that
the board treated the project as a social investment.
In a performance audit of the NHT, tabled in Parliament yesterday, the auditor general
reported that the Jamaica Lifestyle Village investment had not materialised and, as such, the
Trust was unlikely to recover the $63.2 million invested.
Lifestyle Village of Jamaica Limited is the corporate vehicle created to implement the
retirement communities envisaged by the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development.
The project, which was approved by Cabinet in March 2006, was intended to provide
residential accommodation for returning residents. At the time of its approval by Cabinet
decision number 12/06, it was stated that the NHT should provide assistance to the project as
a minority shareholder and developer and that capitalisation of the company should be
obtained primarily from the private sector.
Four building societies and an insurance company were named as prospective partners.
However, Monroe Ellis said that to date the NHT is the sole shareholder.
Last month, the NHT indicated that the "project has been negatively impacted by the
international financial meltdown of 2008 and with the best of investment information, these
variables were not foreseen".
The audit was conducted to determine the level of due diligence undertaken by the Trust,
prior to decisions pertaining to investments and land acquisitions.
Commenting on Harmonisation Limited, Monroe Ellis said the Trust claimed it had no other
asset that had shown comparable significant capital gain based on market value.
However, the auditor general argued that the land was not acquired for resale, but to facilitate
the construction of a resort colony with 4,500 hotel rooms and 500 residential units. This
investment was slated to provide direct employment opportunities to approximately 16,500
individuals. After more than 10 years on the drawing board, the auditor general has reported
that the development remains stalled.
In 2014, NHT's investment in Harmonisation Limited, which comprises loans and accrued
interest, amounted to $1.6 billion.
The auditor general said all three investments were approved by Cabinet.

43

Up to late yesterday afternoon, the NHT said it had not seen a copy of the performance report
and as such could not comment at this time.
Efforts to reach former chairman of the NHT, Easton Douglas, for comment were
unsuccessful, as calls to his number were said to be restricted.
edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com

National Housing Trust addicted to failure

Published:Sunday | March 8, 2015 , The Daily Gleaner

The National Housing Trust (NHT) was established in 1976 to address the housing shortage
that resulted from a growing population and the inadequate annual output of houses by the
public and private sectors. The Trust emerged out of the need for a financial institution that
could mobilise additional funds for housing and ensure that those funds are available to more
Jamaican families at rates below the traditional market rates. The institution was given a
broad mandate. ( NHT website)
The announcement that the NHT plans to build only 2,400 new housing solutions, not all of
which will be completed in 2015, raises serious doubt as to whether or not the NHT is
fulfilling its mandate. Twenty-four hundred is at least 10,000 fewer than the annual national
demand for new housing solutions.
This indicates that whatever boast there may have been of past achievements that the NHT
may have made, its present output is a betrayal of its purpose and its mandate. The NHT, in
2015, is not doing nearly enough, and certainly it is not doing what it was intended to do.
Worse than the disappointing statistic in regard to promised housing solutions is the fact that
NHT solutions only benefit the top 30 per cent of its contributors. The bottom 70 per cent
receive only 10 per cent of NHT benefits by way of housing solutions. They do not qualify
for mortgages and the available solutions are beyond the reach of their pockets.
More than anything else, the NHT was set up in the first place to solve Jamaica's housing
problem. I put it to you that housing solutions that are needed are for the lower 70 per cent - it
is for those who live in rented houses, in tenement yards and squatter settlements. A
subsidiary benefit of the considerable savings amassed through the NHT and the initiatives to
supply shelter solutions would be a stimulant for the construction industry that is a leading
supplier of employment.
The fact is that the NHT is itself a major employer of labour and some of the best packages of
emoluments in the public sector are provided by the NHT for employees of the NHT. With
some J$120 billion of assets, including a substantial portion in cash assets, the NHT
44

represents an important pool of local savings. There can be no doubt that the NHT has, in
general, been prudent in the handling of its considerable investment portfolio.
The NHT has also been quite aggressive in going after employers who have been delinquent
in remitting statutory deductions to the Trust. In fact, the NHT has been every bit the banker
and tax collector; what the NHT has not been doing is providing housing solutions to dent the
national demand.
The NHT certainly has not put Jamaica in a better position in respect of providing housing
solutions for domestic workers and security guards, some of the most vulnerable among
Jamaica's employed classes. In fact, between 2013 and 2015, Food For The Poor (FFP) has
done far more in providing housing for Jamaicans than the NHT managed.
In September 2012, Dr Omar Davies spearheaded an initiative that saw an agreement
between the NHT and FFP whereby NHT would provide 50 lots per month (600 per year) and
FFP would build 50 concrete housing units (600 per year), two bedrooms with bathroom for
approximately J$1m per unit. The NHT would then sell the unit for approximately $2m so
that this solution would be in the range that is affordable to the poorest quintile of Jamaica's
population who make contributions to the NHT, but cannot qualify for a loan under normal
circumstances.
non-performance
However, the NHT has been negligent in providing the required lots as called for under the
contract. Over the past 30 months of the contract, 1,500 houses should have been built.
Instead, only approximately 400 have been built. The best that one could say of the response
of the NHT to this has been lukewarm. Here is a case where a solution was found by Dr
Davies, who is the minister of transport, housing and works (but not the political head of the
NHT; in fact, the NHT does not consider itself accountable to a particular minister) to deliver
houses to contributors who would otherwise never receive help from NHT, and even in this
most critical of cases, the NHT does not perform. The NHT has not demonstrated the same
enthusiasm for this type of shelter solution from FFP that it has for collecting dues from
delinquent employers.
The Government must, therefore, consider whether or not, with a capacity to deliver only
2,400 new housing solutions per year, the NHT represents the best use of five per cent of the
total wage bill of the country annually. It seems to me that the NHT has lost its way; it no
longer remembers what it is about.
Do not tell me it is too big to fail, because it already has failed. It is not stimulating the
construction sector and it is not providing enough shelter solution. It is keeping the money so
that financial institutions can rinse it, but it is not doing what it is supposed to do. It may now
be time to abolish the NHT or invent a new one.

45

I would like to suggest three areas in which the NHT can take initiatives in order to change
the housing and construction landscape in the new term.
1. There needs to be a solution that is a game-changer, like the Greater Portmore solution was
in its time. Something of that scale should be attempted in more than one population centre
across the island. I make only one caveat: that local companies should also be subcontracted.
I was told recently of a local construction company that employed as many as 200 persons
closing down and making its workers' jobs redundant. The Chinese have changed the
construction sector. They are getting the majority of government contracts with no obligation
to engage local subcontractors. Care should be taken to ensure that local layers get a piece of
the action.
2. The partnership with FFP should be expanded and persons below an income threshold of
$15,000 per week should pay 0.5% interest rate. The legislation governing the mortgage
bank, which allows mortgages of 95% of value, should be exploited to further empower the
working class. New paradigms should be explored to increase the options for those of the
lowest quintile of the income pie. Then the NHT would be seen to do what it was set up to
do.
- Garnett Roper is president of the Jamaica Theological Seminary and chairman of the
Jamaica Urban Transit Company. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and
garnettroper@hotmail.com.

Clipping From The Media On The NHT

NHT rolls out First Step homes for J$1.2m

46

Published: Wednesday | August 21, 2013

National Housing Trust.

Avia Collinder, Business Reporter

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has given up on private developers, but not its plan
to place cheap houses on the market.
Instead, it is now developing starter units in partnership with a charity group, which the
housing agency hopes to sell at J$1.2 million each to contributors who already own land.
The so-called 'First Step' homes are designed as detached units built on individual serviced
lots.
For more than four years, the NHT has been offering developers cheap loan capital priced as
low as three per cent to build homes valued at under J$5 million - including studio units
priced at J$3 million and lower - for delivery to low- income contributors.
But builders have avoided the offer, saying the deal leaves them with limited room to make a
profit off such projects.
NHT's solution is to partner with Food for the Poor to deliver the units.

47

"The units are being constructed under a joint-venture agreement between Food For the Poor
and the Government of Jamaica, acting through the Ministry of Transport, Works and
Housing, the Ministry of Finance, the minister of housing, and the NHT," the agency told
Wednesday Business in response to queries.
"Food For the Poor is the contractor for the houses, and has agreed to build each unit at a cost
of US$9,500."
That price converts to J$969,000 at current exchange rates.
"The units being built by Food For the Poor are not the usual wooden structures commonly
referred to as Food For the Poor houses," said NHT.
"These units are made of reinforced concrete, concrete screed, and include a bathroom and
space for a kitchen. Where the units are built under the trust's Build On Own Land facility,
there is no subsidy. Where the units are built on NHT land, the supporting infrastructure is
subsidised," it said.
The first set of 74 First Step homes was developed at Hampden in Trelawny and beneficiaries
for these units were selected following on an advertisement for applications in December
2012.
Another set of 28 will soon hit the market, the agency told Wednesday Business.
The basic unit is 320 square feet. This, the Trust notes, is larger than the standard NHT studio
unit, which is 230.8 sq ft.
The units include electrical wiring and stanchion; concrete walls and flooring; bathroom area
with shower stall, but excluding face basin and wall tiles; PVC louvre windows; metal-clad
front and rear doors; timber-frame roof with alu-steel sheeting and plumbing.
"The unit is a starter housing unit and it is not completely outfitted. Beneficiaries will
therefore be required to install their own kitchen sink and cabinets, face basin, partitions,
ceiling and floor finishes," NHT says on its website.
Contributors must be in the low-income band to qualify for First Step, with a pay packet of
up to J$7,500 per week, no previous NHT loan, except for serviced lots and house lot loans.
The trust indicates that it will incorporate future First Step Homes in some of its general
housing schemes.
Persons who fit its qualifying criteria may also apply to have First Step homes constructed by
the NHT on their land.

48

"Sixteen holders of serviced lots have indicated interest in having the units built on their lots
and are now being processed," said the housing agency. "Thirty units are now being
constructed at Meylersfield in Westmoreland."
avia.collinder@gleanerjm.com

The Siege Of Jerusalem and the Provision Of Housing For The

Working Poor
In a number of respects from the stand point of the socio-political establishment and the
clerical elite, the National Housing Trust and the question of provision of housing for the
working poor, is not different from the Siege Of Jerusalem and the First Crusade. The First
Crusade and the resultant siege of Jerusalem reflected a clash between the weak and the
strong, a clash between who wanted to build on what the little they had and those who came
to take all. Even as today, one finds members of the clerical elite who will defend the
approach of the state, the Government of Jamaica and the National Housing Trust in its
approach to the housing of the working poor, equally so it was with the Crusaders, who went
into battle and laid siege on Jerusalem with the blessings and prayers of priests and other
members of the clergy who marched with them.
As with the siege of the City of Jerusalem, no one was spared, Christian, Jew or Moslem,
even though many try to rewrite history today, equally so it is with the working poor in the
City of Kingston, that individual could be a Born Again Tongue Speaking Christian working
at the Tom Redcam Branch Library or a supermarket clerk working in a supermarket in Hope
Road, the treatment is the same. If one is a gas station attendant or a hardware handyman, the
treatment is the same. One could be a poor Labourite living in West Kingston or poor PNP
living in Jones Town as far as housing is concerned, the treatment is the same.
Below is an extract from a notice which was recently posted on the doors of the Mile Gully
Branch Library
The Manchester Parish Library Network, invites applications, Parish Library and the Mile
Gully Branch ,
Library Assistant (PIDG/LA 1) %472,925.00 per annum,
Parish Library-Records Clerk (PIDG/RIM 1) $455,310.00 per annum
Porter(LMG/TS 1) $358,020-$405,080.00 per annum
All salaries are starting salaries
_____________________________
The above salaries even in rural Northern Manchester, where a young worker might be able
to find a single room with shared facilities for around J$10,000.00 per month and with
49

assistance of parents and relatives, who cultivate crops, is less than what is required to live a
decent life.
For the librarian in Portmore or in Kingston, the above salaries are practically impossible to
live on. If this young Library Assistant pays J$2500.00 per week on supermarket purchases,
J$ 1500.00 per week on lunch, J$1200.00 per week on bus fare, J$4000.00 per month on light
bills and J$2500.00 per month on water bills, with what will he or she use to pay his or her
rent which is about $14,000.00 per month for a one room (a Portmore byt) ?
Yet this young worker is required to pay NHT deductions, NIS deductions, Education tax and
all other compulsory deductions.
If one should looks in detail at the wages and expenditure of the Porter, per month, one finds
a person who is condemned to eat rice and chicken back for six days per week, turkey neck
and rice and peas on Sundays, with lunch, breakfast and dinner being from a single cooking if
there is a micro wave oven at the library to warm up the food. There are also grown mature
adult workers, individuals over the age of thirty five years, individuals with children of their
own, for example the janitors at the Edna Manley College, the University of Technology and
the bathroom monitors who work in the Sir William Grant Park, Down Town Kingston who
goes home weekly with the wages of the Porter or less and from that small sum are expected
to take care of their families and pay for accommodation.
As far as the socio-political establishment and the clerical elite are concerned, whatever
deductions made from the salaries of these workers as contributions to the National Housing
Trust are good enough to go into that pool of funds to purchase land unsuitable for housing
purchases, good enough to bail out the connected, good enough to help a properly
connected firm through hard times but not good enough for the creation of accommodations
for this class of workers-hence maintaining the take from the poor and give to the rich
Crusaders approach of the system.
Siege of Jerusalem (1099)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Siege of Jerusalem
Part of the First Crusade

50

Capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders

Date
Location

June 7 July 15, 1099

Jerusalem

J
erusalem
The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099 during the First Crusade.
The climax of the First Crusade, the successful siege saw the Crusaders seize the city from
the Fatimid Caliphate and laid the foundations for the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Background
After the successful siege of Antioch in June 1098, the crusaders remained in the area for the
rest of the year. The papal legate Adhemar of Le Puy had died, and Bohemond of Taranto had
claimed Antioch for himself. Baldwin of Boulogne remained in Edessa, captured earlier in
1098. There was dissent among the princes over what to do next; Raymond of Toulouse,
frustrated, left Antioch to capture the fortress at Ma'arrat al-Numan in the Siege of Maarat.
By the end of the year the minor knights and infantry were threatening to march to Jerusalem
without them. Eventually, on January 13, 1099 Raymond began the march south, down the
coast of the Mediterranean, followed by Robert of Normandy and Bohemond's nephew
Tancred, who agreed to become his vassals.
On their way the Crusaders besieged Arqa but failed to capture it and abandoned the siege on
May 13. Fatimids had attempted to make peace, on the condition that the crusaders not
continue towards Jerusalem, but this was ignored; Iftikhar ad-Daula, the Fatimid governor of
Jerusalem, was aware of the Crusaders' intentions. Therefore, he expelled all of Jerusalem's
Christian inhabitants. He also poisoned most of the wells in the area.[9] Further march towards
Jerusalem met no resistance.

51

Siege

Siege and Capture of Jerusalem, 1099 (13th century miniature)

On 7 June, the crusaders reached Jerusalem, which had been recaptured from the Seljuqs by
the Fatimids only the year before. Many Crusaders wept upon seeing the city they had
journeyed so long to reach.[10] As with Antioch the crusaders put the city to a siege, in which
the crusaders themselves probably suffered more than the citizens of the city, due to the lack
of food and water around Jerusalem. The city was well-prepared for the siege, and the
Fatimid governor Iftikhar ad-Daula had expelled most of the Christians. Of the estimated
5,000 knights who took part in the Princes' Crusade, only about 1,500 remained, along with
another 12,000 healthy foot-soldiers (out of perhaps as many as 30,000). Godfrey, Robert of
Flanders, and Robert of Normandy (who had now also left Raymond to join Godfrey)
besieged the north walls as far south as the Tower of David, while Raymond set up his camp
on the western side, from the Tower of David to Mount Zion. A direct assault on the walls on
June 13 was a failure. Without water or food, both men and animals were quickly dying of
thirst and starvation and the crusaders knew time was not on their side. Coincidentally, soon
after the first assault, two Genoese galleys[11] sailed into the port at Jaffa, and the crusaders
were able to re-supply themselves for a short time. The crusaders also began to gather wood
from Samaria in order to build siege engines. They were still short on food and water, and by
the end of June there was news that a Fatimid army was marching north from Egypt.

Final assault
The prime need of the crusaders was for ladders and siege towers to scale the walls of
Jerusalem. The Egyptian Fatamid garrison had cleared the surrounding area of trees. The
crusaders sent foraging parties into Samaria to obtain wood and other materials. They found
400 piece of prepared timber, enough to build two 50 ft siege towers, a battering-ram and
several catapults. A fleet of Genoese ships commanded by Guglielmo Embriaco, had arrived
at Jaffa in support of the land-based crusaders. These vessels were dismantled by the

52

Genoese, providing wood and ropes suitable for siege equipment, notably additional siege
towers.[12]
On the night of July 14, the crusaders launched a two-pronged assault on the walls. One
tower was to the south, the other to the northwest. The Muslims knew that if one siege tower
breached the walls, Jerusalem would fall. The Muslims pelted the first siege tower with
flaming arrows and pots of oil until it went up in flames. Now, only one siege tower was left,
to the northwest under the command of the revered Duke Godfrey. Godfrey's tower took two
hours to reach the weak spot of the walls near the northeast corner gate. According to the
Gesta two Flemish knights from Tournai named Lethalde and Engelbert were the first to
cross into the city, followed by Godfrey, his brother Eustace, Tancred, and their men.
Raymond's tower was at first stopped by a ditch, but as the other crusaders had already
entered, the Muslim guarding the gate retreated.

Massacre
Although conquerors committing atrocities against the inhabitants of cities taken by storm
after a siege was the norm in Medieval warfare, the massacre of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
likely exceeded even these standards.[13][14][15]
Muslims

Many Muslims sought shelter in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and the Temple
Mount area generally. According to the Gesta Francorum, speaking only of the Temple Mount
area, "...[our men] were killing and slaying even to the Temple of Solomon, where the
slaughter was so great that our men waded in blood up to their ankles..." According to
Raymond of Aguilers, also writing solely of the Temple Mount area, " in the Temple and
porch of Solomon men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins." However, this
imagery should not be taken literally; it was taken directly from biblical passage Revelation
14:20.[16] Writing about the Temple Mount area alone Fulcher of Chartres, who was not an
eyewitness to the Jerusalem siege because he had stayed with Baldwin in Edessa at the time,
says: "In this temple 10,000 were killed. Indeed, if you had been there you would have seen
our feet coloured to our ankles with the blood of the slain. But what more shall I relate? None
of them were left alive; neither women nor children were spared".[17]
The eyewitness Gesta Francorum states that some people were spared. Its anonymous author
wrote, "When the pagans had been overcome, our men seized great numbers, both men and
women, either killing them or keeping them captive, as they wished."[18] Later the same
source writes, "[Our leaders] also ordered all the Saracen dead to be cast outside because of
the great stench, since the whole city was filled with their corpses; and so the living Saracens
dragged the dead before the exits of the gates and arranged them in heaps, as if they were
houses. No one ever saw or heard of such slaughter of pagan people, for funeral pyres were
formed from them like pyramids, and no one knows their number except God alone. But
Raymond caused the Emir and the others who were with him to be conducted to Ascalon,
whole and unhurt."[19]

53

Another eyewitness source, Raymond of Aguilers, reports that some Muslims survived. After
recounting the slaughter on the Temple Mount he reports of some who "took refuge in the
Tower of David, and, petitioning Count Raymond for protection, surrendered the Tower into
his hands." [20] These Muslims left with the Fatimid governor for Ascalon.[21] A version of this
tradition is also known to the later Muslim historian Ibn al-Athir (10, 19395), who recounts
that after the city was taken and pillaged: "A band of Muslims barricaded themselves into the
Oratory of David (Mihrab Dawud) and fought on for several days. They were granted their
lives in return for surrendering. The Franks honoured their word, and the group left by night
for Ascalon."[22] One Cairo Geniza letter also refers to some Jewish residents who left with
the Fatimid governor.[23]
Tancred claimed the Temple quarter for himself and offered protection to some of the
Muslims there, but he was unable to prevent their deaths at the hands of his fellow Crusaders.
Although the Crusaders killed many of the Muslim and Jewish residents, eyewitness accounts
(Gesta Francorum, Raymond of Aguilers, and the Cairo Geniza documents) demonstrate that
some Muslim and Jewish residents were allowed to live, as long as they left Jerusalem.[24]
Jews
Further information: History of the Jews and the Crusades

Jews had fought side-by-side with Muslim soldiers to defend the city, and as the Crusaders
breached the outer walls, the Jews of the city retreated to their synagogue to "prepare for
death".[25] According to the Muslim chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi, "The Jews assembled in their
synagogue, and the Franks burned it over their heads."[26] However, a contemporary Jewish
communication does not corroborate the report that Jews were actually inside of the
synagogue when it was set fire.[27] This letter was discovered among the Cairo Geniza
collection in 1975 by historian Shelomo Dov Goitein.[28] Historians believe that it was written
just two weeks after the siege, making it "the earliest account on the conquest in any
language."[28] Additional documentation from the Cairo Geniza indicates that a group of Jews
from Jerusalem was escorted by the Crusaders to Ascalon, where they were ransomed by the
Jewish community. These documents note with surprise the respect given to the Jewish
women. [29]
Eastern Christians

Contrary to what is sometimes alleged, no eyewitness source refers to Crusaders killing

Eastern Christians in Jerusalem, and early Eastern Christian sources (Matthew of Edessa,
Anna Comnena, Michael the Syrian, etc.) make no such allegation about the Crusaders in
Jerusalem. According to the Syriac Chronicle, all the Christians had already been expelled
from Jerusalem before the Crusaders arrived.[30] Presumably this would have been done by
the Fatimid governor to prevent their possible collusion with the Crusaders.[31]
The Gesta Francorum claims that on Wednesday August 9, two and a half weeks after the
siege, Peter the Hermit encouraged all the "Greek and Latin priests and clerics" to make a
thanksgiving procession to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.[32] This indicates that some
54

Eastern Christian clergy remained in or near Jerusalem during the siege. In November 1100,
when Fulcher of Chartres personally accompanied Baldwin on a visit to Jerusalem, they were
greeted by both Greek and Syrian clerics and laity (Book II, 3), indicating an Eastern
Christian presence in the city a year later.

Aftermath
Following the battle, Godfrey of Bouillon was made Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri ("advocate"
or "defender of the Holy Sepulchre") on July 22, refusing to be named king in the city where
Christ had died, saying that he refused to wear a crown of gold in the city where Christ wore
a crown of thorns.[33] Raymond had refused any title at all, and Godfrey convinced him to
give up the Tower of David as well. Raymond then went on a pilgrimage, and in his absence
Arnulf of Chocques, whom Raymond had opposed due to his own support for Peter
Bartholomew, was elected the first Latin Patriarch on August 1 (the claims of the Greek
Patriarch were ignored). On August 5, Arnulf, after consulting the surviving inhabitants of the
city, discovered the relic of the True Cross.
On August 12, Godfrey led an army, with the True Cross carried in the vanguard, against the
Fatimid army at the Battle of Ascalon on August 12. The crusaders were successful, but
following the victory, the majority of them considered their crusading vows to have been
fulfilled, and all but a few hundred knights returned home. Nevertheless, their victory paved
the way for the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The siege quickly became legendary and in the 12th century it was the subject of the Chanson
de Jrusalem, a major chanson de geste in the Crusade cycle.

The Homeless and Destitute

Men such as Fire Dread and others who make their living in and around the Mandella Park, at
the Hagley Park Road and Maxfield Avenue intersection and elsewhere in Half Way Tree
possibly would not be able to benefit from the building of low income housing units for the
working poor. For example a person loading the Half Way Tree to Papine taxis gets around
J$50.00 per load, at the end of the day, the lucky earns enough to buy a food, however many
fail to make enough per day for their food money, it is a case of the survival of the fittest.
This same situation obtains with the loading of the coaster buses in and around Half Way
Tree (including to the North of the bus park where both taxis and coaster buses are loaded)
and in Papine.
Fire Dread was not a loader; however his situation peddling two or three packs of cigarettes
per day was not different. Here the observer recalls a middle aged lady of Indian extract who
tried her hands at peddling sweets, etc. by St. Andrew Prep School on Cecielo Avenue, when
the observer attempted to purchase ten cigarettes out of five hundred dollars, a two hundred
dollars purchase at the time, the Indian vendor asked the observer if he saw five hundred

55

dollars worth of goods in her box, she was at the time a resident of the squatter community at
the Nine Miles.
If this class of individuals, some who are homeless others who bounce it on a stall here or
there or in the park and others who are residents of the various squatter communities, are to
be helped to obtain housing of a given socially acceptable minimum standard, then the need
for social housing has to be addressed.
Social housing within the Jamaican context, requires the active involvement of the Church as
a community, rather than the involvement of a single denomination (the Catholic Church),
given the debt burden and financial demands facing the state.
The active participation of the Church as a community is however not possible nor not
feasible as long as the views which seek to justify homelessness, views which seek to justify
poverty and want continue to be strong pillars in the theology of more than many Church
leaders and members of the clerical elite. Here one should point out that the Jamaica Social
Development Fund with help from the World Bank and other such agencies, is so structured
and mandated to implement projects for the poorest of the poor and the poor, underserved
communities- social housing by all standards would fall within this framework; however
these projects must have a sponsoring agency, a body responsible for putting the project
proposal together, submitting the proposal and in the event of approval cover a fraction of the
costs, usually through sweat equity.
However the development of such proposals and the taking on of such responsibility are
outside of the ambit of the theology of Maintaining the pressure on Job. The idea of
soliciting the assistance of the penal system which has a real urgent need for Half-Way
houses where individuals such as Fire Dread could have found shelter at minimum or no cost,
get a meal a day and get some time to put his life in order, would be repulsive to the minds of
these members of the clerical elite-the Fire Dreads of this world must brought to their needs,
if not because of the Word then by the pressures and tribulations of life.

56

Images of social housing projects

Built / Spain, Barcelona Ciutat de la Justcia

by David Chipperfield Architects

Built / United Kingdom, London Golden Lane Estate

57

by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon

Built / Austria, Vienna Gasometer B

by Rainer Enk, Stefan Fussenegger, Friedrich Hhle, Stefan Hochstrasser, Ronald Kesmann, Georg Kohlmayr,
Martin Mostbck, Markus Pillhofer and Karolin Schmidbaur

Built / Italy, Milan Living In a Park

by mab architecture

58

Built / Netherlands, Zaandam De Salamander

by Loos Architects, Gert Jan van Ginneke, Pieter Hoogedorn, Joost Verheus, Holger Mhrmann, Ton Gillissen,
Wilmar Groenendijk, Mike Davis, Ralph Doggen, Katarina Vranova, Roger van Well and Julia Lang

59

Built / France, Paris Rue De Picpus Housing

by Emmanuel Combarel Dominique Marrec (ECDM)

Built / United States of America, Englewood Beckenham Road

by Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects

60

One of the most interesting characteristics that you notice once you get to the place is that despite
being in the middle of an urban building mass, you can find limited views of the fields and
meadows in the valley located in the higher part of the surrounding mountains. Our first aim was
to recover this double quality of the place, making the project urban and rural at the same time. It
was essential to model the rigid traditional urban block of seven different heights to end up
building a new volume of variable heights (three to seven stories), containing the complete
residential program required. The rest of the program (storage rooms, garage and facilities) was
designed in a common underground basement. We wanted the building to match the environment,
voids and cuttings which allowed the view of the mountains in the empty spaces between the
buildings, fragments of the Asturian landscape in the distance, enabling the sun and the air to
enter the inner space at the same time.
We proposed a return to the origins of the site. An inner world that takes us back to the fields that
could no longer be seen, an urban room with fragmented borders, attracting the inhabitants of
Mieres through its doors, open to the city. Opening the block was another of our priorities, and
we managed to avoid turning the interior space into a forgotten back area, making it the center of
the social meeting of its inhabitants as well as a place worth seeing. The day spaces of the
apartments face the plaza, hence generating activity in its surrounding facades.
The access was designed by breaking the block in two of its corners, creating diagonal space
tension. The entrance to the apartments passes through this intermediate space, activating it and
generating the necessary neighborhood relationship. The plaza was designed with a slight slope
that absorbs the natural inclination of the site and gently links all the levels of access and main
entrances. The landscaped green areas are slightly higher, containing the spaces for the exclusive
use of the ground floor apartments, separating them from the public circulation areas. The space
61

is built with concrete blocks of varying porosity, low concrete walls, which serve both as a plant
container and as a bench, and native grass and groups of bamboo plants.
The dual nature of the project results in a double material configuration. On the one hand the
urban face materializes in steel and brings back the more industrial and mining image of Mieres,
the former main economic engine of the city. Once inside the building we looked for a rural
reference, a return to nature and the origins of the site, the Asturian traditional porch, the use of
wood, which reminds us, through its vertical rhythms, of the forests of the nearby mountains.
The outer skin serves as facade and cover at the same time. It is built with panels of dark gray
steel corrugated sheets, and is treated as a protective shell and as a continuous rugged casing in
which the edges are rounded. The inside of the building has a double skin, a transparent one
formed by large windows that define the inner space of the apartments, and another one
composed of movable wooden shutters that characterize the terraces, allowing the user to control
solar radiation and have the necessary degree of privacy at all times.

-----------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------

South Wales Homes named in Top 50 UK Affordable

Housing Developments

Our Golwg y Dre development in Neath has been named as one of the top 50 UK Affordable Housing
Developments of 2013 having been pitted against 6,000 other UK based housing projects.
It is the only Welsh project to be recognised by Inside Housing, the UKs leading magazine for the
social housing sector.

62

Completed in 2012, the housing project includes 19 affordable homes for rent, built on a brownfield
site in Cimla, Neath. Partly funded by the Welsh Government through a Social Housing Grant, the
3.7 Million development was built to level 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, with the support of
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council in approving the grant funding allocation.
The properties were designed with a heavy focus on high sustainability and energy efficiency; all
homes were built with Supawall, an insulated timber frame system of local Neath-based Contractor
J.G Hale Construction, that reduces heat loss. Other energy saving features include energy efficient
lighting, rainwater harvesting and highly economical central heating systems. The properties achieved
100% energy improvement over the Building Regulations baseline and are just one level away from
being zero carbon.
Speaking of the accolade, Stuart Davies, Executive Director of Property Development & Management
says Gwalia is thrilled that Golwg y Dre has been acknowledged by Inside Housing Magazine as one
of the top 50 Affordable Housing Developments in the UK. The development has been a particularly
exciting one for the company, allowing us to learn more about the energy efficiency of the homes we
built and ensuring that carbon emissions and energy consumption are kept to a minimum.
Gwalia is also monitoring the continued energy efficiency of the homes, using a product called
Energy Lens to identify how much energy is being saved, and where it is being wasted, ensuring that
the energy bills of tenants can be kept as low as possible.
Joe Public blog

Reforms 'will stigmatise' social housing

Proposed changes in the localism bill threaten communities, says Abigail Davies

Proposals to make social

tenancies fixed term, when currently the offer is stay forever, will change the way people think about their homes and
communities. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

63

Abigail Davies
Monday 24 January 2011 14.14 GMT Last modified on Tuesday 20 May 2014 07.11 BST
In the shadow of last week's announcements about massive NHS reform, similarly large plans for reform of social housing
took another step towards becoming reality.
The housing minister, Grant Shapps, has identified problems with social housing in England, which he plans to tackle
through a range of legal and policy changes. He is right that there are problems high levels of worklessness; long waiting
lists; and limited mobility for existing tenants. But we shouldn't forget there are also many strengths quality property and
management; long-term landlords who invest in communities; and strong civic activism among tenants. And also rents which
in most places are well below the cost of renting or owning in the private market.
The housing profession is not as vocal as the medical and teaching professions, but it has made itself very clear in the face of
these changes. The message is: "Mr Shapps, we do want flexibility in the way we work, we are committed to a local focus
and accountability, we recognise the problems in our sector and we are not resistant to change. But your proposals risk
increasing stigma and weakening communities, and they could inadvertently undermine the availability or affordability of
housing."
A quick look at some proposals illustrates this concern.
Access to waiting lists will be limited to the most needy plus groups councils choose to add. This will reduce the number of
people on lists but it won't sort out the housing problems of excluded groups. It will also residualise social housing further,
filtering people with the most difficult lives into this tenure.
Proposals to make social tenancies fixed term, offering a minimum of two years when currently the offer is 'stay forever if
you like', will change the way people think about their homes and communities people invest more time and money in
property, friendships, and community activities if they see it as a long-term home. The housing profession is resistant to
proposals which turn social housing into welfare housing asking people to leave when their circumstances change is
anathema to people with a commitment to offering personal and community stability. We're not averse to changing the terms
of occupation, perhaps increasing the rent or offering conversion to shared ownership in fact this can be positive for
tenants as well as showing 'fairness' to the wider public. It's a shame this isn't included in the government's proposals.
There isn't space here to properly consider 'affordable rent' the government model for funding new social housing with
significantly reduced public investment. Suffice it to say that concerns about its 'affordability' and workability in different
housing markets abound.
The law will change so local authorities can discharge their duty to homeless people by finding them accommodation in the
private rented sector (PRS), even if they would rather wait for social housing (a choice they are currently able to make). In
principle this is helpful it reduces the cost of temporary accommodation, can settle people in a home faster, and takes
pressure off social housing. But making it work relies on the quality, availability and affordability of the PRS, a sector which
really needs better, more appropriate regulation which matches its growing importance as a housing choice It needs landlords
to let to benefit claimants after reforms to housing benefit are implemented; and local authorities to drive up standards, find
suitable landlords, and provide support, so tenancies work out. Again we can hear the grinding noises as government
funding, benefits, and housing policies fail to fit together.
There are also plans to prevent tenants from taking a complaint to the housing ombudsman unless they are 'sponsored' by an
MP, councillor, or tenant panel. The ombudsman has an excellent reputation and is an objective backstop when complaints
cannot be resolved in other ways. Adding gatekeepers to this service cannot be helpful or conducive to efficient and
transparent dispute resolution.
The localism bill is now at committee stage where there is a chance to change it for the better. The real challenge lies with
the housing profession though to make positive use of these powers where possible, and to resist pressure to use them in
ways which are detrimental to the communities the profession is working to support.
Abigail Davies is head of policy at the Chartered Institute of Housing

64

Housing body calls for right-to-buy crackdown

Chartered Institute of Housing says younger people and families are being priced out
of rural communities
Exempting rural communities from right-to-buy and cracking down on fraudulent purchases
are among measures that should be considered by the government to stem the loss of social
housing, the Chartered Institute of Housing said on Tuesday.
The group, which represents the property industry, said stopping the sell-off of council homes
in areas with a population of less than 3,000 would help younger people and families who are
being priced out of rural homes.
The Rural Affordable Housing commission has estimated that a minimum of 7,500 new
affordable homes need to be built each year in villages with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, but
in 2013 just 2,886 were completed.
Since right-to-buy discounts were increased in 2012 there has been a renewed interest from
buyers, but this has gone hand-in-hand with an increase in fraud.
In October, the Audit Commission reported that right to buy fraud cases had risen five-fold
between 2009-10 and 2013-14 and were now costing 12.3m a year.
The CIH said local authorities should be given longer to process applications and put
mandatory affordability checks in place to ensure that tenants who bought homes could keep
up with repayments. It said that there was anecdotal evidence from councils to suggest that
tenants who were reliant on a state pension and/or housing benefit were routinely able to
complete a purchase.
It added that banning people who already own another property and stopping applicants
including a third party (other than a joint tenant) on their mortgage application would help to
make sure the scheme is genuinely helping people to become homeowners, not allowing them
to become private landlords or to pass the property on to relatives.

65

Gavin Smart of the CIH said: Many rural communities are already at risk of becoming home
only to wealthy or older people, with young people and people on lower incomes priced out.
Exempting these communities from right-to-buy would help stem the loss of vital affordable
housing. And when homes are sold under right-to-buy, we need to make sure they are going
to people who have a right to benefit.
The proposals are outlined in the CIHs budget submission, which also recommends a 100m
fund to support vulnerable tenants and the removal of stamp duty for older homeowners
receiving pension credit who choose to downsize to smaller properties.

Published: 24 Feb 2015 126

N.J. halfway houses see 5,100 escapes since 2005, report says
By The Associated Press The Associated Press
on June 16, 2012 at 8:21 PM, updated June 17, 2012 at 9:26 AM
Reddit

Email

Noah K. Murray/The Star-LedgerInterior of a resident dorm at the Garrett halfway house in Camden
in this 2001 file photo. Roughly 5,100 inmates have escaped from New Jersey's privately run halfway
houses, not pictured, since 2005, the New York Times reported.
TRENTON Lack of state oversight has led to numerous escapes and other widespread problems at
New Jersey's halfway houses, The New York Times reports.
During its 10-month investigation, the newspaper reported Saturday, it found New Jersey's halfway
houses have "mutated into a shadow corrections network," where drugs, gang activity and violence
often go unchecked.
66

Roughly 5,100 inmates have escaped from the state's privately run halfway houses since 2005, the
newspaper reported. By contrast, the state's prisons had three escapes in 2010 and none in the first
nine months of 2011, the last period for which the state provided figures.
State Comptroller Matthew Boxer released an audit last year that found that many halfway houses had
lax security and state inspections were lenient, if done at all.
The Christie administration also commissioned a three-year study on whether the halfway house
system helps inmates, and established a task force to coordinate a state effort to help inmates as they
leave prisons.
Overall, New Jersey has about 3,500 beds in about two dozen halfway houses. The halfway house
population includes people serving time for murder, armed robbery, assault, and weapons possession
and the proportion of violent offenders in halfway houses is rising.
Community Education Centers, whose efforts have been championed by Christie, runs six large reentry centers, with a total of 1,900 beds for state inmates and parolees, along with others for county
and federal inmates. Robert Mackey, a senior vice president at Community Education, said the
company has excellent security and tries to prevent escapes by providing therapy and other services to
discourage inmates from leaving.

Despite Demand, Halfway Houses

Struggle to Provide Care

by Edgar Walters

June 6, 2014

1Comment

Enlargecredit: Michael Stravato

67

At the Hand Up, a halfway house in Houston, former inmates have more freedom to look for jobs
than at state-chartered facilities, but few can afford the rent.
When Terry Pelz, a former warden with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, testified against a
prison gang leader, Mark Fronckiewicz, in the 1993 capital murder trial of a fellow inmate, he had
choice words for him.
At his best, Pelz said, Fronckiewicz was a true convict. At his worst, he was a little turd.
Decades later, after an appeals court overturned Fronckiewiczs death sentence and he was paroled,
the men became friends. The former inmate, who had found work as a paralegal and become a fierce
advocate for prisoner rehabilitation, had started the Hand Up, a for-profit halfway house for
former convicts. It was really a turnaround, Pelz said.
Fronckiewicz died last month at a time when the transition program in southeast Houston is facing
eviction after missing a rent payment.
While demand for transitional housing is high, few former offenders can afford the $550 a month they
must pay for rent, meals and utilities, said Sheila Jarboe-Lickteig, who co-founded the program last
year with Fronckiewicz, her husband. Advocates for prisoner rights say the conundrum is typical. Few
of the thousands of offenders released by the Texas prison system each year are able to find steady
jobs or stable housing, both of which help prevent recidivism. Roughly a quarter of them are back in
prison within three years, according to criminal justice department data.
The state has contracts with seven halfway houses to offer subsidized housing to about 1,800 former
inmates upon their release. Last year alone, about 72,000 people were released from state prisons.
"It's a problem," said Jorge Renaud, a policy analyst for the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. There
is nowhere near the amount of transitional housing that we need.
Jason Clark, a spokesman with the criminal justice department, said the agency is working to secure
additional halfway house beds, but demand remains higher than the beds that are available. Priority
is given to those who need closer supervision and special services or who lack family and
community resources, he said.
For many inmates, the private market is not an easy option.
At the Hand Up, roughly half of the 32 available beds are empty despite dozens of applicants, because
youve got to be able to pay the rent, Jarboe-Lickteig said. "You've got the people that are coming
out of prison that can pay," she added, "and you've got those that cannot pay. There are a lot more who
cannot pay."
Even with the high vacancy rate, she said, the house is full of success stories.

68

Enlargephoto by: Michael Stravato

Sheila Jarboe-Lickteig, the owner of the Hand Up, checks in on former inmates in the dining
room.
The atmosphere is in some ways reminiscent of a college dormitory. On a recent visit, pairs of
roommates traded gossip and smoked cigarettes in front of a television in the dining room. Others
trickled in after work at maintenance or construction jobs. Several praised the skills of the man on
cooking duty that week, a convicted murderer who identified himself as Wild Bill.
Residents at the Hand Up are afforded more freedom of movement than at state facilities, which
they say makes it easier for them to find work and transition into life outside prison.
Monitoring parolees can be thorny. After reports in April that hundreds of residents had fled the
states largest contracted halfway house, State Senator John Whitmire, Democrat of Houston and
chairman of the Senate's Criminal Justice Committee, called for more security there.
Jason Gehm, a 32-year-old at the Hand Up who spent 18 months in prison on a burglary charge,
was discharged to a state-chartered halfway house in Fort Worth, but he said restrictions there
made it basically impossible to find a job. When he came to the Hand Up, Fronckiewicz helped
him prepare a rsum that landed him a construction job.
Friends of Fronckiewicz said he viewed his work at the Hand Up as a way to make a case against
the death penalty.
These are compelling examples of people who really try to change their lives around and do
good for society, said David Atwood, founder of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty.
Jarboe-Lickteig said the work was emotionally transformative, if financially uncertain.
Ive found a lot more compassion for people that I thought I didnt have, she said.

69

Hunger In The City Of Kingston

Restaurants For The Poor-Soup Kitchens

It is the view the observer that Restaurants For The Poor Soup Kitchens could play a critical role in
reaching those who are currently unserved by the meal programs provided by the Roman Catholic
Church, The Salvation Army, among others, programs which targets the insane and visible destitute
who are out on the roads, however which ignore large segments of the working poor, the unemployed,
the retired and or aged and pensionless, the children of the poor among other segments of the
population. One of the challenges which exist, is that of explaining to those with influence that
Restaurants For The Poor-Soup Kitchens do not make a country poor and will not make Jamaica
poor but rather accepting the fact that the Jamaican society and in particular the City of Kingston is
not able to meet the economic needs of all its inhabitants and thus there is a need to assist those who
have fell through the cracks.
Secondly it is coming to the understanding that Restaurants For The Poor-Soup Kitchens would be of
tremendous benefits to the micro and small employers, who are unable to pay a living wage but are
able to help the young worker, the unskilled and or the self-employed a bit along the way to personal
economic and social fulfilment even as it reduces the pressures facing members of the Church, many
of whom have to deal with the economic pressures of others on a Saturday or Sundays rather than
dedicate themselves to worship and relaxation.
This segment encourages the Church and its leadership to pick up its cross and to recognize that in
economic situations such as the country is in at the present moment, the state and government will fail
if not collapse if it alone is carry all the burdens of the country and its people. It calls on the Church
and its leadership to recognize that its human resources potential, its technical capabilities, the size of
its membership, its span of influence and organizational strength are unparalleled in this country. A
person or group of persons should not have to beat the Church and its leadership to step up to the plate
and fulfil its responsibilities.

70

The clippings below start from the scientific and goes to the general and shows how other religious
bodies elsewhere have sought to address the problem of urban hunger and declining real standards of
living.

Soup Kitchen In Public Health System Reference

Food Insecurity and Effectiveness of Behavioral

Interventions to Reduce Blood Pressure, New
York City, 20122013
Stephanie A. Grilo, BA, Amanda J. Shallcross, ND, Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, Taiye Odedosu,
MD, Natalie Levy, MD, Susan Lehrer, RN, William Chaplin, PhD, and Tanya M. Spruill,
PhD
Author information Copyright and License information
Go to:

Abstract
Introduction

Food insecurity is associated with diet-sensitive diseases and may be a barrier to successful
chronic disease self-management. To evaluate the impact of food insecurity on blood pressure
reduction in a pilot clinical trial, we tested the effectiveness of 2 behavioral interventions for
hypertension in people with and without food security.

Methods
A group of 28 men and women with type 2 diabetes and uncontrolled hypertension were
randomized to either 1) home blood pressure telemonitoring alone or 2) home blood pressure
telemonitoring plus telephone-based nurse case management. The primary outcome was 6month change in systolic blood pressure.

Results

71

The 2 interventions resulted in modest, nonsignificant blood pressure reductions. Food-secure

patients experienced clinically and statistically significant reductions in blood pressure,
whereas no significant change was seen among food-insecure patients.

Conclusion
Screening for food insecurity may help identify patients in need of tailored disease
management interventions.
Introduction

Food insecurity affects 14.9% of American households, and rates are approaching 25%
among black and Hispanic households (1). The US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
definition of food insecurity is having limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally
adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially
acceptable ways (1). Nutritionally poor foods are often less expensive than healthful foods
(2,3), and food insecurity is associated with poor diet quality (46) and diet-sensitive
diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia (712). Food insecurity has
also been associated with other behavioral factors related to chronic disease self-management
(10,11,13) and poor disease control (1316). On the basis of these findings, we propose that
food-insecure patients may be less likely to benefit from behavioral interventions designed to
improve chronic disease outcomes, but to our knowledge this relationship has not been tested.
Our study examined the impact of food insecurity on blood pressure (BP) reduction in a pilot
study examining the comparative effectiveness of 2 hypertension self-management strategies
in an urban sample of low-income black and Hispanic patients. We tested the hypothesis that
the interventions would be less effective in reducing BP over 6 months among patients who
were food-insecure versus food-secure.
Methods

Participants and procedures

Participants were 28 English- or Spanish-speaking men and women with uncontrolled
hypertension and comorbid type 2 diabetes. Patients were recruited from the Ambulatory
Care Clinic at Bellevue Hospital in New York City via flyers, face-to-face recruitment, and
physician referral. Inclusion criteria were as follows: 18 years of age or older, diagnosis of
type 2 diabetes (confirmed in the electronic health record [EHR]), received care at the
practice for at least 6 months, uncontrolled hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure
(SBP) 140 mm Hg or higher and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 90 mm Hg or higher on at
least 2 previous visits in the previous year and at study screening), and proficiency in either
English or Spanish. Exclusion criteria were screening BP 180/110 mm Hg or higher,
cognitive dysfunction or psychiatric comorbidity, pregnancy, concurrent participation in
another clinical trial, or being deemed unable to comply with study protocol (ie, unwilling or
unable to follow the home BP monitoring protocol or participate in telephone sessions).
Patients who were interested and eligible provided written informed consent and completed
baseline assessments, including self-report questionnaires and measurement of height,
weight, and BP. The average of 3 BP readings taken with a validated automated device
(Watch BP Office, Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc) was recorded. Participants were
72

randomly assigned to either 1) home BP telemonitoring (HBPTM) alone; or 2) home BP

telemonitoring plus nurse case management (HBPTM+NCM). Participants assigned to either
group completed follow-up assessments at 3 and 6 months, at which time BP measurement
was repeated. Participants received $10 for completion of the 3-month visit and $15 for
completion of the 6-month visit.

Study interventions
Home BP telemonitoring (HBPTM)

Participants received a validated home BP monitoring device (Stabil-O-Graph mobil) and

were trained by a research assistant in its use. They were instructed to take BP readings in the
morning and evening at least 3 days per week during the 6-month intervention. Readings
were wirelessly transmitted to a secure central server, and reports were sent to patients
physicians via secure email before scheduled appointments. For safety measures, the
monitors were preprogrammed with BP alarm values, which, when triggered, activated an
email to the research staff or nurse case manager, depending on the participants study group,
prompting follow-up with the patient. Participants assigned to home telemonitoring received
publicly available educational materials regarding management of hypertension and diabetes
and were encouraged to follow the clinical guidelines described in the materials. They also
completed a single 30-minute telephone session with a nurse case manager within 2 weeks of
randomization and delivery of the blood pressure telemonitoring device to their home.
Home BP telemonitoring plus nurse case management (NCM+HBPTM)

The combined intervention supplements the home blood pressure telemonitoring protocol
with patient self-management support from a nurse case manager. The intervention tested in
this study was the HouseCalls telehealth program, which is integrated into the New York City
Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) system as part of its home care program. The
intervention is delivered by HHC nurses who have real-time access to patients EHRs and are
in communication with their providers.
Within 2 weeks of randomization and delivery of the home telemonitoring device, a nurse
case manager contacted patients to make sure they were comfortable using the device and to
initiate the planned schedule of counseling telephone calls: weekly for months 1 and 2,
biweekly for month 3, and monthly for months 4 through 6. The nurse case manager had
access to the patients home BP data via a secure website, where the readings are displayed in
easy-to-read charts and figures that highlight the control rate for each week. This information
was used by the nurse case manager as a basis for counseling sessions with the patient. The
patients physician(s) received home BP reports via secure email before every scheduled
appointment for the duration of the study.
During scheduled telephone sessions, HouseCalls nurse case managers provide selfmanagement education and medication and appointment reminders, and they facilitate
patientprovider communication. They also create individually tailored goals in collaboration
with each participant. Target behaviors may include dietary changes, physical activity, weight
73

loss, smoking cessation, stress reduction, self-monitoring of blood glucose and BP, and
medication adherence. The nurse case managers assess patients barriers to behavior change
and use problem-solving and motivational interviewing techniques to support behavior
change efforts. At the end of each counseling session, the nurse case managers record the
notes of each encounter in the patients EHR and communicate with the patients physician if
needed (eg, regarding medication side effects or the need for appointments or medication
refills). Calls are 15 to 45 minutes long depending on the needs of the patient.
Assessment of food insecurity

Participants completed the 6-item USDA food security short form at baseline (17,18). Sample
items are The food that (I/we) bought just didnt last, and (I/we) didnt have money to get
more; (I/we) couldnt afford to eat balanced meals; and Were you ever hungry but didnt
eat because there wasnt enough money for food? Items were rated for the previous 12
months using several response scales. Responses of often or sometimes; yes; and
almost every month or some months but not every month were coded as affirmative, and
the sum of affirmative responses yielded the scale score (06). A score of 0 or 1 indicates
high or marginal food security, 2 to 4 indicates low food security, and 5 to 6 indicates very
low food security. We used a score of 2 or more to define food insecurity (18).
Statistical analysis

Because the primary hypothesis was tested in the context of a randomized trial, linear
multilevel repeated-measures regression analyses were first performed to generate estimates
of SBP change from baseline to 6 months between intervention arms (Group Time
interaction). All participants were included in this intent-to-treat analysis, and missing data
were handled by using full-information maximum likelihood estimates. Following this
analysis, we tested the hypothesis that food insecurity would be associated with smaller
reductions in BP (Food Insecurity Time interaction). After performing an unadjusted
analysis, we also examined the association between food insecurity and SBP change after
adjusting for a set of relevant covariates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, total family income adjusted
for household size, education, body mass index, and antihypertensive medication use).
Analyses were performed with SPSS version 20 (IBM Corp).
Results

Sample characteristics show that this sample was racially/ethnically diverse, with low
socioeconomic position (Table 1). This result was expected, given the patient population
served by Bellevue Hospital. Hispanic participants were more likely than black participants
to be food insecure (P = .04); no other demographic or baseline characteristics were related to
food security status. Of the 28 enrolled participants, 23 (82%) completed the 6-month visit.
The primary reasons for dropout were family or housing issues and leaving the area. Dropout
was not associated with intervention arm, food security status, or baseline BP (P values > .
80). Regarding adherence to the interventions, no significant differences were seen between
food-secure and food-insecure participants in the number of home BP readings transmitted
(17.8 vs 18.8, P = .80) or in the number of telephone sessions completed among those in the
HBPTM+NCM group (8.2 vs 9.3, P = .68).

74

Table 1
Demographic and Baseline Characteristics of a Sample of Patients With
Type 2 Diabetes and Uncontrolled Hypertension (N = 28), New York City,
20122013

The intent-to-treat analysis showed a nonsignificant reduction in SBP of 2.7 mm Hg from

baseline to 6 months across both intervention arms (main effect of Time). The Group Time
interaction was not significant, indicating no difference in the efficacy of the 2 interventions.
The analysis of the primary hypothesis indicated a significant Food Insecurity Time
interaction. Simple slope analyses (19) showed that the interventions significantly decreased
SBP among food-secure participants (b = 0.77, t = 4.35, P < .001) but had no significant
impact on SBP among food-insecure participants (b = 0.25, t = 1.52, P = .14). Overall, the
estimated drop in SBP over the course of the intervention (adjusting for the set of covariates)
among food-secure participants was 9.2 mm Hg, whereas SBP increased by 3.1 mm Hg
among food-insecure participants (Figure). In each of the analyses, results were not
substantially different in magnitude or significance after adjustment for intervention arm, age,
sex, race/ethnicity, family income, education, body mass index, and antihypertensive
medication use (Table 2).

Figure
Food Insecurity Time interaction effect on systolic blood pressure (SBP) among 28 patients
with uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes receiving telemonitoring interventions for BP
reduction, New York City, 20122013. Values depict unadjusted ...

Table 2

75

Unstandardized Regression Coefficients Representing Effects on

Systolic Blood Pressure (mm Hg/week)a
Discussion

The 2 hypertension self-management interventions resulted in modest, nonsignificant BP

reductions in this sample of urban, minority, low-income patients. There was no significant
difference between the interventions. As hypothesized, food security status was a moderator
of intervention effects: food-secure patients experienced clinically and statistically significant
reductions in BP while there was no significant change among food-insecure patients. The
results held when adjusting for income, suggesting that food insecurity is associated with
negative outcomes above and beyond this related risk factor.
These findings contribute to the growing literature demonstrating poorer health outcomes in
food-insecure versus food-secure individuals (714). Results of this study suggest that
hypertension self-management interventions based on traditional behavioral
recommendations are unlikely to improve BP in food-insecure patients. The negative impact
of food insecurity may reflect limitations on these patients ability to follow dietary
recommendations (46), which were included in both interventions. Racial/ethnic minority
patients experiencing food insecurity may be at particularly high risk for negative outcomes
given poorer health literacy and cultural beliefs that may further influence negative food
choices. However, detailed dietary data were not collected in this pilot study, so these
hypotheses could not be tested.
We did conduct exploratory analyses of several potential factors that might help to explain
the observed differences in BP change over time between patients with and without food
security. We found no significant differences in self-reported medication adherence based on
the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (20) or health insurance coverage, though
we did not have data specifically regarding prescription drug coverage. We also did not
collect data on health literacy (21), a potentially relevant factor in this patient sample, or on
psychological stress, which affects BP and is part of a proposed model of the cycle of food
insecurity and chronic disease (9,2224).
In addition to the lack of data concerning possible explanatory factors, the small sample size
is a limitation that precludes generalizations. Another limitation is the 1-time assessment of
food insecurity, given that food security status varies over time, both within a month and over
longer periods of time (25). The duration and pattern of exposure to food insecurity may be a
predictor of the associated health consequences. We hope in the future to build on the
findings from this pilot study by conducting more detailed analyses of the effects of food
insecurity, which will inform the need for tailoring interventions in terms of approach and
content.
Although preliminary, results of this pilot study suggest that food insecurity may be a novel
intervention target for patients with hypertension and other diet-sensitive chronic diseases. In
2012, 59% of food-insecure households participated in at least 1 of the 3 largest federal food
and nutrition assistance programs (1). Increasing use of available resources may be a useful
approach to helping food-insecure patients overcome barriers to adopting healthful behaviors.
The development of innovative, tailored strategies to help food-insecure people follow
dietary recommendations is an area for future research that will improve disease selfmanagement efforts and health outcomes in this vulnerable population.
76

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Alex Sierra and Oluchi Iheagwara for their assistance with this study.
Funding for this study was provided by K24HL111315 (Ogedegbe).
Footnotes

The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions.
Suggested citation for this article: Grilo SA, Shallcross AJ, Ogedegbe G, Odedosu T, Levy N,
Lehrer S, et al. Food Insecurity and Effectiveness of Behavioral Interventions to Reduce
Blood Pressure, New York City, 20122013. Prev Chronic Dis 2015;12:140368. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.140368.
References

1. Coleman-Jensen A, Nord M, Singh A. Household food security in the United States in

2012. US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Report No. (ERR-155),
September 2013. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-researchreport/err155.aspx. Accessed January 6, 2014.
2. Kupillas LM, Nies MA. Obesity and poverty: are food stamps to blame? Home Health
Care Manag Pract 2007;20(1):419 10.1177/1084822307304952 [Cross Ref]
3. Drewnowski A, Specter SE. Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy
costs. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79(1):616. [PubMed]
4. Dixon LB, Winkleby MA, Radimer KL. Dietary intakes and serum nutrients differ between
adults from food-insufficient and food-sufficient families: Third National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey, 19881994. J Nutr 2001;131(4):123246. [PubMed]
5. Rose D, Oliveira V. Nutrient intakes of individuals from food-insufficient households in
the United States. Am J Public Health 1997;87(12):195661. 10.2105/AJPH.87.12.1956
[PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
6. Kendall A, Olson CM, Frongillo EA Jr. Relationship of hunger and food insecurity to food
availability and consumption. J Am Diet Assoc 1996;96(10):101924, quiz 10256.
10.1016/S0002-8223(96)00271-4 [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
7. Seligman HK, Laraia BA, Kushel MB. Food insecurity is associated with chronic disease
among low-income NHANES participants. J Nutr 2010;140(2):30410.
10.3945/jn.109.112573 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
8. Seligman HK, Bindman AB, Vittinghoff E, Kanaya AM, Kushel MB. Food insecurity is
associated with diabetes mellitus: results from the National Health Examination and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES) 19992002. J Gen Intern Med 2007;22(7):101823.
10.1007/s11606-007-0192-6 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
9. Gucciardi E, Vogt JA, DeMelo M, Stewart DE. Exploration of the relationship between
household food insecurity and diabetes in Canada. Diabetes Care 2009;32(12):221824.
10.2337/dc09-0823 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
10. Fitzgerald N, Hromi-Fiedler A, Segura-Prez S, Prez-Escamilla R. Food insecurity is
related to increased risk of type 2 diabetes among Latinas. Ethn Dis 2011;21(3):32834.
[PMC free article] [PubMed]
11. Holben DH, Pheley AM. Diabetes risk and obesity in food-insecure households in rural
Appalachian Ohio. Prev Chronic Dis 2006;3(3):A82. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
77

12. Tayie FA, Zizza CA. Food insecurity and dyslipidemia among adults in the United States.
Prev Med 2009;48(5):4805. 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.03.003 [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
13. Seligman HK, Davis TC, Schillinger D, Wolf MS. Food insecurity is associated with
hypoglycemia and poor diabetes self-management in a low-income sample with diabetes. J
Health Care Poor Underserved 2010;21(4):122733. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
14. Seligman HK, Jacobs EA, Lpez A, Tschann J, Fernandez A. Food insecurity and
glycemic control among low-income patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care
2012;35(2):2338. 10.2337/dc11-1627 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
15. Berkowitz SA, Baggett TP, Wexler DJ, Huskey KW, Wee CC. Food insecurity and
metabolic control among U.S. adults with diabetes. Diabetes Care 2013;36(10):30939.
10.2337/dc13-0570 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
16. Berkowitz SA, Gao X, Tucker KL. Food-insecure dietary patterns are associated with
poor longitudinal glycemic control in diabetes: results from the Boston Puerto Rican Health
study. Diabetes Care 2014;37(9):258792. 10.2337/dc14-0753 [PMC free article] [PubMed]
[Cross Ref]
17. Bickel G, Nord M, Price C, Hamilton W, Cook J. Guide to measuring household food
security, revised 2000. Alexandria (VA): US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
Service; March 2000.
18. Blumberg SJ, Bialostosky K, Hamilton WL, Briefel RR. The effectiveness of a short form
of the Household Food Security Scale. Am J Public Health 1999;89(8):12314.
10.2105/AJPH.89.8.1231 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
19. Aiken LS, West SG. Multiple regression: testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury
Park (CA): Sage, 1991.
20. Morisky DE, Ang A, Krousel-Wood M, Ward HJ. Predictive validity of a medication
adherence measure in an outpatient setting. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2008;10(5):348
54. 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2008.07572.x [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
21. Pandit AU, Tang JW, Bailey SC, Davis TC, Bocchini MV, Persell SD, et al. Education,
literacy, and health: Mediating effects on hypertension knowledge and control. Patient Educ
Couns 2009;75(3):3815. 10.1016/j.pec.2009.04.006 [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
22. Carter KN, Kruse K, Blakely T, Collings S. The association of food security with
psychological distress in New Zealand and any gender differences. Soc Sci Med
2011;72(9):146371. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.03.009 [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
23. Liu Y, Njai RS, Greenlund KJ, Chapman DP, Croft JB. Relationships between housing
and food insecurity, frequent mental distress, and insufficient sleep among adults in 12 US
states, 2009. Prev Chronic Dis 2014;11:130334. 10.5888/pcd11.130334 [PMC free article]
[PubMed] [Cross Ref]
24. Seligman HK, Schillinger D. Hunger and socioeconomic disparities in chronic disease. N
Engl J Med 2010;363(1):69. 10.1056/NEJMp1000072 [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
25. Thompson FE, Taren DL, Andersen E, Casella G, Lambert JK, Campbell CC, et al.
Within month variability in use of soup kitchens in New York State. Am J Public Health
1988;78(10):1298301. 10.2105/AJPH.78.10.1298 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
Articles from Preventing Chronic Disease are provided here courtesy of Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention

78

Food Insecurity is Associated with Diabetes Mellitus: Results

from the National Health Examination and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES) 19992002
Hilary K. Seligman, MD, MAS, 1,3 Andrew B. Bindman, MD,1,2 Eric Vittinghoff, PhD,2 Alka
M. Kanaya, MD,1,2 and Margot B. Kushel, MD1
Author information Article notes Copyright and License information
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Go to:
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Food insecurity refers to limited or uncertain access to food resulting from inadequate
financial resources. There is a clear association between food insecurity and obesity among
women, but little is known about the relationship between food insecurity and type 2
diabetes.
OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether there is an independent association between food insecurity and diabetes.
DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis of the nationally representative, population-based National Health

and Nutrition Examination Survey (19992002 waves).
PARTICIPANTS

Four thousand four hundred twenty-three adults >20 years of age with household incomes
300% of the federal poverty level.
MEASUREMENTS

We categorized respondents as food secure, mildly food insecure, or severely food insecure
using a well-validated food insecurity scale. Diabetes was determined by self-report or a
fasting serum glucose 126 mg/dl.

RESULTS

Diabetes prevalence in the food secure, mildly food insecure, and severely food insecure
categories was 11.7%, 10.0%, and 16.1%. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and
physical activity level, participants with severe food insecurity were more likely to have
diabetes than those without food insecurity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.1, 95% CI 1.14.0,
p=.02). This association persisted after further adjusting for body mass index (AOR 2.2,
95% CI 1.23.9, p=.01).

79

CONCLUSIONS

Food insecurity may act as a risk factor for diabetes. Among adults with food insecurity,
increased consumption of inexpensive food alternatives, which are often calorically dense
and nutritionally poor, may play a role in this relationship. Future work should address how
primary care clinicians can most effectively assist patients with food insecurity to make
healthy dietary changes.
KEY WORDS: diabetes mellitus type 2, hunger, poverty, obesity, NHANES
INTRODUCTION

Households are food insecure when access to nutritionally adequate and safe foods is limited,
uncertain, or dependent on emergency food supplies, scavenging, or stealing.1,2 In the United
States, food insecurity is primarily caused by a lack of financial resources. Rates of food
insecurity in the United States have been rising since 1999.3,4 In 2004, almost 40 million
people (12% of the population) lived in households experiencing food insecurity.3 Eleven
million people lived in households experiencing the most severe form of food insecurity, food
insecurity with hunger.3
Common household responses to inadequacies in food supplies and food budgets include
anxiety about food insufficiency, food budget adjustments, alterations in the types of food
served, and reduced food intake.1 With severe food insecurity, individuals miss meals or
report hunger because of the inability to afford food.2
Among women in the United States, mildbut not severefood insecurity is associated with
weight gain and obesity. This obesityhunger paradox may be driven by changes in dietary
intake in response to food insecurity.5 Cheaper food alternatives, such as refined grains, added
sugars, and added fats tend to be nutritionally poor but calorically dense.6 With mild food
insecurity, daily caloric needs are maintained, and often exceeded, by these substitutions.5
With severe food insecurity, similar food substitutions may occur, but caloric requirements
are less likely to be met.
Obesity and weight gain are strong risk factors for type 2 diabetes; for every kilogram
increase in weight, the risk of diabetes increases 4.5%.7 Although there are clear associations
among food insecurity, dietary consumption, weight gain, and obesity,8,9 little is known about
the relationship between food insecurity and diabetes.
Using a nationally representative sample, this paper explores whether a relationship exists
between food insecurity and diabetes and whether such a relationship is independent of
obesity. We evaluate risk of diabetes according to level of food insecurity (mild vs. severe)
because the food insecurityobesity relationship differs by level of food insecurity.
METHODS
Sample

We combined data from the 19992000 and 20012002 waves of the National Health
Examination and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). NHANES is a cross-sectional,
nationally representative survey of the non-institutionalized U.S. civilian population
80

administered by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).10 Details of recruitment
and study procedures have been previously published.11 We excluded participants under
20 years of age because our outcome of interest was type 2 diabetes and pregnant women to
increase the accuracy of the body mass index (BMI) measurement. Because food insecurity in
the United States affects predominantly the poor, we restricted the analysis to individuals
reporting a household income 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL).
Independent Variable

The core food-security module used in NHANES is a well-validated questionnaire developed

by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to measure the presence of food
insecurity at the household level.1 This standard survey has been used in a number of large,
population-based surveys.1214 It includes 18 items, 10 of which refer to adults in the
household and 8 of which refer to children.
We used responses to only those 10 items referring to adults. These questions address anxiety
that the household food budget or food supply may be insufficient to meet basic needs, the
experience of running out of food without money to obtain more, perceptions that food is
inadequate in quality or quantity, adjustments to normal food use (such as substituting fewer
and cheaper foods than usual), reduced food intake, the physical sensation of hunger, and
weight loss.1
The standard scale for adults is used to create a 4-level categorical variable: 02, 35, 68, or
910 affirmative responses.1 Because few NHANES participants reported having the most
severe level of food insecurity, NCHS made 2 changes to the standard scale; they collapsed
the 2 most severe levels of food insecurity into a single category and created a new category
of marginal food insecurity (12 affirmative responses). Thus, data are released from NCHS
with the following categories: 0, 12, 35, or 610 affirmative responses. Given these
constraints, we maintained an adequate sample size for the analysis and simplified
presentation of our results by reporting food security (0 affirmative responses), mild food
insecurity (15 affirmative responses), and severe food insecurity (610 affirmative
responses).

Dependent Variables

We examined body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and diabetes as dependent
variables. We calculated BMI as measured weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of
measured height (in meters). We analyzed BMI as both a continuous and dichotomous
variable (BMI < 30 vs BMI 30 kg/m2, corresponding to the standard definition of obesity15).
Whereas BMI is a good measure of overall adiposity, waist circumference may more
accurately reflect visceral adiposity.16 We also evaluated waist circumference as a dependent
variable because visceral adiposity may be a stronger predictor of diabetes than overall
adiposity.17,18
Our primary outcome of interest was diabetes. Diabetes was defined for most participants by
a self-reported diagnosis of diabetes. The specificity of a self-reported diabetes diagnosis is as
high as 97%.1921 There is significant variability in the sensitivity of a self-reported diagnosis
81

of diabetes.20,21 To investigate the sensitivity in our sample, we determined that of the 2,214
patients who had a fasting serum glucose measured, 92 had a value 126 mg/dL but did not
report having diabetes. For the statistical analysis, we also considered these patients to have
diabetes to reduce the misclassification rate.
We did not consider patients to have diabetes if they were likely to have a diagnosis of type 1
diabetes. Using the method of Koopman et al, we excluded from the diabetes group
participants who reported a diabetes diagnosis before the age of 30 years and treatment with
insulin.22 Ninety-two percent of NHANES participants identified as having type 2 diabetes by
this method have a C-peptide level 0.50 nmol/L (consistent with a diagnosis of type 2, rather
than type 1, diabetes).22
Statistical Analysis

All results, except where indicated, are weighted to represent the US population. We used the
complex survey commands in Stata 9.2 (College Station, TX) to obtain weighted estimates,
standard errors, and p values which correctly reflect the stratification and clustering of
observations induced by the complex survey design. We used either the mobile examination
center or interview weights provided by the NCHS, as appropriate; both reflect differential
sampling probabilities and non-response.11 We compared differences in baseline
characteristics using the design-based F statistic (equivalent to a chi-squared or t test adjusted
for the complex survey design). We used linear or logistic regression, as appropriate, to assess
the association of food insecurity with BMI, waist circumference, obesity, and diabetes. We
present results stratified by gender for the BMI, waist circumference, and obesity outcomes
because of gender-related differences in observed associations.
Our covariates included sociodemographic factors known to be associated with diabetes: age,
race/ethnicity (self-reported non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or
other/multiple), parity (women only; 0, 12, 35, or 6+ live births), household income, family
history of diabetes in a sibling or parent, educational attainment (less than high school, high
school degree, or more than high school degree), and level of physical activity. We defined
household income using a 6-level income/poverty ratio (050% of the federal poverty level,
50.1100%, 100.1130%, 130.1200%, or 200.1300%). We used as covariates 3 questions
assessing occupational, vigorous leisure-time, and moderate leisure-time physical activity.
The occupational leisure-time question asked people to describe their usual daily activities
as sitting and not walking around very much, standing a lot but not having to carry or lift
things very often, having to lift light loads or climb stairs or hills often, or having to do heavy
work or carry heavy loads. The leisure-time physical activity questions asked participants
whether they had done vigorous (causing heavy sweating or large increases in breathing or
heart rate) or moderate (causing light sweating or a slight to moderate increase in breathing or
heart rate) physical activity during leisure-time exercise, sports, or physically active hobbies
during the last 30 days.
NHANES includes a detailed 24-hour dietary recall. Information from the recall is used to
estimate total nutrient intake using the University of Texas Food Intake Analysis System and
the USDA Food and Nutrition Database for Dietary Studies.23 We compared differences in
estimated total daily caloric and carbohydrate intake using a design-based F statistic. In a
sensitivity analysis, we included daily caloric and carbohydrate intake in the full model
evaluating the association between food insecurity and diabetes to determine whether dietary
intake mediated observed relationships.
82

To maintain a consistent sample throughout the analysis, we included only individuals for
whom we had complete information about household food insecurity, BMI, waist
circumference, and diagnosis of diabetes. We also performed a sensitivity analysis evaluating
the association between food insecurity and diabetes among all participants for whom we had
information about these 2 variables (n=2,649 females and 2,497 males), without excluding
individuals lacking a BMI or waist circumference measurement. Results were similar to our
primary analysis.
RESULTS

NHANES 19992000 and 20012002 included 2,690 nonpregnant women and 2,532 men
aged 20 years or older with a household income 300% of the FPL. We excluded those
participants for whom we were unable to determine their level of food insecurity (n=72),
BMI (n=640), waist circumference (n=641), or diabetes diagnosis (n =4). These exclusions
left a total sample size of 4,423 participants, of whom 413 in the food secure category had
diabetes, 134 in the mild food insecurity category had diabetes, and 47 in the severe food
insecurity category had diabetes. Overall, food insecure individuals were younger, more
likely to be from a racial or ethnic minority group, were poorer, and had achieved less
educational attainment than food secure individuals (Table 1).

Table 1
Baseline Characteristics of Eligible National Health Examination and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) 19992002 Participants (n=4,423)
After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, parity, income, educational attainment, and physical
activity, women with mild food insecurity had higher obesity rates, mean BMI, and mean
waist circumference than either food secure or severely food insecure women, whose values
were similar to one another (Table 2). For an average-height woman in the United States
(162 cm),24 the greater BMI among mildly food insecure women compared with food secure
women (=2.0 kg/m2) is equivalent to a weight difference of 5.2 kg. We did not observe a
relationship between food insecurity and obesity among men. Unadjusted results were similar
to adjusted results for both women and men.

Table 2
83

Adjusted Association Between Food Insecurity and Obesity Among Women and Men in the
United States
The estimated prevalence of diabetes in the food secure, mildly food insecure, and severely
food insecure categories was 11.7%, 10.0%, and 16.1%. Compared to adults who were food
secure, the odds of diabetes was 1.2 (95% CI 0.81.8) for those with mild food insecurity and
2.1 (95% CI 1.14.0) for those with severe food security after adjusting for gender, age,
race/ethnicity, parity, income, family history of diabetes, education, and physical activity
(Table 3). This relationship persisted after further adjusting for BMI.

Table 3
Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Diabetes Mellitus in the United States
Adjusting for waist circumference instead of BMI did not alter the observed relationship
between food insecurity and diabetes. Compared to the food secure category, the odds of
diabetes after adjusting for all other potential confounders including waist circumference was
1.0 (95% CI 0.71.5, p=.8) in the mildly food insecure category and 2.0 (95% CI 1.13.6, p
=.03) in the severely food insecure category.
We calculated mean daily caloric and carbohydrate intake to determine whether differences in
diet might mediate the observed relationship between food insecurity and diabetes. Among
women, the estimated mean daily caloric intake was 1,780 kcal/day in the food secure
category, 1,822 kcal/day in the mild food insecurity category (p=.3 compared to food secure
women), and 1,876 kcal/day in the severe food insecurity category (p =.2 compared to food
secure women). Among men, the estimated mean daily caloric intake was 2,549 kcal/day in
the food secure category, 2,759 in the mild food insecure category (p=.09 compared to food
secure men), and 2,543 in the severe food insecure category (p =.9 compared to food secure
men). Among women, estimated mean carbohydrate intake was 233 g/day in the food secure
category, 237 g/day in the mild food insecurity category (p=.4 compared with food secure
women), and 242 g/day in the severe food insecurity category (p =.4 compared with food
secure women). Among men, mean carbohydrate intake was 314 g/day in the food secure
category, 339 g/day in the mild food insecure category (p=.09 compared with food secure
men), and 311 g/day in the severe food insecure category (p=.8 compared with food insecure
men).
After adding daily caloric and carbohydrate intake to the models including gender, age,
race/ethnicity, parity, income, family history of diabetes, educational attainment, level of
physical activity and BMI, mild food insecurity was associated with a 1.1 (95% CI 0.71.6, p
=.7) higher odds of diabetes and severe food insecurity was associated with a 2.2 (95% CI
1.24.2, p=.01) higher odds of diabetes.

84

CONCLUSIONS

Of the almost 40 million people in the United States living in food insecure households,
almost 25 million of them are adults over the age of 18 years.3,4 This study in a nationally
representative sample of Americans finds that food insecurity is independently associated
with diabetes. Although obesity among women is also associated with mild food insecurity,
the increased obesity rates account for only 20% of the increased odds of diabetes among
these women.
Prior evidence suggests that food insecurity may be associated with general health status and
chronic disease, including major depression, diabetes, and hypertension.25,26 This is the first
study, to our knowledge, to find an association between food insecurity and diabetes in a
nationally representative sample and the first to suggest that the association between food
insecurity and diabetes is independent of BMI.
Individuals living in food insecure households may substitute preferred foods with cheaper
alternatives.1,5,6,27,28 These cheaper alternatives tend to be nutritionally poor but calorically
dense, allowing individuals to maintainand potentially exceedtheir caloric requirements.6
For example, in other studies food insecurity has been associated with reduced consumption
of fruits and vegetables and an increased percentage of caloric intake from fat (including
saturated fats) and refined carbohydrates.2931 These diets have been associated with the
development of diabetes.8,3234
The association between food insecurity and diabetes may also stem from the cyclic nature of
food insecurity, either because of monthly paychecks, monthly Food Stamp Program
assistance, or periodic, unforeseen competing needs.2,35,36 Individuals with episodic
underconsumption may overcompensate during times of relative food adequacy resulting in
binge-fast cycles.37,38 This pattern of dietary intake has also been linked to insulin
resistance.3941
Our evidence suggests that the relationship between food insecurity and diabetes differs from
the relationship between food insecurity and obesity. From an evolutionary perspective,
survival advantage may have been bestowed on those who could conserve muscle protein
during times of famine, rather than destroying it to produce usable energy for the brain.
Peripheral insulin resistance helps achieve this evolutionary advantage, but may ultimately
result in the failure of insulin-producing beta-cells and diabetes.42 Repeated episodes of
inadequate access to food could exacerbate this tendency toward insulin resistance.
Chronic stress might also mediate the relationship between food insecurity and diabetes.
Individuals in food insecure households report high levels of anxiety and worry.43,44 Stress has
been associated in previous studies with adiposity, particularly the visceral adiposity, which
may be a stronger risk factor for diabetes than overall adiposity.45,46 However, visceral
adiposity, as measured by waist circumference, did not appear in this study to be a strong
mediator of the food insecuritydiabetes association.
Our data are limited by the sensitivity of a self-reported diagnosis of diabetes for some
NHANES participants. Including elevated fasting plasma glucose as a criterion for diabetes
diagnosis helped address this problem, but only a subset of our sample had a fasting glucose
measured. Because access to medical care is more limited among those who are food
insecure,47 this bias conservatively influences our results.
85

Several other methodologic issues also limit our results, but in the first 2 cases the expected
bias is likely conservative. First, we were unable to use standard cut points for categorizing
food insecurity because of the format in which data were released from the NCHS. The mild
food insecurity category used in this paper therefore includes a population with less severe
difficulties accessing food than the USDAs standard food insecurity without hunger
category. Second, food insecurity is a household measure, whereas diabetes is an individuallevel outcome. Preliminary evidence suggests that when there is household food insecurity at
a level severe enough to result in hunger for any household adults, most, if not all, of the
adults in the household are usually affected.1 We are unaware of any validated individuallevel measures of food insecurity. Third, differential nonparticipation in the study population
may have biased the observed association.
Finally, our data are cross-sectional, so we cannot determine whether food insecurity is a risk
factor for diabetes or if diabetes is a risk factor for food insecurity. Diabetes might heighten
individuals awareness of inadequate access to healthy foods. Alternatively, individuals with
diabetes may preferentially allocate limited resources toward medical expenses, resulting in
increased levels of food insecurity.27
Patients with limited financial resources may struggle to obtain nutritious foods, both because
of their high cost6 and because nutritious foods are less often stocked in stores located in lowincome neighborhoods.48,49 Clinicians offering dietary counseling must be cognizant of the
additional barriers food insecurity poses to healthy dietary intake. Future research should
address the most effective strategies for counseling patients with limited financial resources
to make healthy dietary changes. For example, reducing portion size may be a more practical
dietary strategy than many food substitutions. Further evaluation is also necessary to
determine whether policies that decrease food insecurity, such as expanding access to
nutritional assistance programs (e.g., the Food Stamp Program), also decrease rates of
diabetes. Diabetes prevention efforts in underserved communities should consider the impact
of food insecurity on dietary choices and diabetes risk.
Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Umesh Masharani for his helpful
comments on the manuscript. Dr. Seligman was funded by a DHHS-HRSA Primary Care
Faculty Development Grant 5 D14HP00178-03-00. Dr. Kushels work was supported by the
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant K08 HS011415-03. The funders did not
participate in any part of the study. Portions of this work were presented in abstract form at
the 2006 Society of General Medicine Meeting.
Conflicts of Interest None disclosed.
Footnotes

Portions of this work were presented in abstract form at the 2006 Society of General
Medicine meeting.
References

1. Bickel G, Nord M, Price C, Hamilton W, Cook J. Guide to Measuring Household Food

Security, Revised 2000. Alexandria, VA; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
Service; 2000.
86

2. Wunderlich GS, Norwood JL, eds. Food Insecurity and Hunger in the United States: An
Assessment of the Measure. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2006.
3. Nord M, Andrews M, Carlson S. Household Food Security in the United States, 2004.
Economic Research Report 11. Alexandria, VA: United States Department of Agriculture;
2005.
4. Hall B. Hunger and food insecurity increase for 5th straight year. Center on Hunger and
Poverty, October 2005.
5. Drewnowski A, Specter SE. Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy
costs. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79:616. [PubMed]
6. Drewnowski A, Darmon N. The economics of obesity: dietary energy density and energy
cost. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;82:265S73S. [PubMed]
7. Ford ES, Williamson DF, Liu S. Weight change and diabetes incidence: findings from a
national cohort of US adults. Am J Epidemiol. 1997;146:21422. [PubMed]
8. Franz MJ, Bantle JP, Beebe CA, et al. Evidence-based nutrition principles and
recommendations for the treatment and prevention of diabetes and related complications.
Diabetes Care. 2003;26(Suppl 1):S5161. [PubMed]
9. Ludwig DS. Dietary glycemic index and obesity. J Nutr. 2000;130:280S3S. [PubMed]
10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services; 2005.
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Analytic and reporting guidelines:
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Hyattsville, MD:
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services; 2005.
12. Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Population Survey.
Washington DC.
13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Health Interview Survey.
Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services; 2005.
14. U.S. Census Bureau. Survey of Income and Program Participation. Washington DC.
15. National Institutes of Health. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and
treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: the evidence report. NIH Publ 98(4083),
September 1998. [PubMed]
16. Valsamakis G, Chetty R, Anwar A, Banerjee AK, Barnett A, Kumar S. Association of
simple anthropometric measures of obesity with visceral fat and the metabolic syndrome in
male Caucasian and Indo-Asian subjects. Diabet Med. 2004;21:133945. [PubMed]
17. Albu JB, Murphy L, Frager DH, Johnson JA, Pi-Sunyer FX. Visceral fat and racedependent health risks in obese nondiabetic premenopausal women. Diabetes. 1997;46:456
62. [PubMed]
18. Despres JP, Lemieux S, Lamarche B, et al. The insulin resistance-dyslipidemic syndrome:
contribution of visceral obesity and therapeutic implications. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord.
1995;19(Suppl 1):S7686. [PubMed]
19. Okura Y, Urban LH, Mahoney DW, Jacobsen SJ, Rodeheffer RJ. Agreement between selfreport questionnaires and medical record data was substantial for diabetes, hypertension,
myocardial infarction and stroke but not for heart failure. J Clin Epidemiol. 2004;57:1096.
[PubMed]
20. Kehoe R, Wu SY, Leske MC, Chylack LT, Jr. Comparing self-reported and physicianreported medical history. Am J Epidemiol. 1994;139:8138. [PubMed]

87

21. Midthjell K, Holmen J, Bjorndal A, Lund-Larsen G. Is questionnaire information valid in

the study of a chronic disease such as diabetes? the Nord-Trondelag diabetes study. J
Epidemiol Community Health. 1992;46:53742. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
22. Koopman RJ, Mainous AG, 3rd, Diaz VA, Geesey ME. Changes in age at diagnosis of
type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United States, 1988 to 2000. Ann Fam Med. 2005;3:603.
[PMC free article] [PubMed]
23. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Documentation for the dietary
interviewtotal nutrient intakes file. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services; 2004.
24. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Anthropometric reference data,
United States, 19881994. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhanes/Anthropometric%20Measures.htm. Accessed
July 6, 2005.
25. Klesges LM, Pahor M, Shorr RI, Wan JY, Williamson JD, Guralnik JM. Financial
difficulty in acquiring food among elderly disabled women: results from the womens Health
and Aging Study. Am J Public Health. 2001;91:6875. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
26. Vozoris NT, Tarasuk VS. Household food insufficiency is associated with poorer health. J
Nutr. 2003;133:1206. [PubMed]
27. Wolfe WS, Frongillo EA, Valois P. Understanding the experience of food insecurity by
elders suggests ways to improve its measurement. J Nutr. 2003;133:27629. [PubMed]
28. Drewnowski A, Darmon N, Briend A. Replacing fats and sweets with vegetables and
fruitsa question of cost. Am J Public Health. 2004;94:15559. [PMC free article]
[PubMed]
29. Lee JS, Frongillo EA, Jr. Nutritional and health consequences are associated with food
insecurity among U.S. elderly persons. J Nutr. 2001;131:15039. [PubMed]
30. Tarasuk VS. Household food insecurity with hunger is associated with womens food
intakes, health and household circumstances. J Nutr. 2001;131:26706. [PubMed]
31. Kendall A, Olson CM, Frongillo EA, Jr. Relationship of hunger and food insecurity to
food availability and consumption. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996;96:101924. [PubMed]
32. Ford ES, Mokdad AH. Fruit and vegetable consumption and diabetes mellitus incidence
among U.S. adults. Prev Med. 2001;32:339. [PubMed]
33. Gross LS, Li L, Ford ES, Liu S. Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and the
epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States: an ecologic assessment. Am J Clin Nutr.
2004;79:7749. [PubMed]
34. Montonen J, Jarvinen R, Heliovaara M, Reunanen A, Aromaa A, Knekt P. Food
consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005;59:4418.
[PubMed]
35. Thompson FE, Taren DL, Andersen E, et al. Within month variability in use of soup
kitchens in New York state. Am J Public Health. 1988;78:1298301. [PMC free article]
[PubMed]
36. Wilde PE, Ranney CK. The monthly food stamp cycle: shopping frequency and food
stamp decisions in an endogenous switching regression framework. Am J Agric Econ.
2000;82:20013.
37. Urbszat D, Herman CP, Polivy J. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we diet: effects
of anticipated deprivation on food intake in restrained and unrestrained eaters. J Abnorm
Psychology. 2002;111:396401. [PubMed]
38. Polivy J. Psychological consequences of food restriction. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996;96:589
92; Quiz 9394. [PubMed]

88

39. Duska F, Andel M, Kubena A, Macdonald IA. Effects of acute starvation on insulin
resistance in obese patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. Clin Nutr.
2005;24:105664. [PubMed]
40. Mansell PI, Macdonald IA. The effect of starvation on insulin-induced glucose disposal
and thermogenesis in humans. Metabolism. 1990;39:50210. [PubMed]
41. Newman WP, Brodows RG. Insulin action during acute starvation: evidence for selective
insulin resistance in normal man. Metabolism. 1983;32:5906. [PubMed]
42. Reaven GM. Hypothesis: muscle insulin resistance is the (not-so) thrifty genotype.
Diabetologia. 1998;41:4824. [PubMed]
43. Hamelin AM, Habicht JP, Beaudry M. Food insecurity: consequences for the household
and broader social implications. J Nutr. 1999;129:525S8S. [PubMed]
44. Hamelin AM, Beaudry M, Habicht JP. Characterization of household food insecurity in
Qubec: food and feelings. Soc Sci Med. 2002;54:11932. [PubMed]
45. Epel ES, McEwen B, Seeman T, et al. Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol
secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosom Med.
2000;62:62332. [PubMed]
46. Gluck ME, Geliebter A, Lorence M. Cortisol stress response is positively correlated with
central obesity in obese women with binge eating disorder (BED) before and after cognitivebehavioral treatment. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004;1032:2027. [PubMed]
47. Kushel MB, Gupta R, Gee L, Haas JS. Housing instability and food insecurity as barriers
to health care among low-income Americans. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21:717. [PMC free
article] [PubMed]
48. Horowitz CR, Colson KA, Hebert PL, Lancaster K. Barriers to buying healthy foods for
people with diabetes: evidence of environmental disparities. Am J Public Health.
2004;94:154954. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
49. Morland K, Wing S, Diez Roux A, Poole C. Neighborhood characteristics associated with
the location of food stores and food service places. Am J Prev Med. 2002;22:239. [PubMed]
Articles from Journal of General Internal Medicine are provided here courtesy of Society of
General Internal Medicine

Pediatrics. 2006 Nov;118(5):e1293-302.

Heat or eat: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Program and nutritional and health risks among children
less than 3 years of age.
Frank DA1, Neault NB, Skalicky A, Cook JT, Wilson JD, Levenson S, Meyers AF,
Heeren T, Cutts DB, Casey PH, Black MM, Berkowitz C.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:

Public funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program has never been
sufficient to serve more than a small minority of income-eligible households. Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program funding has not increased with recent rapidly rising energy
costs, harsh winter conditions, or higher child poverty rates. Although a national performance
goal for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is to increase the percentage of
89

recipient households having > or = 1 member < or = 5 years of age, the association of
income-eligible households' receipt of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
with indicators of well-being in young children has not been evaluated previously. The goal
of the current study was to evaluate the association between a family's participation or
nonparticipation in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the
anthropometric status and health of their young children.

METHODS:

In the ongoing Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Project from June 1998 through
December 2004, caregivers with children < 3 years of age in 2 emergency departments and 3
primary care clinics in 5 urban sites participated in cross-sectional surveys regarding
household demographics, child's lifetime history of hospitalizations, and, for the past 12
months, household public assistance program participation and household food insecurity,
measured by the US Food Security Scale. This scale, in accordance with established
procedures, classifies households as food insecure if they report that they cannot afford
enough nutritious food for all of the members to lead active, healthy lives. On the day of the
interview, children's weight, length, and whether the children were admitted acutely to the
hospital from the emergency departments were documented. The study sample consisted only
of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program income-eligible renter households without
private insurance who also participated in > or = 1 other means-tested program.
RESULTS:

In this sample of 7074 caregivers, 16% of families received the Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program, similar to the national rate of 17%. Caregivers who received the Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program were more likely to be single (63% vs 54%), US
born (77% vs 68%), and older (mother's mean age: 28.1 vs 26.7 years) but were less likely to
be employed (44% vs 47%). Households who received the Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program were more likely to receive Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Infants, and Children (85% vs 80%), Supplemental Security Income (13% vs 9%), Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (38% vs 23%), and food stamps (59% vs 37%) and to live in
subsidized housing (38% vs 19%) compared with nonrecipients. Children in families
participating in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program were older than children
in nonparticipating families (13.6 vs 12.5 months), were less likely to be uninsured (5% vs
9%), and were more likely to have had a low birth weight < or = 2500 g (17% vs 14%).
Families participating in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program reported more
household food insecurity (24% vs 20%) There were no significant group differences
between recipients and nonrecipients in caregiver's education or child's gender. After
controlling for these potentially confounding variables, including receipt of other meanstested programs, compared with children in recipient households, those in nonrecipient
households had greater adjusted odds of being at aggregate nutritional risk for growth
problems, defined as children with weight-for-age below the 5th percentile or weight-forheight below the 10th percentile, with significantly lower mean weight-for-age z scores
90

calculated from age- and gender-specific values from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention 2000 reference data. However, in adjusted analyses, children aged 2 to 3 years in
recipient households were not more likely to be overweight (BMI > 95th percentile) than
those in nonrecipient households. Rates of age-adjusted lifetime hospitalization excluding
birth and the day of the interview did not differ between Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program recipient groups. Among the 4445 of 7074 children evaluated in the 2
emergency departments, children from eligible households not receiving the Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program had greater adjusted odds than those in recipient
households of acute hospital admission on the day of the interview.
CONCLUSIONS:

Even within a low-income renter sample, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
benefits seem to reach families at the highest social and medical risk with more food
insecurity and higher rates of low birth-weight children. Nevertheless, after adjustment for
differences in background risk, living in a household receiving the Low Income Home
Energy Assistance Program is associated with less anthropometric evidence of undernutrition,
no evidence of increased overweight, and lower odds of acute hospitalization from an
emergency department visit among young children in low-income renter households
compared with children in comparable households not receiving the Low Income Home
Energy Assistance Program. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in many
states shuts down early each winter when their funding is exhausted. From a clinical
perspective, pediatric health providers caring for children from impoverished families should
consider encouraging families of these children to apply for the Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program early in the season before funding is depleted. From a public policy
perspective, although this cross-sectional study design can only demonstrate associations and
not causation, these findings suggest that, particularly as fuel costs and children's poverty
rates increase, expanding the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding and
meeting the national Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program performance goal of
increasing the percentage of recipient households with young children might potentially
benefit such children's growth and health.
PMID:
17079530
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Dependency on soup kitchens in urban areas of New York State.

B S Rauschenbach, E A Frongillo, Jr, F E Thompson, E J Andersen, and D A Spicer
Author information Copyright and License information
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

91

Abstract

We studied the dependency of persons on soup kitchens in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester,

Syracuse, and Westchester County, New York. Seventeen percent of the meal recipients were
homeless, 62 percent lived in apartments or houses, 20 percent were working, 40 percent
were women, and 17 percent had a child in their household. Fifty-nine percent started eating
at the soup kitchen more than a year ago, and 51 percent ate five or more meals at soup
kitchens in the last week. Most reported they came to the soup kitchen because of economic
problems or lack of food; 93 percent had incomes below the poverty threshold. Most used
some government food program; 48 percent received food stamps. Utilization of soup
kitchens and other programs differed between men and women and between households with
and without children.

A nurses guide to food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens

Publication Date: August 2014 Vol. 9 No. 8

Author: S. Renee Gregg, DNP, FNP-C
More than 48 million people in the United States live in poverty. According to Feeding
America, food insecurity affects 49 million Americans; most of these households have
children. (Food insecurity is defined as a household that is frequently or occasionally without
enough food to satiate hunger.) Individuals living food insecure rarely have access to foods
recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) such as fresh fruits, vegetables,
lean meats and whole grains. As nurses, we understand the importance of a healthy diet that
allows our patients to maintain health and recover from illness or injury. But what resources
do patients with food insecurity have? Along with governmental programs such as food
stamps and WIC (Women and Healthy Children), many communities have food banks, food
pantries, and soup kitchens that provide food. As nurses, we may refer patients to these food
sources, but, without a clear understanding of how these facilities operate, its difficult to
educate patients.
Comparing resources

A food bank is a nonprofit organization that is a holding warehouse for excess food. This food
includes everything from a bag of chips that didnt sell to a large harvest of bananas. The
food bank is able to buy large quantities of all types of meats, fish, produce, fruits, and
processed foods for pennies on the pound. This food is then sold to food pantries, soup
kitchens, school programs, and so on to allow for distribution. Food banks generally dont
provide food directly to the public; however, in some larger cities food banks distribute to
individuals. Food pantries are available in several sites in most communities. These are
generally run by churches and community groups as philanthropic outreaches. Food is
provided free of charge to individuals in need. Most food pantries stipulate how frequently an
individual can obtain food. Because of this, individuals may visit multiple food pantries
throughout the month. Food pantries are designed to be a supplemental food source and not a
primary source of groceries. Food may be given in care package format or the individuals
may be allowed to shop and make their own choices.
92

Soup kitchens are direct feeding centers offering a prepared meal to individuals, usually free
of charge. Most soup kitchens are located in areas with larger numbers of individuals living
in poverty and homeless individuals. Urban soup kitchens are frequently open for multiple
meals each day. Soup kitchens in smaller towns may serve one meal a day and only on certain
days of the week. Nurses in many roles have the opportunity to provide patients with a list of
food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens in local communities. (See Food resources for
those in poverty.)

What We Do

The Soup Kitchen provides a safe, clean, uplifting environment for those in need of food and
fellowship. We serve the homeless, the working poor, the unemployed and their families. In
short, we help people who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in crisis. The
following briefly summarizes what we do:

Our primary goal is feeding the hungry in our community. We serve nutritious hot
meals and distribute grocery bags containing meat, rice, canned goods, breakfast
items, and basic necessities to those in need. Our no questions asked policy, has
enabled us to serve approximately 600 meals a day to individuals in the surrounding
area. Every person who comes to us for assistance is welcomed regardless of race,
sex, age, color, national origin, religious preference, special needs (disability) or
income.
This past year, we served nearly 210,000 hot meals and distributed over 37,000
grocery bags. On average, that amounts to nearly 600 hot meals and 100 grocery bags
each and every day!

Our weekly educational program, Taking Care of our Babies, has been in effect
since 2008. To date, we have seen over 2,000 participants go through the program.
Taking Care of our Babies was created to provide expectant and/or mothers of
babies/toddlers much needed food and baby supplies along with proper education. To
participate in this program, expectant and/or mothers of young children must attend
weekly sessions taught by subject matter experts. We impart onto these women
information about a childs well being, while providing them much needed resources
such as baby food items/packages along with vitamins, diapers, toiletries, grocery
bags, etc. This program represents a holistic approach to the health, welfare and
management of the population it serves.

93

The Soup Kitchen collects clothing and makes it available to those in need without
cost. Over 6,000 individuals have benefited from this initiative to date.

In conjunction with the Palm Beach County Health Department, the Soup Kitchen
provides free vaccinations (flu, school, elderly, etc) on the first Friday of each month.

Since 2002, The Soup Kitchen has provided annually over 400 uncooked turkeys to
our guests in time for their Thanksgiving celebration.

Every year, Santa Claus comes to The Soup Kitchen. Last year we welcomed 603
children at our event. Every child had an opportunity to speak with Santa and received
at minimum, two gifts. This program has been in effect since 2007 and ensures that no
child is forgotten during the holidays.

Partnering with organizations to help families. The Soup Kitchen receives

approximately 20 requests per week from various organizations: School District of
Palm Beach County, Florida Department of Children and Families, Childrens
Services Council, First Seventh day Adventist Church of West Palm Beach,
Community Christian Church, and Caridad Center asking us to provide aid to
families in crises. These are families that have been identified by the respective
organizations as falling below the poverty level and requiring assistance with food,
clothing and/or shelter. The Soup Kitchen delivers boxes of food to these families at
a time when they desperately need it. We serve approximately 240 of these families a
year and have helped nearly 1,200 families since 2007.

The Soup Kitchen functions as an emergency backup kitchen facility for the Red
Cross., 2-1-1, United Way and several other agencies.

The Soup Kitchen is environmentally friendly and takes to heart green initiatives. We
recycle all used paper and metal, and strive to control our utility expenditures such as
water and electrical.

The Soup Kitchen is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Our initiatives are made possible with only 4 paid staff members, a large number of amazing
volunteers, and of course, the generous support of our community. We are most proud to
have a core group of 200 dedicated Volunteers who cook, serve and clean at The Soup
Kitchen individuals genuinely concerned about serving people in need in our community.
End

94

A few short clippings

Extracts from:- THE PLANNING INSTITUTE OF JAMAICA, The Poverty-Environment Nexus:

Establishing an Approach for Determining Special Development Areas in Jamaica , Feb. 2007
The geographical dimension of poverty is usually depicted in the locational decisions made by the
poor. The poor are often found in marginal area s that are more susceptible to environmental shocks
and stresses, based on topography, and changes in the general landscape of the area (Barker 1998).
These areas are generally at risk for seasonal weather hazards, often leading to slope failure,
landslides, and flooding of low-lying plains, resulting in destruction of the assets of the poor and
widespread displacement of agricultural dependent households. (page 3)
Assessing Poverty in Jamaica According to the PIOJ in 2005 14.8 percent of the population lives
below the poverty line. This figure has decreased from 35.2 percent in 1992 (Table 1). Despite
significant declines in poverty rates between 1992 and 2005, the incidence of poverty remains a
problem for the country, and is more acute in rural areas, where 21 percent (2005) of the population
lives below the poverty line.
High concentration of poverty in rural Jamaica is demonstrated by the fact that, approximately 80
percent of the poorest quintile lives in rural areas (Map 2). Areas with high levels of poverty in
Jamaica are generally characterised by large households and the following:
1.High unemployment;
2.Limited access to health services;
3.Limited access to educational facilities and;
4.Limited access to infrastructure and basic services
(pp 4-5)
Percentage of population living in poverty, 2004=14.3, and in 2005=9.63 (pp 5)

Jamaica records increase in poverty

BY STEVEN JACKSON Business reporter jacksons@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, November 30, 2014

(The Jamaica Observer)

POVERTY increased to one-fifth of the Jamaican population, according to the just-released

Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) 2012.
Interestingly, poverty increased in most urban areas but dropped in the majority of rural areas
due mainly to increased earnings from agriculture.
"The all-Jamaica individual poverty prevalence increased by 2.3 percentage points relative to
2010 to reach 19.9 per cent," stated the survey findings released on Friday at the Planning
Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) head office in Kingston.

95

St Thomas became the most impoverished parish with a 32.5 per cent prevalence, while St
Mary offers the least prevalence of poverty at 9.4 per cent.
"There was an increase in agriculture production and the resumption of bauxite operations in
some parishes," stated Caren Nelson, manager, Policy Research Unit at the PIOJ, when
quizzed on the reduction in rural poverty.
"There was real decline in the per capita consumption except for the rural areas," Nelson said
in her address that looked at the poorest 20 per cent or quintile 1 of the population that lives
on $74,000 per capita consumption, compared with the richest 20 per cent or quintile 5 on
$520,000.
The report covered areas of demography, household consumption, health, education, housing,
social protection, early childhood development, and ageing.
The PIOJ and Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) apologised for the delay in releasing the
report which they jointly publish. However, they indicated that it will still benefit academics,
researchers, and historians.
"The ultimate goal is timely analysis and data collection. We note and acknowledge the
delays," stated Colin Bullock, director general at the PIOJ, in his address.
"We will try to make the information more timely," stated Carol Coy, director general of
Statin, at the launch.
The previous report was tabled in 2010 by former Prime Minister Bruce Golding when the
results of the 2008 and 2009 surveys were also tabled.
The JSLC allows for the tracking of Jamaica's progress, especially in relation to Vision 2030
and United Nations millennium development goals. It started as an annual publication in
1988, providing a detailed profile of the quality of life and social conditions experienced by
Jamaicans over a one-year period.

Eradicate Extreme Hunger And Poverty (UNDP in Jamaica)

Where Are We?

96

Thanks to thriving agriculture and fishing industries, hunger is not a major obstacle in Jamaica. Photo
Credit: Farahnaz Mohammed / UNDP Jamaica

Jamaica has reduced by two-thirds the number of people living below the poverty line and the
number of people who suffer from hunger. According to the Jamaica Survey of Living
Conditions 2009, the population living in poverty decreased from 28.4% in 1990 to 9.9% in
2007; however it subsequently increased in recent years, from 12.3% in 2008 to 16.5% in
2009. Decline in the rate of poverty has been slowest in the Rural Areas, which in 2009 had
the highest prevalence of poverty of 22.5%, compared to 12.8% in the Kingston Metropolitan
Area and 10.2% in Other Towns . Slightly more males than females are in poverty. The
country has also reduced by three-quarters the proportion of under-weight children under 5
years. Jamaica is ranked as an upper middle-income country and is classified as having
achieved this MDG.
Challenges To Poverty Reduction

In 2009, 22.5% of Jamaicans lived below the poverty line in rural areas. The limited national
capacity in fiscal management and debt management is a continuous critical challenge.
Jamaica has the fourth largest debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio in the world, and
the debt servicing comprised over 56% of the 2009-10 budget. The government has
successfully implemented a debt exchange programme in 2010. However the limited fiscal
space in the national budget affects all public services particularly impacting on the poor and
vulnerable.
(source:- http://www.jm.undp.org/content/jamaica/en/home/mdgoverview/overview/mdg1.html)

"No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
97

'Cause - 'cause - 'cause I remember when a we used to sit

In a government yard in Trenchtown,
Oba - obaserving the 'ypocrites - yeah! Mingle with the good people we meet, yeah!
Good friends we have, oh, good friends we have lost
Along the way, yeah!
In this great future, you can't forget your past;
So dry your tears, I seh. Yeah!
No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry. Eh, yeah!
A little darlin', don't shed no tears:
No, woman, no cry. Eh!
Said - said - said I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown, yeah!
And then Georgie would make the fire lights,
I seh, logwood burnin' through the nights, yeah!
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge, say,
Of which I'll share with you, yeah!
My feet is my only carriage
And so I've got to push on through.
Oh, while I'm gone,
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right, yeah!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right-a!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right, yeah!
Everything's gonna be all right!
So no, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
I seh, O little - O little darlin', don't shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry, eh.
No, woman - no, woman - no, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
One more time I got to say:
O little - little darlin', please don't shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry.

Observations and Comments:In about the year 1980, the observer as a then member of the Workers Party of Jamaica, one Sunday
entered a big yard on Pen Street, Jones Town in order to sell the residents the Struggle News Paper
and to engage them in discussions of the topical issues of the day. On entering the yard a young man
of about twenty one years old stepped out on to the side walk, leaving me with an old woman who
98

was cooking a pot of callallo on an open flame with the pot balanced on three stones. At that time the
observer was taken aback, while not being from a wealthy household, he had not before encountered
this type of poverty. Here was this old lady cooking on a stove made of stones, a pot of callollo for her
Sunday dinner at a time when nearly everybody else were grating coconuts to cook their rice and peas
with fry chicken, fish or some other type of meat. No Struggle was sold and the observer was not
allowed to speak about any Struggle of any kind.
One in the early 2000s would have thought that the conditions referred to above or even in the song
by Bob Marley-No Woman no cry would have ceased to exist in the city of Kingston, after a gap of
twenty years one would have all reasons to expect that real improvements would have occurred in the
lives of even the poorest of the poor. However this was not the case.
Where before, the observer had met an individual cooking on a wood fire that which as far as a
Sunday afternoon in Jamaica is the city of Kingston is concerned was inferior food, in the early
200s in the city of Kingston, the observer met families and individuals who had nothing to eat.
The first such case, was on a Rasta Base in Waterhouse, where in order to cook a pot (read:- prepare
a meal) one had to go to one neighbour for cooking oil, to a next neighbour for seasoning (spices) , to
another for some flour and this is the way the ingredients were brought together. The challenge facing
the Rastas on that base, was that there was not a single person (men all over thirty years of age) who
had a stable income or was working and it was not as a result of a lack of desire on the part of the
majority of them to find employment or to earn a living by gainful means.
Another such case the observer met was a family of three adults and one child, the younger of the two
women, had been working at a factory for years and was in a good administrative position, before her
position was made redundant, the young man in the group worked from time to time. However when,
the redundancy money of the young woman ran out and the young man (her brother) could not find
employment, there was little or no money to take provide for the house. They the two adult children
and grandchild, in addition to a step grandson and the elderly father of the young woman ended up
depending on the irregular income of the coal sales made by the older woman,( the mother of the two
young adults) and on whatever little she made from selling greater cakes, slices of sweet potato
pudding and other such products at her Church. The elderly man could expect to get a meal at his
Church on a Saturday, and sometimes a parcel of food which he could prepare for himself, his son and
grandson, all of whom lived in a neighbouring community.
The observer had also seen cases of young mothers who had to send their children to their friends or
relatives homes to eat, or hoped that they ate enough at school (free lunch and or lunched gotten from
other children) to carry them through the day. While these mothers might seek to visit a friends home,
where she might help out a bit or sit around (henker) until the woman of the house decides to cook.
While official Jamaica, the ruling socio-political establishment and members of the clerical elite
might decide to limit the definition of poverty to access to facilities and services, urban poverty is also
defined by the ever present real threat of and or the endurance of hunger.
The observer as a teacher at the Charlie Smith Comprehensive High, had seen teenage children who
attended school, with the expectations that the teachers will be able to help them out with even a lunch
money. There was at the time employed a male half Indian teacher who the boys would flock daily
because it was the popular belief that he was very kind. The observer had also met parents who were
willing to hand over their daughters to him and or other male teachers, with the hope of getting some
help and to ease some of their burdens.
While lecturing at the University and the Community college levels, the observer met both male and
female students who had nothing to eat, the observer met lecturers who because of their welfare
activities who ended up without money to buy food. While at the Portmore Community College it
was possible for a lecturer to obtain lunch on credit this was not so at the University of Technology,
Jamaica.
99

The question then, is why is that those who rule and influence the direction and management of the
affairs of the city do not wish to admit that real hunger exist within the borders of the city? The first
reason is that any such acknowledgement is the admission to the fact that many willing and able
individuals have been locked out of the economic life of the city, robbed of the opportunities to earn
honest living and the ability to take care of their families. In other words it would be an admission of
economic failure and a failure of the model being pursued. Here the critical reader needs to track real
per capita GDP and real per capita spending on social investment between the years 1980 to 2014, in
order to verify the statement made in the preceding sentence.
The observer here would like to point out that while the observer cannot deny the existence of rural
poverty, there is nowhere in the Parish of Manchester that the observer has encountered poverty on the
scale and as concentrated as that which exist in West Kingston, the existence of wired homes nor the
presence of plumbing works mean access to these utilities, and in periods of gang violence access to
schools, hospitals and many other locations are cut off. The observer here would also like to point out
that there is nowhere in Manchester that the observer has seen the level of unemployment which exist
in Arnett Gardens, while it is possible for many unemployed persons (outside of Mandeville and
Christiania) to find parcels of land which they can cultivate and produce which they can sell, in Arnett
Gardens and Rema, when there is no work and no hustling going on there is no money, thus hunger
rules.
To admit the existence of hunger within the city of Kingston is to admit, that the politics of voting for
Prime Ministers and political parties is fundamentally wrong, and has allowed the Members of
Parliament to ignore the plight of their constituents, the social and economic conditions existing in
Rockfort and in areas in Central Kingston points to that fact.
The admission of hunger in the city of Kingston is tantamount, to the clerical elite admitting that the
care and love for the poor cannot be limited to the homeless insane and the visible destitute but must
also address the needs of the residents in the communities, address the problem of hunger which face
the unemployed, the retired, the pensionless and their dependents. The fact that the existence of the
above classes of the urban hungry is not yet discovered by the Church and its leadership is an
indication of the gulf which exist between the Church leadership and its congregation, the gulf
between the Church as a body and the spatial community in which it exist and the gulf between
Church leadership and the society as a whole, this claimed ignorance is also a clear manifestation of
compromised nature of the existing Church leadership.

Monique Grey: 25-year-old game changer

Published:Monday | April 14, 2014
Previous Next

100

Sweet potato farm in Manchester.

Jody-Anne Lawrence, Flair Writer

She may not have won in the agriculture category in the recent Prime Minister Youth
Awards, but at just 25, Monique Grey is anything but a loser in her careers.
A past student of Campion College, Grey specialised in multimedia at CARIMAC at the
University of the West Indies. After graduating in 2009, Grey did not delve into the media
world as expected; she had another dream that the entrepreneur in her allowed her to explore.
"I wanted to start a business, but I wanted it to be something that people would still need
years from now. With the evolution of technology, people are getting replaced by computers
in the corporate world, so while thinking of a business, I wanted something that would still be
relevant," Grey said about trying to find that perfect field to get involved in.
This was how she came up with the idea of being involved with food, specifically the
agricultural industry. "People will always need food - not just places to go and eat, but ground
provisions to prepare. You can't go wrong with food," Grey told Flair.
She solicited some much-needed advice from her father, who was once a farmer in
Mandeville. With the knowledge of her father, in 2011, Grey started Earth Strong Jamaica
Limited on less than an acre, growing sweet potatoes. It was not an easy feat as initially they
reaped much less than expected, and it was difficult to get the produce sold.

101

"It was hard to find people locally to purchase our goods, but we found two supermarkets one in Stony Hill and another in Manor Park - that were willing to. However, after a while, it
was not cost-effective as they would not take as much as we would have liked at once, but we
would get frequent requests for more supplies, which would cost us driving back and forth
from Manchester. So we had to come up with another plan," Grey said.
Her plan B was the perfect solution. After doing some research, she found that export was the
way to get the business on its feet. After contacting a number of potential buyers, they finally
found one in Canada, who is still a customer, and they have also added the United Kingdom
to their list.
POSITIVE TURNAROUND
"Now, it has moved from us having too many goods to too little. We currently don't produce
all or enough of what our buyers need, so we contact local farmers and some approach us so
that we can distribute for them," said Grey.
Earth Strong Jamaica Limited now has a packaging house in Alligator Pond, adding
naseberry and mangoes to her list of exports. With all this work, Grey still has not put her
multimedia skills to rest. She is fully invested in both fields.
With so much going on, it's hard to believe that Grey has found the time for a personal life.
But she does. She recently got married to Mario Lawrence, who is a music producer and
touring musician. "Sometimes he has to remind me to stop working, and I try to shut down
work by a certain time," Grey explained.
Though she has limited free time, she does manage to sometimes go fishing with her
husband.
Her advice to other young entrepreneurs: "Don't believe that anything is impossible. It is only
impossible if you think it is. A positive outlook on life can make you achieve anything."

102

A field
with Sweet Potatoes

Red Stripe to invest US$10m in cassava for beer

production
Thursday, October 09, 2014 | 3:57 PM

9 Comments

The Red Stripe brewery on Spanish Town Road in Kingston.

KINGSTON, Jamaica Local brewing company, Red Stripe, has said that it will invest
US$10 million over the next five years to set up a cassava supply chain, as it moves to use the
tuber to offset barley imports utilised in beer production.
It is not just about growing cassava, its about setting up a cassava supply chain. We have a
big ambition for cassava and it is going to take a massive investment, said Red Stripe
Managing Director Cedric Blair.
Blair was addressing government officials, which included Prime Minister Portia Simpson
Miller and Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Anthony Hylton, following a
tour of the Spanish Town Road facility Wednesday.
To date, the company has spent US$1.1 million on the first phase of its Project Grow
initiative and is committing to invest even more over the next five years.
Our preliminary numbers from our farmers is that under this pilot, we will produce about 70
tonnes per hectare. This means that we will produce more cassava on our pilot farm than the
rest of Jamaica combined, Blair said.
He said the companys plan is to get to 2,500 acres within the next three to five years and to
employ one person per acre.

103

He informed that the company also plans to train an additional 39 Jamaicans to work on its
cassava farms as well as invest a further US$800,000 to equip a cassava factory for
processing activities.
The processing plant will be up and running by January 2015 and we will be reaping cassava
in February, and so, we will be making beer from locally grown cassava starting February of
next year, he informed.

Images of Dishes and Products Made From Generally

Available Sources

Frozen cassava leaves from the

Philippines sold at a Los Angeles market

Jamaican bammy

104

the Sweet Potato pudding was a

good use of left over sweet potatoes

Blue Drawers

105

CASSAVA ROOT PUDDING

Pepper pot soup

106

Jamaican Callaloo
(Amaranth) And Bean Soup.

Jamaican Pepper Pot

Soup 1 lb Callaloo or Spinach, 12 Okras, 12 cups water, 1/2 lb salt beef, 1/2 lb
shin of beef, 4 Cups water, 1 Can of coconut milk, 1/2 lb Yellow Yam or potato
(peeled), Crushed scallion, Sliced hot peppers, Black pepper,

107

COOKING SWEET POTATO LEAVES

Like most Asian greens, sweet potatoes are typically eaten cooked. The dish
above is an easy family favourites.

Bought sweet potato leaves from Singapore, air freight back to hkg. Wanted something soupy and
spicy, cooked my all- time favourite sliced fish soup and this spicy sambal veg. My simple and fast
version of light dinner- 25 minutes for two dishes.

Ingredients:

sweet potato leaves

sambal belacan chilli

pasar dried shrimp ( pounded)

108

garlic ( minced)

cooking oil

Methods:

1. Fry minced garlic with cooking oil over low heat for few minutes
2. Add in pounded dried shrimp
3. Scoop 1 1/2 tbsp of belacan chilli to the wok, keep stirring till fragrant.
4. Bring in sweet potato leaves, stir a little
5. Add some water if too dry
6. Cover the lid and leave it for 5 mins
7. Taste and add salt or sugar if necessary

(http://sorellabellasg.blogspot.com/2014/05/belacan-sambal-sweet-potato-leaves.html)

Stir-fried Sweet Potato Leaves in Chilli

Posted by wiffy on November 12, 2009

Ingredients
(Serves 2-3)
109

 200g sweet potato leaves (I use the baby type but you can use the regular type
too)
1 large red chilli, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable/olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 shallots, sliced finely
(A) For pounding (See step 2)
1 tbsp salted soya beans (aka dou jiang, tauco, tao cheow, )
3 chilli padi (birds eye chilli), sliced
3 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp shrimp paste (belacan)
Directions
1. Trim the stem ends of the sweet potato leaves, then cut to separate the sweet potato leaves
and the stems. Slice the stems to about 2-3cm lengths and set aside.
2. Pound the ingredients in (A) using a mortar and pestle.
3. Heat oil in pan, fry the sliced shallots, sliced large chilli and minced garlic till fragrant.
4. Add the pounded ingredients prepared in step 2 and stir fry for a minute till fragrant (see
cooking note 2).
5. Increase to high heat, add the stems and stir fry for a minute or two.
6. Add leaves, water and light soy sauce. Stir fry till the leaves have just wilted and cooked.

110

Cooking Notes:
1. The large chilli is for colour while the smaller chilli padi is for spiciness.
2. When frying the chilli paste, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated because the fumes
from cooking the paste can be stinging.
3. It is important to stir fry the vegetables in high heat so that they have a nice crunchy bite
when cooked.
(http://www.noobcook.com/stir-fried-sweet-potato-leaves-in-chilli/)

Sweet Potato Vine Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 TB of Vegetable Oil

1/4 lb of Sweet Potato Vines

1-4 Cloves of Garlic, crushed (depends on preference...I like garlic)

1 tsp of salt

1 TB of Sesame Oil

Pepper (to taste)

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of water (4-5 quarts) to a boil on the stovetop. Add the vines and blanch for 1
minute, until the stems turn bright green. Strain, blot lightly to dry and set aside.
2. When the vines have cooled, peel off the thin outer layer the vine. This will make the stems
more tender (this step is optional)

111

3. Heat skillet or wok until hot. Add oil and swirl pan to coat until oil is almost smoking. Add
garlic, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add potato vines, stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until
stalks are just tender.Add the sesame oil and serve immediately.
(https://www.google.com.jm/search?
tbm=isch&q=Photographs+of+cooked+sweet+potato+leaves&ei=GIE6VdUwpsuwBOjWgfgI
#tbm=isch&q=Photographs+of+cooked+irish+potato+leaves)

Liberian Cassava Leaf

Soup |

Liberian Cassava Leaf Soup

112

A Sierra Leonean
cassava leaf plasa stew from a restaurant in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Cassava Leaf &

Rice

113

Cassava
Leaves with Chicken

Gulai Daun Singkong Cassava Leaves Stew

Ingredients

2 bunch of cassava leaves (about 250 gram), washed and drained

2 tablespoon cooking oil

5 bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam)

1 lemongrass (Indonesian: sereh), chopped into 4 pieces

114

750 ml water

250 ml thick coconut milk

Grind the following into spice paste

5 red chilies (Indonesian: cabe merah keriting)

8 shallots (Indonesian: bawang merah)

2 cloves garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)

3 candlenuts (Indonesian: kemiri)

2 fresh turmeric (Indonesian: kunyit), each about 1 inch length

1 inch fresh ginger (Indonesian: jahe)

1 inch fresh galangal (Indonesian: lengkuas)

tablespoon ground coriander (Indonesian: bubuk ketumbar)

tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions
1. Heat cooking oil in a deep skillet (or a pot) and fry the spice paste until fragrant, about
3-5 minutes.
2. Add bay leaves and lemongrass and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Toss in the cassava leaves and pour water into the skillet. Cook until boiling. Reduce
heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk, mix well, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Adjust salt and sugar
as needed.
5. (Optional) With a scissor, cut the cassava leaves into smaller pieces so they are easier
to scoop with a spoon when consumed.
6. Turn off heat and serve hot or at room temperature with steamed white rice.
(Source:- http://dailycookingquest.com/by-cuisine/indonesian/gulai-daun-singkongcassava-leaves-stew)

115

Cassava leaf &

Okra with Chicken & rice, plantains

cassava leaves

2442 18TH St NW, Washington DC, DC 20009-2004

Ranked #1,578 of 2,763 Restaurants in Washington DC

116

Le Bercail Restaurant - Cassava Leaf with White Rice. - Philadelphia, PA, United States

Cassava Leaf Stew

117

plantains, fish,
manioc/cassava roots, rice, beans, cassava leaves

118

Cassava and rice stew, The United States

White Maize Flour and Pumpkin Leaves Cooked in Peanut Butter

119

Cutting Pumpkin Leaves (WELS Missions) Tags:

Africa cooking women African cook Christian missionary

Thai Food Recipe: Pad Yod Fuhk Thong

by Joy B

Thai Food Recipe: Pad Yod Fuhk Thong

(Pumpkin Young Leaves Stir-Fry)

Prepare:
2 cups pumpkin young leaves
2 cloves garlic (crush lightly)
120

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
Cooking Instructions:
1. Pick the best and young parts of pumpkin leaves, usually at the end. Its better to rip the
leaves for 1 inch by hand.
2. Heat the pan and put olive oil in it. Wait until the oil is hot. Use maximum heat.
3. Then fry garlic. Add fish sauce, soy sauce and pumpkin young leaves.
4. Next, add oyster sauce. Mix well. Turn off the fire.
You should cook this food quickly. Count 1 2 3 while you stir, and then finish it.

Pumpkin Leaf stir fry or Matha-Ela Thoran is a thoran (stir fry) with Pumpkin leaves in
Kerala Style.

Pumpkin is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin
E, Thiamin, Niacin, vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, magnesium and phosphorus, and a very good
source of dietary fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, Copper and Manganese.
Antioxidants found in the leaves also help to eliminate free radicals which are responsible for
cancerous growths.

121

Not only is pumpkin loaded with vitamin A and antioxidant carotenoids, particularly alpha
and beta-carotenes, its a good source of vitamins C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including
magnesium, potassium, and iron. Pumpkin Leaf is a good source of Calcium.
The leaves is a good source of different types of vitamins, minerals and rich in anti-oxidants,
such as alpha-carotene and Betacarotene which helps to slow down ageing process.
Antioxidants found in the leaves also help to eliminate free radicals which are responsible for
cancerous growths.
Ingredients

Pumpkin Leaves (Matha Ela) - 15 nos

Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Shallots 5 nos
Green chillies 5 nos
Coconut oil 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves A few
Salt to taste

Method
Step 1

Clean the pumpkin leaves with water and chop them finely.
Step 2

Grind together grated coconut, green chillies and small onions..

Step 3

122

Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seed and when it splutters, add curry leaves and saute.
Add coconut mix and stir well. Add pumpkin leaves, salt and stir well. Cover and cook on a
low flame for 5 minutes.
Step 4

After 5 minutes remove the lid, mix well and switch off flame.
Step 5:- Delicious matha ela thoran is ready

V'sachy (Pumpkin Leaf Stew) Recipe from Zambia Origin: Zambia Period: Traditional This is a
traditional Zambian recipe for a classic accompaniment or vegetarian stew of boiled pumpkin leaves
in a peanut paste, onion and tomato base. This is a classic Zambian recipe for a stew of greens that is
typically served as an accompaniment.
Traditionally, chabwawa, the leaves of the local pumpkin are used, but any edible leaves from the
squash family can be employed (I've made this successfully with courgette [zucchini] and vegetable
marrow leaves) Savoy cabbage, spring greens or collard greens also work well. V'sachy (Pumpkin
Leaf Stew) is a traditional Mozambican recipe for a stew of pumpkin leaves in a peanut, onion and
tomato base served with n'shima .
Ingredients:
250g chabwawa (pumpkin) leaves
water
200g peanut paste (raw peanuts pounded to a paste),
or substitute peanut butter
pinch of baking soda
1 onion, finely chopped
123

4 tomatoes, finely chopped

salt, to taste
Method: If using pumpkin leaves, pick them mid stem then peel the strings from the stem (or remove
the central stem) and shred finely. Wash thoroughly to remove any sand and grit. Take a large pot or
flame-proof casserole. Pour in just enough water to cover the base. Bring to a boil and add the
pumpkin leaves. Cover and cook until the leaves begin to wilt and are bright green. Mix the peanut
paste with 200ml boiling water until smooth and add to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and add
the baking soda (this helps soften the greens whilst preserving their colour). Stir in the onion and
tomatoes, bring to a simmer then cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes
have broken down and the sauce has thickened and darkened. Serve hot as an accompaniment to a
stew and n'shima.
Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-vsachy
Copyright celtnet

Edikaikong Pumpkin and Waterleaf Stew

Edikaikong is a Nigerian dish made from a variety of indigenous leafy green vegetables. The
dish, literally translated, means Pumpkin and Waterleaf Soup, and is native to the South
Eastern part of Nigeria, more specifically, the people of Calabar state in that region.
Edikaikong is an incredibly rich vegetable soup as it involves the use of more than two
vegetables. Typically, it is made with just Ugwu (Pumpkin leaves) and Waterleaves, however,
I prefer to make it with 6 vegetables including the aforementioned two. In addition to it being
rich, it is also a very labor intensive soup to make. Its one of those soups that you make for
special occasions or once a month for yourself.
124

From the way the name sounds, it might seem like a really complicated dish to make, but it
really isnt. If you know how to make regular vegetable soup, Efo Riro, then you should be
fine with this.
That said, this is photo heavy, so on with it! (Also, please read the notes section, super
important nuggets of info in there ;)
(source:- http://www.avartsycooking.com/2011/06/edikaikong/)

Jamaican breakfast boiled breadfruit banana steamed callaloo with saltfish

125

Put cooked bread fruit skin and

grated coconut in a mixer. Grind them together into smooth paste by adding sufficient amount
of water.
Deegujje(Deevi Halasu) Sippe/Breadfruit Skin Chutney

Ingredients:
1 - 1.5 cups Bread Fruit Skin / Deegujje(Deevi Halasu) Sippe
2 Green Chillies
Grape sized Tamarind
Grape sized Jaggary (Optional)
3/4 - 1 cup grated Coconut
Salt to taste
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 - 2 Red Chilly pieces
6 - 8 Curry leaves
1 tsp Oil
Recipe:
Peel the bread fruit skin, wash and cut it into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture.
Cut the green chilly into two pieces.

126

Put cooked bread fruit skin and grated coconut in a mixer. Grind them together into smooth
paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut add hot water while
grinding.) Pour this ground mixture to a vessel, add enough salt and water(If required).
Put oil, mustard seeds, broken red chillies in a pan and heat. Once it starts spluttering, add
curry leaves and add it to chutney. Mix well before serving. It goes well with rice and dosas.
All Photographs and Text Copyright 2008 to 2012 Ruchi Ruchi Aduge. All rights reserved.
Powered by Blogger.

The Scale Of Hunger In Kingston A Result Of The Wickedness Of Large

Segments Of The Clerical Elite, Ignorance and the Fear of Responsibility

At this moment the questions as to why individuals such as Fire Dread, members of the
working poor and other residents of Kingston should be hungry? We have seen that Jamaica
produces enough of the material (ingredients) required to produce various types of soups and
stews, and there is in addition very high levels of waste within the agricultural sector. For
example, this observer has seen, hundreds of pounds of sweet potato leaves piled against the
edges of field lots and burnt.
The fact that there is no section of the Jamaican clerical elite which can claim that they are
unaware of how to prepare the mentioned plant materials, given the fact that the cooking of
the Jamaican pepper pot soup using dasheen /coco leaves, pumpkin buds and leaves, sweet
potato leaves among other plant leaves is as Jamaica as the cooking of Blue Drawers (Tie
leaf) and the fact that nearly every other week, pastors, priests, missionaries and prophets
from all corners of world visit Jamaica, some staying on and working in Jamaica, means that
a claim of ignorance has no foundation to support it. Thus one is left with desire. Why
127

should very strong elements of the clerical elite want to keep if not add even more pressures
on the most oppressed of the Jamaican people?
The theology of maintaining and increasing the oppression of Job, has a defined outcome, and
is aimed at producing an individual and a people with a given characteristics. It is the
theological objective to produce individuals as described in Revelations, chapter 7, ver. 14. It
is the belief of these theologs and members of the clerical elite that the removal of or the
easing of the burdens of the backs of the working poor, the homeless and the destitute would
be against their objectives. Here perhaps, one should ask, why they and their families, do not
take onto themselves the tribulations and oppressions of Job so that they may all become
Holy. Why should other be forced to become holy by tribulations and hunger but not they?
The second reason for the failure(refusal) of these elements of the clerical elite to seek to
open restaurants of the poor is that any such actions would benefit those members of the gay
community who are among the working poor (the Denham Town type of gays) and those
homosexuals who are homeless and destitute (the New Kingston type of gay).
The third unmentioned factor of these very holy nationalistic members of clerical elite which
is unmentioned, is that the importation of food aid for distribution has served not only to
undermine the best efforts of the Jamaican farmer (no farmer can compete with free goods)
and that it helps to maintain acquired taste for imported goods, soya beans will always be seen
as being superior to the Jamaican guongo peas (pigeon peas) and cow peas, imported Veggi
Chunks should never be substituted with or be allowed to be competed with. Added to this
the Jamaican state is demanded to allow duty free access for these goods and with this the
Jamaica people is demanded to agree with in the name of Christ!
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes,
who are they, and where have they come from?" 14I said to him, "My lord, you know." And
he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:13-14)
The Hibernia Seventh Day Adventist Church (Manchester) and the Tent City Seventh Day
Adventist Church ( Portmore, St. Catherine)
Mr. Phillip Cuffs wife attends the Tent City Seventh Day Adventist Church in Portmore, a
Church whose members are drawn from both the surrounding middle income and low income
communities. The observer notes that it is a part of the tradition of this Church to have
Church members coming together an groups after the morning service to sit, eat and discuss,
until the start of the evening services. While all members of any of the given informal groups
should carry their own meals, however not all are able to do so; thus the cHurch prepares
meals which are available to whoever wants it; additional Mrs. Cuff like some other members
of other groups, prepare meals which are served for all members of her group which generally
has about six or seven persons.
Mr. Cedric Morgan attends, the Seventh Day Adventist Church in the middle income
agricultural village of Hiberinia, in Northern Manchester. Nearly all the members are farmers
and live relatively close to the Church. The observer is not able to confirm if this branch of
the Seventh Day Adventist Church has an after service gathering of informal groups after
their morning service. Mr. Morgan is a crop farmer and works near to the plots of other
farmers.
Among the crops cultivated are sweet potatoes, coco (yam) , irish potato and pumpkins, mix
crop cultivation is not carried out, however farmers for reasons beyond the scope of this
128

paper, cultivates coc (yam) among whatever other crop they are planting. Sweet potato leaves
after the harvesting of the crop, is piled and burnt when dried, as are all other edible leaves.
Mr. Cuff thanks to his work, visits Monchester, St. Elizabeth and Clarendon with a high level
of frequency. Taxis from Mile Gully travel to Mandeville daily, however in the mornings they
carry on their journey to Mandeville little or no baggages or large bags.
Would it not be good if Mrs. Cuff were able to make contact with Mr. Cedric Morgan and
request of him say for example seven pounds of sweet potato leaves, one pound guongo peas
leaves, two pounds pumpkin leaves and a pound of coco (yam) leaves for the purposes of
making soup and for stir frying for her group members along with giving some to the Church
kitchen? Would it not be reasonable for Mr. Cedric Morgan to collect these items and ask of
one of the taxi men or a passenger to drop them off in Mandeville to be picked up by Mr.
Cuff?
Is it not equallt reasonable to expect members of the Church Of God, which is on the main
road from Mile Gully to Hibernia to do the same? It is reasonable to expect that a Church
member to take action, especially where there are no costs, to assist other Church members
who attend the a different branch of the same Church organization. However, what exist in the
Northern region of Manchester are religious leaders, who are prepared to stand aside and
watch as food goes to waste, sent up in flames and smoke wven as their brethren in the city
suffer from hunger. Mr. Cedric Morgan is a country man he hardly ever goes to the city,
the same cannot be said of the religous leaders in the community. This observer has seen
Seville oranges which would be highly valued in the city, being kicked along the road as
football, crushed on the road by passing vehicles, placed in box and left to spoil.
A part of the failure of the Church organization to do that which is required, stems in part
from the fear of individuals to take unto themselves responsibility of doing that which is
needed and is possible, thus reducing the organization to that which can only be described as
a league of the selfish and the wicked . Here the observer wishes to point out that in
Central Europe, no man in his sane mind would think of casting on the dust heap or wasting a
single slice of bread, given their experience of war and real hardship. This observer has seen
on the road from Mile Gully to Devon at least one bag with a half of a corn bread casted
out on the road to be crushed by the wheels of cars, trucks and the shoes of the
residents-yet not only is there real hunger in the City of Kingston, with many individuals
who would have been glad for a slice of bread, but these are the citizens of a country
which wants the pity of the world and aid of all manner and kind.
One here can reasonably ask if the Mayor of Kingston, were to give the Rastafarian
community the right to operate a soup kitchen in Papine,Three Miles and Cross Roads, and
request of them to exercise that right; would the Rastafarian farmer near to the Mile Gully
Police Station or the Rastafarian who prepares and sells soup in near to the park in Mile
Gully, prove to be any better or less wicked than the Christians among whom they live?
The photograph below shows chicken chop suey with sweet potato leaves and with cassava
leaves. Here it be remembered that Chicken Chop Suey is popular lunch time meal for the
workers in New Kingston and elsewhere in the city, thus the claim that Chicken Chop Suey is
not a part of the Jamaican culture would not hold.

129

Chicken chop seuy with

cassava leaves

Chicken chop seuy with

cassava leaves

Chicken chop seuy with sweet potato leaves

130

A Few Questions For Deacon Horace Prince, Rev. Glendon West , Rev.
Burke And others Of The Younger Church Denominations
Please follow the following images in answering :-

1.

gungo peas leaves (pigeon

peas leaves)

Sweet potato leaves

131

coco (yam) leaves

pumpkin leaves

Sirs; should your younger male Church members brought the above ingredients
(eg one pound sweet potato leaves, half pound gungo peas leaves and half
132

pound coco or dasheen leaves and one large pumpkin leave, a large tin of Grace
Jack Mackerel and two and a half pound of rice to cook at Church on the Friday
evening; would you discourage them on the basis of the view that they are
making the Church into a location for the running of Boats or encourage them ,
explaining to them how to prepare the leaves, teaching them how to stir fry the
leaves before adding the crushed bits of Jack Mackerel to the mix? Would you see
it as another opportunity of maintaining the interest of young people in the
Church, the potential nutritional value of the meal and as an opportunity to teach
healthy eating?
How would you tell them to prepare the leaves:- (a) shredding it with a knife or
food processor or you would tell them to blend them? At what stage would you
add your spices (seasoning) and which spices (seasoning) would you use and
why?
Does the Church has a role in educating the youth as to how to live a healthy life
style and how to make use of the resources around them?

Clippings of Some Diet Related Health Problems

Department of Health
Information for a Healthy New York

Uterine Fibroids
This summary discusses:

Fibroids

Uterine Fibroids

Uterus - Womb

What causes fibroids?

Can fibroids turn into cancer?

Who usually develops fibroids?

Symptoms

How do you know you have a fibroid?

Diagnostic Procedures

Fibroids and Pregnancy

133

Treatments

Development of New Treatments

Fibroids
Uterine Fibroids are common non-cancerous (benign) tumors of the uterus and are the most
frequent reason for recommending a hysterectomy. They grow from the muscular wall of the
uterus and are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue. Many women over 35 have fibroids, but
usually have no symptoms.
In some women, however, fibroids (myomas) may cause heavy bleeding, pelvic discomfort
and pain and occasionally exert pressure on other organs. These symptoms may require
treatment. Treatment may take the form of medication to control pain and bleeding, hormone
therapy to shrink the tumor, surgery to remove the tumor or occasionally a hysterectomy.
There are promising new experimental drugs that may temporarily shrink the tumors. These
drugs may have serious side effects and are generally very costly. There is a type of
abdominal surgery (myomectomy) that removes the myoma without removing the uterus (see
Alternatives for additional information). These treatments may be sufficient or they may offer
temporary relief and enable a woman to postpone having a hysterectomy, especially if she
still wishes to bear children. In most severe cases a hysterectomy may be recommended.
Some women choose to do nothing since fibroids will often shrink in size as a woman goes
through menopause.

What is a fibroid?
A fibroid is a non-cancerous growth (tumor) made up of mostly fibrous tissue, like muscle.
Fibroids grow in or around the uterus (womb). They are the most common type of growth in
a woman's pelvic area (the pelvis is the bony structure at the bottom of the spine).

Uterine Fibroids
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), 20-25% of women of reproductive
age have fibroids. By the age of 50, up to 80% of black women and up to 70% of white
women have fibroids. Uterine fibroids are most common in women who are in their 40s and
early 50s, although some women may develop fibroids at a younger age. At least 25% of
women have uterine fibroids which can cause problems. Many women with fibroids never
have a problem and never know they have a fibroid.

Uterus - Womb
The uterus (womb) is a pear-shaped organ located in the lower part of a woman's body. It is
made up of the muscle wall, endometrium (lining) and the cervix (opening). In women who
are not pregnant, the lining is shed monthly as part of the menstrual cycle (period). In women
who are pregnant, the uterus is where a fetus will grow and develop.

134

Figure 1. Female Reproductive System

Are there different types of fibroids?

A fibroid can be very small, the size of a seed, or large, the size of a grapefruit. The medical
term for a fibroid is a leiomyoma or myoma. A woman may have one fibroid or many. A
fibroid may be inside the uterus (submucosal), outside the uterus (subserosal), or in the wall
of the uterus (intramural). Most fibroids grow in the wall of the uterus. Fibroids can also
grow out from the uterus on stalks called peduncles.

Figure 2. Illustration of Uterine Fibroids from the US Health and Human Women's Health
Web site

What causes fibroids?

135

Fibroids begin when cells overgrow in the wall of the uterus. However, the cause of uterine
fibroids is not known. Researchers have many ideas of what may cause fibroids, but none of
these are seen as definite causes of fibroid tumors. Some of these ideas include:

Fibroids may be genetic (runs in families).

Female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, cause fibroids to grow.

Fibroids grow rapidly during pregnancy, when hormone levels are high and shrink when antihormone medicine is used. Fibroids also stop growing or shrink once a woman reaches
menopause.

Can fibroids turn into cancer?

Fibroids are usually benign (not cancerous). Having fibroids does not increase a woman's risk
of developing cancer. In less than 1 in 1,000 cases a cancerous fibroid will occur. A cancerous
fibroid is called leiomyosarcoma.

Who usually develops fibroids?

Age, race, lifestyle and genetics may play a part in the development of fibroids. Here are the
few known risk factors:

Having a family member with fibroids increases the risk. If a woman's mother had
fibroids, her risk of having fibroids is about 3 times higher than average.

African-Americans are 2-3 times more likely to present with symptomatic (problems
such as pain or bleeding) uterine fibroids and will often develop fibroids at a younger
age than the rest of the population of women with uterine fibroids.

Asian women have a lower incidence of symptomatic uterine fibroids.

Obesity is associated with uterine fibroids. The risk of obese women developing
fibroids is 2-3 times greater than women of average weight.

Eating beef, red meat (other than beef), and ham has been linked with having uterine
fibroids, while eating green vegetables seems to protect women from developing
fibroids.

What are the symptoms of fibroids?

For most women fibroids do not cause symptoms. At least 25% of women who have uterine
fibroids do have symptoms which may include:

Heavy bleeding or painful periods

Bleeding between periods

136

Cramping

Bloating of the lower belly (abdomen or pelvic area)

Feeling of fullness in the pelvic area

Pain during sex

Low back pain

Frequent urination

Fibroids can also cause infertility (being unable to get pregnant), miscarriages, or premature
labor (labor before 37 weeks of pregnancy).

How do you know you have a fibroid?

You may not know if you have fibroids if they are not causing any problems. A health care
provider may find a fibroid on a routine exam, or you may see your health care provider if
you are having symptoms. The health care provider may:

Do a physical exam of your uterus (pelvic exam) to check the size of your uterus
(womb), and may feel the fibroid as a lump on your uterus during the pelvic exam.

Send you for a procedure to get a "picture" of your uterus.

Do blood tests to check your blood count for anemia (low iron in your blood due to
heavy periods or bleeding between periods) or for other problems.

The pelvic exam and the tests help your health care provider find out if you have fibroids,
where they are and how large they are.

What kind of procedures may be done to find out if you

have fibroids?
Your health care provider can do an imaging examination to produce a picture to confirm that
you have fibroids. These might include:

Ultrasound (US) - uses sound waves to produce a picture to see if you have fibroids.
An ultrasound probe can be placed on the abdomen or it can be placed inside the
vagina during the ultrasound.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - magnets and radio waves are used to produce
the picture.

X-rays - uses a form of radiation to produce the picture.

137

Cat Scan (CT) - takes many X-ray pictures of the body from different angles for a
more complete picture.

Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) <- an x-ray done by

Sonohysterogram - an ultrasound test that uses saline and ultrasound to look at the
uterus and pelvic area.

You might also need additional procedures to know for sure if you have fibroids. There are
two types of procedures to do this:

Diagnostic Laparoscopy or Gynecologic Laparoscopy - surgery in which the doctor

makes a cut into the abdomen and inserts a thin lighted tube with a small camera
attached. This allows the doctor to see inside the abdomen to look at the uterus,
ovaries and pelvic area.

Hysteroscopy - The doctor passes a long, thin tube with a light through the vagina
and cervix into the uterus. The hysteroscope has a light and camera attached to it so
your doctor can see the inside of the uterus on a video screen.

Will I have trouble getting pregnant if I have fibroids?

In some cases, fibroids are severe enough to prevent a woman from becoming pregnant
(infertility). If a woman is pregnant, fibroids can cause problems (complications) during
pregnancy, labor and delivery. Since fibroids are controlled by hormone levels they grow
rapidly during pregnancy. Hormone levels are high during pregnancy.

What kinds of problems will fibroids cause in pregnancy?

The most common complications caused by fibroids during pregnancy are:

Labor does not progress - this can happen if the uterus (womb) does not contract as it
should and the baby does not move out through the birth canal to be born.

Baby is breech - the baby is coming out bottom first. The usual position of a baby is
for the head to come out first, but breech babies are in the bottom or feet-first
position.

Placenta abruption - the placenta pulls away from the uterus (womb) before delivery.

Preterm delivery - the baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Cesarean section (C-section) - a cut (incision) is made in the mother's abdomen

(belly) and uterus (womb) and the baby is lifted out.
o www.health.ny.gov/community/pregnancy/what_will_giving_birth_be_like.ht
m#section

138

What are the treatments for fibroids?

If a woman is having heavy bleeding which could cause a low blood count, or is experiencing
severe cramping, painful periods, infertility or bladder or bowel problems, she will need
treatment.
Before deciding on a treatment, it is important to talk with your health care provider to get
more information. Ask your health care provider:

How many fibroids do I have and will they grow bigger?

Where are they located and will they cause problems?

Do I need treatment if I am not having any problems?

What are my choices for treatment?

Can I try other options such as medications or hormone therapy before I try surgery?

What are the treatment options other than hysterectomy?

What are the risks and benefits of these treatment options?

If you need more information before deciding on a treatment, you can ask your health care
provider to refer you to another doctor for a second opinion to be sure you are making the
best decision.
There are many options for treatment of uterine fibroids including:

Medications

Hormone Therapy

Surgery

Embolization

Medications
For occasional mild to moderate pain or discomfort, an over-the-counter medication such as
ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be taken. Over the counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAID), such as ibuprofen, if used during early pregnancy, may cause miscarriage.
For symptoms of heavy bleeding, which can cause anemia, taking an iron supplement and an
iron-rich diet can help to prevent anemia or treat anemia. More serious symptoms may
require stronger drugs available by prescription from your health care provider.

Hormone Therapy
139

Birth control pills (oral contraceptives) can be used to treat the bleeding symptoms of
fibroids. Low-dose birth control pills or progesterone-like injections (such as Depo-Provera)
do not make fibroids grow and can help control heavy bleeding. An intrauterine device (IUD)
which contains a small amount of progesterone-like medication (such as Mirena IUD) can
also control fibroid symptoms and provide birth control.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa)
Some fibroids are treated with GnRHa, a hormone that reduces the amount of estrogen to
shrink the fibroids and control symptoms. Sometimes GnRHa is used before surgery to make
fibroids easier to remove. Most women can take GnRHa without any problems, but using
GnRHa causes menopause-like side effects such as:

Hot flashes

Depression or mood swings

Decreased sexual interest

Insomnia (not being able to sleep)

Headaches

Bone thinning

Joint pain

The side effects go away when the GnRHa is stopped, and once you stop taking the drugs the
fibroids often grow back quickly. Most women don't get a period when taking GnRHa. This
can relieve the symptoms of heavy bleeding and improve the low blood count (anemia) which
can happen with heavy bleeding. Since GnRHa can cause bone thinning, it is generally used
for six months or less.

Surgery
There are three surgical treatments for fibroids:

Myomectomy - cutting fibroids from the uterus,

Endometrial Ablation - removing or destroying the lining of the uterus, or

Hysterectomy - removing the entire uterus (womb).

o www.health.ny.gov/community/adults/women/hysterectomy/

The surgical method used depends on the size, location, and number of fibroids.
Myomectomy
140

Myomectomy is removing fibroids without taking out the uterus, which makes pregnancy
possible for some women. A woman who has had a myomectomy can have problems with the
placenta or can make a cesarean delivery more likely if she becomes pregnant. Fibroids may
also develop again, even after a myomectomy.
Myomectomy can be done by:

Laparoscopy - making one or more small cuts in the abdomen and inserting a lighted
viewing instrument to remove the fibroids through the small cuts,

Hysteroscopy - using a lighted viewing instrument going through the vagina and into
the uterus to remove the fibroids, or

Laparotomy - major surgery done by making a larger cut into the abdomen and the
uterus.

The type of operation done for the myomectomy depends on the size and location of the
fibroids.
Endometrial Ablation
Endometrial Ablation is when the lining of the uterus is removed or destroyed by using laser,
wire loops, freezing or other methods to control very heavy bleeding. This procedure is
usually considered minor surgery and can be done on an outpatient basis. A woman having
this procedure will be unable to have children. Complications can occur, but are not common.
Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy an operation to remove the uterus (womb). The only absolute cure for uterine
fibroids is a hysterectomy. This procedure results in permanent infertility; a woman will be
unable to have children. A hysterectomy is major surgery. All of the possible risks of surgery
listed above are the same for hysterectomy.

Hysterectomy

Embolization
Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) or Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) - a nonsurgical
procedure that blocks blood flow to fibroids in the uterus. Embolization is done with local
anesthesia, and there are no incisions or cuts in the skin. A thin flexible tube is threaded into
the blood vessels that supply blood to the fibroid; a solution is then injected into the blood
vessels. This blocks the blood supply to the fibroid, causing it to shrink. Fibroids treated with
embolization shrink by half or more. Normal uterine tissue usually remains unharmed,
because it is supplied by other arteries.
Pregnancy is possible after embolization, but the risks to pregnancy after embolization are not
fully known. Embolization is a procedure for women who do not want to have children in the
future.

141

Women who are considered the best candidates for embolization are women who:

Have fibroids that are causing heavy bleeding

Have fibroids that are causing pain or pressing on the bladder or rectum

Don't want to have a hysterectomy

Don't want to have children in the future

Complications of embolization are not common, but can occur. They are:

Infection - the most serious, potentially life-threatening complication of embolization.

See your doctor immediately if you have a high fever and feel ill or notice pus in your
vaginal discharge. In rare cases, emergency hysterectomy is needed to treat an
infected uterus.

Loss of menstrual periods

Premature menopause

Scar tissue formation

It is important to note though that all women are different and treatment may vary.
Only your health care provider can provide you with the best options to treat uterine
fibroids.

Are new treatments for uterine fibroids being developed?

There are several new ways of destroying fibroid tissue or removing fibroids. These methods
are not yet standard treatments so your health care provider may not offer them and your
health insurance may not pay for them.
If your doctor offers one of these procedures, ask:

How many of the procedures he or she has done,

How successful they have been,

What kinds of problems can result, and

Whether your insurance covers the procedure.

Myolysis
Myolysis is the destruction of muscle tissue. Myolysis is generally recommended for smaller
fibroids. It is not recommended for women who hope to have children. These treatments can
142

cause serious pregnancy complications, such as uterine scarring and infection; these can be
dangerous to both mother and fetus.

Laser (myolysis) - usually done by laparoscopy. A laser is used to remove the fibroid
or clot the blood supply to the fibroid, causing the fibroid to shrink and eventually die.

Cold (cryomyolysis) - usually done by laparoscopy. Liquid nitrogen is used to freeze

the fibroid.

Electric current - Myoma coagulation (myolysis) - usually done by laparoscopy. An

electrical needle is passed directly into the fibroid delivering high-temperature energy
to destroy both the fibroid and the blood vessels feeding it.

High-frequency focused ultrasound - Using a high-intensity ultrasound beam, the

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner helps the doctor locate the fibroid, and
the ultrasound sends out very hot sound waves to destroy it.

New Medications
New anti-hormonal drugs and other medications are being studied for treatment of fibroids,
but none are yet available or Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for us in the US.
It is important you talk with your health care provider to fully understand your options for
uterine fibroids that are causing you problems. If your health care provider is recommending
a hysterectomy, be sure to ask why other options are not right for you. Remember, you can
ask for a second opinion to be sure the treatment option is right for you.

Additional Information About Uterine Fibroids:

www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/population/whealth/index.cfm

www.womenshealth.gov

Questions or comments: bwh@health.ny.gov

Revised: May 2013

Disclaimer

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Dietary fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health
Study
M M Blank,1 N Wentzensen,1 M A Murphy,1,2 A Hollenbeck,3 and Y Park1,*
Author information Article notes Copyright and License information

143

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Go to:
Go to:

ABSTRACT
Background:

Fat intake has been postulated to increase risk of ovarian cancer, but previous studies have
reported inconsistent results.
Methods:

The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, a large prospective cohort, assessed diet using a food
frequency questionnaire at baseline in 19951996. During an average of 9 years of follow-up,
695 ovarian cancer cases were ascertained through the state cancer registry database. The
relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using a Cox
proportional hazard model.
Results:

Women in the highest vs the lowest quintile of total fat intake had a 28% increased risk of
ovarian cancer (RRQ5 vs Q1=1.28, 95% CI: 1.011.63). Fat intake from animal sources (RRQ5 vs
Q1=1.30; 95% CI: 1.021.66), but not from plant sources, was positively associated with
ovarian cancer risk. Saturated and monounsaturated fat intakes were not related to risk of
ovarian cancer, but polyunsaturated fat intake showed a weak positive association. The
association between total fat intake and ovarian cancer was stronger in women who were
nulliparous or never used oral contraceptives.
Conclusion:

Fat intake, especially from animal sources, was related to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
The association may be modified by parity and oral contraceptive use, which warrants further
investigation.
Keywords: dietary fat, ovarian cancer, cohort studies

Ovarian cancer, which is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, is the eighth most common
cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States (Kohler et
al, 2011). Although the causes of ovarian cancer have been hypothesised as environmental
factors, few modifiable risk factors have been identified. Among known risk factors, oral
contraceptive use is associated with a lower risk of ovarian cancer, while menopausal
hormone therapy (MHT) use corresponds to an increased risk (Schottenfeld and Fraumeni,
2006). Both oral contraceptive and MHT uses are speculated to have a role in ovarian cancer
aetiology partially by affecting hormones such as gonadotropins, androgens, progesterone,
and oestrogens, which may promote ovarian carcinogenesis (Lukanova and Kaaks, 2005).
Another factor that is postulated to increase risk of ovarian cancer by altering hormone levels,
particularly oestrogen levels, is high-dietary fat intake (Cramer and Welch, 1983; Wu et al,
144

1999). Nevertheless, observational studies have reported inconsistent results and a recent
expert panel report could not make a judgment on the association between fat intake and risk
of ovarian cancer due to limited evidence (World Cancer Research Fund AIfCR, 2007). An
early meta-analysis of seven casecontrol studies and one prospective cohort study
(Huncharek and Kupelnick, 2001) summarised that total fat intake was significantly related to
risk of ovarian cancer (relative risk (RR)=1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.071.43
comparing the highest vs the lowest category). However, a recent pooled analysis of 12
cohort studies (Genkinger et al, 2006) found no association between total fat intake and
ovarian cancer risk, but weak positive associations with saturated fat intake and fat intake
from animal foods. Comparing the highest with the lowest quartile of intake, the RR was 1.14
(95% CI: 0.971.34) for saturated fat intake and 1.15 (95% CI: 0.991.33) for fat intake from
animal foods. Given that the range of fat intake across studies was relatively narrow, the
pooled analysis may have limited power to detect an association, if it exists. Therefore, we
examined the association between fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer in a large prospective
cohort study that included 695 ovarian cancer cases and had a wide range of fat intake. We
further investigated sources and types of fat and histological subtypes of ovarian cancer. In
addition, we tested whether the association between fat intake and ovarian cancer differed by
oral contraceptive use, parity, MHT use, and body mass index (BMI).
Go to:
Go to:

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study population

The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study was initiated in 19951996 when a self-administered
questionnaire was sent out only once to 3.5 million men and women, aged 5071 years, who
were members of the AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired
Persons) and resided in one of six states (California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North
Carolina, and Pennsylvania) or two metropolitan areas (Atlanta, Georgia or Detroit,
Michigan). The response to the one-time mailing was 17.6%. Details of the study have been
described previously (Schatzkin et al, 2001).
Of the 567169 participants who returned the baseline questionnaire, we excluded individuals
who returned duplicate questionnaires (n=179), requested to be withdrawn (n=7), had moved
out of the study area or died before baseline (n=582), responded as proxies for the intended
respondents (n=15760), were male (n=325174), had any prevalent cancer other than nonmelanoma skin cancer at baseline (n=23953), had end-stage renal disease (n=371), or had
undergone bilateral oophorectomy (n=48 145). In addition, we excluded individuals who
reported extreme intakes (greater than twice the interquartile ranges above the 75th percentile
or below the 25th percentile of sex-specific log-transformed intake) of total energy (n=1300)
and total fat (n=146). After these exclusions, the analytical cohort consisted of 151552
women. The study was approved by the Special Studies Institutional Review Board of the
National Cancer Institute (NCI).
145

Diet and risk-factor assessment

We assessed dietary intake with a 124-item food frequency questionnaire that was based on
the earlier version of the NCI Diet History Questionnaire. We assessed frequency of food and
beverage consumption for the previous 12 months using 10 pre-defined categories of intake
ranging from never' to 6+ times per day' for beverages, and never' to 2+ times per day' for
solid foods. Portion sizes and nutrient intakes were estimated from the 19941996 US
Department of Agriculture's Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. The food
frequency questionnaire included 21 questions about consumption of foods that were low fat
and those that contained added fats or creamers used in food preparation. In addition to total
fat, we also estimated fat intake by sources of fat, including fat from animal sources (e.g.,
meat, egg, dairy, butter, etc.) and fat from plant sources (e.g., vegetable oil, margarine, etc.),
and by types of fat, including saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans fat.
The food frequency questionnaire was validated in a calibration study (n=1953) using two
nonconsecutive 24-h dietary recalls as a reference method (Thompson et al, 2008). The
energy-adjusted Pearson correlation coefficients for the food frequency questionnaire and the
24-h dietary recalls in women were 0.62 for total fat, 0.69 for saturated fat, 0.62 for
monounsaturated fat, and 0.56 for polyunsaturated fat.
The baseline questionnaire also collected information about non-diet risk factors, including
demographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity and level of education), height, body weight,
medical history (e.g., heart disease, stroke, diabetes), family history of cancer, smoking
status, time since quitted smoking, number of cigarettes per day, oral contraceptive use, MHT
use, and reproductive history (e.g., parity, age at first birth, age at menarche, age at
menopause). A subsequent questionnaire was mailed to people who did not have self-reported
prevalent cancer at baseline within 6 months from the time the baseline questionnaire
(response rate=62%). It asked for more detailed family history of cancer including ovarian
cancer and medical history (e.g., hypertension, medication use).
Cohort follow-up

Study participants were followed by annual matching of the cohort database with the
National Change of Address database maintained by the US Postal Service and through
processing of undeliverable mail, other address update services and direct responses from
participants. Vital status was ascertained by linkage to the US Social Security Administration
Death Master File with verification in the National Death Index Plus. The loss-to-follow-up is
less than 5%.
Cancer ascertainment

We identified cancer cases through linkage of the study participants to eight original and two
additional (Arizona and Texas) state cancer registry databases. Cancer registries have been
certified by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries to capture at least
90% of cancer incidences within 2 years of cancer occurrence. Our case ascertainment
method has been described previously, which demonstrated that approximately 90% of

146

cancers were identified through cancer registries (Michaud et al, 2005). Cancer registry data
included cancer diagnosed, diagnosis date, morphology code, grade, and stage information.
We defined cases as invasive, first primary epithelial ovarian cancer using the International
Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition [16], code C56.9. Borderline and nonepithelial ovarian cancer cases were not included as cases in this study. We further classified
the epithelial ovarian cancer into the following subtypes: serous (morphology code: 8260,
8441, 8450, 8460, 8461, 8462), endometrioid (morphology code: 8380, 8381, 8560, 8570),
mucinous (morphology code: 8470, 8471, 8472, 8480, 8481, 8490), clear cell (morphology
code: 8310, 8313), and other tumours.
Statistical analysis

We estimated RRs and 95% CIs with Cox proportional hazards models (Cox, 1972) using the
PHREG procedure in SAS (SAS, Institute , Cary, NC, USA). All reported P-values were twosided. We calculated person-years of follow-up time from the date when the questionnaire
was returned until participants were diagnosed with cancer, moved out of the cancer registry
ascertainment area, died, or the end of follow-up was reached (31 December 2006),
whichever occurred first. We confirmed the proportional hazards assumption was met for the
main exposure and other covariates by including interaction terms with time and using the
Wald 2-procedure to test whether all coefficients equaled 0 (Ng'andu, 1997).
To adjust total energy intake in models, we used a nutrient density method, in which fat
intake was expressed as a percentage of total energy intake. In analysis of sources and types
of fat, we mutually adjusted for all other sources and types of fat. For example, the RR for
saturated fat intake represents the association of ovarian cancer risk with the substitution of
non-fat energy sources and is independent of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intake
(Willett, 1998).
We performed analyses using fat as either a categorical or continuous variable. We created
quintiles and deciles of fat intake, based on the distribution in the study population. In
categorical analyses, we also tested whether there was a linear trend across the categories
using the median value of each category as a single continuous variable in a model. Before
conducting analyses of fat intakes as continuous variables, we evaluated the relation of fat
intake to ovarian cancer using a nonparametric regression curve that used a restricted cubic
spline. We found the associations between total fat and all types of fat and ovarian cancer,
including subtypes, were linear. Relative risks in continuous analyses were estimated for a
10% increase in total fat intake as percentage of total energy intake, and for a 5% increase in
sources and types of fat intake as a percentage of total energy intake.
In multivariate models, we adjusted for age, race (white, non-Hispanic, black, non-Hispanic,
others), education (<12 years, high-school graduate, some college, and college graduate/post
college), BMI (<25, 2530, 30+ kgm2), family history of ovarian cancer (yes, no), duration
of oral contraceptive use (0, 14, 59, 10+ years), parity (0, 1, 2, 34, and 5+ children),
duration of MHT use (0, >0<5, 59, 10+ years), and total energy intake. We created an
147

indicator variable for missing responses in each covariate. The proportion of missing for each
variable was generally <4%. In additional analyses, we further adjusted for physical activity
and smoking and found that the results did not change. We also performed sensitivity
analyses by excluding cases diagnosed within the first 2 years of follow-up and found similar
results. To examine whether the associations for fat intake differed by oral contraceptive use,
parity, MHT use, and BMI, we included cross product terms of the ordinal score of the level
of each factor and fat intake expressed as a continuous variable in the multivariate models.
We conducted measurement error corrections for the association between total fat intake and
risk of ovarian cancer using the calibration substudy data. Using a regression calibration
method for the case of multiple covariates measured with error (Rosner et al, 1990;
Spiegelman et al, 2001) and a SAS macro (Logan and Spiegelman, 2004), we simultaneously
corrected for measurement error in fat and total energy intakes and adjusted for age, race,
education, BMI, family history of ovarian cancer, oral contraceptive use, parity, and MHT
use.
Go to:
Go to:

RESULTS
During an average of 9 years of follow-up, a total of 695 ovarian cancer cases were
identified. Overall, 404 ovarian cancer cases were classified as serous tumour, 66 were
endometroid, 36 were mucinous, 24 were clear cell tumours, and 165 were other epithelial
tumour types or were not otherwise specified. Total fat intake ranged from 20% of total
energy intake (10th percentile) to 40% of total energy intake (90th percentile). Median intake
of fat from animal and vegetable sources was 14.1% and 11.7% of total energy intake,
respectively. The major type of fat was monounsaturated fat (10th90th percentile: 715%)
followed by saturated fat (10th90th percentile: 613%), and polyunsaturated fat (10th90th
percentile: 410%). These types of fat were correlated with each other (Pearson correlation
coefficient between saturated fat and monounsaturated fat=0.82; between saturated and
polyunsaturated=0.45; between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated=0.75). Major food
sources of saturated fat were dairy (22%), meat (20%), and butter/margarine (16%). Foods
contributing to monounsaturated fat intake were meat (21%), butter/margarine (12%), and
vegetable oils including salad dressing (9%). Main sources of polyunsaturated fat intake were
vegetable oils including salad dressing (20%), butter/margarine (13%), mayonnaise (11%),
and meat (10%). In general, women in the highest quintile of total fat intake were more likely
to be Caucasian, have a higher BMI, a lower educational level, higher parity, and have never
used MHT (Table 1). The duration of oral contraceptive use did not differ by total fat intake.

148

Table 1
Characteristics of women by quintiles of total fat intake in the NIHAARP Diet and Health Study

We found that total fat intake was significantly positively associated with risk of ovarian
cancer. Compared with the lowest quintile of total fat intake, women in the highest quintile
had a 28% increased risk of ovarian cancer (multivariate RRQ5 vs Q1=1.28, 95% CI: 1.011.63,
Ptrend=0.04; Table 2). When we examined the association by comparing the highest decile of
total fat intake (median=43% of total energy from fat) with the lowest (median=17% of total
energy from fat), we found a multivariate RR of 1.49 (95% CI: 1.062.11, Ptrend=0.03) for
ovarian cancer. Fat intake from animal sources was significantly positively related to the risk
of ovarian cancer (multivariate RRQ5 vs Q1=1.30, 95% CI: 1.021.66, Ptrend=0.03), but fat intake
from plant sources was not (multivariate RRQ5 vs Q1=1.00, 95% CI: 0.791.27, Ptrend=0.96). We
further examined whether types of fat were related to ovarian cancer risk. We observed that
saturated and monounsaturated fat intakes were not related to risk of ovarian cancer, but
polyunsaturated fat intake suggested a weak positive association with risk of ovarian cancer
(multivariate RRQ5 vs Q1=1.28, 95% CI: 0.921.77, Ptrend=0.09). Intake of trans fat also showed
a statistically nonsignificant positive association with risk of ovarian cancer (multivariate
RRQ5 vs Q1=1.19, 95% CI: 0.941.50, Ptrend=0.15). When we excluded cases diagnosed during
the first 2 years of follow-up to exclude cases that may have changed their diet due to early
symptoms of cancer, we found that the results did not change: the multivariate RRQ5 vs Q1 were
1.34 (95% CI: 1.031.76) for total fat intake; 1.30 (95% CI: 1.001.70) for fat from animal
food; 1.08 (95% CI: 0.821.41) for fat from plant food; 1.00 (95% CI: 0.661.52) for
saturated fat intake; 1.01 (95% CI: 0.611.69) for monounsaturated fat; and 1.37 (95% CI:
0.951.97) for polyunsaturated fat.

Table 2
Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals of ovarian cancer by
quintiles of total fat intake in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study
149

In analyses using total fat intake as a continuous variable (Table 3), we observed an 11%
increased risk of ovarian cancer per increment of 10% of total energy from fat (multivariate
RR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.011.23) and 28% increased risk of ovarian cancer for polyunsaturated
fat intake (multivariate RR=1.28, 95% CI: 1.021.61, per increment of 5% of total energy
from polyunsaturated fat intake). When we corrected for measurement errors in the
assessments of total fat intake, we found that the association between total fat intake and
ovarian cancer became robust. After correction for measurement errors, the multivariate RR
for ovarian cancer was 1.26 (95% CI: 1.021.55) for an increment of 10% of total energy
from fat.

Table 3
Multivariate relative risksa and 95% confidence intervals for histological
subtypes of ovarian cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study,
continuous model

We further examined total fat intake in relation to ovarian cancer subtypes (Table 3). Intake of
total fat as well as fat from animal sources was positively associated with risk of serous
tumour, the most common histological subtype of ovarian cancer. The multivariate RR of
serous tumour was 1.14 (95% CI: 1.001.30) for 10% increment of total energy from total fat
and 1.10 (95% CI: 1.011.20) for 5% increment of total energy from fat from animal sources.
Fat intake was not related to risk of endometroid tumour, whereas results for mucinous
tumour were similar to those of serous tumour. However, due to low numbers for
endometroid and mucinous tumour, the power to detect an association may have been
insufficient. There were no statistically significant heterogeneities in associations of fat intake
and ovarian cancer subtypes (P-tests for heterogeneities >0.17).
We found a statistically significant interaction for the association between total fat intake and
risk of ovarian cancer by parity (P-value for interaction=0.01); however, there were no
interactions by oral contraceptive use, MHT use, or BMI (Figure 1). The association between
total fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer was significant in women who were nulliparous
(multivariate RR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.101.71 for increment of 10% of total energy from fat) and
in women who had 12 children (multivariate RR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.021.40), but not in
women who had more than three children (P-value for interaction=0.01). Although no
significant interaction by oral contraceptive use was observed, the association between total
fat intake and ovarian cancer was stronger among women who never took oral contraceptives
(multivariate RR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.041.32 for increment of 10% of total energy intake) than
among women who had ever taken oral contraceptives (multivariate RR=0.98, 95% CI: 0.82
150

1.17). Menopausal hormone therapy use and BMI did not modify the association between
total fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer.

Figure 1
Multivariate RRs (adjusted for age, race (white, non-Hispanic, black, nonHispanic, others), education (<12 years, high-school graduate, some college, and
college graduate/post college), BMI (<25, 2530, 30+ kgm ...
Go to:
Go to:

DISCUSSION
In this large prospective cohort study, we found that intakes of total fat and fat from animal
sources were significantly positively associated with risk of ovarian cancer. Intakes of
saturated and monounsaturated fat were not related to risk of ovarian cancer, whereas
polyunsaturated fat intake showed a weak positive association. Serous tumour, the most
common histological subtype of ovarian cancer, showed similar results as total ovarian
cancer. The association between total fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer was stronger in
subgroups of women who were nulliparous or never used oral contraceptives.
In contrast to findings from a pooled analysis of 12 prospective cohort studies and recent
studies, we found a positive association between total fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer.
The California Teachers Study, which was not included in the pooled analysis, found no
association with the total fat intake (RRQ5 vs Q1=0.85, 95% CI: 0.581.24, 280 cases) (Chang et
al, 2007). Recently, the Netherlands Cohort study also reported no association of total fat
with risk of ovarian cancer (Gilsing et al, 2011). Most cohort studies that examined fat intake
in relation to ovarian cancer tended to a narrow range of total fat intake. This limited the
ability to examine more extreme contrasts of total fat intake, thus associations may not have
been detected, if they exist. On the other hand, the distribution of total fat intake in our study
showed a wide range: the top 10 percentile of our study participants had total fat intake more
than 40% of total energy from fat, whereas the bottom 10 percentile of participants had less
than 20% of total energy from fat. The wide range of fat intake in our study may be, in part,
due to measurement error inherent to the food frequency questionnaire. Nevertheless,
measurement error in the food frequency questionnaire used in our study is comparable to
that in the food frequency questionnaire used in other cohort studies (Subar et al, 2001). In
addition, we corrected for measurement errors in total fat intake and found that the positive
association became stronger, but did not appreciably change. Our finding is also supported by
the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Randomized Controlled Trial that
investigated the effect of a low-fat dietary pattern in postmenopausal women (Prentice et al,
151

2007). Mean fat intake in the intervention and the control group at year 1 after randomisation
was 24% and 35% of total energy intake from fat, respectively. After 48 years of follow-up,
this trial found that ovarian cancer risk was significantly lower in the intervention group
(hazard ratio=0.60, 95% CI: 0.380.96) than in the control group.
We observed that fat intake from animal sources, but not from plant sources, was
significantly positively associated with risk of ovarian cancer. This is consistent with findings
from other cohort studies: a pooled analysis aforementioned reported a suggestive increase in
risk of ovarian cancer for fat intake from animal sources (RRQ1 vs Q4=1.15, 95% CI: 0.991.33,
Ptrend=0.15) and the Netherlands Cohort study also observed an increased risk of ovarian
cancer with increased intake of fat from animal foods (RR=1.11, 95% CI: 0.991.25 for 13g
per day increment). In addition, a casecontrol study that examined dietary changes over time
observed that substituting non-animal fat for animal fat between 2 and 7 years before cancer
diagnosis or study recruitment was related to 35% lowered risk of ovarian cancer (odds
ratio=0.65, 95% CI: 0.500.85, for 100kcal increment) (Lubin et al, 2006). In examining
types of fat in relation to ovarian cancer, both a meta-analysis of casecontrol studies and the
pooled analysis of cohort studies observed a positive association with saturated fat intake.
However, our study found no association of saturated fat with risk of ovarian cancer.
Some studies suggested that reproductive and hormonal risk factors for ovarian cancer differ
by histological types (Tung et al, 2003; Soegaard et al, 2007; Gates et al, 2010). However,
ours and two other studies (Risch et al, 1996; Genkinger et al, 2006) that examined the
association between fat intake and ovarian cancer by histological type did not observe a
significant difference in risk estimates by histological type. Owing to the small number of
cases in mucinous, endometrioid, and clear cell tumours, studies had limited ability to
examine these associations. Further examination of these relationships in histological
subtypes is warranted.
Unlike a pooled analysis that found no effect modification by reproductive and hormonal
factors (Genkinger et al, 2006), we found that the association between total fat intake and
ovarian cancer risk was modified by parity. A significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer
for total fat intake was observed in women with no child or 12 children, but not in women
with 3+ children. In addition, although the interaction was not statistically significant, the
positive association between total fat and risk of ovarian cancer was significant in women
who never used oral contraceptives, but not in women ever used oral contraceptives. Given
that oral contraceptive use and parity have been identified as protective factors for ovarian
cancer, women who did not use oral contraceptives or who were nulliparous may be at a
higher risk of ovarian cancer and more susceptible to the detrimental effect of fat on ovarian
cancer risk. On the other hand, among oral contraceptive users and parous women, the
protective effect of oral contraceptive use and pregnancy may override the harmful effect of
high fat intake. Interestingly, the Netherlands Cohort Study also observed that the relation of
animal fat intake to ovarian cancer risk was stronger in women who never used oral
contraceptive use. In contrast to our findings, this study observed a significant association

152

between animal fat intake and risk of ovarian cancer in parous women, but not in nulliparous
women. These findings also warrant further investigation.
Our study has several limitations. Diet was assessed only once at baseline, as opposed to
repeated assessments during follow-up, therefore we were not able to examine the changes in
fat intake over time. Similarly, we did not assess fat intake at earlier stages of life,
particularly during reproductive years that may be relevant to lifelong risk. Measurement
error is an inherent limitation in self-reported dietary assessment. Nevertheless, we were able
to correct measurement error using the calibration study data. Despite a large number of
ovarian cancer cases, we were not able to examine the association by specific subtypes due to
the rarity of some histological types. The ovarian cancer subtypes were defined using
pathology information provided by state cancer registries and we were not able to review
them. Thus, some misclassification of subtypes may have occurred.
Our study also has several strengths. This is a large prospective cohort study in which diet
was measure at baseline, thus decreasing the likelihood of recall bias. In addition, our study
had wide ranges of dietary fat intake providing good statistical power. We were also able to
examine subtypes of ovarian cancer and adjust for potential ovarian cancer risk factors in
addition to performing stratified analyses by several risk factors.
In conclusion, our findings support the hypothesis that fat intake, particularly fat from animal
sources, increases risk of ovarian cancer. The association of total fat intake with ovarian
cancer may be modified by hormone and reproductive factors such as parity and oral
contraceptive use. Further investigation is needed to better understand these associations.
Go to:
Go to:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Cancer incidence data from the Atlanta metropolitan area were collected by the Georgia
Center for Cancer Statistics, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health,
Emory University. Cancer incidence data from California were collected by the California
Department of Health Services, Cancer Surveillance Section. Cancer incidence data from the
Detroit metropolitan area were collected by the Michigan Cancer Surveillance Program,
Community Health Administration, State of Michigan. The Florida cancer incidence data
used in this report were collected by the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDC) under contract
with the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). Cancer incidence data from Louisiana were
collected by the Louisiana Tumor Registry, Louisiana State University Medical Center in
New Orleans. Cancer incidence data from New Jersey were collected by the New Jersey State
Cancer Registry, Cancer Epidemiology Services, New Jersey State Department of Health and
Senior Services. Cancer incidence data from North Carolina were collected by the North
Carolina Central Cancer Registry. Cancer incidence data from Pennsylvania were supplied by
the Division of Health Statistics and Research, Pennsylvania Department of Health,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Health specifically disclaims
153

responsibility for any analyses, interpretations or conclusions. Cancer incidence data from
Arizona were collected by the Arizona Cancer Registry, Division of Public Health Services,
Arizona Department of Health Services. Cancer incidence data from Texas were collected by
the Texas Cancer Registry, Cancer Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Texas Department
of State Health Services. We are indebted to the participants in the NIH-AARP Diet and
Health Study for their outstanding cooperation. We also thank Sigurd Hermansen and Kerry
Grace Morrissey from Westat for study outcomes ascertainment and management and Leslie
Carroll at Information Management Services for data support and analysis. We are deeply
saddened by the loss of Dr Arthur Schatzkin, the principal investigator for the NIH-AARP
Diet and Health Study, who passed away on 20 January 2011. The study was supported by the
Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.
Megan A Murphy is supported in part by a training grant NIH 5 T32 CA0900135.
Disclaimer
The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
those of the FCDC or FDOH.
Go to:
Go to:

FOOTNOTES
This work is published under the standard license to publish agreement. After 12 months the
work will become freely available and the license terms will switch to a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Go to:
Go to:

REFERENCES

SAS Institute Inc. SAS II SAS/STAT User's Guide, Version 8. SAS Institute
Inc.: Cary, NC; 1999.

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer
Research UK

Breast Cancer Res. 2004; 6(4): 170178.

Published online 2004 Jun 17. doi: 10.1186/bcr909
PMCID: PMC468678
Does diet affect breast cancer risk?
154

Michelle D Holmes

and Walter C Willett1,2,3

Author information Copyright and License information

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Go to:
Go to:

Abstract
The role of specific dietary factors in breast cancer causation is not completely resolved.
Results from prospective studies do not support the concept that fat intake in middle life has a
major relation to breast cancer risk. However, weight gain in middle life contributes
substantially to breast cancer risk. Alcohol is the best established dietary risk factor, probably
by increasing endogenous estrogen levels. Hypotheses relating diet during youth to risk
decades later will be difficult to test. Nevertheless, available evidence is strong that breast
cancer risk can be reduced by avoiding weight gain during adult years, and by limiting
alcohol consumption.
Keywords: breast neoplasms, diet, ethanol, obesity, women
Go to:
Go to:

Introduction
Breast cancer incidence rates vary widely around the world. Also, the offspring of those who
migrate from countries with low incidence to countries with high incidence take on the higher
rates of the new host country [1]. These observations have promoted the hypothesis that
nutrition is an environmental determinant of breast cancer. The dominant hypothesis has been
that high fat intake increases risk. We review evidence for this relationship and other potential
dietary risk factors for breast cancer.
Go to:
Go to:

Dietary fat and breast cancer

Animal studies

High-fat diets have long been known to increase the occurrence of mammary tumors in
rodents. However, the interpretation of animal data is controversial. Fat is the most energydense macronutrient; therefore, it is sometimes difficult to disentangle the effects of fat intake
from those of energy intake in studies of cancer. In studies specifically designed to determine
the independent effects of fat and energy intake, the effect of fat was either weak in relation
to that of energy intake [2] or it was nonexistent [3]. Furthermore, in these experiments
rodents are given high doses of carcinogens, and the relevance to human cancer is
155

questionable. The clearest message from the animal data is the importance of total energy
intake.
International correlation (ecologic) studies

The dietary fat hypothesis is largely based on the observation that national per capita fat
consumption is highly correlated with breast cancer mortality rates [4]. However, per capita
fat consumption is highly correlated with economic development. Also, low parity and late
age at first birth, greater body fat, and lower levels of physical activity are more prevalent in
Western countries, and would be expected to confound the association with dietary fat.
Secular trends

Both per capita fat consumption and breast cancer incidence rates increased substantially in
the USA during the 20th century. However, estimates of per capita fat consumption are based
on 'food disappearance' (the food available rather than the amount actually eaten). Surveys
based on measures of actual individual intake indicate that consumption of fat as a percentage
of energy has actually declined during the past several decades.
Data from populations with distinct dietary patterns are potentially valuable. These groups
often follow diets prescribed by religious rules, and may represent a more stable long-term
exposure than is found in most adults. However, these populations often have unusual
distributions of other risk factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, and reproductive
behavior. Therefore, care must be taken in attributing differences in cancer rates to diet alone.
Seventh-Day Adventists, who consume relatively small amounts of meat and other animal
products, have substantially lower rates of colon cancer but only slightly lower breast cancer
rates than do other US women [5]. Breast cancer rates among UK nuns who ate little to no
meat were similar to rates among single women from the general population [6], also
suggesting that there is no substantial association between animal fat intake and risk for
breast cancer.
Casecontrol studies

Howe and coworkers [7] performed a meta-analysis of 12 casecontrol studies including a

total of 4312 cases. The overall pooled relative risk (RR) for a 100 g increase in daily total fat
intake was 1.35, with greater risk among postmenopausal women (RR = 1.48) and no
association in premenopausal women (RR = 1.13). However, the average total fat
consumption is about 70 g/day in US women. A reduction in fat intake as large as 100 g
would not be feasible, but the RR for readily achievable changes in total fat intake would be
relatively small. For example, there would be only a 10% decrease in risk among
postmenopausal women corresponding to a decrease from 40% to 29% of calories of fat
intake. RRs of this magnitude in casecontrol studies may easily be due to selection or recall
bias [8].
The association of childhood dietary fat intake with breast cancer risk has been assessed
retrospectively because of the difficulty in performing prospective studies. One study
including 1647 cases of breast cancer in young women [9] reported a slightly increased risk
156

for breast cancer with adolescent intake of high-fat meat. In a retrospective cohort study of
47,355 women based on the Nurses' Health Study II, intake of total fat during high school
was not associated with breast cancer risk, but intake of vegetable fat was associated with
decreased risk [10].
Cohort studies

In a cohort (prospective) study selection bias and recall bias should not occur. The results for
postmenopausal breast cancer from prospective studies with at least 200 incident cases of
breast cancer are shown in Table Table1.1. Not one study reported a significant positive
association with total fat intake. A collaborative pooled analysis that included most of the
studies shown in Table Table11 comprised a total of 4980 breast cancer cases among 337,819
women [11]. Overall, no association was observed between intake of total, saturated,
monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fat and risk for breast cancer. No reduction in risk was
seen even for fat intakes as low as 20% of energy.

Table 1
Results from large prospective studies of total and saturated fat intake and risk
for breast cancer

In the Nurses' Health Study, additional analyses were conducted with 14 years of follow-up
(2956 cases) [12]; up to four assessments of fat intake were available, which substantially
improves the measurement of long-term dietary intake. The RR for a 5% increase in
percentage of energy from total fat was 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.941.00); the
overall weak trend was actually statistically significant (inverse), and no suggestion of any
reduction in risk was seen for fat intakes even lower than 20% of energy. In addition, results
were no different when using only the baseline diet assessment: RR (95% CI) = 0.99 (0.87
1.01). Thus, the prospective studies provide strong evidence that no major relation exists
between total dietary fat intake over a wide range during midlife and breast cancer incidence.
Some researchers hypothesize that systematic and random measurement error occurs when
using food frequency questionnaires in cohort studies, which has obscured an association
between fat intake and breast cancer [13]. However, the theoretical biases needed to account
for a lack of association are extreme, and were not supported by empirical evidence [14].
Intervention studies

Some have suggested that the relation between dietary fat and breast cancer can only be
established by randomized trials of fat reduction. The Women's Health Initiative sponsored by
the US National Institutes of Health randomly assigned women to one of two groups [15]: in
157

one group (n = 19,541) the women reduced their total fat intake to 20% of calories and in the
other group (n = 29,294; control group) the women consumed their usual diet. In addition,
two ongoing trials (Women's Intervention Nutrition Study and the Women's Healthy Eating
and Living Study) are being conducted in women with breast cancer to determine whether a
low-fat dietary intervention will prevent recurrence and improve survival [16,17].
However, it is difficult to maintain compliance with a diet that is very different from
prevailing food consumption habits. Also, a secular decline in fat consumption is already
underway. These two facts may reduce the difference in fat intake between the intervention
group and controls, and may compromise the ability to detect a difference in cancer rates.
Furthermore, women in the dietary intervention group of the Women's Health Initiative will
be counseled to adopt a dietary pattern high in fruits, vegetables, and grains, as well as low in
fat [18]. Thus, the trial would be unable to distinguish between a decrease in risk due to
increased intake of fruits, vegetables and grains, and a decrease due to lower fat intake. Also,
that trial will not determine whether dietary fat reduction at an earlier age may reduce breast
cancer risk.
Type of fat

Specific types of fat could differentially affect risk for breast cancer. In most animal studies
diets high in polyunsaturated fat, but typically at levels beyond human exposure, have clearly
increased the occurrence of mammary tumors. A positive association has not been found in
prospective epidemiologic studies [19].
In a pooled analysis of cohort studies [19], saturated fat (compared with carbohydrate) was
weakly associated with higher risk for breast cancer (RR for 5% of energy = 1.09; 95% CI =
1.001.19). In a recent prospective study conducted in premenopausal women in the Nurses'
Health Study II [20], intake of animal fat and high-fat dairy foods was associated with a 33
36% increase in risk for breast cancer for the highest compared with the lowest quintile of
intake. Total fat per se was not associated with breast cancer risk, suggesting that other
constituents of dairy foods consumed early in adult life may increase breast cancer risk.
Childhood energy balance

As noted earlier, energy restriction powerfully reduces mammary tumors in rodents. The
World War II Norwegian famine provided a natural human experiment [21]. Female
adolescents who lived through the famine have had a slightly lower breast cancer risk at all
later ages 13% reduction in breast cancer risk. However, the timing and duration of energy
deprivation may be important. The risk of breast cancer was increased among women
exposed to the short but severe 194445 Dutch famine, and the elevation in risk was strongest
(double compared with unexposed) for those exposed between the ages of 2 and 9 years [22].
Energy-deprived children do not attain full height, which may be used as a proxy for
childhood energy intake. Most observational studies of height and breast cancer risk suggest a
modest positive association [23-26]. In a pooled analysis of large cohorts (4385 cases), the

158

RRs for an increment of 5 cm in height were 1.02 (95% CI = 0.961.10) for premenopausal
and 1.07 (95% CI = 1.031.12) for postmenopausal women (Fig. (Fig.1)1) [27].

Figure 1
Height and breast cancer. Results of prospective studies of the association
between height and breast cancer. Reproduced from van der Brandt PA and
coworkers [27], with permission.

Age at menarche an established breast cancer risk factor also indicates childhood energy
balance. In prospective studies, weight, height, and body fat predict age at menarche [28,29].
The potential for energy balance to influence breast cancer risk through age at menarche is
great. Although the average age at menarche in Western countries is 1213 years, in rural
China the typical age has been 1718 years [30], which is similar to that in Western countries
200 years ago.
Adulthood energy balance

Attained weight and weight change in adults provide sensitive measures of energy balance.
Two findings have been particularly enigmatic. First, in affluent Westerners, body fat has
been inversely related to premenopausal breast cancer risk. Second, body fat has been only
weakly related to increased postmenopausal risk, despite strong links with endogenous
estrogen levels.
The inverse relation between body weight (typically body mass index [BMI] calculated as
kg/m2) and premenopausal breast cancer has consistently been seen in observational studies
[27,31]. Heavier premenopausal women have more irregular menstrual cycles and
anovulatory infertility [32], suggesting their lower risk may be due to lower ovarian
hormones [33].
In observational studies, the association between BMI and postmenopausal breast cancer risk
has been only weakly positive or nonexistent [7,23,27]. This is surprising because obese
postmenopausal women have endogenous estrogen levels nearly double those of lean women
[34]. This lack of association appears due to two factors. First, the early adult reduction in
breast cancer risk due to being overweight appears to persist [31,35], opposing the adverse
effect of elevated estrogens after menopause. Thus, weight gain should be more strongly
related to postmenopausal breast cancer risk than attained weight. Indeed, this was true in
both casecontrol [36,37] and prospective studies [31,35,38,39]. Second, use of
postmenopausal hormones obscures the variation in endogenous estrogens due to adiposity
and elevates breast cancer risk regardless of body weight [31,39]. Among never-users of
postmenopausal hormones, those gaining at least 25 kg after age 18 years had double the
breast cancer risk of women who maintained their weight (Fig. (Fig.2)2) [31].
159

Figure 2
Weight gain, hormone use, and breast cancer. Relative risk (RR) of breast cancer
by adult weight change and hormone use among postmenopausal women. RR
was adjusted for age, height, history of benign diseases, family history of breast
cancer, age at menarche, ...

In a recent pooled analysis of eight prospective studies of postmenopausal women including

624 cases [40], the authors reported that breast cancer risk increased with increasing BMI,
and that this elevated risk was substantially attenuated by adjustment for serum estrogen
concentrations.
An expert panel of the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health
Organization estimated that there is a 2040% decrease in breast cancer risk among the most
physically active women, regardless of menopausal status, type, or intensity of activity [41].
A mechanism for this decrease in risk might be the lower levels of circulating ovarian
hormones found in physically active women [42,43].
In summary, energy balance appears to play an important role in human breast cancer. Rapid
childhood growth rates accelerate the age at menarche and result in greater stature, both of
which are associated with increased risk. Overweight is associated with a lower incidence of
breast cancer before menopause. However, weight gain during adulthood is associated with a
graded and substantial increase in postmenopausal breast cancer risk, which is seen most
clearly in the absence of hormone replacement therapy.
Go to:
Go to:

Dietary fiber and carbohydrate quality

Diets that are high in fiber have been hypothesized to protect against breast cancer by
inhibiting the intestinal reabsorption of biliary excreted estrogens. Recently, in a Swedish
cohort including 342 cases [44], a lower risk for postmenopausal breast cancer (RR = 0.58,
95% CI = 0.400.84) for the highest compared with the lowest quintile of fiber intake was
identified. However, other prospective studies have not been supportive of a link between
fiber intake and breast cancer [45-49]. It is possible that particular fiber fractions are more
important than total fiber intake.
Terry and coworkers [48] reported on breast cancer risk associated with dietary fiber
fractions. They found no associations between intake of total, soluble, insoluble, cereal, fruit,
and vegetable fiber, as well as lignin and cellulose, and breast cancer risk among 89,835
160

women in the Canadian National Breast Screening Study. Similarly, no association was found
with fiber fractions in the Nurses' Health Study [50].
Recent studies have raised the hypothesis that carbohydrate quality rather than absolute
amount of intake may be important in breast cancer risk, particularly for premenopausal
women. Most are retrospective studies, however, and more prospective studies are needed.
One casecontrol study including 140 cases of premenopausal bilateral breast cancer reported
an elevated risk for intake of sweetened beverages [51]: odds ratio (95% CI) = 2.6 (1.25.8)
for the highest versus the lowest quartile of intake. In a large (2569 cases), Italian,
population-based, casecontrol study [52], both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast
cancer patients had a higher mean dietary glycemic index a measure of carbohydrate quality
that is based on postprandial blood glucose. Comparing the highest with the lowest quintiles
of glycemic index, the odds ratio (95% CI) was 1.36 (1.141.64).
However, in a Swedish prospective study of dietary patterns including 1328 cases [53], no
association was found between a 'Western' dietary pattern, including refined grains and
sweets, and risk for breast cancer, even when stratified by age (4049 years versus 50
years).
Because the adverse metabolic response to higher carbohydrate intake is exacerbated in the
presence of insulin resistance [54,55], high carbohydrate or glycemic load intake might be
expected to increase breast cancer risk primarily in overweight women. However, results
were inconsistent in two studies that examined this association stratified by BMI [49,50]. In
addition, intake of cereal fiber did not modify the association of glycemic load with breast
cancer risk [50].
Vitamin A

Vitamin A consists of preformed vitamin A from animal sources, and carotenoids found
primarily in fruits and vegetables. Many carotenoids are potent antioxidants and may provide
a defense against reactive oxygen species that damage DNA. Vitamin A also regulates cell
differentiation, and may thus prevent carcinogenesis.
In a cohort of Canadian women (519 cases) [46], a marginally significant protective
association between total vitamin A intake, preformed vitamin A and -carotene, and breast
cancer was seen. With 14 years of follow-up in the Nurses' Health Study (2697 cases) [56],
an inverse association with total vitamin A was seen only among premenopausal women. This
inverse association was primarily accounted for by intakes of -carotene and
lutein/zeaxanthin, and was strongest among women with a family history of breast cancer.
However, in an extended follow-up of the Canadian cohort (1452 cases) and in a Swedish
cohort (1271 cases), little overall association was seen between intake of carotenoids and
breast cancer [57,58].
An alternative to the dietary assessment of vitamin A intake is the measurement of vitamin A
compounds in blood. In the two largest studies based on blood samples collected before
161

diagnosis [59,60], low levels of -carotene and other carotenoids were associated with an
approximately twofold increase in risk for breast cancer.
Thus, available data from observational studies suggest a possible protective effect of vitamin
A intake, particularly carotenoids, on breast cancer risk, particularly in premenopausal
women. Ideally, the effect of vitamin A supplements should be evaluated in randomized trials.
However, the -carotene arm of the Women's Health Study (a breast cancer prevention trial
conducted in 40,000 women) was terminated in 1996 after reports that -carotene
supplements appeared to increase the risk for lung cancer among smoking men. Thus, data
from randomized trials on specific carotenoids and breast cancer risk may never be available.
Other antioxidants

Vitamin E has inhibited mammary tumors in rodents in some experiments [61]. However,
none of the published prospective studies has reported a significant inverse association
[46,56,58,62].
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can block the formation of carcinogenic nitrosoamines. In
prospective studies no significant overall association between intake of vitamin C and breast
cancer was observed [46,56,62,63], including with long-term use of vitamin C supplements
[56].
Selenium, an important component of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase, inhibits
cell proliferation and in animal studies protects against a variety of cancers, although usually
at high levels of intake [64]. Individual selenium intake cannot be measured accurately by
dietary assessment because the selenium content of foods depends on the geographic area in
which the foods were grown. However, selenium levels in tissues such as blood and toenails
do reflect intake [65]. In prospective studies [66,67], no association between toenail selenium
and risk for breast cancer was observed.
Alcohol

There is substantial evidence that alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk. In a
pooled analysis of the six largest cohort studies with data on alcohol and dietary factors [68],
the risk for breast cancer increased monotonically with increasing intake of alcohol (Fig.
(Fig.3).3). For a 10 g/day increase in alcohol, breast cancer risk increased by 9% (95% CI =
413%). Adjustment for other breast cancer risk factors had little impact. Beer, wine, and
liquor all contribute to the positive association, strongly suggesting that alcohol per se is
responsible for the increased risk. In intervention studies, consumption of approximately one
to two alcoholic drinks per day increased estrogen levels in premenopausal and
postmenopausal women [69,70], suggesting a mechanism by which alcohol may increase
breast cancer risk.

162

Figure 3
Alcohol intake and breast cancer. Nonparametric regression curve for the
relationship between total alcohol intake and breast cancer. From Smith-Warner
and coworkers [68], with permission.

In several large prospective studies, high intake of folic acid appeared to mitigate completely
the excess risk for breast cancer due to alcohol [71-73]. This relationship was recently
confirmed using plasma folic acid levels [74].
The public health recommendations for alcohol are complicated because consumption of one
to two alcoholic beverages per day probably protects against cardiovascular disease. Because
cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, moderate drinking is
associated overall with a modest reduction in total mortality [75]. However, avoiding alcohol
appears to be one of relatively few methods for reducing breast cancer risk, whereas many
methods exist to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease. For women choosing to consume
alcohol regularly, use of a multivitamin to ensure adequate folic acid intake may decrease
breast cancer risk.
Caffeine

Speculation that caffeine may increase breast cancer risk followed a report that women with
benign breast disease experienced symptom relief after eliminating caffeine from their diet. In
prospective studies no increase in breast cancer risk has been seen [76,77].
Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens in soy products have attracted attention because they are highly consumed in
Asian countries that have low rates of cancer [78]. These isoflavone compounds, which
include daidzen and genistein, can bind estrogen receptors but are much less potent than
estradiol, and may act like tamoxifen by blocking the action of endogenous estrogens to
reduce breast cancer risk.
Studies in Western populations with low soy intake have been unable to show an association
with breast cancer risk [79]. In some casecontrol studies in Asian populations [80-82], soy
intake, particularly during adolescence, was associated with lower breast cancer risk.
However, in two others [83,84], and in one prospective study from Japan [85], little relation
was seen. However, a recent prospective study from Japan including 179 cases [86] reported
a decreased risk for breast cancer when comparing the highest with the lowest quartile of
isoflavone consumption (RR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.250.84). Similar results were found for
intake of miso soup, but not soy foods, and results were strongest for postmenopausal
women. More prospective studies are needed.
Conceivably, high-dose phytoestrogens could even increase overall estrogenic activity among
postmenopausal women. In a cross-sectional study [87] it was found that women consuming
more soy had more mammographically dense breasts, which is a known risk factor for breast

163

cancer. In addition, randomized controlled feeding trials have found that women consuming
soy had increased markers of cell proliferation in their breasts [88,89].
Go to:
Go to:

Specific foods
Foods contain an extremely complex mix of essential nutrients and other compounds that
could influence breast cancer risk in ways not detected by study of individual nutrients.
Inverse associations between intakes of fruits and vegetables and breast cancer risk have been
reported in a notably large number of casecontrol studies [90]. However, in the pooled
analysis of eight large prospective studies (7377 cases among 351,825 women), only weak
and nonsignificant associations were seen with increasing consumption of fruit and
vegetables [91]. Comparing highest with lowest quartiles, RRs were 0.93 (95% CI = 0.86
1.00) for total fruits, 0.96 (0.891.04) for total vegetables, and 0.93 (0.861.00) for total
fruits plus vegetables. A thorough search among specific fruits and vegetables and botanical
groups did not reveal any significant associations.
Associations between red meat consumption and risk for breast cancer have been reported
sporadically [92]. However, as previously mentioned, breast cancer rates among UK nuns
who ate little to no meat were similar to rates among single women from the general
population [6]. In the pooled analysis of large cohort studies (7379 cases) [93], no association
was seen with consumption of red meat, white meat, or dairy products. In an analysis that
retrospectively assessed degree of cooking [94], consumption of well-done red meat was
associated with breast cancer incidence. This will require evaluation in prospective analyses.
Go to:
Go to:

Conclusion
The role of specific dietary factors in breast cancer causation is not completely resolved.
Enthusiasm for the hypothesis that dietary fat intake was responsible for the high rates of
breast cancer rates in Western countries was based largely on the weakest form of
epidemiologic evidence ecological correlation studies. Results from prospective studies do
not support the concept that fat intake in middle life has a major relation to breast cancer risk
during up to 14 years of follow up. High-energy intake in relation to physical activity, which
accelerates growth and the onset of menstruation during childhood, leads to weight gain in
middle life and thus can contribute substantially to breast cancer risk. These effects of energy
balance clearly account for an important part of international differences in breast cancer
rates. Some evidence suggests that vitamin A or other compounds in vitamin A-rich foods
may reduce breast cancer risk modestly, but these findings are not conclusive and deserve
further consideration. Alcohol intake is the best-established specific dietary risk factor for
breast cancer, and studies demonstrating that even moderate alcohol intake increases
164

endogenous estrogen levels provide a potential mechanism, thus supporting a causal

interpretation. Hypotheses relating childhood and adolescent diet to breast cancer risk
decades later will be more difficult to test. Nevertheless, the available evidence that breast
cancer risk can be reduced by avoiding weight gain during adult years and by limiting alcohol
consumption is strong.
Go to:
Go to:

Competing interests
None declared.
Go to:
Go to:

Abbreviations
BMI = body mass index; CI = confidence interval; RR = relative risk.
Go to:
Go to:

Acknowledgement
This article is adapted in part from an earlier review presented in Epidemiology and
Nongenetic Causes of Breast Cancer [95].
Go to:
Go to:

References
1. Swanson CA, Jones DY, Schatzkin A, Brinton LA, Ziegler RG. Breast cancer
risk assessed by anthropometry in the NHANES I epidemiological follow-up
study. Cancer Res. 1988;48:53635367. [PubMed]
2. Vatten LJ, Kvinnsland S. Body height and risk of breast cancer. A
prospective study of 23,831 Norwegian women. Br J Cancer. 1990;61:881
885. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
3. Graham S, Zielezny M, Marshall J, Priore R, Freudenheim J, Brasure J,
Haughey B, Nasca P, Zdeb M. Diet in the epidemiology of postmenopausal
breast cancer in the New York State Cohort. Am J Epidemiol.
1992;136:13271337. [PubMed]
4. Sellers TA, Kushi LH, Cerhan JR, Vierkant RA, Gapstur SM, Vachon CM,
Olson JE, Therneau TM, Folsom AR. Dietary folate intake, alcohol, and risk
of breast cancer in a prospective study of postmenopausal women.
165

Epidemiology. 2001;12:420428. doi: 10.1097/00001648-20010700000012. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]

5. Shu XO, Jin F, Dai Q, Wen W, Potter JD, Kushi LH, Ruan Z, Gao YT, Zheng W.
Soyfood intake during adolescence and subsequent risk of breast cancer
among Chinese women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001;10:483
488. [PubMed]
6. Willett WC, Hunter DJ, Stampfer MJ, Colditz G, Manson JE, Spiegelman D,
Rosner B, Hennekens CH, Speizer FE. Dietary fat and fiber in relation to
risk of breast cancer. An 8-year follow-up. JAMA. 1992;268:20372044. doi:
10.1001/jama.268.15.2037. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
7. Howe GR, Friedenreich CM, Jain M, Miller AB. A cohort study of fat intake
and risk of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1991;83:336340. [PubMed]
8. Graham S, Hellmann R, Marshall J, Freudenheim J, Vena J, Swanson M,
Zielezny M, Nemoto T, Stubbe N, Raimondo T. Nutritional epidemiology of
postmenopausal breast cancer in western New York. Am J Epidemiol.
1991;134:552566. [PubMed]
9. Kushi LH, Sellers TA, Potter JD, Nelson CL, Munger RG, Kaye SA, Folsom AR.
Dietary fat and postmenopausal breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst.
1992;84:10921099. [PubMed]
10.van den Brandt PA, van't Veer P, Goldbohm RA, Dorant E, Volovics A,
Hermus RJ, Sturmans F. A prospective cohort study on dietary fat and the
risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Cancer Res. 1993;53:7582.
[PubMed]
11.Wolk A, Bergstrom R, Hunter D, Willett W, Ljung H, Holmberg L, Bergkvist
L, Bruce A, Adami HO. A prospective study of association of
monounsaturated fat and other types of fat with risk of breast cancer. Arch
Intern Med. 1998;158:4145. doi: 10.1001/archinte.158.1.41. [PubMed]
[Cross Ref]
12.Velie E, Kulldorff M, Schairer C, Block G, Albanes D, Schatzkin A. Dietary
fat, fat subtypes, and breast cancer in post-menopausal women: a
prospective cohort study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000;92:833839. doi:
10.1093/jnci/92.10.833. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
13.Horn-Ross PL, Hoggatt KJ, West DW, Krone MR, Stewart SL, Anton H,
Bernstei CL, Deapen D, Peel D, Pinder R, Reynolds P, Ross RK, Wright W,
Ziogas A. Recent diet and breast cancer risk: the California Teachers Study
(USA) Cancer Causes Control. 2002;13:407415. doi:
10.1023/A:1015786030864. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]
14.Mills PK, Beeson WL, Phillips RL, Fraser GE. Dietary habits and breast
cancer incidence among Seventh-day Adventists. Cancer. 1989;64:582
590. [PubMed]

166

Articles from Breast Cancer Research : BCR are provided here courtesy of
BioMed Central
Endometrial Cancer: Nutritional Considerations

As with many cancers, the risk for uterine cancers appears to be associated with greater
intakes of foods found in Western diets (animal products, refined carbohydrates). Risk seems
to be lower among women whose diets are high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
legumes. The lower risk in persons eating plant-based diets may be related to a reduced
amount of free hormones circulating in the blood or to a protective effect of micronutrients
found in these diets.
The following factors are under study for possible protective effects:
Eating less meat and fat. Studies found a 50% greater risk for endometrial cancer among
women who consumed the greatest amount of processed meat and fish.5 Consumption of red
meat and eggs is also associated with greater endometrial cancer risk.6
Higher intake of fat, particularly saturated fat, is associated with elevations of endometrial
cancer risk on the order of 60% to 80%.6,7 Some evidence indicates that this association is due
to the influence of dietary fat on adiposity and, consequently, on circulating estrogens.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Although findings are limited, evidence
suggests that vegetables, fruits, and the nutrients these foods contain (ie, vitamin C, various
carotenoids, folate, phytosterols) are associated with reduced risk for endometrial cancer. The
hypothesized risk reduction may be as high as 50% to 60%.8,9
An inverse association between whole grain intake and endometrial cancer has been
observed, although some data suggest that this benefit may be restricted to women who have
never used hormones.10 Higher intakes of soy and other legumes may also decrease risk.6
Some whole grains and most legumes have a low glycemic index (a ranking of carbohydratecontaining foods, based on the food's effect on blood sugar compared with a standard
reference food's effect). Women whose diets had the most high-glycemic-index foods had a
roughly 50% greater risk for endometrial cancer than those whose diets had the lowest
amount of these foods. Among obese women (BMI > 30), the risk for endometrial cancer in
those eating the most high-glycemic-index foods was roughly 90% greater.11 In nondiabetic
women, those eating diets highest in glycemic load (glycemic index of a food times the
number of grams of carbohydrates in the food serving) had a roughly 45% greater risk for
endometrial cancer.12
Moderating alcohol consumption. Outcomes of studies on alcohol intake and risk for
uterine cancers are conflicting, with various studies finding no association, a protective effect,
or increased risk. Consistently high alcohol intake is associated with increased risk in young
women (under age 50) and in African American women.13,14
167

Orders
What to Tell the Family
The 5-year survival rate for uterine cancers is high, particularly with early detection and
treatment. The family may support the patient's adherence to diet and exercise
recommendations by adopting the same practices, which are likely to improve their health as
well. Some evidence suggests that following a low-fat, plant-based diet, maintaining a
healthy weight, and getting regular exercise may reduce the risk of this disease.

Endometrial Cancer: References

1. Connell PP, Rotmensch J, Waggoner SE, Mundt AJ. Race and clinical outcome in
endometrial carcinoma. Obstet Gynecol. 1999;94:713720.
2. Soliman PT, Oh JC, Schmeler KM, et al. Risk factors for young premenopausal women
with endometrial cancer. Obstet Gynecol. 2005;105:575580.
3. Schouten LJ, Goldbohm RA, van den Brandt PA. Anthropometry, physical activity, and
endometrial cancer risk: results from the Netherlands Cohort Study. J Natl Cancer Inst.
2004;96:16351638.
4. Kaaks R, Lukanova A, Kurzer MS. Obesity, endogenous hormones, and endometrial
cancer risk: a synthetic review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2002;11:15311543.
5. Zheng W, Kushi LH, Potter JD, et al. Dietary intake of energy and animal foods and
endometrial cancer incidence. The Iowa women's health study. Am J Epidemiol.
1995;142:388394.
6. Goodman MT, Hankin JH, Wilkens LR, et al. Diet, body size, physical activity, and the
risk of endometrial cancer. Cancer Res. 1997;57:50775085.
7. Littman AJ, Beresford SA, White E. The association of dietary fat and plant foods with
endometrial cancer (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2001;12:691702.
8. McCann SE, Freudenheim JL, Marshall JR, Brasure JR, Swanson MK, Graham S. Diet in
the epidemiology of endometrial cancer in western New York (United States). Cancer Causes
Control. 2000;11:965974.
9. Barbone F, Austin H, Partridge EE. Diet and endometrial cancer: a casecontrol study. Am
J Epidemiol. 1993;137:393403.
10. Kasum CM, Nicodemus K, Harnack LJ, et al. Whole grain intake and incident
endometrial cancer: the Iowa Women's Health Study. Nutr Cancer. 2001;39:180186.
168

11. Silvera SA, Rohan TE, Jain M, Terry PD, Howe GR, Miller AB. Glycaemic index,
glycaemic load and risk of endometrial cancer: a prospective cohort study. Public Health
Nutr. 2005;8:912919.
12. Folsom AR, Demissie Z, Harnack L, and the Iowa Women's Health Study. Glycemic
index, glycemic load, and incidence of endometrial cancer: the Iowa women's health study.
Nutr Cancer. 2003;46:119124.
13. Wise LA, Palmer JR, Harlow BL, et al. Risk of uterine leiomyomata in relation to
tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine consumption in the Black Women's Health Study.
Hum Reprod. 2004;19:17461754.
14. Weiderpass E, Ye W, Mucci LA, et al. Alcoholism and risk for endometrial cancer. Int J
Cancer. 2001;93:299301.

Prostate cancer prevention: Ways to reduce your risk

There's no proven prostate cancer prevention strategy. But you may reduce your risk of
prostate cancer by making healthy choices, such as exercising and eating a healthy diet.
By Mayo Clinic Staff

If you're concerned about your risk of prostate cancer, you may be interested in prostate
cancer prevention.
There's no sure way to prevent prostate cancer. Study results often conflict with each other
and most studies aren't designed to definitively prove whether something prevents prostate
cancer. As a result, no clear ways to prevent prostate cancer have emerged.
In general, doctors recommend that men with an average risk of prostate cancer make choices
that benefit their overall health if they're interested in prostate cancer prevention.
Choose a healthy diet

There is some evidence that choosing a healthy diet that's low in fat and full of fruits and
vegetables may contribute to a lower risk of prostate cancer, though this hasn't been proved
concretely.
If you want to reduce your risk of prostate cancer, consider trying to:

Choose a low-fat diet. Foods that contain fats include meats, nuts, oils and dairy
products, such as milk and cheese.
In some studies, men who ate the highest amount of fat each day had an increased risk
of prostate cancer. While this association doesn't prove that excess fat causes prostate

169

cancer, reducing the amount of fat you eat each day has other proven benefits, such as
helping you control your weight and helping your heart.
To reduce the amount of fat you eat each day, limit fatty foods or choose low-fat
varieties. For instance, reduce the amount of fat you add to foods when cooking,
select leaner cuts of meat, and choose low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products.

Eat more fat from plants than from animals. In studies that looked at fat
consumption and prostate cancer risk, fats from animals were most likely to be
associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Animal products that contain fats
include meat, lard and butter.
You might consider using plant-based fats instead of animal fats. For instance, cook
with olive oil rather than butter. Sprinkle nuts or seeds on your salad rather than
cheese.

Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat each day. Fruits and
vegetables are full of vitamins and nutrients that are thought to reduce the risk of
prostate cancer, though research hasn't proved that any particular nutrient is
guaranteed to reduce your risk.
Eating more fruits and vegetables also tends to make you have less room for other
foods, such as high-fat foods.
You might consider increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat each day
by adding an additional serving of a fruit or vegetable to each meal. Consider eating
fruits and vegetables for snacks.

Eat fish. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and herring contain omega-3 fatty
acids, a type of fatty acid that has been linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. If
you don't currently eat fish, you might consider adding it to your diet.
Another way to add omega-3s to your diet is by eating flaxseed.

Reduce the amount of dairy products you eat each day. In studies,
men who ate the most dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt
each day had the highest risk of prostate cancer. But study results have
been mixed, and the risk associated with dairy products is thought to be
small.

Maintain a healthy weight

Men who are obese a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher may have an increased
risk of prostate cancer. If you are overweight or obese, work on losing weight. You can do
this by reducing the number of calories you eat each day and increasing the amount of
exercise you do.

170

If you have a healthy weight, work to maintain it by exercising most days of the week and
choosing a healthy diet that's rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Exercise most days of the week

Studies of exercise and prostate cancer risk have mostly shown that men who exercise may
have a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
Exercise has many other health benefits and may reduce your risk of heart disease and other
cancers. Exercise can help you maintain your weight, or it can help you lose weight.
If you don't already exercise, make an appointment with your doctor to make sure it's OK for
you to get started. When you begin exercising, go slowly. Add physical activity to your day
by parking your car farther away from where you're going, and try taking the stairs instead of
the elevator.
Aim for 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
Talk to your doctor about your risk

Some men have an increased risk of prostate cancer. For those with a very high risk of
prostate cancer, there may be other options for risk reduction, such as medications. If you
think you have a high risk of prostate cancer, discuss it with your doctor.

Bowel cancer risk may be reduced by rural African diet, study finds

Tests on subjects who swapped a fatty, meat-heavy diet for foods rich in beans and vegetables
found a drop in biological markers for cancer in just two weeks

171

The American subjects switched to a low-fat, high-fibre diet based on that of

rural Africans in KwaZulu-Natal. Photograph: brianafrica / Alamy/Alamy

Ian Sample, science editor

@iansample

Tuesday 28 April 2015 16.00 BST Last modified on Tuesday 28 April 2015 16.25 BST

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share via Email

Share on LinkedIn

Share on Google+

Shares
644

Comments
33
172

Swapping a western diet for traditional African meals may reduce the risk of colon cancer,
scientists have found.
Tests on African Americans who replaced their fatty, meat-heavy diets with rural African
foods rich in beans and vegetables found that in just two weeks, biological markers pointed to
a drop in their disease risk.
Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second leading cause of
cancer death in the west. Globally, a million people are diagnosed with the disease each year.
African Americans are more than 100 times more likely to develop colon cancer than rural
Africans, and the difference in diets is thought to be a major reason. The results suggest highfibre diets could have a dramatic effect on colon cancer among populations most at risk.
The scientists began by studying the diets of 20 African Americans from Pittsburgh and 20
rural Africans in KwaZulu-Natal in their homes. The African Americans ate two to three
times more fat and animal protein than the rural Africans did, and far less dietary fibre.
The researchers then ran tests on the microbes living in the guts of the two groups. They
found that the American and African diets were associated with very different populations of
gut microbes. The rural Africans had more carbohydrate-fermenting bugs, and others that
produced a chemical called butyrate. The Americans had more microbes that break down bile
acids. Colonoscopies revealed polyps - which can sometimes mature into tumours - in nine of
the Americans, but none of the rural Africans.
The scientists next invited the two groups to stay at local centres, where their diets were
switched over for a fortnight. Instead of their traditional high-fibre meals, the rural Africans
consumed a high-fat, high-protein diet of sausages, hash browns, burgers and fries.
Meanwhile, the African Americans switched to a low-fat, high-fibre diet including corn
fritters, mango slices, bean soup and fish tacos.
Advertisement

At the end of the two weeks, the team from the University of Pittsburgh and Imperial College
London found that the African Americans had less inflamed colons than before, and a
reduction in biological markers for cancer. The only downside of the diet seemed to be an
excess of wind.
While the African Americans seemed to fare better on the high-fibre meals, the rural Africans
appeared to do worse on the western diet. Tests on material taken from their guts suggested
that their risk of colon cancer had risen.
We were astounded at the degree of change. We thought wed find a few changes here and
there when they swapped diets, but this mirror image was totally unexpected, said Stephen

173

OKeefe, who led the study, in Nature Communications. The results suggest it may never be
too late for people to change their diets to reduce the risk of colon cancer, he added.
The changes in cancer risk coincided with dramatic changes in gut microbes in the two
groups. On the rural African high-fibre diet, gut microbes produced more butyrate, a chemical
that has anti-cancer properties. Meanwhile, on the high-fat western diet, the microbes
produced more bile acids, which may increase cancer risk.
Research has shown before that high-fibre diets are linked to reduced colon cancer risk, but
how fibre, which passes undigested into the colon, might help has been unclear. The
Pittsburgh study suggests that diet may affect cancer risk by changing the populations of
microbes thriving in the gut and the chemicals they churn out.
The scientists cannot tell for sure that the change in diet would have led to more cancer in the
African group or less in the American group. That would only become clear if they swapped
diets for years. But Jeremy Nicholson, a senior co-author on the study at Imperial College,
said there was good evidence that the changes they detected were reliable signs of cancer
risk.
What is startling to me is how profoundly the microbes, metabolism and cancer risk factors
change in just two weeks of diet change. It means to me that diet and environment and
microbial genes are likely to be much more important than individual human genes in
determining individual colonic cancer risks, he said.
Certainly it shows that your possible fate is not just determined by the genetic dice at birth.
How you roll the dice in the game is probably more important, he added.

Six Ways to Lower Your Risk for Colon Cancer

Article date: February 26, 2015
By Stacy Simon
Colon cancer is one of the more common cancers in the US. About 1 in 20 Americans will develop colon cancer
at some point during their lifetime. But there are things you can do to help lower your colon cancer risk.
Here are 6 ways to help protect your colon health.
1. Get screened for colon cancer. Screenings are tests that look for cancer before
signs and symptoms develop. Colon screenings can often find growths called
polyps that can be removed before they turn into cancer. These tests also can find
colon cancer earlier, when treatments are more likely to be successful. The
American Cancer Society recommends testing starting at age 50 for most people;
talk to your doctor about when you should start and which tests might be right for
you.

174

RESOURCES:
o

How the American Cancer Society Fights Colon Cancer

Expert Voices: What keeps people from lifesaving colon cancer testing?

Colon Cancer Videos

Colon Cancer Stories of Hope

American Cancer Society screening guidelines

More information about colon cancer

2. Eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Diets that include lots of
vegetables, fruits, and whole grains have been linked with a decreased risk of
colon cancer. Be sure to get your fiber from food, not supplements; studies have
not been able to show that supplements help lower risk. Eat less red meat (beef,
pork, or lamb) and processed meats (hot dogs and some luncheon meats), which
have been linked with an increased risk of colon cancer.
3. Get regular exercise. If you are not physically active, you have a greater
chance of developing colon cancer. Increasing your activity may help reduce your
risk. Learn more about how to meet diet and exercise goals at
cancer.org/foodandfitness.
4. Watch your weight. Being obese or very overweight increases your risk of
getting and dying from colon cancer. Eating healthier and increasing your physical
activity can help you control your weight.
5. Dont smoke. Long-term smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop
and die from colon cancer. If you smoke and you want to quit, or know someone
else who does, see the American Cancer Society Guide to Quitting Smoking, or
call us at 1-800-227-2345. Getting help increases your chances of quitting
successfully.
6. Limit alcohol. Colon cancer has been linked to heavy drinking. The American
Cancer Society recommends no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a
day for women. A single drink amounts to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or
1 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (hard liquor).
Changing some of these lifestyle habits can also lower the risk for many other types of cancer, as well as other
serious diseases like heart disease and diabetes. The links between diet, weight, and exercise and colon cancer
risk are some of the strongest for any type of cancer.

Risk factors you cant change

Most people who are diagnosed with colon cancer are older than 50. Thats why the American Cancer Society
recommends colon cancer screening begin at age 50 for people at average risk. But some people have certain
risk factors that make them more likely to develop it, and to get it at an earlier age. This may mean they should
start screening earlier, or get tested more often than other people.
One of these risk factors is family history. As many as 1 in 5 people who develop colon cancer have other family
members especially parents, brothers and sisters, or children whove had it. Family history of other colon
problems can also increase risk. These include pre-cancerous polyps and hereditary syndromes such as familial

175

adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), also known as Lynch
syndrome.
Having other conditions, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease can also increase your risk of colon cancer.
If you have any of these problems, talk to your doctor about when to begin screening.
Reviewed by: Members of the ACS Medical Content Staff

ACS News Center stories are provided as a source of cancer-related news and are not intended to be used as
press releases. For reprint requests, please contact permissionrequest@cancer.org.

10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication

By making these 10 lifestyle changes, you can lower your blood pressure and
reduce your risk of heart disease. By Mayo Clinic Staff

If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a systolic pressure the top number
of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure the bottom number of 90 or above), you might
be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down.
Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully
control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need
for medication.
Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.
1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline

Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms)
can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, the more weight you lose, the lower your
blood pressure. Losing weight also makes any blood pressure medications you're taking more
effective. You and your doctor can determine your target weight and the best way to achieve
it.
Besides shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much
weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure. In general:

Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102
centimeters, or cm).

Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches

(89 cm).

Asian men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches
(91 cm).

176

Asian women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32

inches (81 cm).

2. Exercise regularly

Regular physical activity at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week can lower
your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). And it doesn't take long to
see a difference. If you haven't been active, increasing your exercise level can lower your
blood pressure within just a few weeks.
If you have prehypertension systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic pressure
between 80 and 89 exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If
you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down
to safer levels.
Talk to your doctor about developing an exercise program. Your doctor can help determine
whether you need any exercise restrictions. Even moderate activity for 10 minutes at a time,
such as walking and light strength training, can help.
But avoid being a "weekend warrior." Trying to squeeze all your exercise in on the weekends
to make up for weekday inactivity isn't a good strategy. Those sudden bursts of activity could
actually be risky.
3. Eat a healthy diet

Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and
skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg.
This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
It isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet:

Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can
shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how
much, when and why.

Consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of

sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as
fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about
the potassium level that's best for you.

Be a smart shopper. Make a shopping list before heading to the

supermarket to avoid picking up junk food. Read food labels when you
shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you're dining out, too.

Cut yourself some slack. Although the DASH diet is a lifelong eating
guide, it doesn't mean you have to cut out all of the foods you love. It's OK
to treat yourself occasionally to foods you wouldn't find on a DASH diet
menu, such as a candy bar or mashed potatoes with gravy.

177

4. Reduce sodium in your diet

Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm
Hg. The recommendations for reducing sodium are:

Limit sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less.

A lower sodium level 1,500 mg a day or less is appropriate for people

51 years of age or older, and individuals of any age who are AfricanAmerican or who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney
disease.

To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:

Track how much salt is in your diet. Keep a food diary to estimate how
much sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.

Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the

foods and beverages you normally buy.

Eat fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and
processed lunch meats are high in sodium.

Don't add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use
herbs or spices, rather than salt, to add more flavor to your foods.

Ease into it. If you don't feel like you can drastically reduce the sodium in
your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.

5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink

Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower
your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much
alcohol generally more than one drink a day for women and men older than age 65, or
more than two a day for men age 65 and younger. Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol,
you shouldn't start drinking as a way to lower your blood pressure. There's more potential
harm than benefit to drinking alcohol.
If you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by
several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of high blood pressure medications.

Track your drinking patterns. Along with your food diary, keep an
alcohol diary to track your true drinking patterns. One drink equals 12
ounces (355 milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces of wine (148 mL) or 1.5
ounces of 80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more than the
suggested amounts, cut back.

Consider tapering off. If you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all

alcohol can actually trigger severe high blood pressure for several days.
So when you stop drinking, do it with the supervision of your doctor or
taper off slowly, over one to two weeks.

178

Don't binge. Binge drinking having four or more drinks in a row can
cause large and sudden increases in blood pressure, in addition to other
health problems.

6. Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke

On top of all the other dangers of smoking, the nicotine in tobacco products can raise your
blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after you smoke. Smoking throughout
the day means your blood pressure may remain constantly high.
You should also avoid secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke from others also puts you at risk
of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
7. Cut back on caffeine

The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages
can temporarily cause a spike in your blood pressure, but it's unclear whether the effect is
temporary or long lasting.
To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of
drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you regularly drink. If your blood
pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising
effects of caffeine.
8. Reduce your stress

Stress or anxiety can temporarily increase blood pressure. Take some time to think about
what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know
what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.
If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way.
Take breaks for deep-breathing exercises. Get a massage or take up yoga or meditation. If
self-help doesn't work, seek out a professional for counseling.
9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and make regular doctor's
appointments

If you have high blood pressure, you may need to monitor your blood pressure at home.
Learning to self-monitor your blood pressure with an upper arm monitor can help motivate
you. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before getting started.
Regular visits to your doctor are also likely to become a part of your normal routine. These
visits will help keep tabs on your blood pressure.

Have a primary care doctor. People who don't have a primary care
doctor find it harder to control their blood pressure. If you can, visit the
same health care facility or professional for all of your health care needs.

Visit your doctor regularly. If your blood pressure isn't well controlled,
or if you have other medical problems, you might need to visit your doctor
every month to review your treatment and make adjustments. If your

179

blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only
every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have.
10. Get support from family and friends

Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take
care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you
to keep your blood pressure low. Talk to your family and friends about the dangers of high
blood pressure.
If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support
group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost
and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.

Diabtes
Healthy Eating

Eating well to maintain a healthy weight is one of the most important things you can do to
lower your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
It can seem hard to make healthy food choices, particularly if you are on a budget and short
on time. But there are some simple steps you can take to help you and your family eat
healthier. Choose 2 or 3 of these suggestions to start today. Then come back another day and
try a few more.

Build a Healthier Plate

Use a grocery list when shopping for food to help you choose more fresh
vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Buy leaner meats (such as chicken, turkey and lean cuts of pork or beef
such as sirloin or chuck roast) and lower fat dairy products (like low-fat or
skim milk and yogurt).

Buy whole grain breads and cereals.

Save money by buying less soda, sweets and chips or other snack foods.

Remember that special "dietetic" or "diabetic" foods often cost extra

money and may not be much healthier than simply following the
suggestions given here.

Shop Smart

180

Set aside some time to plan your weekly meals. You might want to start
with just a few days. It may seem like a hassle at first, but having a plan

(and writing your grocery list with it in mind) can save you time, stress and
a lot of extra trips to the store.

Stock your pantry with plenty of healthy basics, including brown rice,
whole grain pasta, crackers and cereals.

Remember that fresh fruits and vegetables are usually healthier than
canned or frozen, but it is better to have canned or frozen fruits or
vegetables than none at all!

When you run out, put the items on your grocery list so you'll always have
them on hand.

Shop only from your grocery list.

Avoid aisles that contain foods high in calories but low in vitamins and
minerals such as candy, cookies, chips and sodas. Also avoid buying items
promoted at the front of the store, on the "end-cap" displays at the end of
each aisle, or at the cash register. These foods are usually low in nutrition.

Never shop when you are hungry and might be tempted by a less healthy
food.

Eat Smart

To cut down on the sodium in canned vegetables, drain and rinse them
before heating in fresh water. You can do the same to cut down on added
sugar in canned fruits or better yet, buy them packed in juice (not syrup).

Try starting meals with a salad or a broth or tomato- based soup with lots
of vegetables. This helps you eat more good-for-you veggies while filling
you up before you get to the higher fat and calorie courses.

Make healthy snack foods easy to find in your kitchen. For example, when
you get home from work or school, put some fresh carrots, grapes or
pretzels out on the counter instead of a bag of chips.

In restaurants, ask if meats can be grilled rather than fried, and request
sauces and dressings on the side. Remember to choose fruit, salad or
other vegetables as side items, rather than French fries. Order a salad or
soup to start and then share an entre. Save money, and lots of calories,
by skipping dessert.

What else can you do to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease? Stay active,
don't smoke and lose weight, if needed.
- See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/are-you-at-risk/lower-your-risk/healthyeating.html#sthash.yOKxVlDZ.dpuf
(source :- http://www.diabetes.org/are-you-at-risk/lower-your-risk/healthyeating.html)
181

Simple Steps to Preventing Diabetes

in

Stumbleupon

Search the Nutrition Source

Search for:

Table of Contents

Introduction

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 Diabetes Can Be Prevented

Simple Steps to Lower Your Risk

182

Control Your Weight

Get Movingand Turn Off the Television

Tune Up Your Diet

If You Smoke, Try to Quit

Alcohol Now and Then May Help

The Bottom Line

References

Introduction

If type 2 diabetes was an infectious disease, passed from one person to another, public health
officials would say were in the midst of an epidemic. This difficult disease, once called
adult-onset diabetes, is striking an ever-growing number of adults. Even more alarming, its
now beginning to show up in teenagers and children.
More than 24 million Americans have diabetes; of those, about 6 million dont know they
have the disease. (1) In 2007, diabetes cost the U.S. an estimated $116 billion in excess
medical spending, and an additional $58 billion in reduced productivity. (1) If the spread of
type 2 diabetes continues at its present rate, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in
the United States will increase from about 16 million in 2005 to 48 million in 2050. (2)
Worldwide, the number of adults with diabetes will rise from 285 million in 2010 to 439
million in the year 2030. (3)
The problems behind the numbers are even more alarming. Diabetes is the leading cause of
blindness and kidney failure among adults. It causes mild to severe nerve damage that,
coupled with diabetes-related circulation problems, often leads to the loss of a leg or foot.
Diabetes significantly increases the risk of heart disease. And its the seventh leading cause of
death in the U.S., directly causing almost 70,000 deaths each year and contributing to
thousands more. (4)
The good news is that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable. About 9 cases in 10 could be
avoided by taking several simple steps: keeping weight under control, exercising more, eating
a healthy diet, and not smoking.
What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

Our cells depend on a single simple sugar, glucose, for most of their energy needs. Thats
why the body has intricate mechanisms in place to make sure glucose levels in the
bloodstream dont go too low or soar too high.
When you eat, most digestible carbohydrates are converted into glucose and rapidly absorbed
into the bloodstream. Any rise in blood sugar signals the pancreas to make and release
insulin. This hormone instructs cells to sponge up glucose. Without it, glucose floats around
the bloodstream, unable to slip inside the cells that need it.
Diabetes occurs when the body cant make enough insulin or cant properly use the insulin it
makes.
183

One form of diabetes occurs when the immune system attacks and permanently disables the
insulin-making cells in the pancreas. This is type 1 diabetes, once called juvenile-onset, or
insulin-dependent, diabetes. Roughly 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed diabetes cases are type 1
diabetes. (5)
The other form of diabetes tends to creep up on people, taking years to develop into fullblown diabetes. It begins when muscle and other cells stop responding to insulins open-upfor-glucose signal. The body responds by making more and more insulin, essentially trying to
ram blood sugar into cells. Eventually, the insulin-making cells get exhausted and begin to
fail. This is type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes, since it was almost unheard of in
children. But with the rising rates of childhood obesity, it has become more common in
youth, especially among certain ethnic groups.
In the U.S., the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study found that type 2 diabetes accounted
for only 6 percent of new diabetes cases in non-Hispanic white children ages 10 to 19, but
anywhere from 22 to 76 percent of new cases in other ethnic groups (6).The highest rates
were found in Asia-Pacific Islander and Native American youth.
In addition to the millions of adults with diabetes, another 57 million adults have prediabetes. (7) This early warning sign is characterized by high blood sugar levels on a
glucose tolerance test or a fasting glucose test. Whether pre-diabetes expands into full-blown
type 2 diabetes is largely up to the individual. Making changes in weight, exercise, and diet
can not only prevent pre-diabetes from becoming diabetes, but can also return blood glucose
levels to the normal range.
Type 2 Diabetes Can Be Prevented

Although the genes you inherit may influence the development of type 2 diabetes, they take a
back seat to behavioral and lifestyle factors. Data from the Nurses Health Study suggest that
90 percent of type 2 diabetes in women can be attributed to five such factors: excess weight,
lack of exercise, a less-than-healthy diet, smoking, and abstaining from alcohol. (8)
Among 85,000 married female nurses, 3,300 developed type 2 diabetes over a 16-year period.
Women in the low-risk group were 90 percent less likely to have developed diabetes than the
rest of the women. Low-risk meant a healthy weight (body mass index less than 25), a
healthy diet, 30 minutes or more of exercise daily, no smoking, and having about three
alcoholic drinks per week.
Similar factors are at work in men. Data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study
indicate that a Western diet, combined with lack of physical activity and excess weight,
dramatically increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in men. (9)
Information from several clinical trials strongly supports the idea that type 2 diabetes is
preventable. The Diabetes Prevention Program examined the effect of weight loss and
184

increased exercise on the development of type 2 diabetes among men and women with high
blood sugar readings that hadnt yet crossed the line to diabetes. In the group assigned to
weight loss and exercise, there were 58 percent fewer cases of diabetes after almost three
years than in the group assigned to usual care. (10) Even after the program to promote
lifestyle changes ended, the benefits persisted: The risk of diabetes was reduced, albeit to a
lesser degree, over 10 years. (11) Similar results were seen in a Finnish study of weight loss,
exercise, and dietary change, and in a Chinese study of exercise and dietary change. (1215)
Simple Steps to Lower Your Risk

Making a few lifestyle changes can dramatically lower the chances of developing type 2
diabetes. The same changes can also lower the chances of developing heart disease and some
cancers.
Control Your Weight

Excess weight is the single most important cause of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight
increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes seven fold. Being obese makes you 20 to
40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone with a healthy weight. (8)
Losing weight can help if your weight is above the healthy-weight range. Losing 7 to 10
percent of your current weight can cut your chances of developing type 2 diabetes in half.
Get Movingand Turn Off the Television

Inactivity promotes type 2 diabetes. (16) Working your muscles more often and making them
work harder improves their ability to use insulin and absorb glucose. This puts less stress on
your insulin-making cells.
Long bouts of hot, sweaty exercise arent necessary to reap this benefit. Findings from the
Nurses Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study suggest that walking briskly
for a half hour every day reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 30 percent. (18,
19) More recently, The Black Womens Health Study reported similar diabetes-prevention
benefits for brisk walking of more than 5 hours per week. (20) This amount of exercise has a
variety of other benefits as well. And even greater cardiovascular and other advantages can be
attained by more, and more intense, exercise.
Television-watching appears to be an especially-detrimental form of inactivity: Every two
hours you spend watching TV instead of pursuing something more active increases the
chances of developing diabetes by 20 percent; it also increases the risk of heart disease (15
percent) and early death (13 percent). (17) The more television people watch, the more likely
they are to be overweight or obese, and this seems to explain part of the TV viewing-diabetes
link. The unhealthy diet patterns associated with TV watching may also explain some of this
relationship.
Tune Up Your Diet

Four dietary changes can have a big impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes.

185

1. Choose whole grains and whole grain products over highly processed carbohydrates.
There is convincing evidence that diets rich in whole grains protect against diabetes, whereas
diets rich in refined carbohydrates lead to increased risk (53). In the Nurses Health Studies I
and II, for example, researchers looked at the whole grain consumption of more than 160,000
women whose health and dietary habits were followed for up to 18 years. Women who
averaged two to three servings of whole grains a day were 30 percent less likely to have
developed type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains. (21) When the researchers
combined these results with those of several other large studies, they found that eating an
extra 2 servings of whole grains a day decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21 percent.
Whole grains dont contain a magical nutrient that fights diabetes and improves health. Its
the entire packageelements intact and working togetherthats important. The bran and
fiber in whole grains make it more difficult for digestive enzymes to break down the starches
into glucose. This leads to lower, slower increases in blood sugar and insulin, and a lower
glycemic index. As a result, they stress the bodys insulin-making machinery less, and so may
help prevent type 2 diabetes. (22) Whole grains are also rich in essential vitamins, minerals,
and phytochemicals that may help reduce the risk of diabetes.
In contrast, white bread, white rice, mashed potatoes, donuts, bagels, and many breakfast
cereals have whats called a high glycemic index and glycemic load. That means they cause
sustained spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn may lead to increased
diabetes risk. (22) In China, for example, where white rice is a staple, the Shanghai Womens
Health Study found that women whose diets had the highest glycemic index had a 21 percent
higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to women whose diets had the lowest
glycemic index. (23) Similar findings were reported in the Black Womens Health Study. (24)
More recent findings from the Nurses Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals
Follow-Up Study suggest that swapping whole grains for white rice could help lower diabetes
risk: Researchers found that women and men who ate the most white ricefive or more
servings a weekhad a 17 percent higher risk of diabetes than those who ate white rice less
than one time a month. People who ate the most brown ricetwo or more servings a week
had an 11 percent lower risk of diabetes than those who rarely ate brown rice. Researchers
estimate that swapping whole grains in place of even some white rice could lower diabetes
risk by 36 percent. (25)
2. Skip the sugary drinks, and choose water, coffee, or tea instead.
Like refined grains, sugary beverages have a high glycemic load, and drinking more of this
sugary stuff is associated with increased risk of diabetes. In the Nurses Health Study II,
women who drank one or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day had an 83 percent higher
risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to women who drank less than one sugar-sweetened
beverage per month. (26)

186

Combining the Nurses Health Study results with those from seven other studies found a
similar link between sugary beverage consumption and type 2 diabetes: For every additional
12-ounce serving of sugary beverage that people drank each day, their risk of type 2 diabetes
rose 25 percent. (27) Studies also suggest that fruit drinks Kool Aid, fortified fruit drinks,
or juicesare not the healthy choice that food advertisements often portray them to be:
Women in the Black Womens Health study who drank two or more servings of fruit drinks a
day had a 31 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to women who drank less than
one serving a month. (28)
How do sugary drinks lead to this increased risk? Weight gain may explain the link: In both
the Nurses Health Study II and the Black Womens Health Study, women who increased
their consumption of sugary drinks gained more weight than women who cut back on sugary
drinks. (26, 28) Several studies show that children and adults who drink soda or other sugarsweetened beverages are more likely to gain weight than those who dont, (28, 30) and that
switching from these to water or unsweetened beverages can reduce weight. (31) Even so,
however, weight gain caused by sugary drinks may not completely explain the increased
diabetes risk. There is mounting evidence that sugary drinks contribute to chronic
inflammation, high triglycerides, decreased good (HDL) cholesterol, and increased insulin
resistance, all of which are risk factors for diabetes. (32)
What to drink in place of the sugary stuff? Water is an excellent choice. Coffee and tea are
also good calorie-free substitutes for sugared beverages (as long as you dont load them up
with sugar and cream). And theres convincing evidence that coffee may help protect against
diabetes; (33, 34) emerging research suggests that tea may hold diabetes-prevention benefits
as well, but more research is needed.
Theres been some controversy over whether artificially sweetened beverages are beneficial
for weight control and, by extension, diabetes prevention. (35) Some studies have found that
people who regularly drink diet beverages have a higher risk of diabetes than people who
rarely drink such beverages, (36, 37) but there could be another explanation for those
findings: People often start drinking diet beverages because they have a weight problem or
have a family history of diabetes; studies that dont adequately account for these other factors
may make it wrongly appear as though the diet soda led to the increased diabetes risk. A
recent long-term analysis on data from 40,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up
Study finds that drinking one 12-ounce serving of diet soda a day does not appear to increase
diabetes risk. (38) So in moderation, diet beverages can be a good sugary-drink alternative.
3. Choose good fats instead of bad fats.
The types of fats in your diet can also affect the development of diabetes. Good fats, such as
the polyunsaturated fats found in liquid vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds can help ward off type
2 diabetes. (39) Trans fats do just the opposite. (8, 40) These bad fats are found in many
margarines, packaged baked goods, fried foods in most fast-food restaurants, and any product
that lists partially hydrogenated vegetable oil on the label. Eating polyunsaturated fats from
187

fishalso known as long chain omega 3 or marine omega 3 fatsdoes not protect
against diabetes, even though there is much evidence that these marine omega 3 fats help
prevent heart disease. (41) If you already have diabetes, eating fish can help protect you
against a heart attack or dying from heart disease. (42)
4. Limit red meat and avoid processed meat; choose nuts, whole grains, poultry, or fish
instead.
The evidence is growing stronger that eating red meat (beef, pork, lamb) and processed red
meat (bacon, hot dogs, deli meats) increases the risk of diabetes, even among people who
consume only small amounts. The latest support comes from a meta analysis, or statistical
summary, that combined findings from the long-running Nurses Health Study I and II and
the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study with those of six other long-term studies. The
researchers looked at data from roughly 440,000 people, about 28,000 of whom developed
diabetes during the course of the study. (43) They found that eating just one daily 3-ounce
serving of red meatsay, a steak thats about the size of a deck of cardsincreased the risk
of type 2 diabetes by 20 percent. Eating even smaller amounts of processed red meat each
dayjust two slices of bacon, one hot dog, or the likeincreased diabetes risk by 51 percent.
The good news from this study: Swapping out red meat or processed red meat for a healthier
protein source, such as nuts, low-fat dairy, poultry, or fish, or for whole grains lowered
diabetes risk by up to 35 percent. Not surprisingly, the greatest reductions in risk came from
ditching processed red meat.
Why do red meat and processed red meat appear to boost diabetes risk? It may be that the
high iron content of red meat diminishes insulins effectiveness or damages the cells that
produce insulin; the high levels of sodium and nitrites (preservatives) in processed red meats
may also be to blame. Red and processed meats are a hallmark of the unhealthful Western
dietary pattern, which seems to trigger diabetes in people who are already at genetic risk. (44)
If You Smoke, Try to Quit

Add type 2 diabetes to the long list of health problems linked with smoking. Smokers are
roughly 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes than nonsmokers, and heavy smokers
have an even higher risk. (45)
Alcohol Now and Then May Help

A growing body of evidence links moderate alcohol consumption with reduced risk of heart
disease. The same may be true for type 2 diabetes. Moderate amounts of alcoholup to a
drink a day for women, up to two drinks a day for menincreases the efficiency of insulin at
getting glucose inside cells. And some studies indicate that moderate alcohol consumption
decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes. (8, 4651) If you already drink alcohol, the key is to
keep your consumption in the moderate range, as higher amounts of alcohol could increase
diabetes risk. (52) If you dont drink alcohol, theres no need to startyou can get the same
benefits by losing weight, exercising more, and changing your eating patterns.
188

The Bottom Line: Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

They key to preventing type 2 diabetes can be boiled down to five words: Stay lean and stay
active.
References

1. American Diabetes A. Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2007. Diabetes Care.
2008; 31:596-615
2. Narayan KMV, Boyle JP, Geiss LS, Saaddine JB, Thompson TJ. Impact of Recent Increase
in Incidence on Future Diabetes Burden: U.S., 2005-2050. Diabetes Care. 2006; 29:21142116.
3. Shaw JE, Sicree RA, Zimmet PZ. Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2010
and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010; 87:4-14.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2008 (PDF).
Released December, 2010.
5. National Diabetes Statistics fact sheet: general information and national estimates on
diabetes in the United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National
Institute of Health.
6. Search for Diabetes in Youth Study Group. The Burden of Diabetes Mellitus Among US
Youth: Prevalence Estimates From the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. Pediatrics.
2006; 118:1510-1518.
7. Total prevalence of diabetes & pre-diabetes. American Diabetes Association.
8. Hu FB, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, et al. Diet, lifestyle, and the risk of type 2 diabetes
mellitus in women. N Engl J Med. 2001; 345:790-7.
9. van Dam RM, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB. Dietary patterns and risk for
type 2 diabetes mellitus in U.S. men. Ann Intern Med. 2002; 136:201-9.
10. Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2
diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002; 346:393-403.
11. Knowler WC, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, et al. 10-year follow-up of diabetes incidence and
weight loss in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study. Lancet. 2009; 374:167786.
12. Tuomilehto J, Lindstrom J, Eriksson JG, et al. Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus by
changes in lifestyle among subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. N Engl J Med. 2001;
344:1343-50.
189

13. Lindstrom J, Ilanne-Parikka P, Peltonen M, et al. Sustained reduction in the incidence of

type 2 diabetes by lifestyle intervention: follow-up of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study.
Lancet. 2006; 368:1673-9.
14. Pan XR, Li GW, Hu YH, et al. Effects of diet and exercise in preventing NIDDM in people
with impaired glucose tolerance. The Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study. Diabetes Care. 1997;
20:537-44.
15. Li G, Zhang P, Wang J, et al. The long-term effect of lifestyle interventions to prevent
diabetes in the China Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Study: a 20-year follow-up study. Lancet.
2008; 371:1783-9.
16. Rana JS, Li TY, Manson JE, Hu FB. Adiposity Compared With Physical Inactivity and
Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women. Diabetes Care. 2007; 30:53-58.
17. Grntved A, Hu FB. Television viewing and risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, and all-cause mortality: a meta-nalysis. JAMA. 2011; 305:2448-55.
18. Tanasescu M, Leitzmann MF, Rimm EB, Hu FB. Physical activity in relation to
cardiovascular disease and total mortality among men with type 2 diabetes. Circulation.
2003.
19. Hu FB, Sigal RJ, Rich-Edwards JW, et al. Walking compared with vigorous physical
activity and risk of type 2 diabetes in women: a prospective study. JAMA. 1999; 282:1433-9.
20. Krishnan S, Rosenberg L, Palmer JR. Physical activity and television watching in
relation to risk of type 2 diabetes: the Black Womens Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2009;
169:428-34.
21. de Munter JS, Hu FB, Spiegelman D, Franz M, van Dam RM. Whole grain, bran, and
germ intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study and systematic review.
PLoS Med. 2007; 4:e261.
22. Ludwig DS. The glycemic index: physiological mechanisms relating to obesity, diabetes,
and cardiovascular disease. JAMA. 2002; 287:2414-23.
23. Villegas R, Liu S, Gao Y-T, et al. Prospective Study of Dietary Carbohydrates, Glycemic
Index, Glycemic Load, and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Middle-aged Chinese
Women. Arch Intern Med. 2007; 167:2310-2316.
24. Krishnan S, Rosenberg L, Singer M, et al. Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, and Cereal
Fiber Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Black Women. Arch Intern Med. 2007;
167:2304-2309.

190

25. Sun Q, Spiegelman D, van Dam RM,et al. White rice, brown rice, and risk of type 2
diabetes in US men and women. Arch Intern Med. 2010; 170:961-9.
26. Schulze MB, Manson JE, Ludwig DS, et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and
incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women. JAMA. 2004; 292:927-34.
27. Malik VS, Popkin BM, Bray GA, Desprs JP, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened
beverages and risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis. Diabetes
Care. 2010;33:2477-83.
28. Palmer JR, Boggs DA, Krishnan S, Hu FB, Singer M, Rosenberg L. Sugar-sweetened
beverages and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in African American women. Arch of
Intern Med. 2008; 168:1487-1492.
29. Ludwig DS, Peterson KE, Gortmaker SL. Relation between consumption of sugar
sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet. 2001;
357:505508.
30. Vartanian LR, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition
and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 2007; 97:667-75.
31. Ebbeling CB, Feldman HA, Osganian SK, Chomitz VR, Ellenbogen SJ, Ludwig DS.
Effects of decreasing sugarsweetened beverage consumption on body weight in adolescents:
a randomized, controlled pilot study. Pediatrics. 2006; 117:67380.
32. Malik VS, Popkin BM, Bray GA, Desprs JP, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened beverages,
obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease risk. Circulation. 2010;
121:1356-64.
33. Huxley R, Lee CM, Barzi F, et al. Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea consumption in
relation to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Arch
Intern Med. 2009;169:2053-63.
34. van Dam RM, Willett WC, Manson JE, Hu FB. Coffee, caffeine, and risk of type 2
diabetes: a prospective cohort study in younger and middle-aged U.S. women. Diabetes
Care. 2006;29:398-403.
35. Bellisle F, Drewnowski A. Intense sweeteners, energy intake and the control of body
weight. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007; 61:691-700.
36. Lutsey PL, Steffen LM, Stevens J. Dietary intake and the development of the metabolic
syndrome: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Circulation. 2008;117:754-61.
37. Dhingra R, Sullivan L, Jacques PF, Wang TJ, Fox CS, Meigs JB, DAgostino RB,
Gaziano JM, Vasan RS. Soft drink consumption and risk of developing cardiometabolic risk
191

factors and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults in the community. Circulation.
2007;116(5):480-8.
38. de Koning L, Malik VS, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened and artificially
sweetened beverage consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in men. Am J Clin Nutr.
2011;93:1321-7.
39. Riserus U, Willett WC, Hu FB. Dietary fats and prevention of type 2 diabetes. Prog Lipid
Res. 2009; 48:44-51.
40. Mozaffarian D, Katan MB, Ascherio A, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Trans fatty acids and
cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. 2006; 354:1601-13.
41. Kaushik M, Mozaffarian D, Spiegelman D, Manson JE, Willett WC, Hu FB. Long-chain
omega-3 fatty acids, fish intake, and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Am J Clin Nutr.
2009; 90:613-20.
42. Hu FB, Cho E, Rexrode KM, Albert CM, Manson JE. Fish and long-chain omega-3 fatty
acid intake and risk of coronary heart disease and total mortality in diabetic women.
Circulation. 2003; 107:1852-7.
43. Pan A, Sun Q, Bernstein AM, et al. Red meat consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: 3
cohorts of US adults and an updated meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Aug 10. [Epub
ahead of print]
44. Qi L, Cornelis MC, Zhang C, van Dam RM, Hu FB. Genetic predisposition, Western
dietary pattern, and the risk of type 2 diabetes in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009; 89:1453-8.
45. Willi C, Bodenmann P, Ghali WA, Faris PD, Cornuz J. Active Smoking and the Risk of
Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2007; 298:2654-2664.
46. Djousse L, Biggs ML, Mukamal KJ, Siscovick DS. Alcohol consumption and type 2
diabetes among older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Obesity (Silver Spring).
2007; 15:1758-65.
47. Rimm EB, Chan J, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Prospective study of cigarette
smoking, alcohol use, and the risk of diabetes in men. BMJ. 1995; 310:555-9.
48. Koppes LL, Dekker JM, Hendriks HF, Bouter LM, Heine RJ. Moderate alcohol
consumption lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of prospective observational
studies. Diabetes Care. 2005; 28:719-25.
49. Conigrave KM, Hu BF, Camargo CA, Jr., Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Rimm EB. A
prospective study of drinking patterns in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes among men.
Diabetes. 2001; 50:2390-5.
192

50. Mukamal KJ, Conigrave KM, Mittleman MA, et al. Roles of drinking pattern and type of
alcohol consumed in coronary heart disease in men. N Engl J Med. 2003; 348:109-18.
51. Joosten MM, Grobbee DE, van der AD, Verschuren WM, Hendriks HF, Beulens JW.
Combined effect of alcohol consumption and lifestyle behaviors on risk of type 2 diabetes.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2010. Apr 21 Epub ahead of print.
52. Baliunas DO, Taylor BJ, Irving H, et al. Alcohol as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes: A
systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. 2009; 32:2123-32.
53. AlEssa H, Bupathiraju S, Malik V, Wedick N, Campos H, Rosner B, Willett W, Hu FB.
Carbohydrate quality measured using multiple quality metrics is negatively associated with
type 2 diabetes. Circulation. 2015; 1-31:A:20.
Terms of Use
The aim of the Harvard T.H. Chan of Public Health Nutrition Source is to provide timely information on diet and nutrition
for clinicians, allied health professionals, and the public. The contents of this Web site are not intended to offer personal
medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may
have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of
something you have read on this Web site. The information does not mention brand names, nor does it endorse any
particular products.

NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

NCI Drug Dictionary

Search for Clinical Trials

NCI Publications

Espaol

Physical Activity and Cancer

Key Points

Physical activity is a critical component of energy balance, the term

researchers use to describe how weight, diet, and physical activity
influence health.

There is strong evidence that physical activity is associated with reduced

risk of cancers of the colon and breast.

Several studies have also reported links between physical activity and
reduced risk of endometrial (lining of the uterus), lung, and prostate
cancers.

193

Current National Cancer Institute-funded studies are exploring the role of

physical activity in cancer survivorship and quality of life, cancer risk, and
the needs of populations at increased risk.

1. What is physical activity?

Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles; such
movement results in an expenditure of energy. Physical activity is a critical
component of energy balance, a term used to describe how weight, diet, and physical
activity influence health, including cancer risk.

2. How is physical activity related to health?

Researchers have established that regular physical activity can improve health by:
o

Helping to control weight.

Maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and joints.

Reducing the risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes.

Promoting psychological well-being.

Reducing the risk of death from heart disease.

Reducing the risk of premature death (1).

In addition to these health benefits, researchers are learning that physical activity can
also affect the risk of cancer. There is convincing evidence that physical activity is
associated with a reduced risk of cancers of the colon and breast. Several studies also
have reported links between physical activity and a reduced risk of cancers of the
prostate, lung, and lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer). Despite these health
benefits, recent studies have shown that more than 50 percent of Americans do not
engage in enough regular physical activity (2).

3. How much physical activity do adults need?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults
engage in moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes on five or more
days of the week, or engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity for at least 20
minutes on three or more days of the week (1). Examples of moderate-intensity and
vigorous-intensity physical activities can be found on the CDC Physical Activity Web
site at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/pdf/PA_Intensity_table_2_1.pdf on
the Internet.

194

4. What is the relationship between physical activity and colon cancer

risk?
Colorectal cancer has been one of the most extensively studied cancers in relation to
physical activity, with more than 50 studies examining this association. Many studies
in the United States and around the world have consistently found that adults who
increase their physical activity, either in intensity, duration, or frequency, can reduce
their risk of developing colon cancer by 30 to 40 percent relative to those who are
sedentary regardless of body mass index (BMI), with the greatest risk reduction seen
among those who are most active (37). The magnitude of the protective effect
appears greatest with high-intensity activity, although the optimal levels and duration
of exercise are still difficult to determine due to differences between studies, making
comparisons difficult. It is estimated that 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous
physical activity per day is needed to protect against colon cancer (6, 7). It is not yet
clear at this time whether physical activity has a protective effect for rectal cancer,
adenomas, or polyp recurrence (3).
Physical activity most likely influences the development of colon cancer in multiple
ways. Physical activity may protect against colon cancer and tumor development
through its role in energy balance, hormone metabolism, insulin regulation, and by
decreasing the time the colon is exposed to potential carcinogens. Physical activity
has also been found to alter a number of inflammatory and immune factors, some of
which may influence colon cancer risk.

5. What is the relationship between physical activity and breast cancer

risk?
The relationship between physical activity and breast cancer incidence has been
extensively studied, with over 60 studies published in North America, Europe, Asia,
and Australia. Most studies indicate that physically active women have a lower risk of
developing breast cancer than inactive women; however, the amount of risk reduction
achieved through physical activity varies widely (between 20 to 80 percent) (6, 7).
Although most evidence suggests that physical activity reduces breast cancer risk in
both premenopausal and postmenopausal women (6), high levels of moderate and
vigorous physical activity during adolescence may be especially protective. Although
a lifetime of regular, vigorous activity is thought to be of greatest benefit, women who
increase their physical activity after menopause may also experience a reduced risk
compared with inactive women. A number of studies also suggest that the effect of
physical activity may be different across levels of BMI, with the greatest benefit seen
in women in the normal weight range (generally a BMI under 25 kg/m-squared) in
some studies. Existing evidence shows a decreasing risk of breast cancer as the
frequency and duration of physical activity increase. Most studies suggest that 30 to
60 minutes per day of moderate- to high-intensity physical activity is associated with
a reduction in breast cancer risk (4, 6).
195

Researchers have proposed several biological mechanisms to explain the relationship

between physical activity and breast cancer development. Physical activity may
prevent tumor development by lowering hormone levels, particularly in
premenopausal women; lowering levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor I
(IGF-I), improving the immune response; and assisting with weight maintenance to
avoid a high body mass and excess body fat (7).

6. What is the relationship between physical activity and risk of

endometrial cancer?
About 20 studies have examined the role of physical activity on endometrial cancer
risk. The results suggest an inverse relationship between physical activity and
endometrial cancer incidence. These studies suggest that women who are physically
active have a 20 percent to 40 percent reduced risk of endometrial cancer (6), with the
greatest reduction in risk among those with the highest levels of physical activity.
Risk does not appear to vary by age (4).
Changes in body mass and changes in the levels and metabolism of sex hormones,
such as estrogen, are the major biological mechanisms thought to explain the
association between physical activity and endometrial cancer. However, fewer than
half of the studies in this area have also adjusted for the potential effect of
postmenopausal hormone use, which may increase the risk of endometrial cancer. A
few studies have examined whether the effect of physical activity varies according to
the weight of the woman, but the results have been inconsistent.

7. What is the relationship between physical activity and lung cancer risk?
At least 21 studies have examined the impact of physical activity on the risk of lung
cancer. Overall, these studies suggest an inverse association between physical activity
and lung cancer risk, with the most physically active individuals experiencing about a
20 percent reduction in risk (4, 6). An analysis of many existing studies found
evidence that higher levels of physical activity protect against lung cancer, but was
unable to fully control for the effects of smoking or respiratory disease in estimating
the magnitude of the potential benefit (6, 8). The relationship between physical
activity and lung cancer risk is less clear for women than it is for men.

8. What is the relationship between physical activity and risk of prostate

cancer?
Research findings are less consistent about the effect of physical activity on prostate
cancer, with at least 36 studies in North America, Europe, and Asia. Overall, the
epidemiologic research does not indicate that there is an inverse relationship between
physical activity and prostate cancer (4, 7). Although it is possible that men who are
physically active experience a reduction in risk of prostate cancer, the potential
196

biological mechanisms that may explain this association are unknown, but may be
related to changes in hormones, energy balance, insulin-like growth factors,
immunity, and antioxidant defense mechanisms (7). One recent study suggested that
regular vigorous activity could slow the progression of prostate cancer in men age 65
or older (9).

9. How might physical activity affect cancer survivorship?

Research indicates that physical activity after a diagnosis of breast cancer may be
beneficial in improving quality of life, reducing fatigue (7), and assisting with energy
balance. Both reduced physical activity and the side effects of treatment have been
linked to weight gain after a breast cancer diagnosis. One study found that women
who exercised moderately (the equivalent of walking 3 to 5 hours per week at an
average pace) after a diagnosis of breast cancer had improved survival rates compared
with more sedentary women. The benefit was particularly pronounced in women with
hormone responsive tumors (10). Another study found that a home-based physical
activity program had a beneficial effect on the fitness and psychological well-being of
previously sedentary women who had completed treatment for early-stage through
stage II breast cancer (11). Increasing physical activity may influence insulin and
leptin levels and influence breast cancer prognosis. Although there are several
promising studies, it is too early to draw any strong conclusions regarding physical
activity and breast cancer survival.
Two additional studies have suggested a protective association of physical activity
after colon cancer diagnosis and survival. Researchers examined the relationship
between levels of physical activity both before and after a diagnosis of colon cancer in
two different observational studies. Whereas levels of pre-diagnosis physical activity
were not related to survival, participants with higher levels of physical activity postdiagnosis were less likely to have a cancer recurrence and had increased survival (12).
Although these studies suggest protective effects of physical activity, more research is
needed to understand what levels of physical activity provide these benefits.

10.Is the National Cancer Institute (NCI) exploring the role of physical
activity in the prognosis and quality of life of cancer patients?
NCI-funded studies are exploring the ways in which physical activity may improve
the prognosis and quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. For more
information about current research in this area, please visit NCIs Cancer Survivorship
Research Web site at http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/ocs on the Internet.

11. Is NCI studying the role of physical activity in cancer risk?

A number of NCI-funded studies are answering questions about the relationship
between physical activity and the risk of developing cancer. NCI has established the
197

Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) initiative, which links

four research centers investigating how energy balance and physical activity modify
the risk of cancer and influence the process of carcinogenesis. The TREC initiative
also incorporates a broad range of scientists, ranging from experts in basic biological
science to those with expertise in community behavioral interventions to increase
physical activity. This combination of scientists and expertise will allow exploration
of the role of physical activity across the full spectrum of cancer prevention. More
information about TREC can be found at http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/trec/ on the
Internet.

12.Do any of these studies focus on special populations who are at

increased risk of cancer?
NCI funds a number of research projects and interventions aimed at helping
vulnerable populations reduce their risk of cancer by becoming more active, changing
their nutritional behavior, and/or maintaining an optimal weight. Populations included
in these projects include multiethnic working poor populations, African American
women, rural communities, overweight or obese individuals, and cancer survivors.
Several NCI-funded studies have started examining the factors related to long-term
behavior change and increases in physical activity.
NCI is supporting national and regional surveys, as well as research methodology
development, to gain more accurate information about physical activity across all age
groups and diverse populations, as defined by race, ethnicity, income, and other
factors known to influence levels of physical activity. This information will help
identify groups who may benefit from programs to increase physical activity.
Selected References
1. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1996). Physical Activity and
Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Retrieved June 26, 2009, from:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/sgr.htm.
2. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008). Preventing Obesity
and Chronic Diseases Through Good Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Retrieved June 26, 2009, from:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/factsheets/Prevention/obesity.ht
m.
3. Slattery, ML. Physical activity and colorectal cancer. Sports Medicine 2004;
34(4): 239252.
4. IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention. Weight Control and Physical
Activity. Vol. 6. 2002.

198

5. Ballard-Barbash R, Friedenreich C, Slattery M, Thune L. Obesity and body

composition. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF, editors. Cancer Epidemiology
and Prevention. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
6. Lee I, Oguma Y. Physical activity. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF, editors.
Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2006.
7. McTiernan A, editor. Cancer Prevention and Management Through Exercise
and Weight Control. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, 2006.
8. Tardon A, Lee WJ, Delgado-Rodriguez M, et al. Leisure-time physical
activity and lung cancer: A meta-analysis. Cancer Causes and Control
2005; 16(4):389397.
9. Giovannucci EL, Liu Y, Leitzmann MF, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. A
prospective study of physical activity and incident and fatal prostate
cancer. Archives of Internal Medicine 2005; 165(9):10051010.
10.Holmes MD, Chen WY, Feskanich D, Kroenke CH, Colditz GA. Physical
activity and survival after breast cancer diagnosis. Journal of the American
Medical Association 2005; 293(20):24792486.
11.Pinto BM, Frierson GM, Rabin C, Trunzo JJ, Marcus BH. Home-based physical
activity intervention for breast cancer patients. Journal of Clinical Oncology
2005; 23(15): 35773587.
12.Meyerhardt JA, Giovannucci EL, Holmes MD, et al. Physical activity and
survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis. Journal of Clinical Oncology
2006; 24(22):35273534.

Related Resources

Energy Balance: Weight and Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet

Prevention, Genetics, Causes

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of Nutrition,

Physical Activity, and Obesity

Weight-Control Information Network: Physical Activity and Weight Control

Reviewed: July 22, 2009

This text may be reproduced or reused freely. Please credit the National Cancer Institute as
the source. Any graphics may be owned by the artist or publisher who created them, and
permission may be needed for their reuse.

199

Hunger pains: Underfed children fill public schools - In-need students take lunch
home for dinner
Share on google Share on twitter Share on facebook
Published:Monday | December 16, 2013

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites. - File

Erica Virtue, Senior Gleaner Writer

The Government, through the Education Ministry and Ministry of Social Security, is
currently saddled with a heavy financial burden to provide at least one meal per day to
hungry children within the island's public school system.
For this year, the Government has budgeted $4 billion to feed public school students, 30 per
cent of whom often count the State-sponsored meal services their only chance to eat.
Addressing members of the media and stakeholders last week, Education Minister Ronald
Thwaites said many of the children, especially at the primary levels, were eating only half of
the meal at school while taking home the other half for dinner.
"You will see from the progress report that we have extended the school-feeding programme.
We feel that we have thousands of early-childhood students who are coming to school
hungry. The estimate is more than 30 per cent," said Thwaites.

200

"We understand that in these hard times, one third of the daily diets of the children at the
primary level is simply not enough. We see students, not one, plenty of them, wrapping up
piece of the bulla or piece of the lunch to carry home," added Thwaites.
lunch from path
Those currently being fed include 136,000 children who get meals through Nutrition Products
Limited; 175,000 across all school types who get cooked lunches; and a further 211,000 who
get Programme for the Advancement Through Health and Education nutritional support.
Currently, 5,000 of the students getting nutritional support from the State are in earlychildhood institutions, with 206,000 in primary, all-age, and secondary schools.
Nutrition Products Limited has been given a further $66 million to provide breakfast for an
additional 3,740 basic schoolchildren in St Thomas, Clarendon, and St Catherine, who will
join the programme in the Easter term in 2014.
In addition, a pilot breakfast programme was also implemented in 37 schools in the Corporate
Area and included 8,156 students.
That meal is supported by locally produced foods such as ripe bananas, plantains, potatoes,
carrots, and liquid eggs.
And as the requests for help come fast and furious, the ministry disclosed that it also provided
support for a breakfast programme in St Elizabeth involving 17 schools and benefiting 252
students.
In a move that is expected to support Jamaican farmers, Thwaites said the basic-school pilot
would utilise local produce from the local agro industry.
Bananas are to be used for baked products and discussions are under way for sausage or
chicken to minimise the use of imported chicken back, corn beef, and mackerel.
erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com

Chapelton Seventh-Day feeding the hungry

Share on google Share on twitter Share on facebook
Published:Saturday | June 21, 2014
Previous Next

201

Gonzelle Jackson, community leader, Chapelton Seventh-day Adventist Church.

1
2

Shanique Samuels, Gleaner Writer

CHAPELTON, Clarendon:
FOR MORE than 21 years, the Chapelton Seventh-day Adventist Church has made it
its duty to prepare hot meals twice a month to feed the street people, indigents, and
shut-ins in and around the community.
The church's community-service leader, Gonzelle Jackson, recalled the tear-jerking moment
she experienced while watching a mentally ill man rummage through a garbage can in
Chapelton in search of food. She said that it was this need that fuelled the church's street
people feeding programme.
"I saw the need for those persons on the street who forage for food in other people's refuse to
be fed hot, nutritious meals at least once or twice per month," she said.
Jackson shared her idea with the church, and the leaders consented.
Since May 1993, on every other Tuesday in each month, a few members of the church gather
in the institution's canteen and cook rice and peas and chicken. The food is shared and
202

packaged individually and taken into the town of Chapelton, where it is distributed. Meals for
the shut-ins are delivered individually.
SPARSE SUPPORT
Jackson told Rural Xpress that funding for the feeding programme comes mainly from the
offering and harvest festival, as well as contributions from a few individuals and supporters
of the church.
"There was a time when we would get support from Food For The Poor, but we stopped
getting aid from them a long time now," said Jackson.
She said that there is a list of 31 beneficiaries, but there are also passers-by who benefit from
the programme.
Marline Morris is one of the persons who benefit from the programme. She said she looks
forward to receiving the hot meals as she is not always able to afford a nutritious meal. "I am
happy for what the church does for us, and I want to tell them many thanks," she said smiling.
Jackson said she would like to distribute food more often, but the church cannot afford it.
"We give God thanks for what He is helping us to do. We may not be able to do this as often
as we would like, but we are doing our best," she told Rural Xpress.
PHOTOS BY SHANIQUE SAMUELS
Outreach programme feeds the hungry
Share on google Share on twitter Share on facebook
Published:Saturday | February 25, 2012

203

Silton Townsend (left), founder of the Hello Mi Neighbour initiative hands a cup of
soup to Inez Brown (second right) while Vermont Murray (right), manager of the
Good Samaritan Inn, and Venetia Anderson look on. The event was held at the
Good Samaritan Inn at Geffrard Place near Heroes Circle in Kingston. - Norman
Grindley/Chief Photographer

Some came from miles away, literally, to warm their bellies and escape the afternoon
sun.
About 100 needy people, some travelling from as far away as Old Harbour and Spanish Town
in St Catherine, turned up at the Good Samaritan Inn near Heroes Circle, Central Kingston,
yesterday, to share in the Soup and Soap Outreach Programme, conceptualised by the
Jamaica Co-Operative Credit Union League (JCCUL).
The inn is run by the East Jamaica Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Usually,
it offers small meals three times per week.
"We serve about 250 persons every Sunday and Tuesday and about 150 on Wednesdays. We
usually give them soup and bread," explained Vermont Murray, inn manager. But this was a
'good Friday' of another kind and yesterday those who turned out got a little extra because of
the JCCUL's contribution. Making the link between the entity and the inn was Silton
Townsend, whose Hello Mi Neighbour column in The Gleaner, gives more visibility to the
plight of needy neighbours and provides an opportunity for others to help them.
Nothing much

204

Now it wasn't much; a bowl of soup to sustain them and a bar of soap to help keep
themselves clean. And, after about an hour they were packing up their stuff to head back from
whence they came. But the show of benevolence certainly wasn't frowned upon by the
hungry travellers, most of whom are elderly and from the communities surrounding Heroes
Circle. So touched by the eagerness with which they received their sustenance, Claudette
Christie, the JCCUL's corporate communications manager, said the entity was examining the
possibility of partnering more.
"We hope to continue this for the entire year. Right now, we do it once a month. We're going
to see if we can do it twice a month, that way, we would be able to help more people," she
explained.
daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com

CAPTION: Silton Townsend (left), founder of the Hello Mi Neighbour initiative hands a cup
of soup to Inez Brown (second right) while Vermont Murray (right), manager of the Good
Samaritan Inn, and Venetia Anderson look on. The event was held at the Good Samaritan Inn
at Geffrard Place near Heroes Circle in Kingston. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Examples Of Soup Kitchens In The

United States and Elsewhere
Soup Kitchens represents an acceptance of reality, Soup Kitchens do
not create poverty
There are those who would want us to believe that the existence of Soup
Kitchens creates poverty and makes things look worse than they really are. This
type of view is very much the same as holding ones head into the sand and hope
that unpleasant situations will disappear. The truth be told, the opening of soup
kitchens and other forms of restaurants for the poor, is in the first instance and
acceptance of the socio-economic situation as it exist and an acceptance that
there are many who are not and will not be able to help themselves or even feed
themselves. Secondly the existence of soup kitchens is a statement of hope
made by the volunteers who run such institutions and an acceptance of
responsibility to seek to improve to the extent realistically possible the lives of
those reachable victims of the socio-economic situation.
One aspect of the operation of soup kitchens and other forms of restaurants of
the poor, which is often overlooked, is the fact that their operations create new
opportunities for voluntarism, new opportunities for the training of new
leadership, new opportunities for self-realization for those involved, new
opportunities for the development of skills and competences and new
opportunities to combat the sense of uselessness, loneness and depressions
which unemployment and retirement carry with them for many. Thus the
205

operation of soup kitchens and other forms of restaurants for the poor is of
benefit for the givers as it is for those who benefit from the food served.
To help to overcome the ignorance surrounding the operation of soup kitchens
and why they come about, this section gives the history of soup kitchens and
shows example of soup kitchens in operation. By presenting this type of
information here, it is hoped the older members of the Church community will be
able to walk hand in hand with younger members of the community who are
better aware of the socio-economic conditions as they exist, better aware of the
opportunities which exist in the community and are more willing to take the step
to move forward to practical actions. It is also hoped that individuals such the
Rev. VB, Deacon Horace Prince, Bishop Glendon West and other such leaders of
the younger Churches will read the material and realize that they are not in a
helpless situation and that they and the Churches they lead are in positions to
play even greater roles in meeting the real needs of the unattached poor and
destitute.

Soup kitchen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the former restaurant, see Soup Kitchen International.

A soup kitchen in Montreal, Canada in 1931.

A soup kitchen, meal center or food kitchen is a place where food is offered to the hungry
for free or at a below market price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they
are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church or community groups. Soup
kitchens sometimes obtain food from a food bank for free or at a low price, because they are
considered a charity, which makes it easier for them to feed the many people who require
their services.
Many historical and some modern soup kitchens serve only soup with perhaps some bread.
But several establishments which title themselves as a "soup kitchen" also serve other types
of food, so social scientists sometimes discuss them together with similar hunger relief
agencies that provide more varied hot meals, like food kitchens and meal centres.
While societies have been using various methods to share food with the hungry for millennia,
the first soup kitchens in the modern sense may have emerged in the late 18th century. By the
late 19th century they were to be found in several American and European cities. In the
United States and elsewhere, they became more prominent in the 20th century during the
206

Great Depression. With the improved economic conditions that followed World War II, soup
kitchens became less widely used, at least in the advanced economies. In the United States
there was a resurgence in the use of soup kitchens following the cutbacks in welfare that were
implemented in the early 1980s.
In the 21st century, the use of soup kitchens expanded in both the United States and Europe,
following the lasting global inflation in the price of food which began in late 2006. Demand
for their services grew as the Great Recession began to worsen economic conditions for those
on low income. In much of Europe, demand further increased after the introduction of
austerity-based economic policies from 2010.

Contents

1 History
o 1.1 Emergence of the modern soup kitchen
o 1.2 Spread to the United States

2 In the 21st century

o 2.1 World's largest soup kitchen
o 2.2 Comparison with front line food banks and pantries

3 See also

4 Notes and references

5 Further reading

6 External links

History
The earliest occurrences of soup kitchens are difficult to identify. Throughout history,
societies have invariably recognised a moral obligation to feed the hungry. The philosopher
Simone Weil wrote that feeding the hungry when one has resources to do so is the most
obvious obligation of all, and that as far back as Ancient Egypt, it was believed that people
needed to show they had helped the hungry in order to justify themselves in the afterlife.[1]
Soup has long been one of the most economical and simple ways to supply nutritious food to
large numbers of people.[2][3]
Social historian Karl Polanyi wrote that before markets became the world's dominant form of
economic organisation in the 19th century, most human societies would generally either
starve all together or not at all, because communities would naturally share their food. As
markets began to replace the older forms of resource allocation such as Redistribution,
Reciprocity and Autarky, society's overall level of food security would typically rise. But
207

food insecurity could become worse for the poorest section of society, and the need arose for
more formal methods for providing them with food.[4] Christian churches traditionally
provided food for the hungry since Late antiquity, with the nourishment mainly provided in
the form of soup.

Emergence of the modern soup kitchen

Sir Benjamin Thompson, painted by Thomas Gainsborough, 1783.

The earliest modern soup kitchens were established by the inventor Sir Benjamin Thompson,
who was employed as an aide-de-camp to the Elector of Bavaria in the 1790s. The Count was
a prominent advocate of hunger relief, writing pamphlets that were widely read across
Europe.
His message was especially well received in England, where he had previously held a senior
government position for several years and was known as "the Colonel". An urgent need had
recently arisen in Britain for food relief, due to its leading role in driving the Industrial
Revolution. While technological development and economic reforms were rapidly
increasingly overall prosperity, conditions for the poorest were often made worse, as
traditional ways of life were disrupted. In the closing years of the 18th century, soup kitchens
run on the principles pioneered by Rumford were to be found throughout England and
Scotland, with about 60,000 people being fed by them daily in London alone.[2][5][6]
While soup kitchens were generally well regarded, they did attract criticism from some, for
encouraging dependency, and sometimes on a local level for attracting vagrants to an area. In
Britain they were made illegal, along with other forms of aid apart from workhouses, by the
Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.[7]
During the Irish famine of the 19th century, in which as many as 1 million people may have
died, the British government passed the Temporary Relief Act (also known as the Soup
Kitchen Act) in February 1847. The Act amended the restrictions on the provision of aid
outside the workhouses for the duration of the famine, and expressly allowed the
establishment of soup kitchens in Ireland to relieve pressure from the overstretched Poor Law
system, which was proving to be totally inadequate in coping with the disaster.[8][9]
Prohibition against soup kitchens was soon relaxed, but they never again became as prevalent
on mainland Britain as they had been in the early 19th century, partly as from the 1850s
onwards, economic conditions generally began to improve even for the poorest. For the first
few decades after the return of soup kitchens to mainland Britain, they were at first heavily
regulated, run by groups like the Charity Organization Society. Even in the early twentieth
208

century, campaigning journalists like Bart Kennedy would criticize them for their long
queues, and for the degrading questions staff would ask the hungry before giving out any
soup.[2][4][10]

Spread to the United States

Chilean women preparing soup kitchen meals in 1932.

The concept of soup kitchens spread to the United States from Ireland after the Great famine
and the concomitant wave of Irish emigration to the New World.[8] The earliest ones were
established in the 1870s. A sharp rise in the number of hungry people resulting from an
industrial recession coincided with the success of the AICP and the American branch of the
Charity Organization Society in getting various forms of "outdoor relief" [11] banned. This
resulted in civil society establishing soup kitchens, to help feed those of the poor who did not
wish to subject themselves to the regimented organisation of the Almshouses favored by the
charitable societies.[12]
It is believed the term breadline entered the popular lexicon in the 1880s. It was during
those years that a noteworthy bakery in New York Citys Greenwich Village, Fleischmann
Model Viennese Bakery, instituted a policy of distributing unsold baked goods to the poor at
the end of their business day.[13] By the late 19th century soup kitchens were to be found in
several US cities.[5][10] The concept of soup kitchens hit the mainstream of United States
consciousness during the Great Depression. One soup kitchen in Chicago was even sponsored
by American mobster Al Capone in an effort to clean up his image.[14]
With the improved economic conditions that followed WWII, there was less need for soup
kitchens in advanced economies.[15] However, with the scaling back of welfare provision in
the 1980s under president Reagan's administration, there was a rapid rise in activity from
grass roots hunger relief agencies such as soup kitchens. According to a comprehensive
government survey completed in 2002, over 90% of food banks, about 80% of emergency
kitchens, and all known food rescue organisations, were established in the US after 1981.[15]
[16]

In the 21st century

Members of the United States Navy serve the homeless at Dorothy's Soup Kitchen, Salinas,
California in 2009.

209

Use of soup kitchens has grown rapidly across the world, following the lasting global
inflation in the cost of food than began in late 2006. The global financial crisis further
increased the demand for soup kitchens, as did the introduction of austerity policies that have
became common in Europe since 2010. Modern soup kitchens are generally well regarded,
though like their historical counterparts they are sometimes disliked by local residents for
lowering the tone of a neighborhood.[16][17][18][19]

World's largest soup kitchen

The world's largest soup kitchen run at the Sikhs' holiest shrine, Golden Temple in Punjab,
India, which according to Croatian Times can serve free food for up to 100,000 - 300,000
people every day.[20] At the Langar (Kitchen), food is served to all visitors regardless of faith,
religion or background. Vegetarian food is often served to ensure that all people, even those
with dietary restrictions, can eat together as equals. The institution of the Sikh langar, or free
kitchen, was started by the first Sikh Guru (Prophet), Guru Nanak. It was designed to uphold
the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age,
gender or social status, a revolutionary concept in the caste-ordered society of 16th-century
India where Sikhism began. In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of langar
expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness and oneness of all humankind.
Every Sikh Gurdwara (shrine) serve Langar for everyone.

Comparison with front line food banks and pantries

In some countries such as Great Britain, increased demand from hungry people has largely
been met by food banks, operating on the "front line" model, where they give food out
directly to the hungry. In the USA, such establishments are called "food pantries"; Americans
generally reserve the term "food bank" for entities which perform a warehouse-like function,
distributing food to front line agencies but not directly to the hungry themselves. Instead of
providing hot meals, front line food banks and pantries hand out packages of groceries so that
recipients can cook themselves several meals at home. This is often more convenient for the
end user. They can receive food for up to a dozen or so meals at once, whereas with a soup
kitchen, they typically only receive a single meal with each visit.[21]
Food banks typically have procedures needed to prevent unscrupulous people taking
advantage of them, unlike soup kitchens which will usually give a meal to whomever turns up
with no questions asked. The soup kitchen's greater accessibility can make it more suitable
for assisting people with long-term dependence on food aid. Soup kitchens can also provide
warmth, companionship and the shared communal experience of dining with others, which
can be especially valued by people such as widowers or the homeless. In some countries such
as Greece, soup kitchens have became the most widely used form of food aid, with The
Guardian reporting in 2012 that an estimated 400,000 Greeks visit a soup kitchen each day.[8]
[16][22][23][24]

Curry Without Worry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Curry Without Worry is a San Francisco, California-based soup kitchen known for its menu
of Nepalese cuisine. The charity serves free dinner to mostly impoverished persons on
Tuesday afternoons from kiosks that simultaneously operate in San Francisco and
210

Kathmandu.[1] Curry Without Worry also encourages "successful people" to eat at its kiosks as
a way to emphasize similarities between persons of different economic strata.[2] Meals are
vegan[3] and typically include rice, quanti, curried vegetables, spicy achar, timur chutney and
flatbread.[4]
Curry Without Worry was founded in 2006 by Shrawan Nepali, an immigrant to the United
States from Nepal. Nepali used the profits from a San Francisco-area restaurant in which he
was a part owner to start the organization. The charity's president is Jesse Seaver.[5

Rumford's Soup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rumford's Soup

A pot of Rumfords Soup according to the most basic

recipe: pearl barley and dried peas, water, salt and
some vinegar. This version has no potatoes.
Type
Soup
Region or state
Munich and Bavaria
Creator
Benjamin Thompson
Pearl barley, dried yellow
Main ingredients
peas, potatoes, beer
Cookbook:Rumford's Soup

Rumford's Soup

Rumford's Soup (Rumfordsche Suppe, also called economy soup)[1][2] was an early effort in
scientific nutrition. It was invented by Count Rumford circa 1800 and consumed in Munich
and greater Bavaria,[2] where he was employed as an advisor to the Duke. It was used as a
ration for the poor,[3][4] for Bavarian workhouses[5] and military workhouses,[6] and prisoners.
Count Rumford has been credited in many instances for "establishing the first real soup
kitchen".[7]
As a reformatory measure, the Bavarian government intended to institute workhouses for
those on welfare. Rumford's charge was to provide the cheapest possible ration that was still a
high-calorie, nutritious food. The soup became to be well-known among philanthropicminded people throughout Germany at the time, and Rumford set-up his soup kitchens in
many German cities.[8]
211

Rumford's soup became to be commonly used for military rations.[5] It was a common base
for inexpensive military rations in Central Europe for much of the nineteenth and twentieth
century.[citation needed]

Contents

1 Ingredients

2 Nutrition

3 In popular culture

4 See also

5 References

6 Further reading

Ingredients
Rumford's soup contained equal parts of pearl barley or barley meal and dried peas,[3][9][10]
vegetables,[10] four parts potato, salt according to need, and sour beer,[5][10] slowly boiled until
thick. The use of potatoes came into use in later versions of the soup.[6] It was typically eaten
with bread. It has been stated that Rumford's recipe called for the bread to be served
uncooked, and "added just before serving the soup".[9][11] One account describes the soup as
being poured atop the bread just prior to serving.[6] Rumford noted that the barley served to
significantly thicken the soup and provide a richness to it, and he considered the cereal grain
as "the rice of Great Britain".[6] Some versions were composed of cereals, minor amounts of
meat and other ingredients.[1] Not noted as particularly tasty, it is palatable with long, slow
cooking.

Nutrition
Rumford's Soup was designed to provide a high degree of nutrition at a minimal expense.[1] It
has been estimated that the soup provided one-third of a person's minimal (daily) nutrition
requirements.[12] Rumford's soup is naturally low-fat, with high protein content from the dried
peas, and both complex carbohydrates from the potato and barley and simple carbohydrates
from the beer. Given the knowledge of the day, it was close to an optimum solution to the
problem of creating cheap, nutritious food. Unfortunately, the need for vitamins and trace
elements was unknown, and Rumford's soup was sometimes supplemented with corn or
herring[5] to supply adequate Vitamin C and Vitamin D.

In popular culture
The soup is still served in contemporary times, such as at Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich.
[13]

212

Langar (Sikhism)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Sufi practice, see Langar (Sufism).
Part of a series on

Sikh practices and discipline

Five Banis

Five Ks

Five Thieves

Five Virtues

Simran

Sewa

Three pillars

Sikh Rehat Maryada

Amrit Vel

Langar (Punjabi: , Hindi: ) is the term used in the Sikh religion or in Punjab in
general for common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurdwara to all the visitors
(without distinction of background) for free. At the langar, only vegetarian food is served, to
ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals. At the Langar
(Kitchen), food is served to all visitors regardless of faith, religion or background. The
exception to vegetarian langar is when Nihangs (in India) serve meat[1] on the occasion of
Holla Mohalla,[2] and call it Mahaprasad.[3] There are also variations on langar, for example at
Hazur Sahib,[4][5] where meat is included. Langar is also a common term used across various
units in the Indian Army, when referring to a mess,[citation needed] especially when there is no
building and the food is served in open air (or through temporary arrangements like tents).
213

Contents

1 History

2 Open-air langars

3 Gallery

4 Notes and references

5 External links

History
The institution of the Sikh langar, or free kitchen, was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru
Nanak. It was designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of
religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status, a revolutionary concept in the
caste-ordered society of 16th-century India where Sikhism began. In addition to the ideals of
equality, the tradition of langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness and
oneness of all humankind. "...the Light of God is in all hearts."[6]
After the Second Sikh Guru, the institution of langar seems to have changed,[7] somewhat,
and meat seems to have been excluded from this institution.

Open-air langars
Besides the langars' attachment to gurdwaras, there are improvised open-air langars during
festivals and gurpurbs. These langars are among the best attended community meals
anywhere in the world; upwards of 100,000 people may attend a given meal during these
langars. Wherever Sikhs are, they have established the langars for everyone. In their prayers,
the Sikhs seek from the Almighty the favour: Loh langar tapde rahinmay the hot plates of
the langars remain ever in service.
Langar (Sufism)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Sikh practice, see Langar (Sikhism).

Langar is the provision of free food to the needy in a religious context. Even though use of
the word "Langar" is mostly associated with a more fundamental element of Indian Sikh
religious traditions, but its origin is from Sufism(Islam) because communal serving of food
has been a rich tradition in Indian and Persian Sufism, especially of the Chishti Order. There
is extensive use of free food imagery and metaphor in Sufi writings. Sugar and other sweet
foods represent the sweetness of piety and community with God, while salt symbolizes purity
and incorruptibility. Through the pronouncement of Bismallah during the bread-making
process, the bread is imbued with spiritual power or barakat, which is shared by those who
214

eat the bread. The transformation of the raw wheat to finished bread is used as an analogy for
Sufi spiritual development.
Sufi ritual observances (dhikr) are concerned with remembrance of God through exaltation
and praise. Singing, dancing, and drumming are commonly part of such rituals, as is sharing
of food. For example, ashura is a dish that takes its name from the festival celebrated by all
followers of Islam. During preparation of the ashura, Mevlevi Sufis stir the pot in a special
way while pronouncing the name of God. Sharing the ashura then becomes a way of
spreading remembrance of God in the form of bodily nourishment.
Food is served out of a massive pot called a "Deg" in the precincts of a Dargah (Sufi shrine),
and is usually vegetarian. It is also actively distributed to the poor.[1][2][3]

Masbia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Masbia
Formation
April 2005
Type
NGO
Purpose
Free kosher soup kitchen
Headquarters
New York City
Brooklyn and Queens, New
Region served
York
Mordechai Mandelbaum
Founder
Executive Director Alexander Rapaport
$2 million[1][2]
Budget
Website
http://www.masbia.org
Masbia (Hebrew: , lit., "satiate")[3] is a network of kosher soup kitchens in New York
City. Its three locations in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Borough Park and Midwood, and
Rego Park, Queens, serve over 500 free, hot kosher meals nightly. Masbia is the only free
soup kitchen serving kosher meals in New York City.[4] The organization receives some state
and city aid, but relies heavily on private donations of money and food to meet its $2
million[1] annual operating budget.

Contents

1 History

2 Operations

3 Fundraising

215

4 See also

5 References

6 External links

History
Masbia is the brainchild of Mordechai Mandelbaum, a Hasidic Jewish resident of Brooklyn
who donated the seed money for the first restaurant in Boro Park in 2005. He and co-founder
Alexander Rapaport, another member of the Brooklyn Hasidic community, were aware of
many families who had fallen on hard times and were struggling with the high costs of rent
and tuition. Back in 2003, a report by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty had shown
that 30% of Brooklyn Jews were living at or below the poverty line. Mandelbaum proposed
the idea of feeding Jewish families in a more "formal, systematic way" through a free kosher
restaurant which would be supported by others in the community who were still well-off.[5][6]
Masbia was set up as a restaurant in order not to humiliate singles and families who were
unused to eating in a soup kitchen.[3] Many Masbia patrons are men from the Hasidic
community, for whom poverty is a cultural sign of shame.[7]
The Borough Park restaurant opened in April 2005 in a converted railroad apartment. On
opening night, the staff prepared 25 meals and only eight people showed up.[6] Six months
later, 120 patrons were frequenting the restaurant nightly.[5] The restaurant's logo, a tent with
openings on all four sides, recalls the tent of Abraham,[5] the Jewish paragon of hospitality
whose tent was open to all comers.
Beginning in 2009, the worsening recession prompted the Metropolitan Council on Jewish
Poverty to ally with Masbia, resulting in the opening of additional free restaurants in
Williamsburg (opened November 2009),[8] Midwood (opened November 2009),[9] and Rego
Park, Queens (opened March 2010).[10][11] The new locations increased Masbia's overall
patronship by 300%. In fiscal year 20102011, Masbia served 82,292 meals, a 50% increase
over the previous year.[6] In fiscal year 20122013, nearly 450,000 meals were served.[2] In
2013 the Williamsburg location closed due to funding shortfalls and lack of customers.[12]

Operations
Masbia serves over 500 meals nightly in Brooklyn and Queens. The dining rooms, open
Sunday through Thursday from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m., have an upscale look, with polished wood
floors, cloth-covered tables, and wall paintings. Food is served on trays by waiters. Artificial
plants, screens or curtains, depending on the location, shield tables for privacy.[3][5][10] The
three-course meals include chicken, a starch, vegetables, fruit, bread and a hot drink. For
example, the menu in Queens one night was vegetable soup, roasted chicken, mashed
potatoes, corn on the cob, watermelon, apples, rolls, and hot tea.[10] One night a year, on the
yahrtzeit of the Kerestir Rebbe, Rabbi Yeshayah Steiner (d. 1925), who was known for
feeding the hungry, steak is served.[3] Meals are always meat-based except during The Nine
Days, when Masbia serves fish dishes.[13]
Food for all the restaurants is prepared fresh daily at the Midwood location on Coney Island
Boulevard, a former restaurant with a large commercial kitchen.[10] Volunteers often drop by
216

to assist the kitchen staff.[14][15] Any leftovers are frozen in containers and handed out on
Thursdays for patrons to take home for their Shabbat meals.[10] This food package program,
begun in the 20102011 fiscal year, has seen the distribution of 68,522 take-home meals.[16]

Fundraising
The organization's $2 million budget is partly covered by city and state aid and mostly
acquired through donations.[3][17] In addition to soliciting monetary donations, Masbia has a
corps of volunteers who collect donated food throughout the city.[6] Beginning in summer
2010, Masbia began collecting weekly donations of fresh produce from the Food Bank For
New York City and New York City Harvest, and unsold produce from farmers markets in
Boro Park and Windsor Terrace.[15] During the Nine Days, 2,500 portions of fish are donated
to Masbia by the Dagim company.[13][18][19]
Recalling a tradition in the European shtetl for families to sponsor a meal for the poor on the
day of their child's wedding, Masbia encourages couples and their parents to sponsor meals
at $6 a plate at Masbia on the night before or the night of their wedding.[5] Several Rebbes
from Boro Park and Williamsburg have sponsored and also hosted the meal for the poor at
Masbia on the night before their child's wedding, including the Kosover Rebbe, the Satmar
Rebbe, the Bobover Rebbe, the Spinker Rebbe, and the Foltishaner Rebbe; the latter was
joined by his son, the groom.[20]
Masbia solicits endorsements from well-known Orthodox Jewish personalities to aid in its
fundraising. These include bestselling kosher cookbook author Susie Fishbein, who in 2010
launched a "Book Dinner at Masbia" campaign offering a free cookbook for every $120
donation[21] and in 2013 donated new tables and chairs for the restaurants;[2] Hasidic superstar
Lipa Schmeltzer, who volunteered to help serve on steak night;[22] and artist Jodi Reznik, who
donated her paintings to decorate the walls of the restaurant.[4]
In A First, Local Kosher Soup Kitchens To Offer Sukkot Meals
Three locations to distribute hundreds of meals to needy during festival.
09/16/13
Adam Dickter
Assistant Managing Editor
Masbia, which operates three restaurant-style centers distributing food to the needy, will
construct sukkah booths during this week's festival and remain open throughout the holiday,
the organization announced Monday.
While the Borough Park location previously opened for a limited time during Sukkot, it is the
first time all three locations, including those in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Rego Park, Queens
will open for the full week.
While the sukkahs are small, and will accommodate only a handul of people at a time,
Masbia will depart from its usual rules and provide meals to go.

217

"We expect to give out 500 to 600 meals a day," said Masbia founder Alexander Rapoport. He
added that the sukkahs will be constructed and removed daily at the Brooklyn locations, so as
not to obstruct the sidewalk, while the Queens location has backyard space to allow the
sukkah to remain up.
He said the organization could not open on Sukkot in the past because of the prohibitive cost
of retaining staff during the Yom Tov, or restrictive holiday period of the first and last two
days, which this year blend into Shabbat in both cases. But this year, growing need and
successful fundraising combined to make it possible.
Masbia relies almost completely on private donations, but receives about $100,000, or 5
percent of its budget, from City Council members, including David Greenfield, Brad Lander,
Lew Fidler and Jumaane Williams in Brooklyn and David Weprin in Queens.
adam@jewishweek.org

Chef Ruben Diaz preparing the tables to be carved up

Brooklyn, NY - Worn out and scarred from use, the tables that fed hundreds of thousands of
meals to the hungry at Masbia soup kitchen over the last eight years have been repurposed
218

into business card holders to be given to donors as a sentimental token for feeding people in
need.
Chef Ruben Diaz, who places an emphasis on not letting anything go to waste, from
gathering leftover produce at farmers markets to composting and recycling, decided to take it
to the next level.
With a donation from cookbook writer Susie Fishbein, Masbia was finally able to replace
their old, decrepit tables and chairs just in time for the Jewish New Year. But when the time
came to make the switch, the soup kitchen staff, who spend their days squeezing every last bit
from their resources, saw the old tables as an opportunity to create something new and
potentially profitable. Rather than just tossing the old, wooden tables, Masbias Chef Ruben
Diaz started sawing, sanding, buffing, and painting the wood of the old tables, turning them
into beautiful wooden business card holders.
Advertisement:

Now, donors, who are the foundation of Masbia, giving so many in need a place at the table,
will receive a piece of the table with donations of $360 or more.
We thought the tables held sentimental value, after serving so many people all these years,
said Alexander Rapaport, Masbias Executive Director. The tables actually even have a holy
aspect to them, as theres a Talmudic comparison of a table that feeds the poor to the altar in
the Temple.
The high holiday of Rosh Hashanah is approaching closely, which is a time when we hope a
lot of donations come through to Masbia, Rapaport added. We are entering this new year
with new tables, and we hope our donors will help provide a place at the table for all of New
Yorks hungry.
Masbia is a soup kitchen network launched in 2005. With a current budget of $2 million
provided mainly by private donations, the soup kitchen served almost 450,000 meals during
the fiscal year of 2012 to 2013. Masbia is set up like a high-end restaurant, where waiters
serve nutritious farm-to-table style food to patrons at private tables with an emphasis on
treating people with dignity and respect.

219

This year during the High Holiday season, which falls during the month of September,
Masbia will hold four special holiday food distributions at each of their three sites. Every
Tuesday during the month of September, Masbia will provide special holiday food packages
to alleviate the extra burden that poor people feel during the holidays. Fliers in many
languages will be distributed in the relevant neighborhoods notifying the public of these
distributions.

220

221

Chef Ruben Diaz hand

crafting the card holders
News
Offering a Lifeline for Growing Number of Jewish Hungry and Poor

222

With Poverty Rising, Met Council Funds Outreach to Orthodox

courtesy of masbia

By Rukhl Schaechter
Published June 14, 2013, issue of June 21, 2013.

Print

Email

Share

Multi Page

Related

Jewish Poverty Skyrockets in New York Doubles in Size Since 1991

Poverty in the Orthodox World

The Undeserving Poor?

This story first appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. It was translated into English by Frimet
Goldberger.
According to a study by the UJA Federation of New York, the poverty rate of the greater New
York Jewish population grew exponentially as of late. More than 560,000 people 20% of

223

all the Jewish households in the region live below the poverty level. This is double of what
it was in 1991, not considering the 14% growth of the Jewish population since then.
This report also showed that nearly half of all children in Jewish households live under poor,
or near-poor, conditions. Older, Russian-speaking folks make up the greatest percentage,
followed by Hasidic families and the non-Russian-speaking elders.
When we think of poor people we envision those who cannot afford to put food on the table,
or those walking around in tattered clothing. However, this issue is a lot more complicated.
The report also takes into account the households that are not officially considered poor, but
their income is so low, that they have to reach out for outside help for both food and
housing.
According to the Federal guidelines, a family of four is considered poor only when its
annual income is below $33,000, said Daniel Amzallag, the Deputy Chief of Staff at
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, in an interview with the Yiddish Forverts.
This means that a family of four earning between $33,000 and $55,000 is perhaps not
considered poor. But as we see it, these families are also struggling.
In previous years, 58,000 Jewish households were in need of help. Nearly half of those were
not officially poor, Amzallag said.
In order to service both needy groups those who actually go hungry, and those who
struggle financially the Metropolitan Council partnered with another Jewish organization
called Masbia (http://www.masbia.org/).
We help those who are close to a crisis the people who have empty refrigerators, and are
in serious danger, said Alexander Rapaport, the founder and manager of Masbia. At our
tables you can find an Israeli fundraising for a Yeshiva in Israel, and a non-Jewish Mexican
worker. We treat everyone with respect, whether he is a Jew or not.
One 102-year-old non-Haredi woman comes in every night from Boro Park, Rapaport added.
The Metropolitan Council, which provides 60% of the Masbia budget, comes to the aid of
those who lost their jobs, or those who can no longer afford to pay tuition for their childrens
schooling, by helping them apply for Food Stamps and Medicaid.
Masbia runs three restaurants in Boro Park, Flatbush, and Rego Park, Queens. In these
restaurants, the needy are served with respect. Instead of waiting in line for food, they sit at
tables and are served by volunteers. Most tables are encircled with curtains to provide some
privacy for the individuals or families.

224

Until recently, the Masbia restaurant in Williamsburg was up and running. But due to a
shortage in funds and lack of demand even from those who had nothing to eat the
restaurant closed its doors.
A well-to-do Jew in Williamsburg does not frequent restaurants. It is not a part of their
culture, Rapaport explained. Moreover, they would not go to a restaurant known to serve
the poor.
William Rapfogel, Chief Executive Officer of the Met Council, said they will try to continue
servicing the poor in Williamsburg. Our volunteers bring non-perishable foods right to their
doors.
Masbias budget reaches 1.8 million a year, of which a mere 5% is covered by government
funding; the rest must be raised from private sources. Since this is no small feat in this
recession, Masbia strives to make it possible. This past Sunday, the organization attended two
fundraising events: A breakfast benefit for Masbia was hosted in Kew gardens, Queens by a
couple, Aron and Tzipoa Loeb; and in the afternoon Rapaport served as a referee at the Long
Island Kosher Barbeque Contest, where part of the profit benefited five charity organizations
in Long Island who work to combat hunger.
Masbias work has been miraculous, but we would like to help them be even more
miraculous, Rapfogel said. Instead of one meal, we would like to expand it to two meals a
day. We just have to find the funding.

Fair / Windy, 57
Saturday, April 11, 2015

Advanced Search

225

News

Features

Columns

Print Edition

Advertising

Jobs

Breaking
Five Towns
Long Island
New York City
National
Israel
International
Politics
Jewish Life
Family
Education
Odd News

July 14, 2010

A good catch for Masbia

A fish story

by Daniella Adler
Issue of July 16, 2010/ 5 Av 5770
The high cost of fish, a staple item during the Nine Days, when meat is
customarily not eaten, could be enough to shut down a kosher soup kitchen on
a tight budget. But the Masbia network - restaurants where the house always
picks up the tab - is open for business thanks to a large donation by the Dagim
Fish Company.

Dagim's Samuel Stefansky donated 2,500 portions, a $9,000 value, to the struggling soup
kitchen, allowing it to continue operating, and continuing a tradition he began three years
ago.
Masbia's founder and director, Alexander Rapaport, said the increased cost of serving fish
instead of meat could have forced the soup kitchen to close until after Tisha B'Av.
Potentially, the hundreds of people who depend on Masbia five days a week would have

226

been left without food.

Three years ago, when Rapaport began planning to open a kosher soup kitchen, he
contacted Stefansky for support. "You got me in a good mood today. I'll do it," Stefansky
replied.
A few hours later Stefansky suffered a heart attack. Before losing consciousness he told his
brothers, who work with him at Dagim, about the donation, and "told them to get the fish."
They fulfilled the pledge, Rapaport said.
Masbia has quadrupled in size since then and Stefansky donates each year. This year, with
three new locations and an increase from 150 to 500 meals per day, Dagim's gift for the
Nine Days is even larger. It includes side dishes like knishes and fish sticks for children.
Masbia survives day to day and most of its support comes from private donations. To gather
support, they send letters, write press releases, and, as Rapaport said, "people come and
help us." But Stefansky, Rapaport said, stood apart, for he "really made a donation with a
whole heart."
Print
Email
inShare
Comments
No comments on this story | Please log in to comment by clicking here

The Susso
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged
and removed. (December 2009)
The Susso is an Australian slang term referring to "sustenance" (welfare) payments,
especially during the Great Depression. "Susso" could also be used as a noun, for someone
depending on such payments,[1] often unsympathetically.

Contents

227

1 Background

2 Causes

3 Effects

4 The susso

5 References

6 See also

Background
By late 1929, the economic depression had hit all western countries.

Causes
The prices of wool and wheat - two of the nations biggest exports had been in rapid decline.
Overseas investments and loans started to disappear. As money became tight, there was a
large decrease on spending on public work, which led to an increase in unemployment. The
unemployment was further exacerbated by the falling income from primary producers. At the
end of 1929, Australia's unemployment rate sat at around 13%. By 1932, it had peaked at a
staggering 29%.

Effects
Though the downturn in the economy had a much greater effect on the lives of the poor, not
even the very rich could ignore the situation, as evidence of the Depression could be found
everywhere. It was seen in the dole queues, soup kitchens doling out staple, filling foods,
such as bread and potatoes, and shanty towns that sprang up across the nation. The
Depression was illustrated by the estimated 40,000 homeless who had to create makeshift
accommodation in public parks and fields and by the men that went wandering - on the
track - in search of work during this time, or even food, known as swagmen. These men estimated to be somewhere around 30,000 in numbers, had to report to a police station every
week, where they could claim very basic rations of food.

The susso
By 1932, more than 60,000 people depended on sustenance payments - known as "the susso",
merely to survive. This was only for the truly destitute, who had been unemployed for a
sustained period of time, and had no assets or savings. Relief was State-based - in South
Australia it was in the form of rations and vouchers.[2] At a time when the basic wage was
2/11/8d, "the susso" in Queensland was 3s. to 4/6d per child. "Many spend more than that on
a dog", one speaker was quoted as saying.[3]
It was immortalised in a contemporary childrens rhyme (probably based on "You're in the
Army Now", a World War I song featured in intertitles of the 1925 King Vidor silent film The
Big Parade):
228

"Were on the susso now,

We cant afford a cow,
We live in a tent,
We pay no rent,
Were on the susso now."[4]

Volxkuche
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
VolxKuche/VolxKche (VoKu/VoK), peoples kitchen, free supper club or kitchen for
all, are names used by the alternative scene (left) for a weekly or regularly occurring group
cooking event, at which the meal is served free of charge or at cost. The name derives from
the older expression people's kitchen (soup kitchen), as the secular counterpart of the
Christian soup kitchen. [1]
Volxkchen are found usually in collective and/or self-managed arrangements (taverns,
information stores, youth centers or autonomous centers) with politically left self-identity. In
general at least a vegetarian meal is offered, frequently also offering vegan food. Often soon
to be expired ingredients are obtained at cost, or donated by food banks, food manufacturers
or community gardens.[2] [3]

Contents

1 History

2 English Spelling & Pronouciation

3 See also

4 USA Locations

5 References

History
The Volxkche in the current sense is derived from the European squatter scene of the early
1980s.

English Spelling & Pronouciation

The spelling of Volxkche occurred as an expression of anti-nationalism. Historically
nationalism had used the term "Volks/Volx" with negative consequences. This use was a
rejection of the negative connotation which had the intention of "excluding" many groups of
German society. It is at the same time a funny self-willed expression of the anarchistic and/or
autonomous scene.
229

In the USA the word is spelled without an umlaut. English speakers have trouble when they
see an umlaut in a word or name. It often causes hesitation and is typically mispronounced.
The alternate German spelling Volkskueche (Volkskche) was intentionally not used.
English speakers should use the following to help them when saying this word.
Folks Coo heh

USA Locations
A twice a month 'Free Supper Club" in San Francisco is calling itself Volxkuche. Besides a
free dinner, performances, film and community are provided. [4]
Food Not Bombs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Food Not Bombs

Food Not Bombs logo

Type

Network of collectives

Website

www.foodnotbombs.net

Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and
vegetarian food to others. Food Not Bombs' ideology is that myriad corporate and
government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance. To
demonstrate this (and to reduce costs), a large amount of the food served by the group is
surplus food from grocery stores, bakeries and markets that would otherwise go to waste.
This group exhibits a form of franchise activism.

Contents

1 Principles

2 History

230

2.1 1980s

2.2 1990s: Further development

2.3 2000s: Anti-war activism

2.4 2010s

3 Causes
o

3.1 Resistance to restrictions on food sharing

3.1.1 2011 Florida feeding bans

3.1.2 2014 Fort Lauderdale Sharing Ban

3.2 FNB's involvement in the Occupy Wall Street movement

3.3 Occupy Sandy

3.4 The Food Not Bombs Free Skool

4 See also

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

Principles

The group serves free meals.

Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer global movement that shares free vegan meals as a
protest to war and poverty. Each chapter collects surplus food that would otherwise go to
waste from grocery stores, bakeries and markets, as well as donations from local farmers,
then prepares community meals which are served for free to anyone who is hungry. The
central beliefs of the group are:[1]

231

Always vegan or vegetarian and free to everyone.

Each chapter is independent and autonomous and makes decisions using

the consensus process.

Food Not Bombs is dedicated to nonviolence.

Food Not Bombs works to call attention to poverty and homelessness in society by sharing
food in public places and facilitating community gatherings of hungry people.
Anyone who wants to cook may cook, and anyone who wants to eat may eat. Food Not
Bombs strives to include everyone.[2]

History
1980s

Food Not Bombs was founded in 1980 in Cambridge, Massachusetts by anti-nuclear activists.
One of the co founders was C.T. Lawrence Butler.[3] The members' activities included
providing food and marching and protesting. Their protests were against issues such as
nuclear power, United States' involvement in the Salvadoran Civil War, and discrimination
against the homeless.[4]
1990s: Further development

Food Not Bombs grew throughout the 1990s, and held four international gatherings: in San
Francisco in 1992 and 1995, in Atlanta in 1996, and in Philadelphia in 2005. The 1995
International Food Not Bombs Gathering took place in and around United Nations Plaza in
San Francisco at the same time the world was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the
founding of the United Nations (at a historic conference in San Francisco).
Chapters of Food Not Bombs were involved in the rise of the Anti-Globalization Movement
in the late 1990s, leading to the APEC resistance in Vancouver in 1997; the June 18, 1999,
International Carnival Against Capitalism; and the so-called Battle of Seattle later that year,
which shut down the World Trade Organization meetings. Food Not Bombs helped start the
Low Watt FM Free Radio, the October 22nd No Police Brutality Day, and Homes Not Jails
during the San Francisco days.

"Free Soup for the Revolution" illustration

232

2000s: Anti-war activism

Food Not Bombs supported the actions against the Iraq War by providing meals at protests all
over the world. During a presentation to the University of Texas at Austin in 2006, an FBI
counter-terrorism official labeled Food Not Bombs and Indymedia as having possible terrorist
connections.[5][6]
Orlando enacted an ordinance prohibiting serving food to more than a certain number of
people without a permit.[7] In the fall of 2007, Eric Montanez of Orlando, Florida's Food Not
Bombs was charged with violating a city ordinance by feeding more people in a public park
at one time than the law allows without a permit. On October 10, 2007, Montanez was
acquitted by a jury.[8][9] Food Not Bombs and a church for the homeless called First
Vagabonds Church of God sued the city over the ordinance[7] on the grounds that serving food
is first amendment-protected political speech and religious activity. The groups won and the
city ordinance was overturned; however Orlando appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals and won.[7] On August 31, 2010, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the
decision, barring Orlando from enforcing the ordinance until another hearing before a 10judge panel takes place.[7]
In May 2008, local business owners attempted to stop the Kitchener, Ontario, Food Not
Bombs from serving in a highly visible downtown location,[10][broken citation] describing the group
as supporting meat-free diets, anti-capitalism, and an end to Canada's military intervention in
Afghanistan.[11][broken citation]
In April 2009, the city of Middletown, Connecticut, issued a cease-and-desist order to the
local chapter of Food Not Bombs. Prior to the order, the City Health Inspector had cited the
organization for distributing food without a license. As of August 2009, the chapter had
begun operating out of a licensed kitchen provided by the Middletown First Church of Christ
Congregational as state hearings into the matter were held.[12]
2010s

A Food Not Bombs chapter serves a meal in a public park.

As of October 2011, there were more than 400 chapters of Food Not Bombs listed on the
organization's website,[13] with about half the chapters located outside the United States. Food
Not Bombs has a loose structure: every chapter of Food Not Bombs embraces a few basic
principles, and carries out the same sort of action, but every chapter is free to make its own
decisions, based on the needs of its community. Likewise, every chapter of Food Not Bombs
233

operates on consensus. Besides collecting and distributing food for free, many chapters of
Food Not Bombs are involved in community anti-poverty, anti-war, and pro-immigrant
organizing, as well as other political causes related to social justice.

Causes
Resistance to restrictions on food sharing

The first extremely publicized restrictions on Food Sharing involving Food Not Bombs were
the 2011 feeding bans in Florida. Similar laws have been enacted in other jurisdictions,
including Philadelphia[14] and Houston.[15]
2011 Florida feeding bans

On April 20, 2011, an en banc panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Orlando
ordinance as a valid "time, place and manner" regulation,[16] reversing the initial ruling of
First Vagabonds Church of God, An Unincorporated Association, Brian Nichols v. City of
Orlando, Florida and removing the permanent injunction against the Orlando ordinance that
was first attempted in 2007.[17]
On May 18[18] the 30 day stay ended and the ordinance would soon be enforced on June 1
resulting in the arrest of Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry and Orlando FNB
volunteer Ben Markeson. Each successive sharing saw arrests, with 4 arrests on June 6, 5 on
June 8, 3 on June 13, & 6 on June 21. That same week the lawyer for Orlando FNB issued a
cease and desist to the city,[19] saying that violating the ordinance was not an arrestable
offense, and hackers claiming to be affiliated with Anonymous began issuing threats to the
city of Orlando. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has also received heavy criticism for referring
to Food Not Bombs activists as "food terrorists."[20][21] [22]
On Monday, June 20, no arrests were made at Food Not Bombs' breakfast in Lake Eola Park,
however Ben Markeson was cited for holding a sign without a permit, with much confusion
among city officials about procedure and the violations of civil rights. The city later issued a
statement reversing their interpretation of the sign regulations in question. On the same day
hackers carried through with their threats and took down the Orlando Chamber of Commerce
site and a Universal Studios website in "Operation Orlando," issuing a video statement later
declaring a 48 hour cease fire on the condition that the city arrest no one for feeding the
homeless, presumably on June 22.[23][24]
On June 22 more arrests took place including a 2nd arrest for Keith McHenry, resulting in a
17-day stay in jail. "Operation Orlando" soon went into full attack resulting in many sites
going down in the next several days. Orlando and Mayor Dyer were soon inundated with
national and international attention and outcry. On July 1, OFNB took the Mayor up on his
offer to move sharings to City Hall, which stopped arrests and resulted in a new, stable
arrangement for OFNB.[25][26]
Homeless hacktivist Christopher Doyon AKA Commander X was eventually arrested for
"Operation Orlando" and other cyber-crimes. Soon after his arraignment he held a press
234

statement where he admitted to everything he was being charged with but argues that these
DDOS attacks constituted acts of cyber-civil disobedience.[27][28]
Fort Lauderdale has been pondering a feeding ban for some time. In 2011 FNB activists have
complained about unjust surveillance and arrest and claimed to be victims of an unwarranted
police raid due to their home having their electricity cut off, where they were harassed by
police asking if they were "terrorists." Activists have also been arrested while playing a game
of capture the flag on May 1, 2011.[29]
Pinellas County is not only trying to ban feeding but is also banning sleeping in public. This
means that homeless in the St Pete area must either move into the "Safe Harbor" homeless
facility or get out of the town.[30]
An ordinance in Sarasota currently requires gatherings of 75 or more people to obtain a
special event permit. Citizens are currently petitioning to lower that number to 12, as well as
require feeders to obtain the same permit necessary for people who sell goods in public
places (a $150 fee). There have been numerous other ordinances in recent months targeting
the homeless, including the banning of smoking and removing park benches,.[31][32] Since
2009, homeless shelters in Gainesville can feed only 130 people at a time, leading to the
formation of the Coalition To End The Meal Limit.[33] On November 1, 2011, due to pressure
from the local Democratic Party, the meal limit and other rules regarding sharings of food
affecting St. Francis House were significantly changed, resulting in a decisive victory for the
Coalition to End The Meal Limit.[34]
On August 19, 2011, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer held a press conference to announce that
charges against food sharers arrested in Lake Eola Park, Orlando, were dropped, resulting in a
new state of compromise between Buddy Dyer's administration and Orlando Food Not
Bombs.[35]
2014 Fort Lauderdale Sharing Ban

In November 2014, Fort Lauderdale finally enacted a sharing ban, drawing a similar flurry of
media attention as in Orlando.[36] Several Food Not Bombs activists were arrested sharing
food and other acts of civil disobedience, for which they received "Civil Liberties Arrest"
medals from the Broward County ACLU.[37][38][39] Still other FNB activists went on hunger
strike during enforcement of the law.[40] A court injunction stopped enforcement of the sharing
ban in early December 2014 pending several court cases. In late December the injunction was
extended until February.[41] On January 29, 2015, Food Not Bombs filed a 29-page federal
lawsuit against the City of Fort Lauderdale to strike down the sharing ban ordinances as
unconstitutional.[42]
FNB's involvement in the Occupy Wall Street movement

Food Not Bombs groups have been heavily involved in supporting occupation camps across
the US during the Occupy Wall Street movement. The use of consensus, supporting urban
homeless communities, and mass feedings through donations are all specialties of Food Not
Bombs that has now seen an unheralded demand.[43]
235

In a case of history repeating itself, a Food Not Bombs kitchen was removed in a late night
police confrontation with Occupy San Francisco in mid-October.[44]
Co-founder C.T. Lawrence Butler was recently inspired to come back to the Boston activism
scene to join Occupy Boston.[45]
Co-founder Keith McHenry, who spent much of the year encouraging the advent of American
occupation camps during his touring, has been an enthusiastic participant in many camps[46]
even as he has released a new Food Not Bombs handbook.[47]
A Food Not Bombs World Gathering took place August 2026, 2012, in Tampa, Florida - the
week before the Republican National Convention.[48] In conjunction with Occupy Tampa and
many other organizations, Food Not Bombs activists collected and prepared food for
hundreds of RNC protesters and offered workshops, cultural events, and protest activities
from August 2030.[49]
Occupy Sandy

Near the end of 2012, Food Not Bombs activists, in particular Long Island Food Not Bombs,
fed countless thousands of people in the wake of Superstorm Sandy alongside "Occupy
Sandy." [50] The outpouring of food going to waste and support for disaster stricken,
impoverished communities culminated in the "Largest Food Not Bombs Ever" at the
"Hempstead Food Share Bonanza on Nov. 18th.[51]
The Food Not Bombs Free Skool

Keith McHenry and other long-time Food Not Bombs activists announced in 2012 the
opening of the FNB Free Skool in Taos, New Mexico. The first year of classes started in
summer of 2013. Topics covered by the course are analysis of current social issues,
community organizing, nonviolent social change, cultural events which support social change
and sustainable future for communities.[52]
Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act of 1996
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act)

The Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (Pub.L. 104210, 110 Stat. 3011,
enacted October 1, 1996) was created to encourage food donation to nonprofits by
minimizing liability. Signed into law by President Bill Clinton, this law, named after Rep. Bill
Emerson (who encouraged the proposal but died before it was passed), makes it easier to
donate food by allowing donor liability only in cases of gross negligence.[1]

Photographs Of Religious Organizations In The United

States
236

Sheiks in the United

States

All Souls Episcopal Church - Youth Group in

refurbished Youth Room - San Diego,

237

The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints, The Salt Lake Temple, which took 40 years to build, is
one of the most iconic images of the church.

238

CAIRO A number of
American Islamic and interfaith organizations have been included in a list
published by Huffington Post as examples of how faith-based groups are
doing good in the world today and how their belief is a major vehicle for
service to the world and peace promotion.

239

Dr. Frenzel is involved with a

small group of surgeons, nurses, scrub techs, general helpers and
translators that travel to various third world countries to do surgical
mission work. Some of their trips are sponsored by MMI, Medical Ministries
International, and sometimes the group just goes on their own or in
association with a Christian organization.

240

The Bell Tolls for AIPAC, the Late, Great Pro-Israel Lobbying Group

241

Homelessness, Members of Parliaments of Kingston

The position taken by the observer (author) of this document is that the electorate of the City of
Kingston , divided into the various constituencies and between the two political parties; do not vote
for Members of Parliaments but rather for political parties and for the Prime Minister (and the Leader
of The Opposition). To substantiate this view, below are given a number of clipping from the two
major national newspapers, the Daily Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer.
These clippings sought to look at all reported public positions of those elected Members of Parliament
representing some of the most blighted communities in Kingston, communities blighted by crime and
violence, poverty, high unemployment, blighted by low levels of education, blighted by high rates of
teenage pregnancy, blighted by a shortage of housing and hunger-and to see what percentage of these
comments had anything to do with addressing the conditions their constituents are faced with.
Some of the various and many types of socio-economic blights affecting the City of Kingston have
also been hereby presented so that the reader might be able to form his or her own conclusions.
The clippings are presented unedited and in their original forms to allow the observer to come to his
or her own conclusion and most importantly to repeat this process for him or herself using the
available publications.

Thwaites to place emphasis on earlychildhood education

Published: Monday | January 9, 2012 8 Comments

242

Ronald Thwaites

Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

Education minister Ronald Thwaites says he will be placing priority on early-childhood
education with the aim of reducing the billions spent annually on remedial programmes.
"I plan to place emphasis on early-childhood education so that we stop wasting billions of
dollars annually on remedial education. We must do it right the first time," Thwaites told The
Gleaner yesterday.
Thwaites said that while remedial programmes in schools will have to be intensified, in the
short term they cannot be sustained.
"I respect what the ministry has done up to now, the previous minister in charge, to try and do
remedial work and to ensure that there is that catch up after grade four. But, I think that will
have to be intensified and eventually phased out" Thwaites said.
Former education minister Andrew Holness had created the Alternative Secondary
Transitional Education Programme (ASTEP) to assist students who fail the Grade Four
Literacy Test. Some 6,000 students failed the test last year.
Thwaites said the strengthening of the early-childhood education system will ensure children
are prepared for learning at higher levels of the educational system. He added that he would
also be encouraging the use of technology in the teaching and learning process.
"I hope to bring a renewed emphasis on using information technology to improve pedagogy
to the school system, which is lacking in so many areas," Thwaites said.
Efficient system
Additionally, he said he plans to introduce a more efficient system to fund education.
243

"No child, no students whose parent and family cannot afford to pay for primary education
should be denied. But those who can afford to contribute will be made to do so" the education
minister said.
In the meantime, Thwaites said he will also be moving ahead with plans to abolish the shift
system in some primary and secondary schools across the country.
The minister did not give a timeline, but added however, "As soon as possible, this will
require cooperation from entities like churches to assist us, as they did in the past, to
introduce new school places."
He said funding for tertiary education will also be a main concern of his leadership, adding
that he will be focusing on research and development, and developing better loan terms and
access to financing.

JTA president says Thwaites' utterances

affecting teachers morale
Published: Monday June 10, 2013 | 9:24 am 22 Comments

Clayton Hall File

244

12>
The president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association Clayton Hall says recent utterances
by the education minister have been affecting the morale of teachers.
On the weekend, the education minister Ronald Thwaites, said there will be no further
employment of teachers this year as it would affect Jamaica's deal with the International
Monetary Fund.
He also said teachers may have to consider pursuing other careers.
However, Hall says those comments are irresponsible.
FOR MORE STORIES WATCH:
Like our new Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/gleanerjamaica
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/JamaicaGleaner
onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com

Thwaites calls on students not to waste

education resources
Published: Monday | April 14, 2014 3 Comments

245

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites.

12>
With only a few weeks to go before the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate
(CSEC) examinations are administered, Education Minister Ronald Thwaites is urging
students receiving Government assistance to ensure that they are present for the exams.
"It is a reproach that after getting great assistance to pay for the examination fees in selected
subjects, 20 per cent of those who are entered don't even bother to turn up for the
examination...they are missing a great opportunity," Thwaites said.
He made the appeal during the dissemination session for the School-to-Work Transition
Survey at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston on Friday.
246

The Government has been paying for students to sit Mathematics, English Language,
Information Technology, and a Science subject in the CSEC exams since 2002.
Thwaites, while noting that the education sector is allotted at least 30 per cent of the recurrent
budget, said the resources are scarce and should be utilised efficiently.
"The Jamaican taxpayers consistently offers to our students the opportunity of a good
education, it is the zeal and intent of all those who pay tax that you the younger generation
should do better and have better opportunities than we did," he said.
In the meantime, the minister is reminding students that their prospects for career
development increase with each academic qualification they obtain, and that sitting the
examinations is, therefore, in their best interest.
He said that young people who underperform in schools or opt out of the education system
prematurely are only lessening their chances of obtaining employment, as "there is no job
named 'anything' again, if ever there was."
The education minister used the opportunity to encourage students to "stay in school, pay
attention and study hard".
The School-to-Work Transition Survey highlighted that an estimated 269,000 or 35.5 per cent
of Jamaican youth have successfully transitioned from school to work. Another 310,000 or
41.0 per cent are still in transition and the remaining 23.5 per cent have not yet started the
transition.
The survey shows that a higher proportion of males (41.6 per cent) than females (29.3 per
cent) have transitioned, while a higher proportion of females (47.1 per cent) than males (35.5
per cent) are still in transition.
There is indication that education impacts the ability to transition, as the proportion of
transited youth increases with educational attainment. Most transited youth did not have a
smooth or direct transition (32.4 per cent), but instead, experienced "spells of unemployment
with or without spells of employment or activity" (38.7 per cent), the report says.
On average, it took 33 months to successfully transition from school to stable or satisfactory
employment, with the average length of transition for females (33 months) being longer than
their male counterparts (32 months).
Youth who were still in transition were largely unemployed (78.6 per cent) or inactive, nonstudents with future work aspirations (10.7 per cent). On average, youth who were in
transition were in this stage for 68 months, almost three years longer than transited youth.
Disaggregated by wealth index quintiles, the data show that in-transition youth from the
poorest two quintiles had the longest current duration of transition. The current duration of
transition declines from 73 months for the poorest quintile to 50 months for the wealthiest
quintile.
UNIQUE SURVEY
247

The School-to-Work Transition Survey is a unique survey instrument that generates relevant
labour market information on young people aged 15 to 29 years, including longitudinal
information, and transition within the labour market.
The survey serves as a tool for demonstrating the increasingly tentative and indirect paths to
decent and productive employment that today's young men and women are facing.
The 2013 round of the survey was the second such survey to be conducted in Jamaica. The
first was undertaken in 2006.
According to the 2012 population estimates, youth 15 to 29 years old in Jamaica account for
27.9 per cent of the total population.

Education must guide Jamaica's progress Thwaites

Published: Wednesday | October 15, 2014 4 Comments

Minister of Education, Ronald Thwaites. File

KINGSTON (JIS): Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites says the extent to which Jamaica
progresses must be guided in part by significant advances in academic and vocational training
and development, and appropriate attitudes to work.
"It is going to be by the achievements of competencies in academic subjects, in technical and
vocational subjects, by having the right social attitudes, (and) by having the right spiritual
awareness (that will) make the Jamaican nation prosper," he said, while speaking at a World
Teachers' Day Forum For Innovation in Teaching (FIT) at the National Arena on October 10.
248

Thwaites hailed the teachers whom he said have made significant progress in the teaching of
subjects such as mathematics and science, noting that, over the past 10 years, Jamaica has
embarked on an educational transformation programme to achieve higher outcomes in
learning, while citing the need for significant attitudinal changes by some sector stakeholders.
"Where teachers have bought into the process, we have seen significant improvements in
student achievement," he said, noting that the challenge for teachers is to "spread the
innovation spirit widely across the educational system, rather than just to celebrate pockets of
excellence".
"The home and the school need to work more closely if the aspiration and spirit of good
teachers is to be achieved," the minister said.
Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, in underscoring the important role of teachers in
advancing education, pledged his continued support to assist them in whatever way possible
to carry out their mandates. Holness is a former minister of education.
The forum, which was held under the theme 'Invest in the Future, Invest in Teachers', featured
displays of fine arts, science, and agriculture, which were done by participating schools.
Seminars & Workshops
OCTOBER 9
Framework Consulting-NewHabits Foundations productivity and time management
workshop, at Hope United Conference Room, Liguanea, Kingston, 8 a.m.
askfrancis@newhabitsja.info
OCTOBER 9
JAMPRO workshop 'Step by Step Guide to Exporting', at the Pelican Grill, Gloucester
Avenue, Montego Bay, 8:30 a.m.
rkiddmighty@jamprocorp.com
OCTOBER 9
Human Resource Man-agement Association of Jamaica public lecture.
jdhrmaj@gmail.com
OCTOBER 15
The Jamaica Micro Financing Association hosts round-table forum on the proposed Micro
Credit Act, at Hotel Four Seasons, 18 Ruthven Road, Kingston, 9:30 a.m.
jamfa@mail.com
249

OCTOBER 21
Human Resource Man-agement Association of Jamaica workshop 'Budgeting for HR
Managers'.
jdhrmaj@gmail.com
OCTOBER 24
Jamaica Link Ministries/Love 101 FM hosts videocast of the 2nd annual Global Leadership
Summit, October 24-25, at Montego Bay Convention Centre, Rose Hall.
info@jamaicalink.org
NOVEMBER 5
GovStrat Limited workshop 'Taking and Writing Effective Minutes', at Jamaica Pegasus
Hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston.
govstrat@cwjamaica.com
NOVEMBER 5
GovStrat Limited professionally accredited corporate secretary workshop, November 5-7,
2014, at Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston.
govstrat@cwjamaica.com
NOVEMBER 26
Leaders-to-Leaders Jamaica speaker series 'Risk Computing and IT Security: Risk and
Privacy Challenges', at Jamaica Pegasus hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston, 12
p.m.
leaderstoleadersja@gmail.com
Email entries to: business@gleanerjm.com
Seminars & Workshops

OCTOBER 18
ICAJ/Association of Chartered Certified Accountants seminar 'Accounting Trends in a
Borderless World', at The Knutsford Court Hotel, 11 Ruthven Road, Kingston, 9 a.m.
OCTOBER 21
250

Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica workshop 'Budgeting for HR

Managers'.
jdhrmaj@gmail.com
OCTOBER 24
Jamaica Link Ministries/Love 101 FM hosts videocast of the 2nd annual Global Leadership
Summit, October 24-25, at Montego Bay Convention Centre, Rose Hall.
info@jamaicalink.org
OCTOBER 25
Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship/Scotiabank Jamaica workshop 'Build a World-Class
Brand', at the Scotia Training Centre, 4 Arcadia Boulevard, Kingston, 4 p.m.
info@bransoncentre.org
OCTOBER 30
JBDC mobile business clinic initiative, October 30-November 1, at the Montego Bay Civic &
Cultural Centre, Montego Bay, 10 a.m.
communications@jbdc.net
NOVEMBER 3
Jamaica Statistical Society two-day Microsoft Excel workshop, November 3 and 5, at the HD
Hopwood Education Centre, third floor, Medical Library, University Hospital of the West
Indies, Mona, Kingston, 8:30 a.m.
jamaica.statistical.soc@gmail.com
NOVEMBER 5
GovStrat Limited workshop 'Taking and Writing Effective Minutes', at The Jamaica Pegasus
hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston.
govstrat@cwjamaica.com
NOVEMBER 5
GovStrat Limited professionally accredited corporate secretary workshop, November 5-7,
2014, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston.

251

govstrat@cwjamaica.com
NOVEMBER 6
GovStrat Limited professionally accredited director summit and workshop, November 6-7, at
The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston.
govstrat@cwjamaica.com
NOVEMBER 7
GovStrat Limited workshop 'High Impact Master Class in Corporate Governance Excellence',
at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston.
govstrat@cwjamaica.com
NOVEMBER 26
Leaders-to-Leaders Jamaica speaker series 'Risk Computing and IT Security: Risk and
Privacy Challenges', at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston,
12 pm. leaderstoleadersja@gmail.com
Email entries to: business@gleanerjm.com

Be grateful to be Jamaican - Thwaites

Published: Friday | January 23, 2015 10 Comments

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites. - File

252

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:
Education Minister the Reverend Ronald Thwaites has weighed in on recently released
survey results, in which many young Jamaicans indicated a willingness to give up their
Jamaican citizenship to live and work elsewhere in the world.
In his keynote address at the 100th anniversary celebration of the Kiwanis Club International,
held at the Montego Bay High School for Girls in St James, on Wednesday, Thwaites said
that Jamaica provides many benefits for which citizens should be grateful.
"We need to be grateful for the benefits of being a Jamaican ... I saw recently the results of a
survey that said that many young people would gladly give up on Jamaica and go elsewhere,"
said Thwaites, referencing a survey conducted by the Centre for Leadership and Governance,
at the University of the West Indies, last April. It showed that approximately 43.2 per cent of
persons under 18 years, and 49.3 per cent of young adults, would be willing to give up their
Jamaican citizenship to find better opportunities elsewhere.
"While it is quite all right to go abroad and do what you can, study or work, and then come
back ... you young people engaged in the Kiwanis group enjoy a tremendous deposit of
freedom," the education minister continued. "You do not face the threat of being abducted,
like in Nigeria, where the girls are taken away and forced into marriage at age 12 or 13. You
are not forced into military service ... (and) you are not pressured because of your religious
convictions or lack thereof."
Availability Of Education
Thwaites added that another benefit to be enjoyed in Jamaica is the availability of education
to everyone.
"Give thanks that, in this land, unlike many countries that are richer than ours, there is a place
in school, from the early-childhood sector, right through to the high-school sector, for every
single Jamaican child," said Thwaites. "This nation contributes more to education than any
other country in the Americas, except Cuba. Education is a pearl of great price in this land,
and sometimes we take it for granted ...; it is a great privilege that is given to us."
The minister was speaking at a youth awards ceremony held to celebrate the Kiwanis
International's 100th anniversary since it began its campaign of service in Detroit, Michigan
in the United States, in 1915.
One hundred students from schools across western Jamaica were awarded for their
involvement in the Kiwanis Club's service leadership programmes, including the Kiwanis KKids and Builders Clubs, the Key Club, the Bring-up Grades initiative, and the Circle-K club.

'Conserve on utilities', Thwaites to schools

253

Published: Friday | August 22, 2014 0 Comments

EDUCATION MINISTER Ronald Thwaites said a directive has been issued to school
administrators to implement a conservation drive as part of efforts to reduce the high
electricity bills in some schools.
Thwaites said a proposal has also been taken to Cabinet for arrangements to be made with
providers of solar energy to implement these systems in schools at reduced cost.
"There is a working group which would be formed in order to advance that kind of
development. It should be formed later this month," he said.
The electricity for at least four schools was disconnected earlier this year for non-payment of
bills. The minister had also confirmed that more than $150 million was owed by schools at
the time.
However, he told The Gleaner on Monday that a considerable amount of this money has
since been paid and satisfactory arrangements have been made to pay the rest.
Both schools at the primary and secondary level are given a grant by the ministry to go
towards paying utilities. The education ministry currently spends about $800 million annually
for utilities.
Energy competitions
"Some schools I know have done very well with establishing competitions for energy
conservation ideas, and I am asking the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica to do an energy
audit on our schools," he said.
As it relates to reducing the costs associated with water, Thwaites said the ministry will be
asking for a change in rate for those schools that are not already benefiting from the National
Water Commission's preferential rate structure. It would be up to school administrators to
ensure that the cost of acquiring furniture is kept at a minimum.
"Furniture that used to be replaceable, say after five years, now needs to last seven or 10
years," he said.
As schools try to find ways to reduce their utility costs, principal for St Andrew High School
for Girls, Sharon Reid, said that the school has entered into an agreement with a company to
provide the institution with solar panels. The panels will be leased to the school initially, but
eventually, the institution will have full ownership.
"We expect that, very early in the first term, those panels will be installed," said the principal
who points out that the institution's electricity bill amounts to about $800,000 per month on
average.
More Sharing ServicesShare |

254

More than 200 teachers relocated Thwaites

Published: Tuesday | December 3, 2013 11 Comments

Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites. - File

Jermaine Francis, Gleaner Writer

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites has indicated that some 200 teachers have already
been redeployed as part of the ministry's thrust to save some $223 million over the next
two years.
Thwaites said the relocation process has been going according to plan and that the ministry
will be pressing ahead with more redeployment throughout the school year.
A disgruntled Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) is taking issue with how the process has
been handled so far.
In an advertisement published in The Sunday Gleaner, the JTA expressed that it has been
receiving reports that "teachers are being coerced into accepting to be transferred to other
schools and in some cases threatened with loss of salary if they refuse to participate".
Forced to do clerical duties
The advert also stated that the JTA has received reports of teachers being forced to perform
clerical duties in the education ministry's regional offices.
However, Thwaites told The Gleaner yesterday that he was unaware of these things
happening.
255

He said of the close to 200 teachers already redeployed, the ministry has not received any
such complaints.
"We have absolutely no indication of these, so I am hoping that if there is any such, they can
be submitted to us so we can deal with them," Thwaites said.
The minister said if the JTA has such information about documented cases of coercion or
teachers being forced to work in ministry offices, the union should present it to him.
In its advertisement, the JTA also noted that it endorsed relocation of teachers under certain
terms, including voluntary redeployment and without teachers losing their benefits.
"We've made it clear that no one is going to lose any benefits, but we cannot have a situation
where [one school] has nine or eight teachers to a hundred students and down the road [at
another school] they are running classes at 50 to one," Thwaites added.

Ronnie must battle his own dragons

Published: Sunday | July 14, 2013 1 Comment

256

Adams

123>
Robert Wynte, Contributor
Our national education performance has been very poor and has been so for a very long
time, despite many interventions such as the 2004 P.J. Patterson-commissioned Task
Force Report on Education.
Only recently, Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites rallied the nation in his 'Call to Action'
Sectoral Debate presentation. Like the patron saint of his alma mater St George's College,
Thwaites has walked the walk by taking on the all-powerful Jamaica Teachers' Association
257

(JTA) dragon to rescue the nation's education and to reverse its sagging socio-economic
fortunes.
While many of us have supported the minister, we seem unaware of a much bigger 'dragon'
than the JTA - the Ministry of Education (MOE) itself. Now we must understand that while
the JTA is designed to defend the rights of members and earns it revenues from its members,
the MOE is designed to defend the rights of students and earns its revenues from taxpayers.
We must, therefore, hold the MOE to a higher level of accountability than the JTA and must
support the minister in his battle with the dragon within his own ministry as he attempts to
slay poor education performance once and for all.
The emblem of St George's College is adorned with the famous cross as well as St George
slaying a dragon. According to Wikipedia, many patronages of St George exist around the
world, including England, Egypt, Bulgaria, Romania, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Israel, Portugal,
and Russia. The myth surrounding the patron saint slaying the dragon purports that a dragon
made its nest at the spring that provided water for the city of Silene. Consequently, citizens
had to dislodge the dragon from its nest to collect water by offering sheep; and when they ran
out of sheep, maidens were offered by drawing lots.
One day when the princess' lot was drawn, St George happened to be passing by. He faced
the dragon, protected himself with the sign of the cross, slew the dragon, and rescued the
princess.
St George's College old boy and Education Minister Ronald Thwaites must have recalled the
saint of his alma mater as he has been battling the JTA dragon ever since his Sectoral
presentation in Parliament earlier this year. Like the proverbial dragon, many believe that the
JTA has made its nest at the mythical spring that provides education improvement for
Jamaica.
Over the years, governments have tried to dislodge JTA's influence by sacrificing benefits
well beyond the capacity of its purse to deliver. Finally, an education minister in the persona
of Ronnie of St George's decided that enough was enough, faced the JTA, protected himself
with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement, and battled the JTA dragon to rescue
education in Jamaica.
Lines have been drawn, with the general population behind Ronnie and the teachers behind
the JTA. Meanwhile, the prime minister, Minister Horace Dalley and their party's National
Executive Council have remained on the fence.
BARKING UP WRONG TREE
The purpose of the JTA is very clear - promote and defend the rights and interests of teachers.
The organisation does this very well, at times at the expense of education moving forward.
Defending teachers' rights and interests was exactly what JTA past presidents Doran Dixon
and Paul Adams did with aplomb following the minister's Sectoral presentation.
This explains, in part, why Adams is a two-time president and why Dixon won handsomely at
the polls, despite the JTA hierarchy's feeble and failed attempt to deny him a chance to be a
two-time president.
258

Incumbent Clayton Hall, in his first real test as president, was not as forthright as the past
presidents; maybe because he had his eyes firmly set on the plum Glenmuir High
principalship and maybe why he will never repeat as president.
The Ministry of Education (MOE), as opposed to the JTA, has as its purpose to enable quality
education for all Jamaicans. Unlike the JTA, which has done very well to deliver on its
purpose, the ministry has failed miserably over a long time to deliver on its purpose. This is
manifested in the continued poor performance in the Grade Six Achievement Test scores, as
well as the Caribbean Examinations Council scores.
This poor performance has continued despite the expenditure of some US$112 million in
'transformation' efforts, since 2005, which have made negligible impact on national education
outcomes, rendering the recurrent budget only able to maintain the status quo.
For some strange reason, we have not held the ministry to the high level of accountability
(blame) as we do the JTA. In this respect, I believe we are collectively barking up the wrong
tree.
THAT IMF AGREEMENT
With Jamaica steeped in debt and having approached the IMF for a bailout, common sense
tells us that any agreement should be transformational in nature.
Despite Minister Thwaites' assertion that we are spending one fifth of our expenditure on
remedial efforts (estimated at $15 billion annually), the education component of the IMF deal
does not address this waste. Instead, it deals with teacher welfare, teacher deployment and
student to teacher ratios, which, at best, will save less than $1 billion annually while keeping
the education system on an "escalator of failure", to use the minister's words.
This gives an idea of the absence of strategic thinking in the MOE hierarchy advising the
minister. In trying to cut the fat from the MOE budget, there is a danger that the education
component of the IMF agreement may result in cutting muscle that is needed to achieve the
very education outcomes required to drive economic growth and development.
This is what spurred the outbursts by Adams and Dixon and has prompted trade unionist
Danny Roberts to call for a renegotiation. I agree with Mr Roberts, and suggest that if the
negotiators for the Government and the IMF fail to heed his words, they can be branded as
aiders and abettors with the MOE in the maintenance of our poor education system.
DIXON'S STAND ON ACCOUNTABILITY
A recent Gleaner editorial reminded us that Doran Dixon's claim to fame in his first term was
his reluctance to have teachers held accountable. To be fair to Mr Dixon, he argued that
teachers are not the only ones affecting student performance and should, therefore, not be
singled out for measurement and accountability.
Where I part company with Mr Dixon is that while I believe that the minister, permanent
secretary, chief education officer, regional directors, education officers, school boards,
principals and others must be measured and be held accountable, teachers ought not to view it
as a condition for their own measurement and accountability.
259

Minister Thwaites has personally indicated to me that he wishes to be measured and to be

held accountable; however, I suspect that most of the MOE's hierarchy is not so inclined.
Having been in the post for 18 months, Minister Thwaites finds himself at a crossroads. He
may decide to copy education ministers of the past who allowed the education rot to continue
while those in the ministry hierarchy remained in total denial. He may, however, take the very
tough decisions to transform, really transform the very ministry that he leads.
Based on his staring down the JTA, I will bet on his doing likewise with the ministry. Any
appreciable delay will see him being absorbed in the ministry's culture and rendered impotent
to make any serious transformational impact.
An unknown author once said, "We must not only strike the iron while it is hot; but strike it
till it is made hot." In this regard, civil society and, even more important, the prime minister
and her Cabinet members must support the minister in his efforts.
Robert Wynter is managing director of Strategic Alignment Limited, which facilitates
organisational transformation and leadership development. Comments are welcome at
columns@gleanerjm.com and rob.wyn@hotmail.com.

Thwaites emphasises quality over quantity of subjects

Published: Thursday | March 6, 2014 3 Comments

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites.

Jermaine Francis, Staff Reporter

260

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites is cautioning students sitting external exams to not
put quantity over quality.
Speaking at the recent National Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) awards ceremony
put on by the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, Thwaites questioned if
it was prudent for students to simply complete a barrage of subjects, or strive to be rounded
students who are capable of functioning in the society.
Thwaites queried: "What is the meaning of the quantum of subjects that so many have
achieved ... does this make for the rounded, multi-competent Jamaican person who we want,
who the economy needs and who the world craves their services?"
While lauding the awardees for their stellar performance, Thwaites noted that despite the
large number of subjects that several students have mastered, tertiary institutions were,
"concerned that very often, despite the high grades, there still is the need for remedial work".
"We have to challenge ourselves to the roundedness, that multi-competency person who the
world requires of us," the minister said.
Noting that tertiary education was no longer an option if one is to adequately grasp the job
opportunities available across the globe, Thwaites challenged the awardees to think critically
about the programmes they decide to pursue as they go on to further their studies.
"Be very careful of the careers you choose and the subjects that you advance at the tertiary
level, because so many are qualifying themselves in subjects [that are in] very little demand
in the labour market," he told the students.
School fees
The minister said students should also begin to think about how they will be funding their
tertiary education, so that they can balance the assistance from the state with their own
contributions.
He said it was the goal of the Government to double the number of students completing postsecondary studies, in the next five years. There are an estimated 75,000 students currently
engaged in some form of tertiary study on the island.
Close to 400 awards were distributed at the function for excellence in the Caribbean
Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
Veronna Hanley of decarteret College in Manchester was named the best overall performer in
CSEC, while St Andrew's Campion College was named the top school in the island.

261

Desmond McKenzie claiming political victimisation

Published: Tuesday June 10, 2014 | 8:59 am 1 Comment

Desmond McKenzie - File

Opposition spokesman on local government Desmond McKenzie is claiming political

victimisation in the way allocations are being made by the Government for drain
cleaning.
At a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) press conference yesterday, McKenzie said all the
constituencies represented by the Peoples National Party (PNP) in the Corporate Area have
been allocated money to carry out drain cleaning.
He notes that at least nine PNP councillors have been given as much as $1.5 million to carry
out work.
He says based on the list provided by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) only
one division represented by a Jamaica Labour Party counsellor has been allocated a
comparable sum.
McKenzie says allocations for the Tivoli division are puzzling.
According to McKenzie provisions were made for all 40 divisions in the Corporate Area
when the Jamaica Labour Party headed the KSAC.
WATCH: The Gleaner Minute

262

Like our new Facebook page:

Gleaner Jamaica
Follow us on Twitter:
@JamaicaGleaner
Follow us on Instagram:
jamaicagleaner

Too close for comfort - Gunmen open fire on Desmond McKenzie's bodyguards
downtown
Published: Wednesday | April 16, 2014 16 Comments

Desmond McKenzie (left) and Andrew Holness, opposition leader, in discussion, after gunmen fired at
McKenzie's bodyguards on North Street in downtown Kingston yesterday. - Errol Crosby/Photographer

Livern Barret, Gleaner Writer

Opposition legislator Desmond McKenzie was left rattled yesterday after the violence
plaguing his west Kingston constituency in recent weeks came too close for comfort.
This time, instead of shooting at unarmed residents, the police say three gunmen opened fire
on McKenzie's bodyguards as they waited for him at a funeral home on North Street in
downtown Kingston.

263

Ironically, McKenzie was at the funeral home to help with funeral arrangements for 12-yearold Kawayne McAnuff, one of the two persons killed when gunmen opened fire on residents
at the corner of Charles Street and Chestnut Lane just over a week ago.
"It is a very uncomfortable moment right now. There's just a lot of uncertainty," a subdued
McKenzie told The Gleaner minutes after the attack.
The incident also brought into sharp focus, for McKenzie, the plight of his constituents, who
have seen a spike in murders and other serious crimes.
"If members of the security forces can be subjected to this, my concern is [for] the wider west
Kingston - the people who are not fortunate to have that level of security," he said.
TIME FOR REFLECTION
"It is a time for reflection. We are trying our best to ensure that the area has some semblance
of peace, and if there are elements that are opposed to that, then it's just rather unfortunate,"
he continued.
McKenzie, who has openly challenged residents across his west Kingston constituency to
stop protecting criminals, would not speculate on a motive for the attack.
The lawmaker said he would await the outcome of the police investigations.
According to McKenzie, one of the gunmen was injured in the incident and the police say a
Beretta 9mm pistol with 16 rounds was seized.
Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington praised the members of McKenzie's security detail,
saying he was "relieved that law-abiding citizens were not injured".
West Kingston in fear, says MP McKenzie
Published: Tuesday August 20, 2013 | 2:26 pm

264

with audio | 4 Comments

Desmond McKenzie File

Debbie-Ann Wright, News Editor - Radio

Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Desmond McKenzie says fear is at an alltime high in the area amid the current upsurge in violence.
West Kingston was once regarded as having one of the lowest crime rates in Jamaica.
However, in recent times there have been a number of shootings, murders and robberies in
the area.

An 11-year-old girl and a businessman are among those shot and killed by criminals.
McKenzie says residents are now afraid to leave their homes, with some even talking about
moving out of the area.
The Police have said their intelligence suggest the upsurge in violence is a result of conflicts
over who should control the area.
However, McKenzie says such efforts by criminals will be futile as the people of West
Kingston no longer want to be ruled by a don.
The Police have also stressed that no criminal network will be allowed to set up or operate
any criminal kingdom in West Kingston.
265

They say additional resources have been deployed to the area in a move to return calm to
the community.
And the police are urging the residents to cooperate with investigations.
Basket to carry water: First-time MP Desmond McKenzie laments the treatment of
his constituency
Published: Monday | February 2, 2015 0 Comments

Member of Parliament Desmond McKenzie points to a dilapidated house in Denham Town, West Kingston.
-FILE photos

266

12>

POLITICS: no easy ride for first-timers!

2011 General Election Newbies Reflect On First Term In Parliament
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
Although not a newcomer to representational politics, having spent decades at the local
government level, Desmond McKenzie's first term as a member of parliament has cemented,
in his mind, something he always believed - the West Kingston constituency is being
politically stifled in just about all spheres.
Armed with the experience of being a long-time councillor and a two-term mayor of
Kingston, McKenzie last week asserted that he is hardly surprised that West Kingston is
being neglected by the People's National Party (PNP) Government.
"Everything positive that has been done to West Kingston was done under Jamaica Labour
Party (JLP) administrations," charged McKenzie.
"In terms of the infrastructure such as housing, roads, water, it has been a disappointing first
term as a newly elected member of parliament," he added.
According to McKenzie, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, in her first Budget
presentation in 2012, promised 20 houses for West Kingston under the Jamaica Emergency
Employment Programme (JEEP), none of which has been forthcoming.
"Going over three years now, I can't get one," he lamented. "So my expectation as a member
of parliament has been pretty low."
267

Added McKenzie: "It is sad if I say that as a JLP member of parliament I was expecting this
kind of treatment based on how they (West Kingston) have been treated in the past under
former MPs Edward Seaga and Bruce Golding."
Brown Burke supports
McKenzie, however, applauded his former opposition counterpart at the Kingston and St
Andrew Corporation (KSAC), Angela Brown Burke, the current mayor of Kingston, for the
support she has offered to advance his constituency.
He said, in terms of ministerial response, the ministries of labour and social security as well
as health, rank above all others.
First elected councillor for the Denham Town division in the KSAC in the local government
election of March 1977, McKenzie switched to the Tivoli Gardens division in 1990. Both are
in West Kingston.
In 2003, as a councilor for the Tivoli Gardens Division, McKenzie was elected mayor of
Kingston, and again in 2007.
He retained the position until 2011 when former prime minister and leader of the JLP, Bruce
Golding, demitted office.
"The pleasure of representing the people at a higher level is something that I had always
looked forward to," said McKenzie.
"But in terms of my expectations in giving them the kind of service that they deserve, it
leaves much to be desired," he added.
According to McKenzie, outside of the normal benefits from Government such as the
Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and occasional proceeds from the JEEP, the
constituency is ignored.
"In terms of making representations and getting any other benefit, it is difficult," he said.
McKenzie cited, as one of his greatest disappointments, the failure of the Urban Renewal
Programme to live up to its promises after the 2010 operation in West Kingston by members
of the security forces.
"It was slated to start in West Kingston in Tivoli Gardens but, when the Government changed,
the programme was moved out of West Kingston and placed in another constituency," he
complained.

268

Citing the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) as an example, McKenzie said: "I
am totally disappointed with the performance of the government agencies that operate in the
constituency."
CSJP is a multi-faceted crime and violence-prevention initiative of the Ministry of National
Security which focuses on building community safety and security.
The programme provides crime and violence-prevention services to 39 vulnerable and
volatile communities, spanning eight parishes, and conducts institutional strengthening.
"The CSJP has acted in a very political way in terms of how it operates. I thought the purpose
of it was to deal with areas that have a chronic problem of crime and violence," he said.
"West Kingston is one such area, but what we have got out of CSJP leaves much to be
desired."
Added McKenzie: "There are other areas such as the JSIF (Jamaica Social Investment Fund)
that I can speak about that I am not happy with the manner in which we have been treated in
West Kingston in terms of their response."
gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com

Desmond McKenzie, bodyguards attacked by gunmen

Published: Tuesday April 15, 2014 | 2:52 pm 7 Comments

Member of Parliament for West Kingston Desmond McKenzie and his bodyguards
escaped injury this morning after members of his security team were attacked at the
intersection of North and Oxford streets in downtown Kingston.
McKenzie says two of his bodyguards were shot at while they were at a funeral home shortly
after 11 oclock.
The MP says none of the bodyguards was injured but one of the attackers was shot and
injured before escaping.
McKenzie says he has no idea what is behind the attack or if he was the target.
Desmond McKenzie pleads for 'special attention' for West Kingston
Published: Wednesday February 12, 2014 | 3:15 pm 5 Comments

Jovan Johnson, Gleaner Writer

The Member of Parliament for West Kingston Desmond McKenzie is claiming that a
269

programme to enhance the security of citizens is not being felt in his constituency, which
is being affected by high levels of violence.
The assertion from the MP in the Parliament yesterday, followed an update from the National
Security Minister Peter Bunting on the work of the Citizen Security and Justice Programme.
Bunting told legislators that hes not satisfied with all the components of the programme
although he acknowledged that social intervention projects have impacted on the lives of
thousands of young people.
He also pointed to surveys which he said show reductions in crime and violence in targeted
communities.
However, McKenzie suggested that the effectiveness of the programme may be compromised
because, instead of incorporating the needs of the areas, communities are told what to do.
WATCH: West Kingston residents claim police brutality>
Meanwhile, Bunting said the design of the current phase of the project was done in 2009 and
there were few modifications he could have made after taking office in 2012 when the project
was already very advanced.
The National Security Minister said for the upcoming phase three, US$55 million is being
targeted for a four to five-year period.
Bunting said he will update the Parliament as soon as the negotiations with international
partners are complete.
The Citizenship Security and Justice Programme which started in 2001, operates in 50
communities across eight parishes and seeks to prevent crime and violence.
Desmond McKenzie to be confirmed for West Kingston seat
Published: Sunday November 13, 2011 | 12:27 pm 3 Comments

270

Mayor of Kingston and candidate for the West Kingston constituency, Desmond McKenzie

Mayor of Kingston, Senator Desmond McKenzie is to be officially introduced as the new

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for West Kingston as the incumbent, former Prime
Minister Bruce Golding bows out of representational politics.
Mr McKenzie will be presented during a meeting of the influential JLP Area Council One,
which is scheduled to start at 4:00 this afternoon.
The meeting will be addressed by JLP leader-designate and prime minister, Andrew Holness
and Mr Golding, who will bid the constituency farewell.
Mr McKenzie, who was born and bred in West Kingston, currently represents the JLP
stronghold as a councillor in the Tivoli Gardens division and is chairman of the Kingston and
St Andrew Corporation. He also sits in the senate.
His elevation to the position of candidate for the area today follows the violent May 2010
incursion in Tivoli Gardens, which led to the capture and extradition of Christopher Dudus
Coke to the United States.
In a broadcast to the nation, Mr Golding cited the events which led to and followed the
incursion as reasons for his resignation last month.
Attacker of Desmond McKenzie's bodyguards in hospital
Published: Wednesday April 16, 2014 | 8:45 am 6 Comments

271

Andre Williams & Crystal Harrison, Gleaner Writers

One of the two men allegedly involved in yesterday's gun attack on bodyguards for West
Kingston Member of Parliament Desmond McKenzie was taken to hospital last night by
police.
Information reaching our news team is that the unidentified man, who appears to be in his
early twenties, is nursing wounds he received to his lower body during the incident.
It is understood that family members of the injured man learned of his whereabouts and went
to see him before they handed him over to the police.
Our news team was on hand at the hospital when members of the Flying squad arrived with
the injured man about 8:30 last evening.
McKenzie and his bodyguards escaped injury yesterday, after members of his security team
were attacked at the intersection of North and Oxford streets in downtown Kingston.
The MP was at a funeral home making funeral arrangements for a child who was gunned
down in the community on April 4.
McKenzie says he has no idea what motivated the attack or if he was the target.

Desmond McKenzie frustrated with NWC

Published: Wednesday September 10, 2014 | 8:06 am 2 Comments

272

Desmond McKenzie - File

Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Desmond McKenzie is expressing frustration

with the National Water Commission (NWC) which he says has been ignoring a sewage
problem affecting several communities in his constituency.
McKenzie last week highlighted the problem in the media, but he says the NWC is yet to
address the problem which is now four weeks old.
McKenzie says the sewage continues to flow despite multiple calls to the NWC each day.
The MP says the sewage is even impeding access to his constituency office.
Mr. McKenzie says he is making another desperate attempt for the NWC to deal with the
matter especially in light of the threat of Chikungunya and other mosquito borne illnesses.
He was speaking on Cliff Hughes Online on Power 106 FM yesterday.

Desmond declares war... ...

Published: Sunday | March 17, 2013 22 Comments

273

Desmond McKenzie (left) member of parliament for West Kingston, tries to control an irate resident
(right) as firefighters put out a blaze that destroyed several houses in Denham Town late last year.-File

as young thugs hold West Kingston under siege - 20 killed since January
Member of Parliament for western Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, has declared "war" on a
group of "shottas" related to former strongmen in the area and who are being blamed for an
upsurge of violence in the area.
According to McKenzie, these young men are determined to unleash unprecedented mayhem
in the constituency to gain control.
Asserting that no less than 20 lives had been lost in the bloodshed since the start of this year,
McKenzie vowed that he would have no lot or part with members of at least two families,
allegedly attempting to regain control of communities in western Kingston.
"There will be no dynasty of dons, and I am not going to allow the area to be taken over by
any forces of destruction, and I have said it loud and clearly, I am not sitting with that
element. I am in no argument with that element. I am not bringing them to any table,"
declared McKenzie one day after a woman was killed along Chestnut Lane in Denham Town.
The following day, one man was shot in the back along Luke Lane as the violence continued.

274

coercion
It has been alleged that young men related to two families, who for decades controlled
sections of west Kingston, are now trying to continue this tradition and are using the gun to
force persons to bow to their dictates.
But McKenzie is adamant that these young shottas will not enjoy free reign.
Pointing to the Chestnut Lane/Regent Street areas as the epicentre of the violence, McKenzie
told The Sunday Gleaner that the clashes have been brutal and deadly.
"A seed was planted and that seed has grown, and it is that foundation that is wreaking
havoc ... and I am not afraid to say it, the destruction comes out of that seed that was planted
years ago," asserted McKenzie, "and we are now seeing the results of that.
"These are criminals. I am bold enough to describe them as enemies of an area that wants to
free itself of that kind of association," added McKenzie.
He argued that the men unleashing terror on western Kingston are criminal elements bent on
extending the undesirable dynasties of their forefathers.
A furious McKenzie described as unprecedented the fear that has gripped the constituency
because of the terror that has been unleashed by the groups of young men from both sides of
the political divide.
"What we have now is a generation of youngsters who feel that that there is a role for them to
play and that there are vacancies in terms of donmanship that they want to reposition
themselves," asserted McKenzie.

275

He charged that the new generation of emerging dons were attempting to flex their muscles
over turf.
"What we find happening in the constituency is no longer a situation where it is a PNP
(People's National Party) against the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party). That doesn't exist anymore
as former member of parliament Edward Seaga broke down the political cycle some 15 years
ago."

Goodbye to the 'unquestioned general'

Published: Sunday | July 28, 2013 0 Comments

Dr Rae Davis

276

12>

Omar Davies leads tributes to his mother as she is laid to rest

There were glowing words aplenty for Amy 'Mymie' Davis at a thanksgiving service for her
life at the St Gabriel's Anglican Church in May Pen, Clarendon, last Tuesday.
One of her sons, Transport and Works Minister Dr Omar Davies, delivered the remembrance.
Davis, who died age 95, hailed from Milk River, and Davies provided an explanation for the
name she was known as by many.
"Mymie represents a corruption of 'Mamma Amy' which Carlton, her firstborn, was instructed
to use," Davies explained.
"You see 'Mamma' was already reserved for our maternal grandmother, with whom Carlton
lived for a time, as a youngster.
"Over time, we, her children, plus all our friends have called her Mymie."
Describing his late mother as multifaceted, Davies divided her life into four characteristics:
the unquestioned general of the Davis household; Mymie with the passion for education; as
community leader; and finally, as the free thinker who consistently thought, and acted,
"outside of the box".
He cited numerous examples of her leadership, like joining the May Pen Credit Union and
borrowing at different intervals "to expand the family home as her brood grew in size".

277

As 'the general', Davies chronicled how his mother greatly influenced the careers of his
brothers Carlton and Rae.
Through innovative methods, she funded Carlton's admission to the Jamaica School of
Agriculture, and convinced Rae to further his education at Clarendon College's sixth form,
though it would have been cheaper for the family if he started working.
"I have briefly recounted these episodes simply to illustrate how the actions of this ordinary
woman changed the lives of two men who would go on to hold, simultaneously, the positions
of Cabinet Secretary (Carlton) and President of UTech (University of Technology),
respectively," Davies said.
"There are very few who would be aware of the pivotal role Mymie played in both cases."
Mymie was never a trained teacher but had a "deep appreciation of the value of increased
knowledge, and especially the importance of reading".
After the 1951 hurricane, the Four Paths Elementary School was used to house persons
whose homes had been badly damaged.
So for an extended period, as there was no formal school, Mymie established one in her
backyard for her four oldest children and those of the neighbouring community.
Mymie was a founding member of the Four Paths Citizens' Association and worked tirelessly
to develop the community centre.
When the Michael Manley-led Government highlighted early childhood education, she led
the charge for a basic school.
Ultimately, her efforts led to support for schools in neighbouring communities. Davies said
Mymie never complained about her challenges.
"There are very few persons, deprived of a formal education, who was a mother of six before
her 32nd birthday, forced to operate always on a limited income, who would not simply give
in and accept life as it is," he beamed.
"But there is no one who met Mymie who would describe her as 'run-of-the-mill'."

Omar: No rum bar - Mrs Davies takes 'prosperity' to the street

published: Sunday | February 12, 2006

Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter

278

Dr. Omar Davies (centre), Minister of Finance and Planning and People's National Party (PNP) presidential candidate, is
hugged by wife, Rose (left), while Donald Buchanan (right), Minister of Water and Housing and campaign team member and a
crowd of supporters look on. The group was at the PNP's Old Hope Road, St. Andrew headquarters for Dr. Davies' nomination
for the party presidential election to be held on February 25. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

"MRS. DAVIES isn't a rum bar kind of person," the campaign worker reassured The Sunday Gleaner
news team awaiting a long day of politics following the candidate's wife on a road trip to meet party
delegates in Portland on Tuesday.
This was one of many trips Dr. Rose not Omar Davies says she has been taking up and down the
country talking to People's National Party (PNP) delegates. All this on behalf of her other half Dr.
Omar, Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew and Minister of Finance and Planning, in his
attempt to lead the PNP, and at least until the next general election, Prime Minister of Jamaica.
The theme, or gimmick, of the 'Campaign for Prosperity' is to make Jamaica 'World Class in 10 years',
the message being that education makes you socially mobile, a case in point being Omar Davies' own
family. Among his siblings, Carlton Davis is the Cabinet Secretary and Rae Davis the outgoing head of
the University of Technology. Dr. Rose is herself a lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI)
Mona Institute of Education, a specialist in the field of early childhood education.
The family she married into did not do badly for the offspring of a humble couple a cane farmer and a
housewife from Linstead, reminds Dr. Rose. It is an example of the kind of social mobility they have
had to work hard to convince the delegates about. After all, a finance minister, in any country, is not
naturally the most popular or identifiable with the issues concerning the voting public.
The challenge is obvious, and so far the results scream from a graffiti in his own constituency , which
reads 'Omar out'.
Ouch!
"Initially, the feeling was, well, he just can't cover that ground now. They really don't know Omar the
person. They saw him as this hard tax person, a lot of people were very surprised. But he can sit
down with them, play dominoes. He's a regular person," Mrs. Davies told The Sunday Gleaner.
But can he really convince delegates and others that Jamaica will be world class with Omar in 10
years?
But at the end of the drive from Kingston, up a hill in Sherwood Forest, Portland, the 'Campaign for
Prosperity' volunteers are working hard to convince that yes, with education, you can.
Paul's Cozy Corner is more a quiet, quaint bar than rum bar, surrounded by a lush and well-kept
garden. It is well off the beaten track, and doubtless idyllic for any tourist who can find it. It is a world
away from a crowded National Arena PNP conference time but waiting inside, calculated Dr. Rose,
were 14 of the precious, approximately 3,500 delegates whose votes Omar needs in order to be party
president.

279

The rival teams of Peter Phillips, Portia Simpson Miller and Karl Blythe have already visited to talk to
people like Ashman Cooke, chairman of Sherwood Forest United. Mr. Cooke and the group's other
delegate Joel Vassel will have to cast their votes according to the wishes of the group's 20 members.
And according to him, the attention from the candidates is unprecedented.
"In the previous campaign (P.J. Patterson against Portia Simpson Miller in 1992) they didn't reach out
as far, especially to the groups. But now we are seeing them almost every day, which is good," said
Mr. Cooke.
The first half of the presentation by the campaign team is standard political fare why the audience
should vote for the candidate, their vision and of course, the member of the press is offered a free
drink (The Sunday Gleaner chose Ting, thank you). Except that nobody else appears to get one, for
that is not the Omar way.
"No handouts," explains Dr. Rose of her husband's style which she acknowledges has alienated some
in South St. Andrew, perhaps more accustomed to traditional political patronage. Instead, the
campaign refers to the financial assistance he has given the education of promising youngsters. Dr.
Rose herself was part of a group to help train and find employment for young single mothers in the
constituency.
And so in the second half of the presentation, the message turns to self-sufficiency: convincing the
audience how they can be world class. Besides Dr. Rose's professional expertise, also on hand is
Omar's sister Beverly McKenzie, a retired guidance counsellor turned education consultant.
The audience does get hand-outs, albeit leaflets, explaining how to apply for government
programmers such as PATH or HEART the campaign calls these 'Empowerment Sessions'.
"Promises," one audience member sniggered quietly in response.
At the very least they are a do-it-yourself way to become 'world class'. What Dr. Rose calls "a novel
way of campaigning", was conceived in December when the campaign, thought to be on the rocks by
some, held a retreat in Denbigh, Clarendon.
POOR REPRESENTATION
"When we had travelled the island and spoke to delegates we were concerned about the
helplessness they felt," she said. A frequent grouse of the party faithful was poor representation and a
second problem was their frustration or an apparent lack of awareness about how to access
government programmes to aid personal and community development.
"Some maybe wanted to reopen their little shop, get back into chicken farming, get back into selling.
Maybe these are not major things but they don't know where to go," she explained.
And so, according to Dr. Rose, the campaign has "tried to respond to every single soul," often with the
help of appropriate professionals guiding these persons.
And the volunteering of such professionals is another side of the campaign in which she believes the
campaign has broken ground. The message, she says, has caught on with the middle class and
upper classes, such as bankers and doctors, who she reasoned, previously stood on the sidelines but
see something new in the message.

280

But the questions do remain for Omar and the answers will need to be given. The most vocal
complainant in the audience was a small farmer who said she was unable to sell her yams at a good
price and wanted help in marketing her produce. Pressures of the Finance Ministry aside, for one
more delegate and the real top job, Omar may well first need to fix the Portland yam market.

Budget Updates Davis labels Shaw the trillion-dollar man

Published: Tuesday April 28, 2009 | 5:37 pm

with audio | 0 Comments

Dr Davies has labeled the finance minister Audley Shaw as the trillion-dollar man.
He says under Mr Shaws stewardship Jamaicas debt has soared past $950 billion.
Dr Davies has also rejected the Prime Ministers projection that the recession is likely to
come to an end at the end of the year.
In fact he says things will get worse.
Citing Government statistics, Dr Davies said last year Jamaica recorded its first year of
negative growth in a decade.
Have your say at www.gleanerblogs.com
Listen to Audio clip

Symposium on Peter Tosh

Tosh, left, and Witter

IT WAS a day when light was shed on a man who many young Jamaicans knew little about, a man
whose music was as powerful as the man whose shadow he walked in.
Much light was shed on the life of Peter Tosh during symposium to honour his life and work on
Saturday. The symposium, which was held at the Social Science Lecture Theatre at the University of
the West Indies (UWI), was put on by the Department of Government at the UWI in conjunction with
King of Kings Promotion and the Intel Diplo Foundation.
The presenters for the day included Dr. Michael Whitter, Dr. Carolyn Cooper, Ibo Cooper, Dr. Omar
Davis and Roger Steffens. A movie about the life and work of Peter Tosh, The Red X ended the day.

281

From the lively and comical audiovisual presentation by reggae archivist Roger Steffens, to the more
serious paper of Dr. Michael Whitter, head of the Department of Economics at the UWI and Tosh
afficionado, the symposium proved to be the summary of the life of one of reggae's icons.
Steffens, in his two-hour long presentation, highlighted the works of Tosh by presenting excerpts of
interviews, live recordings and rarely seen film footage of the man who was called the 'bush doctor'
and 'stepping razor'. Steffens showed footage of Peter Tosh in a Brazilian soap opera and a live
performance in Brazil. There was also a performance by Tosh on the David Letterman Show, as well
as his final concert.
The most moving part of Steffens' tribute was his contribution of about a dozen tapes, containing 100
hours of interviews, and compact disks of his music, to Tosh's son Steven as well as the presentation
of Tosh's children and grandchildren to the symposium.
The first presenter, Dr. Michael Whitter, outlined Tosh's contribution to Jamaican music. "His career
spanned 25 years of Jamaican music, from ska to rock steady to reggae. He contributed to the
explosive growth of the Jamaican musical industry in the 1970s into a significant player in the
international music market," Whitter said.
Whitter, who outlined Tosh's musical career, also pointed out that he, along with Minister of Finance
Dr. Omar Davis, was a fan of Jamaican music. He also outlined the progression of the Wailer's music
from working with producers to producing themselves.
"It is said they (the Wailers) did Small Axe, Big Tree to show their arrival and independence on the
music scene. Like so many Jamaican artistes, they felt producers had exploited them. To Tosh, the
relationship between artistes and the producers was a modern colonial one which allowed pirates to
plunder the wealth of others," he said.
Dr. Carolyn Cooper, the second presenter, also highlighted Tosh's wit. "Tosh was a wordsmith for
whom precision of meaning was the essence of his craft. It was as if, for Tosh, words became
personified and constituted a formidable human presence with whom he dared not take liberty," she
said, using a quote from a Peter Tosh interview to precede that statement.
Cooper also highlighted Tosh's decision to substitute phrases for expletives at times, like 'bongo
clipping' for 'bo Clt'.
Ibo Cooper's presentation was filled with memories of Tosh on tour. He related an experience where
Tosh was on tour with Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley in England. Cooper said the car the trio were
travelling in was stopped by police officers and it was the wit of Tosh, who used an Ethiopian Orthodox
name, that prevented further searches by the police.
The day's other presenter, Dr. Omar Davis, spoke of the message in the Wailers' music and the love
he had for the music of both Peter Tosh and the Wailers.
Back to Entertainment

E-mail this story

US feared for Peter, Omar

282

Published: Thursday | May 26, 2011 Comments 0

Davies

12>

Embassy cables reveal concerns that PNP spokespersons would be sidelined

News that Dr Peter Phillips and Dr Omar Davies seem set to play a lead role in the
People's National Party administration, if it wins the next general election, should be
welcome by the United States Embassy in Kingston which had long expressed fear that
the two could be sidelined by party President Portia Simpson Miller.
283

From as far back as February 2007 and in the lead-up to the general election of that year, the
embassy had expressed fear in a diplomatic cable that the disappearance of Dr Peter Phillips
and Dr Omar Davies from the political landscape could have serious consequences for
Jamaica-US relations.
At the same time, the US said Simpson Miller and at least one other senior member of her
Cabinet "may well become more outspoken in opposition to US policies".
The February 2007 US diplomatic cable pointed to foreign-policy issues such as Iraq,
Venezuela, deportees, trade liberalisation and nuclear disarmament as well as "possible
forthcoming changes in Cuba" which it said "could complicate US-Jamaica relations in
unforeseeable ways".
"A more interesting - and perhaps disturbing - scenario would arise if Portia Simpson Miller
were to replace Phillips and/or Davies, or either/both were to step down," the cable said.
At the time the cable was sent, Simpson Miller was still settling into her seat as Jamaica's
new prime minister after winning a bruising contest to replace P.J. Patterson as president of
the PNP.
Charging that Simpson Miller would want to "chart her own course" if the PNP won the 2007
elections, the US appeared on edge when it considered the futures of Davies and Phillips.
appreciated davies
The US said based on information it received, Simpson Miller "appreciates the value of
Davies' 14 years' experience as finance minister and trust he has earned in international
circles by reining in inflation and spending". The US said Simpson Miller would remove
Davies "only if she suspected he were plotting to challenge her authority".
At the same time, the US said Phillips was viewed by Simpson Miller as expendable but
expressed fear that if he leaves the scene, it could impact relations between Kingston and
Washington.
"Unfortunately, his successor almost certainly would be a lesser figure, and probably less
trustworthy," the cable said.
" Phillips has cooperated closely with the US, UK and Canada in anti-crime, anticorruption, and counter-narcotics efforts, and is widely perceived as among the cleanest of
Jamaica's leaders.
"After 17 years of power in a country in which corruption is endemic, the PNP has few, if
any, comparable figures as possible successors; Phillips' departure thus would leave bilateral
cooperation in the areas of security, anti-corruption, anti-crime, counternarcotics and
counterterrorism on a less solid footing," the US Embassy added.
accused of spying

284

Perhaps, it was this closeness to the US that caused members of the Jamaica Labour Party to
declare in Parliament last year that Phillips was an agent of America's CIA (Central
Intelligence Agency).
At the time, Phillips, who entered into two memoranda of understanding without the
knowledge of the P.J. Patterson-led Cabinet, was being emphatic in his stance that Attorney
General Dorothy Lightbourne should sign an extradition request for accused drug trafficker
Christopher 'Dudus' Coke and have the court deal with the matter.
In Parliament, the government benches charged that Phillips was carrying the US agenda, a
suggestion which made the former national security minister furious.
"I am not fighting on behalf of the United States, I am fighting that Jamaica be free of
criminals who are preying on our country. That's what I am fighting for. Don't you
question my patriotism inside here! Don't you ever question it!" Phillips said then.
Now Phillips will be the opposition spokesman on finance and planning while Davies will be
the spokesman on transport and works, according to the new shadow portfolio announced by
Simpson Miller this week.
Davies dug graveyard of entrepreneurship: FINSAC failed
Published: Sunday | May 22, 2011 20 Comments

Dr Omar Davies

285

286

1234>

As I read the article 'Finsac: the truth' (Sunday Gleaner, May 15, 2011) by Dr Omar Davies,
architect of the failed financial and economic policies during the period that led to the
collapse of the domestic financial sector, closures of numerous businesses, massive layoffs 90,000 in agriculture and manufacturing - high inflation averaging 34 per cent from 1991 to
1997, high lending rates averaging 40 per cent over the same period, devaluation of 64 per
cent over the six-year period, massive trade deficits, destruction of entrepreneurship, and a
fiscal deficit of eight per cent of gross domestic product in 1997 BEFORE the financial crisis
after erasing a surplus in the early 1990s, my mind turned to one of my favourite maxims:
"The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly sure."
Dr Davies has tried to tell the 'truth', but, alas, his article conveys erroneous rationalisation of
policies that contributed significantly to the financial crisis in the 1990s and the
mismanagement that followed. He alludes to the 'fit and proper person' criterion in his
scathing remarks about executive chairmen of certain financial entities. But would it not be a
legitimate question to ask whether Dr Davies, in his previous job as minister of finance,
would qualify to serve again as a 'fit and proper person'?
Despite whatever bias I might have, I have attempted to be objective in my three publications
on the collapse of the domestic financial sector. These are: With All Good Intentions: The
Collapse of Jamaica's Domestic Financial Sector (1998); The Entrepreneurial Journey
in Jamaica: When Policies Derail (2004) and Submission to the Commission of Enquiry
into the Collapse of Financial Institutions in the 1990s (2009).
In these publications I have stated that strategic management errors contributed to the
collapse of the domestic financial sector. But I also cite the hostile economic environment
287

that made it difficult to survive. Yes, the foreign-controlled banks survived by following strict
conservative policies. And the building societies also survived as their portfolio was limited
to relatively safe mortgage loans and they were able to absorb whatever losses that occurred.
Important fact omitted
By citing those examples of survival, Dr Davies has omitted from his analysis the important
fact that Government encouraged domestic banks and life insurance companies to invest in
and to develop the tourism sector, without which involvement the present tourism
infrastructure would not exist in its present form. There would have been no successful hotel
divestment, which was a failure until the domestic financial institutions decided to make
investments in the industry. In retrospect, the institutions went overboard as they scrambled
to finance projects at prolonged high interest rates to compete with rates paid on government
paper. In the life insurance industry, the main source of long-term funding collapsed with
massive increases in encashment of life insurance policies.
It is disingenuous for Dr Davies to simply assert that the problems of the sector were caused
by executive chairmen of the domestic financial institutions. The reality of the situation is
that the problem was systemic, and no single major domestic bank and life insurance
company escaped the devastating effects of the hostile economic environment, especially the
prolonged high interest rates.
For the record, in the case of the Eagle Group, I served as executive Chairman of only one
entity - Eagle Merchant Bank - where Daisy Coke served as deputy chairman. I served as
chairman on most of the other boards, including the Crown Eagle Life Insurance Co, where
Dr Oswald Harding served as deputy chairman. There were about 36 directors who, along
with dedicated and competent management and staff, spearheaded the formation and success
of entities like Eagle Merchant Bank, Eagle Commercial Bank, Eagle Unit Trust, Eagle
General Insurance Company, and Eagle Permanent Building Society.
These were viable financial entities that formed the backbone of the Eagle Premium Growth
Fund, which was created to raise capital to pay off some J$6-billion in high-cost funds at
Crown Eagle, where there was a serious mismatch of assets and liabilities that characterised
the industry. Dr Davies launched the Fund in 1996, but it failed to raise the monies needed,
partly because of competition from Government paper around the same time that was paying
50 per cent interest.
Unworthy behaviour
I note the reference made by Dr Davies, about a meeting at which an executive chairman and
two deputies met with him to seek financial support for a life insurance company
immediately after which the same two deputies sought a meeting with him and told him not
to provide any support. Whoever these persons may be, I can only say that such behaviour
must be regarded as treacherous and unworthy. Dr Davies owes it to the public to say whether
288

he acted on the backhanded advice given to him by these persons. He should also not hesitate
to call their names, since this is a very serious allegation about senior persons who were
serving in the financial sector.
On a broader note, in my 'Submission to the Commission of Enquiry', I made the point that
directors have a legal and fiduciary responsibility for policy and the affairs of a company. No
director can escape responsibility when a company runs into trouble. There is the doctrine of
collective responsibility where all directors do have accountability. So the executive director
propaganda strategy can have no traction as ALL directors are ultimately responsible, and
those who disagree with policy decisions should have had the guts to resign.
The scathing attack by Dr Davies on executive chairmen of some of the financial institutions
is a straw man and red herring. It is the new mantra that Dr Davies has now graspingly
latched on to in order to blame those enterprising Jamaicans who took risks and provided
leadership and commitment to develop financial institutions. Under my leadership at Eagle
Merchant Bank, we succeeded in developing a network of viable financial institutions, all of
which were created from scratch. Despite the loss of the Eagle entities, I am very proud of
what my directors, management and staff accomplished. It is no easy task to start companies
from scratch and achieve operational viability.
Eagle's wings clipped
It was a sad chapter when Government took over the Eagle entities, causing loss of jobs to
hundreds of employees and wipe-out of shareholders' investments. But even more heartwrenching was to see some of the entities that were created from scratch with sacrifice and
tremendous hard work suddenly destroyed. Some politicians, like Dr Davies, who have built
nothing, find it easy to tear down and destroy, but will find it infinitely more difficult to
create anything successfully.
I now turn to the contention by Dr Davies that high interest rates cannot be used to explain
the problems experienced by the domestic financial sector and by other businesses. I do not
believe that anyone could argue that high interest rates alone caused the crisis. It was a
combination of adverse economic factors, including wrong strategic investment decisions for
which management must bear responsibility. But it cannot be denied that prolonged high
interest rates contributed significantly to the financial crisis. The real question is: What
caused the prolonged high interest rates?
The core cause was irresponsible fiscal policy that caused a rapid deterioration in the fiscal
accounts from a surplus in the early 1990s, to a deficit of more than eight per cent of GDP in
the short period of a few years up to 1996 - before any Government intervention in the
financial sector. High inflation accompanied the jump in the deficit, and this led to an
overvalued currency and annual devaluations. Added to this fact was Dr Davies' much-quoted
"run wid it", questionable government expenditures for electioneering purposes.

289

With respect to the operations of FINSAC, no one should disagree with Dr Davies that he
acted properly to save the thousands of depositors and owners of life insurance products even if he did so just before a general election. He says that was the prime purpose of
FINSAC, and not to "protect the owners/managers of the failed institutions or their bad
debtors". But the 1998 FINSAC annual report states: "FINSAC was incorporated with the
specific mandate from Government to resolve the problems of solvency and liquidity being
experienced by the financial sector" and "FINSAC will assist institutions in developing
workout plans, where necessary, to return them to viability".
I lost Eagle, and no arguments can change that fact. In my testimony before the commission, I
attempted to make a case that Eagle could have been saved, given the terms of reference of
the commission and the mandate of FINSAC. There were viable entities in the Eagle Group
that even Dr Davies recognised in his testimony before the commission.
Why there was a crisis
On the basis of its mandate, FINSAC had an obligation to help troubled financial institutions
return to viability, if that could be realistically done under a workout plan with financial
support. Citing various audits to justify the wholesale takeover and sale of institutions and
businesses begs the question, why not? Of course, the findings would show that all the major
domestic banks and life insurance companies were insolvent. That's why there was a crisis.
What FINSAC failed to do was to carry out its mandate. I can think of no financial institution
where it worked with owners/management to return them to viability.
I accept the edict that no owner of any business, including financial institutions, has any right
to expect that Government will bail him out when his business fail. Other than my testimony
to the commission of enquiry, in none of my writings or public statements have I ever argued
that the Eagle Group should have been saved, although I strongly believe it had the
management, staff and infrastructure to have achieved viability in a relatively short period
had the planned joint venture with Government materialised.
The public must hold institutions accountable, and their success or failure will be on the basis
of whether they delivered the service/support for which they were established. FINSAC
failed to deliver according to its mandate and, therefore, abrogated its responsibility to the
country.
Paul Chen-Young, PhD, is former executive chairman of Eagle Merchant Bank

Cover story - Rose Davies: a woman of class

published: Sunday | June 15, 2003

290

Rose Davies, wife of Minister of Finance Omar Davies and lecturer in Early Childhood
Education at the University of the West Indies.
Avia Ustanny, Freelance Writer
HER EYES are full of light, her steps energetic. Rose Davies, wife of Minister of Finance Omar Davies
is dressed in cool white on this bright afternoon that she meets with Outlook.
Seated on the porch of her Mona home which affords a respite from the afternoon sun, she appears
youthful and as cool as a cucumber.
The look on Rose's face is one of curiosity, as if she cannot imagine what the public would want to
know about her. But, we are more curious and get in the first question -- "What's your secret for
looking the way you do?" we asked.
Life as the wife of Omar Davies must be a stressful one.
Since the start of the year, the Minister has come in for a lot of flak, first, relating to statements made
about election financing and then for his recent attachment of the GCT tax to almost all goods and
services.
"I look at him sometimes. I am amazed that anybody could give so much of himself. It is quite
stressful when he gets flak which is negative," Rose Davies was to later say about her husband.
"We know the amount of time and great self-sacrifice he puts in."
But first, we chatted with Mrs. Davies about her own life. "I have no beauty regime," she answered the
first question, her response falling out with a laugh.
She soon confided, however, "As I get older, I am much more conscious of eating patterns. I also do a
moderate amount of exercise. As I grow older, I have also made peace with myself and the world.
Nothing else rejuvenates you more."
Kept busy as a lecturer in Child Care at the University of the West Indies, she is also the chief
external examiner for the early childhood programme in the island's colleges. Mornings are the best
time of day for her family, she reveals.
At this time of day, the daily routine is suspended and she turns to personal reflection. Early morning
is time for a deliberate break.
"My husband does jogging and I use the morning as quiet time. I do my devotions and yoga. It sets
the stage for the day. I am trying to be consistent, even more so than before."
Born in Lime Hall, St. Ann, to parents who were both teachers, Rose, a past student of Wolmer's Girls'
School, has no pretence about her. She is known popularly as Rosie, a moniker, we discover, which

291

was created by her roommate at the University of the West Indies where she did her first degree. The
name has stuck.
What kind of person is Rose? Are there any prickles beneath her womanly calmness?
"I am assertive where it matters. But, I am not a person for the limelight," she answers.
Married to Omar Davies in 1971, she has managed very well to keep away from the glare of public
inspection. But the family has not been unaffected by her husband's occupation. The intensity of his
job as Minister of Finance in the last nine years has reduced the opportunities for real relaxation. Her
husband works extremely long hours on week-days and weekends are no less busy.
"Work does not end on a Friday evening," Rose Davies comments. She is also very busy. When
personally she is not writing papers and meeting administrative deadliness, she uses the weekends to
catch up on domestic duties or visit her parents in country.
As she says, "this is the stage of life which I understand is the busiest. I do not get to spend half the
time doing the things I would really like to do." There is little time for spontaneous fun in the life of the
Davies as a couple -- at least not in the last half decade.
"Fun? This job he is in really consumes 99 per cent of his time," Mrs. Davies exclaims.
"At one point in time we would go to the beach or to the country. We would still love to, but the
demands of the job do not allow for this. It can be a mission to get away.
"As a family, we appreciate the effort he (Omar) puts into the job. We feel pain some-times when
people do not recognise that he devotes so much of himself to what he does." But, with all pressures
of work, she says, family remains number one. The mother of two daughters and a son, Rose
comments, "I have always put family first. Perhaps because of the field I am in, I realise how
important the early years are. There have been opportunities for further study which I have turned
down. They (her children) were much better off for it. I have no regrets."
Her son aged 17, is still a student at the University of Technology. Now that her two daughters are
grown and out of the home, she has turned her attention to the job and to further studies.
"I love my work. I really love the field that I am in," she comments. Although she is now more
inundated with administrative tasks, she says she prefers the field work - working among the
teachers."
With her husband fully occupied, her own professional and social interests keep her very busy. She is
a director of the Multicare Foundation, a vice-chairperson of the Board of Education for Shortwood
Teachers' College and a member of the Early Childhood Committee of the Ministry of Education.
She is also a member of the Provident Methodist Church where she sings in the choir.
"I would not say I am a soloist. I enjoy music." She declares herself a lover of "religious music, folk
and classic reggae."
With nostalgia, she mentions that she once played the guitar fairly well, but that at present, "my job
responsibilities and studies make it extremely difficult." She also loves nature.

292

"Before life became like this, I was a member of the Natural History Society and we would go birdwatching, go to the Blue Mountains, to Black River. There is so much to see, so many places to go in
Jamaica. One of my strongest wishes is for us to recognise how blessed we are."
Rose Davies is constantly aware of the blessings in her life. Attending church was a conscious
decision for her.
A higher power
Currently, the institution is one of her main sources of relaxation and joy. As a younger adult, she
admits, she first thought that religion had too much hypocrisy. But, after having the first two children,
things changed.
"I really started doing a lot of reflection about raising them. I started out going to church to set an
example for them."
As she got older, her spirituality grew. "Things happen to you, and eventually you realise that with a
higher power you are able to cope."
Omar Davies, who she describes as a bright spark in Sunday school as a child, has grown up to be a
sceptic. "He believes in a Supreme being but he is not an avid church goer. However, to me, he lives
his life by Christian principles. We are adults both and have made our choices. Maybe the day will
come when he thinks differently."
As time passes by and the couple near the time when they must retire, Rose Davies comments, "I
would not like to be the kind of person who hangs around. I believe in succession planning, there is a
point where we can say there are young people trained who can take over, and really step back. I
think I will know when that time comes.
"I would also like to retire when I am still able to enjoy my family. I have a young grandson who I
would like to spend quality time with. I am also fortunate to have my two parents still alive," she adds.
Mrs. Davies chuckles when asked when she thinks her husband should retire. "I don't want to say
anything. If I were to be selfish, I would say it would be nice if he gave up everything now, and spent
some time doing the things he would really like to do."
However, she adds, "He feels that there is some more that he would like to do for Jamaica. He will
know when he has exhausted what he can do. He does have a vision he would like to fulfil." So long
as he labours, she is happy to remain supportive, by his side.

On love and marriage

MARRIED FOR the last 32 years, we question Rose Davies about her marriage to Omar Davies and
advice for newly-weds.
Outlook: Where did you meet your husband?
ROSE DAVIES: We were both at the University of the West Indies together in the same period but I
never met him on campus. We met at Glenmuir High, where we both went to teach after graduation.
O: What does your husband like most about you?

293

RD: He has always said that my loyalty is what he likes most. He has always commented on my
loyalty to friends and family he admires that a lot. I also show equal interest in other people's
children. He values this.
O: What do you like most about him?
RD: What impresses me most about him (Omar) is his sense of humour and optimism. With him the
cup is always half full, never half empty. This is good thing, otherwise he would not last under the
pressure. I also admire his consistency and determination. Nothing stops him from achieving
something once he has set his mind to it. Even in such simple things as the time he exercises.
O: What advice do you have to give to newly weds on managing money; on settling arguments
and keeping the spice in marriage?
RD - On money: I let him handle most of that. I am not the best manager when it comes to financial
matters. I am not a spendthrift, but if I see something to be done I will do it. He (Omar Davies) handles
the finances. We balance each other. He is good at planning for the future and I am good at
addressing our immediate needs. I feel, though, that as I get older I need to develop better skills in
this area.
On settling arguments: He (Omar Davies) is always joking, 'Oh, I just agree with her on everything'.
But a lot (our ability to resolve conflict) has to do with communication and openness. We each know
where each other stands... we can sort it out from there.
On keeping the spice in marriage: Being married now for 32 years, I believe one of the most
important things is communication. People are from different backgrounds, one may be expressive
and the other not. But, your partner should be someone you can say anything to, even if is something
silly. At least it will be off your chest. If you cannot talk, you will build up resentment and the marriage
is bound to fail. Forget about pride. There are times when each will have to apologise. This is your life
partner - the person you have chosen.
Last word: Don't take life too seriously. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at each other and laugh at life.
More Outlook E-mail this story

Did Omar Davies 'run wid it' again? - Off-budget spending busts deficit target
in four months
published: Wednesday | September 19, 2007

Keith Collister, Business Writer

294

Omar Davies, former Minister of Finance and Planning. -Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Sources close to the Ministry of Finance say that the eventual central government
budget overrun, meaning expenditures that were not included in Budget, could reach
$18 billion or more.
It wasn't immediately clear how much of this figure reflects past arrears that are only now
being accounted for.
But if correct, the additional spend for the first four months of the year is already roughly
equivalent to the full deficit target for the entire fiscal year of just over $35 billion.
The ministry has officially reported a deficit to July of $16.6 billion. The additional $18
billion would push the total spend to $34.6 billion above income from taxes and other
revenues.
The $16.62 billion deficit reported by the ministry ahead of the election would have been an
impressive - if it had been true - since the figure was more than $3.24 billion less than the
$19.86 billion deficit target for the April to July period.
Previous news reports have suggested that the true budget deficit was at least $15.5 billion
higher, comprising $12.4 billion in recurrent expenditure (reflecting mainly additional wage,
pension and other social expenditures such as health that were apparently not budgeted for in
April) and $3 billion in capital expenditures of which less than $600 million or one fifth
appears to be related to Hurricane Dean.
But as the administration takes office, sources additional off-budget spending is being
unearthed.
The $18 billion fiscal overrun only reflects central government spending, and not the losses
of the public bodies, such as the Sugar Corporation of Jamaica, Air Jamaica, and Jamaica
Urban Transit Company.
The losses of the public bodies have in the past led to the overall government debt increasing
significantly faster than the central government deficit.
295

As a point of comparison, the last fiscal year ending March 2007, the national debt increased
by just under $76 billion from $847.3 billion to $923.1 billion.
The increase was twice the central government budget deficit of $37.5 billion, which was
itself more than twice the originally budgeted fiscal deficit of $18.4 billion for 2006/2007.
At the end of June the total debt at $920 billion was slightly less than March's outturn of $923
billion. However, in the debt figures for July released only one month later on September 5,
immediately after the September 3 election, the debt jumped to $969 billion, reflecting a $46
billion increase since March or nearly three times the official $16.62 billion deficit over the
period.
Budget was on target
The July debt figure suggests that former Finance Minister Omar Davies' budget was on
target to exceed the trillion dollar government debt mark much earlier than even the most
pessimistic analysts had anticipated.
If current trends had continued, he would have blown through the 4.5 per cent of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) for an annual deficit figure of nearly 7.0 per cent, fast approaching
the level of fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP of around 8.0 per cent experienced in the so
called "run wid it" budget of March 2003.
Based on current trends, 2007/08 is likely to be the third consecutive year that the fiscal
deficit exceeded the previous year's shortfalls, reversing the progress made in reducing the
fiscal deficit in both absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP between 2003/04 and
2005/06.
On the upside, tax revenues are slightly above target.
Asked to comment on the current fiscal situation, Minister Don Wehby said:
"Macroeconomic stability is our number one priority at the Ministry of Finance, particularly
the issue of fiscal discipline."
keithcollister@cwjamaica.com

Letter of the Day - What does assault on crime mean?

Published: Sunday | May 17, 2009

The Editor, Sir:

Omar Davis (not to be confused with the former finance minister) was killed in a police operation last
Tuesday, two days after the newest minister of national security promised the newest assault on
crime.

296

Once again, police and community have completely different accounts of the incident. According to
the Constabulary Communication Network: "about 6 a.m., police went to a premises where Davis was
seen. On seeing the police, he allegedly pulled a firearm and opened fire on the police, who returned
the fire, hitting him. A Glock 17 9mm pistol serial number EHY873 with five 9mm cartridges was taken
from him. He was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead."
These unvarying police accounts of police killings suggest suicidal intent in individuals who would
open fire at a police party. Further, the police are invariably lucky enough to avoid being hit by a
shooter who fires before they can take cover.
Wearing underpants
Residents of Omar Davis' community said the police held him, took him out of his room, and held him
at his gate. Meanwhile, police persons searched his room. Davis was wearing underpants and a
woman police brought him a pair of pants to put on as he seemed about to be taken to the police
station. A policeman then came out of Davis' room with a gun he said he found during his search.
Eyewitnesses, who were then getting ready to leave their homes for work, said that Davis resisted the
attempts of the police to force him to return to his room. According to these persons, police pointed
guns at Davis, gunshots were heard, and Davis fell at the gate. A police inspector, wearing latex
gloves, reportedly fired several bullets from the weapon said to be found in Davis' room.
Minister Nelson needs to answer questions from communities who report seeing persons in police
custody before they are killed. Does the forensic evidence signify self-defence or execution? Was
there gunshot residue on the hands of the deceased? Do photographs of bullet holes and spent shells
on crime scene support the shoot-out stories? How do forensic scientists analyse evidence of blood
and blood splatter on the crime scene?
Due process
If Davis had a gun, but posed no threat to the police because he was in police custody, was he
entitled to due process of law - arrest and conviction - if the evidence warranted it?
It would be more than unfortunate if each minister of national security were no more than a clone of
the last, pursuing ever more futile 'assaults on crime'; and if the life of young men like Omar Davis had
no more value than a bird in a bird-shooting season with no bag limit.
I am, etc.,
YVONNE MCCALLA SOBERS
sobersy@yahoo.com

297

More Articles from Letters

Portia Simpson Miller

published: Monday | September 3, 2007

Portia Simpson Miller is a trendsetter. She is the first female president of the People's
National Party and Jamaica's first female Prime Minister.
She was born on December 12, 1945, in Wood Hall, St. Catherine, and has been in
representational politics for 32 years. She has been a vice-president of the PNP since 1978.
In 1974, she won the tough inner-city constituency of Trench Town West as a councillor in
the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) for the PNP. It was the first time that the
party had won that seat.
In 1977, she was appointed Parliamen-tary Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government
under the Michael Manley Administration, a post she held until the general elections of 1980.
In 1989, Mrs. Simpson Miller was appointed Ministerof Labour, Social Security and Sports.
In 2000, Mrs. Simpson Miller was Tourism Minister and still retained the Sports portfolio. It
was during the minister's tenure that the new Indoor Sports Facility was built and the Sports
Development Foundation established.
Mrs. Simpson Miller holds a certificate in advanced management from the University of
California at Berkeley; a certificate of participation in the Executive Programme for Leaders
in Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, as well
as a certificate in public relations and advanced management from the Institute of
Management and Production (IMP). Mrs. Simpson Miller also holds a bachelor's degree in
public administration from Union Institute and University in Miami, Florida.
298

Mrs. Simpson Miller received her early education at Marlie Hill Primary School and St.
Martin's High School for Girls. She is married to businessman and former Cable & Wireless
Jamaica Limited top executive, Errald Miller.
- Nashauna Drummond
Source: www.jis.gov.jm
Famous quote:
"A hemisphere bound by a shared commitment to democracy, good governance, social
justice, and the rule of law is not beyond our reach".

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's inaugural address

Published: Thursday January 5, 2012 | 6:28 pm 13 Comments

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's inaugural address, January 5, 2012.

My fellow Jamaicans, I am thankful to God for guidance and strength;and to you the people
of Jamaica for the faith and trust that you have placed in me and my team. I am deeply
humbled that, once again, you have chosen me to lead our nation as it stands at a crossroads.
The Team, which I am privileged to lead, is just as conscious as I am of the difficult times
that confront us on our journey.
In our political history, it is a rare opportunity to be given a second chance to lead. It is also a
sobering experience. But, I have been strengthened by the experience of going through the
first phase of the journey. And, I have emerged like the steel in It Takes A Mighty Fire
which H. D. Carberry, our Jamaican poet, wrote about in his poems of discovery and self
awareness. And, after being tested and tempered, I stand before you, today, a stronger and
better person, who is prepared to be of service to my country and people.
I know that we face an awesome task. There is greater debt, increased poverty levels, tighter
fiscal space.
My administration will not engage in a blame-game. We will present the facts to the Jamaican
people, based on rigorous analysis. Our approach must be to right the wrongs and insist on
accountability. Let us learn from our past, absorb the lessons and go forward. We only need to
look back to confirm where we are coming from, and to correct our errors and weaknesses as
we look to the future. That is the way of progress.
The mandate which Jamaicans gave the People's National Party on December 29 is a call to
299

action. It is a signal from our people that we, the government, must earn their trust. It also
gives us the opportunity to ease the burdens and the pressures of increasing poverty,
joblessness and a deteriorating standard of living.
The mandate is a cry for us to restore hope.
The mandate calls on us to protect the good name of Jamaica, at home and in the eyes of the
international community. Jamaica must remain for all, a quality brand, which gives
citizens, from all walks of life, the opportunity to achieve their goals.
The Jamaican people have sent a clear message. They want a more accountable and
transparent government which consults them; and, they should expect nothing less.
On my watch, I pledge that the rule of law will be paramount; and we will serve with
humility.
On my watch,I pledge that we will honour the faith and trust of the Jamaican people.
On my watch,I pledge that we will reject governmental extravagance and be vigilant in
eliminating corruption.
My fellow Jamaicans, the first order of business for the members of the Leadership Team will
be to inform ourselves about the true state of the Jamaican economy.
Then we must act.
We remain committed to a vibrant partnership with all critical stakeholders; local private
sector; the public sectorcivil servants who play a pivotal role in nation building; our
international partners; and, in particular, with the International Monetary Fund, as we identify
the basis for a new Agreement.
Our policies are based on the principle that the private sector is a major participant in shaping
the economy of our country. However, in a time of crisis, government must act to stimulate
growth and to restore confidence in the country's ability to pay its way. Hence, in the short
and medium term, we will use state resources to stimulate employment through the Jamaica
Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP). We will do so in a transparent and non-partisan
manner, to improve critical areas, such as the infrastructure and the environment, which
support economic growth.
Let me say emphatically to our business community, at home and overseaswe will pursue a
tight fiscal policy, reduce our debt to GDP ratio, maintain the key macro-economic
fundamentals; and be very careful and prudent in our debt management.
We will do all of this while seeking to improve the social conditions of our people, including
300

a serious reduction of the chronic state of unemployment in this country, particularly among
our young people.
I also assure you that we will work with anyone who is prepared to work in Jamaicas interest
and who shares our vision that people must be at the centre of our development.
Our investors, including foreign direct investors, must contribute to making Jamaica a truly
competitive economy. Now, more than ever, we must also make it easier to do business in
Jamaica. Investors demand no less, and our future social and economic prospects depend on
it.
Our Administration will be marked by greater Openness in Government and frankness in our
relations with the global community. This candidness will also be seen in the meetings of
Parliamentary Committees, which Members of the Opposition will continue to chair; and, to
which the media and the public will have full access.
This government will also broaden and deepen our input into the Regional Integration
Movement. We will restore the vibrant and vigorous participation of our country. Previous
PNP Administrations have given quality time and expertise to this Regional Integration
Movement.
One important agenda item will be to establish the Caribbean Court of Justice in its final
appellate jurisdiction; and in this way, end judicial surveillance from London. We must fully
repatriate our sovereignty. And, in going forward, we invite the Opposition to follow through
on the statements which it recently made that we were not far apart in our respective
positions. Let us, together, complete this aspect of Regional Integration within the life of this
Administration.
My fellow Jamaicansit is time for us to build a gentler, more respectful and responsible
society. My Administration will be marked by respect and responsibility. The Jamaican
people have elected us to lead, and we will lead. We will take responsibility for the society
and we will be responsible to the society. I urge all Jamaicans to become more respectful of
ourselves, more respectful of each other, more respectful of our senior citizens, more
respectful of persons with disabilities, and more respectful of our national symbols and
national institutions.
We will seek to earn your respect by how we conduct ourselves and the nations business.
We will strive for more civil and respectful behaviour in our Parliament.
As we continue on this journey, we will seek to make this country a nation of brothers and
sisters, not one of rivals and victims.
This Administration will extend the hand of participation to everyone, who wishes to play a
301

role in our development. Jamaicans in the Diaspora will be given every opportunity to
contribute and to be respected equally as Jamaicans at home.
As we journey together, I call on all Jamaicans to take responsibility for our lives. Be the best
student you can be; the best parent; the best teacher; doctor or nurse; politician, public servant
or private business person; athlete or entertainer; designer, dressmaker, hairdresser or barber;
and strive to improve ourselves by reinvesting in our personal development.
That is how people ultimately make progress. This government can provide the context and
the opportunity. That is the partnership I want.
Partnership between the government and the people is not a matter of choice but an absolute
necessity. This is critical if we are to extend our already world renowned power to true
national, economic and social triumph. Absolutely nothing can make our magnificent country
fail if we all put aside our differences and strive for our ultimate goals.
As we continue our journey, this is the Jubilee Year of Jamaican Independence. This 50th
Anniversary year will be a time for reflection on the lessons of the past; and, as we celebrate
our achievements as an independent nation, we now need to complete the circle of
independence. In this regard, we will, therefore, initiate the process for our detachment from
the Monarchy to become a Republic with our own indigenous President, as Head of State.
Year 2012 is also an Olympic Year, and our athletes are already poised to make us proud
again, in this international arena. This mandate, therefore, presents a unique opportunity for
us to unite and work together as one people, and take full advantage of the prospects that will
emergeas we invite the rest of the world to Meet Jamaica in London in July and August.
My fellow Jamaicans, those who have gone before blazed a trail of success, and passed the
baton to us. We are all conscious of the achievements of our National Heroes and Heroines,
former leaders and the thousands of other Jamaicans who have played their part.
We are the proud beneficiaries and successors of their legacy.
Today we embark upon a new phase of our Jamaican journey. In the Global Trade Winds of
change we are not always at liberty to direct these winds but we must set our sails to pilot the
Good Ship Jamaica through these turbulent economic waters to safe harbour.
In the face of these dramatic winds of change, I am calling for all hands on deck. This nation
requires the strength, the creativity, the innovation and the steely courage of every Jamaican
man, woman, youth and child to place this vessel on a path to prosperity.
Today, I invite you to hold my hands, as I hold yours. Today, I invite you to hold your
neighbours hands. Let us form a strong bond of patriotic unity and let us move forward
together on this journey into our collective future.
302

I believe that today marks a critical turning point in our journey. You must believe this with
me and you must play your part in this process of transformation.
"It is shining time again." It is our time to shine. The challenges will not disappear overnight,
but together we can overcome and we shall rise and we shall shine.
I begin this leg of our journey with an unfaltering belief in my people. I invite you to join me
in this confidence in ourselves. Together, we shall rise and together with the guiding hand of
the Almighty, we will succeed.
May God bless Jamaica. May God bless us all.
Thank you.
editorial@gleanerjm.com

Portia Simpson Miller and Dr Peter Phillips: Then and now ...
Published: Tuesday | February 12, 2013 27 Comments

Brian Pengelley, president of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association, arrives for a meeting with Prime
Minister Portia Simpson Miller and members of the business community at Vale Royal in St Andrew
yesterday, hours ahead of Simpson Miller and Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips' broadcast to the nation
last night. - Rudolph Brown/Photographer

303

123>

January 2012
Phillips on job cuts
We have not had any briefing about the situation with respect to our public finances and other
things, but I think it is also very clear that there is no prospect of massive layoffs in the public
sector.

304

Any notion of massive layoffs would be something that would devastate the entire standard
of living of the country.
Last night
We will also need to have a contract in place with public-sector workers which will enable
the achievement of a wage-to-GDP ratio of nine per cent by 2015-2016. We are in active
discussion with the representatives of public-sector workers to achieve this objective.
January 26, 2010, during IMF debate in Parliament
Phillips on JDX
We are not arguing against the necessity (for a JDX) but we should be clear on its effects,
which will be particularly hard on middle-class and pensioners and those who are
euphemistically called the retail investors. These are the people, Mr Speaker, who saved for
the rainy day. Now the rain has come and their umbrella is being taken away.
Last night
The economic reform programme which we are undertaking, and for which we are seeking
support from the IMF, has as its major objective the reduction of our public debt in order to
achieve sustained economic growth and job creation.
Many of our bondholders, with good reason, will immediately respond to this announcement
with a sense of disappointment as they recall that they made a similar sacrifice for Jamaica
three years ago, when they were assured that their sacrifice would have put Jamaica on the
path of growth and stability. I am only too aware of the fact that for them to be asked to make
another sacrifice at this time is a burden that will be hard to bear.
January 26, 2010, during IMF debate in Parliament
Simpson Miller on Jamaica Debt Exchange
We agree that there is an urgent need to lower the Government's interest payment on debt. In
that regard, Mr Speaker, in principle we support the Jamaica Debt Exchange. We cannot give
it our unconditional support as it involves some clear and present risks. The impacts of most
of these risks are unknown at this time. However, they cannot be ignored, even though their
outcome is uncertain and will only be revealed in time.
Last night
The urgency of the situation demands a National Debt Exchange offer, which will be
launched on Tuesday morning. This National Debt Exchange offer is a critical component of

305

both the IMF agreement and our debt-reduction programme. It can only succeed with the
fullest cooperation of the broad financial sector and the support of the entire country.
I am therefore inviting every Jamaican to make this investment in our country's future.
'Nothing spectacular about Portia's $50 million travel bill'
Published: Friday | January 3, 2014 143 Comments

Dennis Meadows

306

123>

Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

Although the numbers appear to be abnormally high in some quarters, in the context of
the stubborn financial crunch bedevilling the Government, many Jamaican taxpayers
are of the view that there is nothing spectacular about Prime Minister Portia Simpson
Millers overseas travel costs.
For them, it is premature to assess the yields from the overseas visits by Simpson Miller that
have cost them in the region of $50 million in 2013.
They are not so opposed, they say, to Simpson Miller dipping repeatedly into the national
Treasury to finance her travelling expenditures, ostensibly in search of new investments to
bolster a feeble economy, as they do to her continued silence in Jamaica.
It is inevitable in this global environment that prime ministers and ministers travel, and
when they do, it is unavoidable that they have to carry personnel with them, asserted
economist Dennis Chung.
He stressed, however, that it was also critical, for accountability, that the media examine the
costs associated with the trips.
What we need to be careful of is that we do not prejudge whether it is useful without the
benefit of information, and I would give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt unless
there is glaring evidence supporting the assertion that it is not a worthwhile trip, Chung said.

307

If a trip costs $100 million, and yields benefits in the region of $200 million, then it is better
than a trip that costs $1 million and yields $500,000 value, he said.
But Chung said if Simpson Miller does not carry the right personnel with her on the trips, it
may result in embarrassment or fail to yield the desired results.
Dennis Meadows, a former senator on the Opposition benches and a current member of the
lobby group, Citizens Action for Principles and Integrity, has urged Jamaicans to be patient.
It is too early to assess if the country gets value for money as the yield from these trips may
not be realised until later, he said.
Meadows suggested that a cost-benefit analysis of the net return on overseas trips was
needed, but said in its absence, he appreciates the concern about the travel bill in the context
of a depressed economy and tight fiscal space.
He stressed that Simpson Miller must be allowed to build international goodwill and network
through direct contact.
However, Meadows suggested that the real problem lies in the gross deficiency in the
Governments communication strategy.
This lack of information, he stressed, was feeding the concerns.
The people have a right to be told the objective of each trip, the size of the delegation, and
the role of each member of the team, Meadows said.
On her return, a statement must be made in Parliament on the results of each trip.
Horace Daley, the president of Professional Jamaicans for Jamaica Incorporated, which
assists at-risk youths, agreed with Meadows.
All thinking citizens of Jamaica must be cognisant that the prime minister has made it her
primary goal to bring much-needed investments into the country, which also includes grants
to facilitate growth.
Likening the position of a prime minister to that of a CEO, Daley said: Our citizens have
made a premature judgement on the prime ministers cost of travel, rather than assessing the
greater good that her business trips will do for our nation in the foreseeable future.

-- DM

308

Portia Simpson Miller - Heart, soul and guts

published: Sunday | February 26, 2006

Simpson Miller

WHO WOULD have thought that when this barely budding working class woman started a political
career in the early 1970s, she would eventually become Jamaica's most popular politician and the first
woman in the country's history to contend for the post of Prime Minister, not once but twice?
She has been described as the heart and soul of the People's National Party (PNP) and an
indomitable woman with 'balls'. So when Portia Simpson Miller declared that she was running for the
presidency of the PNP and subsequently post of Prime Minister of Jamaica for the second time
around last year, the many scoffing remarks which oozed from the lips of her detractors were simply
'balled' over. She hadn't come this far worrying about who did not like her.
POLITICAL CAREER
She was elected as a councillor in the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) in 1974 and
announced her official entry into the political arena. By1978 she was a vice-president in the PNP and
by 1983, young and lacking formal tertiary training, Portia was the party's spokesperson on women's
affairs, pension, social security and consumer affairs. She worked this job for six years until 1989
when she became a Member of Parliament presiding over several ministries up to the present time.
Her popularity, however, gained momentum in 1992 after she contested P.J. Patterson for the post of
Prime Minister when the then ailing Prime Minister Michael Manley resigned. She suffered a crushing
defeat, but remained popular even though the ministries she presided over in the years after that were
locked in scandals and heavy criticism.
HEAVY CRITICISM
Just last year as Minister of Local Government, she came under heavy criticism for a $2-billion
scandal which rocked the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) which falls under
her portfolio. During her stint as Tourism Minister too, a multi-million dollar fraud scandal erupted at
the Jamaica Tourist Board's New York City office.
She has also been ridiculed in the media for being a 'serial kisser' and her intellectual capacity
constantly snubbed.
She eventually qualified herself with a bachelor's degree in public administration from Union Institute
in Miami, Florida. She was later awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by the same
institute. Some detractors dismissed the quality of her credentials, however, as the products of a
diploma mill.

309

But still she has remained the nation's most popular politician, especially for her act of defiance last
year when she split with her parliamentary colleagues and abstained from voting on an opposition
motion on the nation's depleted fire services.

PORTIA'S PROMISES
Crime plan:

To implement a comprehensive policy and legislative framework that will enable government to
address public safety in a coordinated and focused manner;

Implement a targeted integrated community-based crime reduction strategy designed to

significantly reduce crime, criminal activities and general lawlessness in the society;

Implement a criminal statistical data system (CRISDAT) designed to facilitate strategic,

operational and tactical crime management through technology and information management;

Implement a comprehensive anti-drug strategy designed to reduce the supply and demand for
illegal drugs and make the country less attractive as a transshipment point;

Implement a comprehensive capacity strengthening plan to increase competency, physical

infrastructure, welfare and performance of the security forces, and

A comprehensive financing strategy, to fund developments in the crime plan.

Economic Plan:

Encourage economic diversity by putting more focus on non- traditional sectors.

Develop growth and developmental strategies for big and small businesses and the labour force.
Put more focus on building human and social capital to develop the Jamaican people.
Diversify agricultural products and increase landholding to produce more food for export and
encourage rural development.

Employ more capital to build industries and create jobs.

Ensure schools and training institutions provide better educational and training opportunities for
youth.

Encourage more private sector/ government partnerships to prepare businesses to compete in

the global environment.

Lobby for a more transparent budgetary process that will improve government accountability to
the people.

PROFILE ON THE MOST HON PORTIA SIMPSON MILLER, M.P.,LEADER OF THE

OPPOSITION
Published: Wednesday September 17, 2008 | 10:53 am 0 Comments

Portia Simpson Miller was born in Wood Hall, St. Catherine and attended the Marlie
Hill Primary School, St. Martin's High School and the Union Institute, Miami Florida
310

where she read for a Bachelors Degree in Public Administration. While completing her
degree she also completed a Diploma in Computing, Programming and Public Relations.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Leader of the Opposition - September 1, 2007 - present
Prime Minister of Jamaica March 31, 2006 - September 10, 2007
Elected President of the People's National Party on February 25th, 2006 and Prime Minister
designate
Minister of Local Government, Community Development & Sport
Former Minister of Tourism and Sport with responsibilities for Entertainment & Gender
Issues
Acted in the capacity of Prime Minister on several occasions Vice President of the People's
National Party since 1978
Participated in First Eleanor Roosevelt Caucus of Women Political Leaders
Participated in Women in Leadership Conference at the John F. Kennedy School , Harvard
University , in 1997
Recipient of the Certificate for completion of the Executive Programme for Leaders in
Development at the above institution in 1999
Holder of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration from Union Institute in
Miami, Certificates in Public Relations, Advanced Management Awarded Honorary
Doctorate of Humane Letters by the Union Institute An advocate for the poor, the
dispossessed, the oppressed and all those who remain voiceless and faceless in the corridors
of power
Holds a steadfast vision for development and change in the Jamaican Society It is often
said that - while the nation sleeps, she works.
PROFESSION
In her business career she has worked in various positions as Secretary and in the Social
Service Field
POSITIONS HELD IN GOVERNMENT
March 2006 - September 10, 2007 Prime Minister of Jamaica
October 2002 - 2006 , Minister of Local Government and Sport
Feb. 21, 2000 2002 Minister of Tourism & Sports
1995 Feb. 20, 2000 Minister of Labour, Social Security & Sports
1993 1995 Minister of Labour & Welfare
1989 1993 Minister of Labour,Welfare and Sports
1983 1989 PNP's Spokesperson on Women's affairs, Pension, Social Security and
Consumer Affairs Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister Parliamentary
Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Member of Parliament for South West St.
Andrew since
311

 1989 Councillor of the KSAC in 1974 &

1976 Sits on the Executive Council and the National Executive Council for the Party
Active and leading Member of the PNP

Simpson Miller makes Time Magazine's most influential list

Published: Thursday | April 19, 2012 14 Comments

Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has made Time Magazine's list of the 100 most
influential people in the world.
In a short profile on Simpson Miller, Yvette Clarke, congresswoman for New York's 11th
District, describes Simpson Miller, or Sister P as she is affectionately known, as the
embodiment of perseverance and strength.
"I can say from personal experience that her presence is already inspiring a new generation of
women, particularly from the Caribbean diaspora, to get involved in public service and to
make a difference. Sister P is a woman to watch," Clarke said.
Simpson Miller, 66, started her career as a public servant in local government in 1974. She
was elected to the Jamaican Parliament two years later.
Time also noted her major accomplishment of becoming the first woman to be elected prime
minister of Jamaica in 2006.

312

Sprint superstar Usain Bolt had also been on the shortlist, but did not make the final list
published by Time.
Linked to Simpson Miller's profile on Time's website is a short video in which the prime
minister says the children of Jamaica have the most influence on her life.
More Sharing ServicesShare

Crime In Kingston
Central Kingston police intensify crime control measures
Published: Wednesday December 31, 2014 | 4:11 pm 1 Comment

Corey Robinson, Staff Reporter

KINGSTON, Jamaica:
The Kingston Central Police up to late this afternoon were finalising preparations for
the New Years Eve celebration on the waterfront in downtown Kingston.
Several police and soldiers were seen patrolling sections of Southside, one of several volatile
communities in central Kingston, as the law enforcement authorities seek to contain murders
in the division.
"It all boils down to what happens tonight. If tonight goes through peacefully we would have
ended the year with less murders than we had last year," said Inspector Carlos Bell, head of
the Gold Street Police Station.
The murder tally in central Kingston is at 38 - four fewer than the 42 for the similar period
last year.
"Hopefully, noting happens that would disturb that, said Bell, noting that Southside - for
which he has been in charge for about two years - is currently tense because of long-standing
rivalry between fractions.
At least two separate teams of police and soldiers, some of them on foot, were seen patrolling
the community, frisking some residents.
This was part of a more robust security strategy implemented for watch night, said Bell.
"What they (thugs) will do is use the opportunity, during the fireworks and
so on, to carry out their attacks, because its difficult to hear the
313

gunshots. We are trying to clamp down on the likelihood of such

occurrences," he said.
Men from Southside have always been at war with gangsters from the neighbouring Tel Aviv
and other communities in the area.
At the start of last year, the police launched numerous peace initiatives, including a weekly
mediation seminar for troubled youths.
That seminar was directed by Superintendent Victor Hamilton, then head of the division, and
for the most part, it and the other initiatives have been successful, Bell said.
Central Kingston peace talks net two murder accused
Published: Thursday | March 6, 2014 3 Comments

Superintendent Victor Hamilton

The hierarchy of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) yesterday revealed that two
persons were arrested and charged with murder following one of two controversial
meetings Superintendent Victor Hamilton, head of the Kingston Central Police,
facilitated between rival factions in his division.
The Police High Command did not release the names of the two murder accused or give
details of the allegations against them but said they are scheduled to appear in court soon.
The disclosure came in a strident response from the High Command to a Sunday Gleaner
report - which was the subject of yesterday's Gleaner editorial - that dozens of confessed and
314

suspected gang members, who have been on police wanted lists in the past, were seen
chatting with each other and with police personnel at the Central Police Station last month as
part of a peace initiative organised by residents.
Cops didn't call meetings
The JCF said Hamilton met with residents from various communities in his division on
February 19 and 26 but emphasised that the meetings were not arranged by him or any
member of his management team.
"The fact is, the upholding of criminal activities, under no circumstance, will ever be
tolerated by the police. This was pointed out to the residents by the commander [Hamilton]
on the two occasions when the meetings were convened," the JCF said.
"It is unfortunate that such meetings, initiated by communities in a bid to partner with the
police, have been misconstrued and even compared to what the [Gleaner] editorial described
as 'a peace treaty between gangs'," it continued.
The Gleaner's editorial also questioned whether Hamilton had sought approval from Police
Commissioner Owen Ellington or the Police High Command before attending the meeting,
but the High Command said this was not necessary.
"The Police High Command wishes to make clear that no permission has to be sought for any
divisional commander to discuss with residents in his or her division matters concerning their
livelihood, that of their children, and the development of their communities," the police
noted.
The JCF said that as its divisional commanders, including Hamilton, strive for safer
communities, the police would continue to make themselves available to the residents they
are called to serve and protect.

'Mama Joy' - Central Kingston's toughest crime fighter

Published: Wednesday | October 17, 2012 Comments 0

315

Mama Joy shows members of the audience some of the latest dance moves during a function in her
honour at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston on Monday. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

SHE WAS hailed as one of the toughest crime fighters in the Kingston Central police
division where she tackled the monster in a most unusual manner.
She did it without the aid of a ballistic vest or any form of weapon used by the police.
"She did it with her bare hands," stated Dudley Mais, retired inspector of police for the Gold
Street Police Station, who was one of several persons gathered at the Institute of Jamaica
(IOJ) building in downtown Kingston on Monday to shower praises on central Kingston's
matriarch, Joy 'Mama Joy' Baker moments after she had been awarded the Order of
Distinction, Officer Class on the lawns of King's House.
Mama Joy, as she is known by hundreds of children and adults throughout central Kingston,
was awarded for service to the development of inner-city communities and the fostering of
children.
At the IOJ building, which saw persons from all walks of life turning out to shower praises,
many recalled how during her early days, she took the children of central Kingston under her
wings, catering to their social and spiritual needs.
A humble woman who was regarded as almost penniless, she quickly earned the respect of
the business community, which rallied around her to support her cause.

316

Her efforts took her to the doorsteps of scores of business establishment as she sought
funding to send hundreds of children to school; many of whom sprung from disadvantaged
households.
During an earlier interview with The Gleaner this year she recounted how she would pad her
knees "clean out bar, and wash sailor clothes" to earn the money to cater for the children.
But for Inspector Mais, the image of her turning up at the Gold Street Police Station with a
"brood of children" has stood out in his mind over the years, as she ensured that the children
learned from early to develop a relationship with the police.
"She would have about 20 or 30 of them behind her, she would cater for them going and
coming throughout the community. Mama Joy experience there joined up with us at Gold
Street Police Station have done a magnificent job here and contribute significantly to the
cutting of crime," Mais said of the 64-year-old matriarch.
Good financial management
Terrence Allen who worked in the banking sector recalled her efforts to ensure that the
children understood the importance of good financial management. This would see her
"opening hundreds of bank accounts".
"She would always come and give me a report as to who is doing well and which one of them
has gone on to George's (St George's College) and so on. I have never seen someone so
enthusiastic about children, it is very hard to find people like," he said.
As she fought back tears recounting the times travelling from Ranny Williams Entertainment
Centre to the Grand Gala and throughout the rest of Kingston with her "brood" over the
years, Joy Baker remained grateful for one simple thing.
"I do a lot of things, but the greatest thing that I appreciate most of all is that the Almighty
has given me strength."
nedburn.thaffe@gleanerjm.com
Share |

Heat on Government over central Kingston crime

published: Monday | April 14, 2008

317

A policeman walks by 28 spent shell markers on Laws Street in downtown Kingston after a daring attack by gunmen on Thursday afternoon.
Thirteen persons were injured in the attack. One person later died. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Rosalie Hamilton, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Rae Town division in
central Kingston, yesterday launched a broadside against the Government and the
police for what she described as their failure to stem ongoing violence in sections of the
constituency.
At least two persons have been killed there since last Thursday.
"I am having several difficulties in the area and I am now upset at the national security
minister who is sick," an incensed Hamilton said during the JLP Area Council One meeting
held yesterday at the Girl Guides Association of Jamaica headquarters in St Andrew.
Violence claimed yet another life yesterday morning when Maxine Smith, 43, of Pryce Lane,
Kingston, was shot dead by a lone gunman on East Queen Street.
"We are having problems in central Kingston and while we have stayed the course for 18
years and we don't expect everything to change, there are simple things that the party can do
to assist us in the area," she said.
Residents victimised
Hamilton accused the police of "victimising" persons from certain sections of central
Kingston.
"Nobody who is really fighting have been killed because they can't catch dem one another.
Dem just a take it out on people's parents and strangers and just because you happen to live in
a community. How could the State sit down and allow the citizens of the country to be living
dem life like that," Hamilton asked.
The latest round of violence, which, according to Hamilton, has been transpired for the last
three years, escalated on Thursday when 13 persons, including an infant, were shot on Gold
and Laws streets in downtown Kingston. Herbert Smith, 35, of Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew,
later succumbed to his wounds.

318

Deputy Superintendent of Police Millicent Sproul-Thomas, divisional commander of the

central Kingston police, told The Gleaner yesterday that she was not aware of Hamilton's
grouses with the police.
"I don't know about that, I happened to speak to her recently and she did not indicate that
(complaint) to me. If she has her evidence, then she knows where to take that to me."
Member of Parliament Ronald Thwaites has condemned the ongoing violence and said that
he would be seeking to make intervention to curb the violence. He also urged all stakeholders
in the area to work together to address crime and violence.
Kingston Central police forge ahead with anti-crime plan
Published: Monday | April 25, 2011 5 Comments

Superintendent Steve McGregor, who is in charge of the Kingston Central Police Division. - Norman
Grindley/Chief Photographer

Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter

A 65 per cent reduction in murders so far this year when compared with last year has
left the police in the tough Kingston Central division confident that they are doing
something right.
But the man who heads the division, Superintendent Steve McGregor, says the decline
represents work in progress and there is much more to be done.
The Kingston Central Police Division covers a big swath of downtown Kingston and several
tough inner-city communities, including South Side, Spoilers, Tel-Aviv and Fletcher's Land.
319

"We have had six murders since the start of this year in comparison to 17 for the
corresponding period last year," McGregor told The Gleaner.
"What is significant is that we have not recorded a murder in South Side since May last year
and this is the area with the strongest potential to give us problems," McGregor added.
"It (South Side) has an history of violence and it is an area that I took up as a challenge to see
how best we can manage it, and we have been doing extremely well."
McGregor noted that there has been no gunfire in the section of downtown Kingston, which
is in his division since October last year while the number of reported robberies is down 25
per cent from 20 in 2010.
According to McGregor, the success of the police in reducing crime in the divisions is as
much a testimony to the anti-crime measures being implemented as it is to the support of the
residents of the area.
"We have had numerous community meetings as that is one of the strategies that I use to get
through to them. We advise them of what we want to do and they tell us what they want us to
do.
"You do know that the basic meaning of community policing is policing with the consent of
the people, so they are an integral part of anything that I do," McGregor said.
According to McGregor, based on the relationship with the residents, the police are often
given warnings before incidents take place.
"Once we get an inkling that something is about to happen, we jump on it from early, and we
defuse it and we have people in the communities who are willing to alert us.
"So it is not by chance that we have had only six murders, four shootings and 15 robberies in
a business district and you can do the comparison with anywhere else in Jamaica," McGregor
declared.
The Kingston Central police work closely with the neighbouring Kingston Eastern and
Kingston Western divisions and McGregor is confident that the blueprint is in place to keep
crime down in the tough communities around downtown.
See 'Destination Downtown' in tomorrow's Gleaner for more on the plans by the police to
ensure that downtown Kingston is secure for vendors, business operators and shoppers.

320

POLITICAL FAULT LINES: Central Kingston - Residents firm against

tribal warfare
published: Sunday | October 1, 2006

Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

CENTRAL KINGSTON has always voted for a People's National Party (PNP) Mem-ber of Parliament.
Since the 1980s, misguided members of the constituency have traded bullets across the political
divide.
The island's crime chief, Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields has listed at least one Central Kingston
community, Tel-Aviv as a hot spot which could erupt as the fight for political spoils intensifies.
However, according to some residents, the imminent general election will not see them shooting at
each other.
"Wi done wid dat. Politics war nuh cut it nuh more," declared a resident of the PNP-aligned 'Spoilers'
gang.
"Wi get wiser," one Southside resident told The Sunday Gleaner last week when we toured sections
of Central Kingston. Another resident said that if someone tried to break the peace in the name of
politics, he would be killed since his actions might cause the death of several others.
Trouble spots
Six towns, namely Parade Gardens (consisting of Southside and Tel-Aviv), Rose Gardens (which
encompasses the area called Spoilers), Kingston Gardens, Allman Town, Campbell Town and Rae
Town make up the constituency, which former Prime Minister, the late Michael Manley, represented for
years.
Police have fingered the areas of Tel-Aviv, Southside and Spoilers and a section of Rae Town and
Allman Town to be the trouble spots in the constituency. The slightest movement, they say, can trigger
war, especially among political factions.
"When election is in the air, especially in these strongholds, emotions normally get high. We are
aware of this, and we are using various containment stategies to ensure that the peace holds," said
the crime chief at the Central Kingston police, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Derrick
Champagnie.
He said the police have stepped up their patrol and are having frequent dialogues with these fragile
communities to ensure they don't erupt.
"We have no intelligence to suggest that there is little cause for concern, but I have spoken to persons
in places like Southside, encouraging them that it is important to keep the peace," DSP Champagnie
said.
Taking nothing for granted
With the recent uprising off Mountain View Avenue in mind, DSP Champagnie said the police "are
trying to be proactive, so in case of any eventualities we won't be caught on the back foot. We are
taking nothing for granted," he added.

321

Last October, a feud between Tel-Aviv and Spoilers, both aligned to the PNP, left more than 20
persons dead. Prior to that, rival gangs engaged in bitter gun battles resulting in a massive loss of
lives and crippling of social and commercial activities.
"People could not cross certain imaginary boundaries, most of them political, but we have managed to
remove those imaginary lines," declared Dunstan Whittingham, chairman of the Central Kingston Task
Team (CKTT).
Although now mainly gang related, Central Kingston's bitter rivalries date back to the 1980s when
Jamaica began manifesting signs of political strife.
Today, however, it is the PNP's factions in Tel-Aviv and Spoilers who are at odds. The genesis of their
feud is not known, but residents have said it is purely gang related.
"Everything cris bout yah man," exclaimed one man from Spoilers, who added that it is just
themselves and Tel-Aviv that had differences. Those differences, Mr. Whittingham said, are being
ironed out.
On the several occasions that The Sunday Gleaner toured the three troubled communities, children
of varying ages played in the streets. The commercial strip which leads from Palace Theatre in the
east to East Street in the west, was abuzz with people, many of whom were vendors. It was a
heartening sign that CKTT efforts are not in vein.
Grace Staff Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has instituted among other things, a
homework centre and an employment databank which has allowed people to live close to normal lives
in the city.
However, the cry for employment is very loud among the residents. On one of our visits, a young man
showed us an empty knapsack. He said he had just returned some uniforms to a security company,
which had employed him, but refused to pay him a salary after six months on the job.
Noting that unemployment is almost 70 per cent in the constituency, Mr. Whittingham is appealing to
corporate Jamaica for assistance. He said many of the youngsters in the communities have at least
basic qualifications, they only need a chance. Mr. Whittingham said that if unemployment continues to
remain high, crime reduction in the area will be very difficult and as one resident puts it, it makes it
easier "fi any card play."

Clarendon: Cops keeping sharp eye on trouble spots Stephanie Elliott, Gleaner Writer
Clarendon:
Reports emanating out of several Clarendon communities of growing political tension between
supporters of the country's two major political parties have residents in the parish bracing for the
possibility of politically-motivated violence.
As parishioners wait with bated breath, the Clarendon police, on the other hand, have taken a
proactive approach to the situation. Deputy Superintendent of Police in charge of crime in the parish,
Cleon March, has been cautious in describing the reports as 'mounting political tension.'
"The concerns are there, but the police are keeping a close eye on the situation and we are hoping for
the best."

322

Unease in Chapelton
In North Central Clarendon, there have been reports of Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)
supporters causing unease in especially the Chapelton community.
Roads, public buildings and even the perimeter fencing of private properties, reportedly, have not
been spared by party loyalists, who have painted graffiti and posted posters in the entire community,
creating the impression of a JLP stronghold.
In one of the reports, it was alleged that the perimeter walls and gateway of People's National Party
(PNP) caretaker candidate George Lyn was adorned with JLP slogans.
The act has incensed the 'out-of-retirement politician,' who when quizzed, said that he had reported
the matter to the police.
He also expressed confidence that the matter would be dealt with in a manner that would stop
persons from committing the act. "But, in the meantime, it is a police matter," he said.
However, DSP March is not convinced that the writing of graffiti and other such acts warrant the
charge of 'mounting political tensions.' "The only thing they are guilty of is breaching the anti-litter act.
But, there have not been any reports of threats, violence or any other intent," said the crime officer.
Areas in Clarendon prone to political violence during elections

May Pen and its environs

Mineral Heights
Canaan Heights
Palmers Cross/Paisley
Sevens Road
Juno Crescent
Effortville
Chapelton
Bucknor
Summerfield
Osbourne Store
Sour Sop Turn to Four Paths.

Teenager shot dead in Central Kingston

Published: Friday January 30, 2009 | 4:37 pm 0 Comments
323

Nico Peart, 18, of Barry Street, Kingston, was shot and killed by gunmen on Thursday in his
community.
Police reports are that about 10 p.m., Peart was at a shop when three men armed with guns
pounced upon him.
The gunmen opened fire, killing Peart on the spot.
The police were called, the crime scene processed and the body removed to the morgue for
post mortem.
The Kingston Central CIB is investigating.

Police seek 19 men from four Kingston gangs

Published: Sunday August 10, 2014 | 1:03 pm 9 Comments

The St Andrew central police has listed 19 persons belonging to four gangs in Kingston
as persons of interest.
The police say the wanted persons are linked to an incident that occurred on July 26 in
August Town.
Thirteen of the 19 persons belong to the Goldsmith Villa Gang, four are reportedly members
of the Jungle 12 gang, and the other two belonging to the Puppy Paw and Tavern Drive
gangs, respectively.
The wanted men linked to the Goldsmith Villa Gang are Titi Man, Kemar Powell otherwise
called Papa, Joel Campbell otherwise called, Showers, Romario Powell also known as,
Mario and Navardo Brown otherwise called Cycle.
Also wanted are Dever Rookwood otherwise called, Bossy, Jermaine Scott also known as,
Bigga, Kevin Markland called, Rain, Kemar Markland, Romaine Scott otherwise called,
Predator, Odain Markland otherwise called Shawny Russ.
Tan McNab, otherwise called Papi, and Kingsley Smith, otherwise called Bomb Head of
the Goldsmith criminal group are also being sought by the police.
The wanted men from the Jungle 12 gang are: Jehus Ferguson otherwise called, Jeffus,
Romario Campbell otherwise called, Deh Deh, Conrod Williams otherwise called, Bossy
and Santana Stafford.
The police are also seeking Ricardo Jones, otherwise called Puppy Paw, from a gang of the
324

same name and Ulando Hall, also called Stray D from the Tavern Drive Gang.
The men are being asked to report to the August Town police or the nearest police station by
six oclock this evening.

Follow us on Twitter
<a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?
n=a1d8a27c&amp;cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img
src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?
zoneid=100531&amp;cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&amp;n=a1d8a27c'
border='0' alt='' /></a>
DOWNTOWN SECURITY - A police station is a stone's throw away
Published: Tuesday | September 25, 2012 0 Comments

325

Area Four Police headquarters

326

327

123456>

WITH MORE and more persons heading to downtown Kingston, lingering questions about
security remain. But with all the data showing major crimes trending down in the area,
downtown Kingston is relatively safe for shoppers and business operators, despite a minor
spike in one of the two divisions in July.
For July, the last official crime statistics released by the police, the Kingston Central Police
division showed 17 major crimes up from 13 in July 2011, while the Kingston Western
division also reported 17 major crimes, down from 25 in July 2011.
Superintendent Steve McGregor, who leads the team in the Kingston Central Police division
and Senior Superintendent Terrence Bent , who heads the team in the Kingston Western
division, are the two given the job to keep downtown safe. They are both confident that they
have measures in place to ensure the safety of all.
If you are in downtown Kingston and you need the assistance of the police a station is always
near you.
Extortion menace - Crime on the rise as downtown Kingston returns to pre-Tivoliincursion state
Published: Tuesday | September 10, 2013 79 Comments

328

A man directing a motorist to park along Ocean Boulevard, downtown Kingston, yesterday. This is once
again a big business in the shopping district as motorists must pay a fee to park. - Norman Grindley/Chief
Photographer

Most shoppers at the Coronation Market in Kingston have to pay 'parking fees' to men on the corner to
do business in the market. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

12>

Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

329

Raging illegality, rampant indiscipline and flagrant criminality that have, again,
overtaken the bustling downtown Kingston commercial district have left influential
players in the redevelopment exercise troubled.
The actions of re-emerging extortionists, unlawful shoppers and illicit vendors are, once
again, generating high drama daily on the streets of the busy business community, bringing
back terrifying memories of the period prior to the 2010 incursion into Tivoli Gardens.
Unlike the days shortly before the military incursion that crushed extortion in Tivoli Gardens
and neighbouring communities, the scourge has, in recent times, been rearing its head.
For Chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) K.D. Knight, complacency is to
blame for the resurgence of criminality in the area.
Knight was, however, quick to stress that the police were working overtime to break the back
of the problem that has crept into the area, seemingly without notice. "We must remove
complacency, if it continues then crime will take over," said the former national security
minister.
From Darling Street at one side of Coronation Market to Orange and King streets at the other
end and along Ocean Boulevard near the new Digicel headquarters, the extortionists have reemerged in their numbers.
Defiant street-side vendors are, once again, plying their wares on just about every corner,
after the controversial clearance by the authorities more than two years ago.
An ugly sight
In the absence of a central commanding figure, the extortionists appear to have carved out
areas of control that add to the pervasive disorder in the area.
"It is an ugly sight, but there are some political implications," said Superintendent Steve
McGregor, who is in charge of the Kingston Central police Division.
Stressing that police personnel in the hectic commercial locality had their hands full,
McGregor complained that the general disorder was exacerbated by the proliferation of street
people crowding the area.
"Many rather stay on the streets. They sleep in front of the City Centre Police Station instead
of gong to the areas designated for them," said McGregor.
"This is higher than police. We lock them up and when they get out, they are back on the
streets," McGregor added. "It needs executive intervention ... it does not augur well for the
city."

330

For his part, Knight expressed unease that illegal activities have crept into the downtown
Kingston commercial district and are frustrating the efforts to redevelop the area. "I am aware
of the efforts being made by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and the police
... , which are very important because, if there is not a control of indiscipline and criminality,
the task of marketing downtown Kingston as a place to invest is made much more difficult,"
Knight told The Gleaner.
The Gleaner can report that on weekends, the pre-dawn focus of the extortionists is directed
primarily at members of the public who park on Darling Street to make early morning treks
into Coronation Market. The men pick specific areas of control and charge a minimum of $50
for "finding" a parking space in their "turf".
During the course of the week as well as late morning on Saturdays, the extortionists venture
into the areas on which large stores are located. Princess, Orange and King Streets appear to
be favourite locations and they designate parking areas for motorists.
Waterfront hot spot
Ocean Boulevard is another target spot as the men bear down on motorists doing business in
the range of government agencies and other private businesses in the area. Motorists are even
allowed to park in areas designated by yellow lines as no-parking zones.
McGregor is of the view that extortionists are being encouraged by shoppers as well as
business people. "Instead of using the official parking area, they park on the streets so, they
make themselves a target," stressed McGregor. "The guys are given money to wash vehicles,
while some business operators in the area even employ them to wash vehicles on the busy
thoroughfares."
Knight said he was aware that part of the problem was unemployment. "I am also aware that
the development and creation of jobs is an integral part of the control of crime, and so we are
doing our best at the UDC to assist in creating the appropriate atmosphere where crime
control can become less onerous," he said. "It must be a totally integrated process and the
UDC is anxious to play its part."

Crime West Kingston

West Kingston losing crime-fighting gains
Published: Monday | June 9, 2014 7 Comments

331

Security forces patrol Tivoli Gardens, west Kingston, in May 2010, shortly after an operation to serve an
extradition warrant on Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

Jermaine Francis, Staff Reporter

Concerns are being raised that the gains made in reducing the crime rate in the West
Kingston division may be eroding as the murder figures for the division have been
trending up since the start of the year.
Serious and violent crimes for the police division were on the decline following the
extradition of former West Kingston strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who is now
serving time in a United States prison on gun- and drug-running charges.
Jamaica Constabulary Force's murder figures for the period January one to May 24 show that
murders in West Kingston are up by 36 per cent. During the same period in 2013, there were
25 reported murders for the area; however, for this year, West Kingston has already recorded
35 murders.
Dr Herbert Gayle, social anthropologist and lecturer at the University of the West Indies,
Mona, said this is not surprising, as the necessary interventions should have been made to
build on the gains made after the extradition of Coke.
Back to rising crime
"Anywhere you use a heavy hand or anywhere crime is reduced too quickly without the
necessary social-welfare strategies being in place, things will go back as they were," Gayle
argued.

332

He told The Gleaner that the situation in West Kingston is rather complex, with various
small communities scattered across the police division filled with residents whose needs are
not being met by the State.
Gayle said dons such as Coke usually provide social nurturing for residents, and his removal
left a vacuum that many lesser-known kingpins are jostling to fill.
"You have multiples of small communities where they may have their own leaders, and they
create more blood than one big don," Gayle stated.
As a result, he said these communities needed to see more than the security forces on a daily
basis because to the people in these areas, the kingpins were more than just security.
"They provided scarce resources, and this is needed to ensure that all factions are being
catered to... . The country has not moved ahead to fill the gaps, to get people reattached. It's
not just a matter of policing, but it is the rest of society that has to respond," Gayle posited.
Horace Levy, head of the Peace Management Initiative, who suggested that all the relevant
state agencies needed to enter these communities and engage the youth more, supported
Gayle's views.
Giving the police in the area an 'A' for effort, Levy said the situation is getting worse as the
necessary interventions are not forthcoming.
Undercover investigation
He said, "Some criminal elements must be apprehended by the police through careful
undercover investigation, which will be able to detect and lawfully remove those in the
wrong."
Levy added that greater dialogue between the police and the youth is needed as many of them
have indicated their willingness to turn away from the gang violence that has permeated the
area for decades.
Amid continued violence, a joint police-military operation has been underway in West
Kingston since last Thursday, targeting sections of the downtown Kingston market district, as
well as the adjoining communities of Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town. The police said it is
part of a sustained security initiative, dubbed Operation Resilience.

Young thugs on the rise - West Kingston residents blame families of infamous
gangsters for upsurge in crime
Published: Sunday | March 10, 2013 56 Comments

333

Christopher 'Dudus' Coke

12>

Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

The shooting of two men from Luke Lane in western Kingston yesterday morning
underscored what has been a stressful time for residents as a group of young 'shottas'
has emerged in sections of the community, creating a bomb, just waiting for the fuse to
be lit.
334

A Sunday Gleaner probe has found that the increasingly explosive environment is being
fuelled by the products of at least two former area leaders.
The young generation is reportedly preparing for a resurgence of their once-feared family
names with a level of violence and brutality not seen since the security forces took control of
the area in May 2010.
Over the past several weeks, the young thugs have been brazenly displaying their guns in the
area with several cases of shootings and murders being reported by residents.
However, the police have vowed that they will not be surrendering the area to the rule of
these criminals and will take whatever action is necessary.
"We are moving to advise the people that they will be inconvenienced with our operations
and with whatever takes place," warned Terrence Bent, the senior superintendent in charge of
the Kingston Western Police Division.
"We want to maintain the good relationship with the residents despite the things we have to
do; however, we may have to take action that will, at times, restrict their movement," added
Bent.
POLICE INITIATE TALKS
According to Bent, the police are well aware of the recent violent incidents and have initiated
a series of talks to facilitate comments and suggestions from the residents.
"We are open to criticisms . If there is any breach in how we operate, then they should
inform us," he stressed.
Over a four-week period, more than 12 persons, including two pregnant teens, have been
killed in the area around Tivoli Gardens, Denham Town and Matthews Lane.
A reported area don was among three persons killed as the bloodletting continued last
weekend.
In the terrifying silence following each assault, both residents and police speak in hushed
tones about efforts by young men to restore the lustre to the infamous Coke and Phipps
'dynasties', which controlled the area for much of the past 40 years.
Investigators have already named Michael Christopher Coke, otherwise called 'Tittyman', as
well as Lester Charles Coke and Mark Watson Coke of the Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens
as persons of interest.
Michael Christopher Coke and Lester Charles Coke turned themselves over to the police last
week. They have not been charged for any crime.
335

POSITIVE INFLUENCE NEEDED

"We have to operate in terms of information that we receive . So we are looking at the
architecture and persons who are connected and who we feel are influencing it. So if people
have influence, they must influence it positively and not negatively," stressed Bent
Police sources also say a close teenage relative of convicted murderer and former Matthews
Lane strongman, Donald 'Zeeks' Phipps, is high on their radar in connection with several
crimes committed in that area.
The people of Luke Lane and its environs are too terrified to speak openly, but they have
whispered that a group of men from the nearby Matthews Lane, led by Zeeks' relative, has
been terrorising them.
Head of the Kingston Central Police Division, Superintendent Steve McGregor, says he has
taken a proactive approach to the upsurge in violence.
McGregor has engaged community members in an effort to quash the rage which has resulted
in a frightening increase in violence in recent weeks.
He has been meeting frequently with residents of Luke and Matthews lanes as reports suggest
that factions from these communities are at odds.
Last Wednesday, the meetings culminated with a joint affair as individuals from the feuding
communities met on neutral ground, the Central Police Station.
EYES ON TIVOLI
Further west, Bent is keeping a close watch on the relatively quiet community of Tivoli
Gardens, even as its residents clamour for closure to the ordeal of the May 2010 military
operation in search of then fugitive Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
Like McGregor, Bent is actively engaging in "serious" talks with residents.
"What we are doing now is meeting with the residents in small pockets, just to apprise them
of what we are doing and the support that we need from them," Bent told The Sunday
Gleaner.
"We are meeting like this because at the end of the day, we can't do it alone . Our presence
is not enough. We will have to have information and support from the citizens, so we are
engaging in street-corner meetings just to apprise them of what we are doing."
According to Bent, when he approached the young relatives of former area leaders, they have
declared that they area not involved in the violence.

336

"I spoke to them and they give me a different context."

However, some residents in the area, who are not keen on reliving the past, are not
convinced.
"Nuh mek dem tell yuh nothing. Dem heavily involved," one man told The Sunday Gleaner.
For many residents in the community, there are signs that the offspring of the once-feared
area leaders are on the rise to reclaim the leadership of the communities which were, not so
long ago, ruled with a heavy hand by their forebearers.
Their forebears were high-profile 'brand names' in the domain of community dons across the
island, but with the passage of time, a combination of circumstances have left them dead or
locked away.

Hope lost in West Kingston

Published: Sunday | March 2, 2014 10 Comments

Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, points to a dilapidated house in Denham
Town in his constituency.

337

123>

Residents say State missed the opportunity to transform the community after 2010
operation
Gary Spaulding
Promised social intervention in West Kingston remains just that, a promise - four years of
fool's comfort, residents say.

338

It was in 2010 that the security forces moved on West Kingston and the subsequent
extradition of the area strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. While residents were angered by
the incursion, the comments from officialdom and civil society in the aftermath gave them
hope.
The residents were promised that a social-renewal project would take root in the area while
the security forces would ensure that never again would a criminal gang be allowed to take
control of their community. In the face of the unkept promise, criminal gangs have returned
with a vengeance, claiming several lives in a battle for turf that is worse than many long-time
residents can remember.
Now, as the Government signals its intention to set up a commission of enquiry into the
events surrounding the 2010 operation, several residents are more interested in what will be
done to improve their life than what the commission promises to uncover.
Pauline, a 57-year-old resident of Denham Town in West Kingston, echoed the cries of
several others living in the volatile community that is littered with unsanitary conditions.
No toilets
Pauline noted that many families are living in houses that are without toilets, forcing them to
use other means to dispose of their waste.
It is an environment that has miraculously avoided the most deadly of diseases, and the
residents believe the time for action is now.
"My concern is this, the Inner City Renewal Programme which was announced after the
incursion, or the massacre, was said to be for West Kingston. It was supposed to be the pilot
project for that programme and all of a sudden it reach a Majesty Gardens and West Kingston
just wipe out of it," charged Pauline.
"I went to a meeting the other day and two person talk and say them at Majesty Gardens
working so mi have to ask what happen ... mi understand that Majesty Gardens is the prime
minister's constituency, but is so the thing run?" questioned Pauline.
Last year, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced that the Inner City Renewal
Programme, will restart in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
Simpson Miller made the announcement during her 2013-14 Budget Debate presentation in
the House of Representative. "No one can disagree that the Inner City Housing Project has
positively transformed the lives of persons in some communities, such as Monaltrie, Denham
Town, Majesty Gardens, and Trench Town," Simpson Miller said.
The project was established as part of an urban-renewal project aimed at addressing the
repair, refurbishment and upgrading of downtown Kingston. Housing units completed under
339

the project in the Corporate Area included: 94 units on Little King Street and 344 units in
Denham Town, which are in West Kingston.
But that is not enough for Pauline, who is adamant that based on the promises, more should
have been done to improve the infrastructure in West Kingston since 2010.
Poor services
"You know say mi no have running water for over 10 years and I live behind the Remand
Centre. Come on, man! People have needs. I can remember when I got a house and went to
Water Commission. They said they didn't know where mi talking about. So, it nuh pretty, and
it's not because you don't want to pay bills. Mi live in a house and paying my bill every
month, and then one month, mi get a letter to say that they did a give mi wrong bill and mi
owe them x amount. Something can go so?"
The residents are also upset about the arrangements for electricity in the area, although they
accept that it cannot return to a time before 2010 when many were connected to the Jamaica
Public Service (JPS) Company's grid without paying $1.
"Why should we get the JPS RAMI (Residential Automated Metering Infrastructure) when
they promise to give us the card system. They came in and dialogue with us and we tell them
what we want and they promise to give us the card system, and all of a sudden, a this them
give us, which is not compatible a Jamaica. It can't work," declared Pauline.
"You are in your house and you nah run bar or nothing and you a get bill for $40,000. Me a
wonder if a because we weren't paying light bill so long make them start to give us high
bills."
Pauline listed housing, infrastructure, joblessness and crime as the greatest problems facing
the residents of West Kingston at this time. But she blames the State for the violence the
community has faced in the post-2010 period.
"It will lead to crime because the people don't have anything to do. Them nah give them
work, them say JEEP (Jamaica Emergency Employment Pro-gramme). Tell me what JEEP do
in West Kingston? The JEEP want engine!"
There was also more criticisms for the Government over its failure to address the crime in the
area, despite the recent opening of a new police station in Tivoli Gardens.
Better life with Dudus
"Before Dudus was extradited, it was way better because you use to go to your bed and leave
your door open. It's not that we are depending on gunmen to defend us, but then bwoy know
say if them try anything, something a go happen, so them no try nothing.

340

"Before dem take Dudus, I used to walk up and down and everything was like that - good."
According to Pauline, "I am here 56 years and nobody never disrespect me. Never! Mi a go
tell you straight up. Mi nah say Dudus style was the best style or gunman style is the best
style, but dem time deh you could go to your bed with your door open.
"You walk street any hours and you comfortable. Mi a tell you. And if a guy want guh thief,
him a think twice," added Pauline.
She also charged that some members of the police force are disrespectful to residents of West
Kingston.
"Some of the police nuh know how to talk to people. Them take every body ... who walk in
West Kingston for gunman. Them handle we like dog.
"Mi have to wonder and mi ask the question when you a train police if you tell them say West
Kingston is inner city, when you go in there you must mash it up?"
For Pauline, the prime minister needs to walk through West Kingston to see first-hand how
the people are living.
"As a prime minister, she must walk everywhere, not only PNP area, to come see how people
live because it is not pretty. She would be welcome."

Police concerned about West Kingston violence upsurge

Published: Tuesday August 20, 2013 | 9:51 am 2 Comments

341

Security forces patrol Tivoli Gardens after an operation to serve an extradition warrant on Christopher
'Dudus' Coke. - File

The Police are expressing concern about the recent upsurge of criminal activities in
sections of the Kingston Western Division.
The police say in recent times there have been a number of shootings, murders and robberies
in the area.
An 11-year-old girl and a businessman are among those shot and killed by these ruthless
criminal elements.
The Police say its intelligence suggests ongoing feud arose from conflicts over who should
control the area.
The Police stress that no criminal network will be allowed to set up or operate any criminal
kingdom in West Kingston.
They say additional resources have been deployed in the area in a move to return calm to the
affected areas.
The police are also urging for the cooperation of residents.

West Kingston in fear, says MP McKenzie

Published: Tuesday August 20, 2013 | 2:26 pm
342

with audio | 4 Comments

Desmond McKenzie File

Debbie-Ann Wright, News Editor - Radio

Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Desmond McKenzie says fear is at an alltime high in the area amid the current upsurge in violence.
West Kingston was once regarded as having one of the lowest crime rates in Jamaica.
However, in recent times there have been a number of shootings, murders and robberies in
the area.

An 11-year-old girl and a businessman are among those shot and killed by criminals.
McKenzie says residents are now afraid to leave their homes, with some even talking about
moving out of the area.
The Police have said their intelligence suggest the upsurge in violence is a result of conflicts
over who should control the area.
However, McKenzie says such efforts by criminals will be futile as the people of West
Kingston no longer want to be ruled by a don.
The Police have also stressed that no criminal network will be allowed to set up or operate
any criminal kingdom in West Kingston.
343

They say additional resources have been deployed to the area in a move to return calm to
the community.
And the police are urging the residents to cooperate with investigations.

Efforts to fight crime in west Kingston bearing fruit , say police

Published: Saturday October 5, 2013 | 12:54 pm 0 Comments

Security forces patrol Tivoli Gardens after an operation to serve an extradition warrant on Christopher
'Dudus' Coke. - File

The Police High Command is reporting that its efforts to stem the upsurge in violence in
west Kingston are beginning to bear fruits.
This follows the arrest of a west Kingston gang member who was wanted for murder and the
seizure of three illegal firearms and nearly 50 rounds of ammunition.
The wanted man has been identified as Richard Shawn Lyons, who was wanted in
connection with the shooting death of Lamar Nelson in Craig Town last year.
The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) says Lyons will be interviewed in the
presence of his lawyers with a view of laying charges shortly.
The police have also sought to assure the residents of west Kingston that they will continue
344

with their operations in various communities in a bid to arrest the violence that has been
plaguing the area.

West Kingston criminals now afraid, says McGregor

Published: Monday March 10, 2014 | 10:18 am 7 Comments

Steve McGregor - File

The head of the West Kingston Police, Senior Superintendent Steve McGregor, says
criminals in the division are now scared because they no longer enjoy the support of
residents.
His comments came as residents turned out yesterday to support a march against crime in the
division.
The National Security Minister Peter Bunting and Police Commissioner Owen Ellington
participated in the march along with other members of the police force and the Church.
SSP McGregor says the march is symbolic, but also signals the agreement of trust between
the police and the communities.
And he says it shows criminals that members of their community are not supporting them.
SSP McGregor also says peace marches are effective and should be continued.

345

He referred to recent events in east Kingston where five wanted men turned themselves in to
the police after a similar march.

Commissioner hails capture of 'most dangerous' West Kingston criminal

Published: Friday June 6, 2014 | 10:15 am 6 Comments

Police Commissioner Owen Ellington. File

Police Commissioner Owen Ellington is hailing as significant yesterdays capture of

accused murderer Ryan Brembridge, who he says reigned terror on West Kingston
residents and the general downtown area.
The police say Brembridge, also known as Little Blacks, was one of the most dangerous
criminals on the run.
He was picked up in Westmoreland in the latest round of Operation Resilience.
He was wanted for multiple murders committed in the corporate area and also for multiple
shootings including shooting at the Police.
Ellington is also commending members of the force for what he calls their professional
manner in capturing Brembridge.
He also noted that no shots were fired in taking the wanted man in into custody.

346

Seven juveniles arrested in West Kingston for gun crimes recently

Published: Wednesday August 28, 2013 | 10:12 am 2 Comments

The police say the arrest of a 15-year-old this week in relation to a bus shooting incident
brings to seven the number of juveniles arrested in the last two months in relation to
gun crimes.
Head of the St Andrew South Police Senior Superintendent of Police Delroy Hewitt says six
juveniles have been charged for shooting and one for illegal possession of firearm.
SSP Hewitt says the level of crime among juveniles is not peculiar to the division and
highlights deficiencies in the homes and schools.
However, SSP Hewitt says the police are trying to steer children away from crime through
various outreach programmes.
The teenager who was arrested yesterday is facing charges of attempted murder, wounding
and illegal possession of a firearm.
He is accused of wildly firing a gun at a public passenger bus along Spanish Town Road after
accusing the conductor three hours earlier of overcharging him.
SSP Hewitt says the teen could face an identification parade as early as today.
And he says the teenager has been cooperating with investigators.
SSP Hewitt says the police are also searching for a gang member they believe gave the illegal
firearm to the teenager.

West Kingston explodes

Published: Tuesday | March 6, 2012 119 Comments

347

A resident hurries out of the way as police patrol a section of Denham Town, west Kingston, after a
shooting which left at least six people dead yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

12>

Daviot Kelly and Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writers

A 13-year-old girl and an elderly man were among at least six persons who were shot
and killed during a police operation in the west Kingston community of Denham Town
yesterday.

348

The teenager was identified by her weeping mother as Nicketa Cameron, while the elderly
man was identified only as 'Mr George', both of Chestnut Lane.
The other victims were still unidentified up to press time last night, but police sources
revealed that two of them, who are known by their aliases 'Tete Rass' and 'Kiro', were wanted
for questioning for various crimes.
Intense gun
Director of communications for the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Karl Angell said the
six persons were killed during a "running and intense gun battle involving the police and
criminals".
In a statement issued last night, Angell said when the shooting ended four weapons - an AK47 assault rifle, a .357 revolver, a 9mm pistol and a .22 pistol were recovered.
"The police believe that three of the five males who were killed are wanted for various crimes
in the Kingston Western and Kingston Central divisions, including murder and shooting with
intent," he said.
Added Angell: "The other three persons, including the lone female, are believed to have been
killed during the course of the gun battle."
This account was, however, contradicted by angry residents who accused the police of
murder.
"Murderer, murderer ... Oonu a gwaan like seh oonu a no human being to," one woman
shouted as residents vented their anger at police personnel who were securing the crime
scene.
Another woman, who claimed to have witnessed the shooting, said she saw two unmarked
police cars approach a house along Chestnut Lane.
"The police dem come outta di car, kick off di gate and just open fire," she told The Gleaner
on condition of anonymity.
As news of the killings spread, a small crowd converged at the Kingston Public Hospital and
the adjoining Madden's Funeral Home as anguished relatives and friends sought to verify the
identities of those killed.
One woman broke down in tears outside Madden's Funeral Home after learning that the
father of her infant child was among those killed.
"Wha me a go tell me daughter when she ask fi har father?" she wailed.

349

The police later imposed a curfew in the Denham Town community. It ends on Wednesday

Crime In South St. Andrew Police Division

In South St. Andrew:
Police, politicians, civic groups at work
published: Sunday | November 27, 2005

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

In 2004 when the details of Jamaica's shocking homicide statistics were released, the St. Andrew
South police division had the dubious distinction for most murders with 242.
But there has been an encouraging turnaround in that division recently, thanks to a concerted effort by
the police, politicians and civic groups.
According to Superintendent Newton Amos, commanding officer for St. Andrew South, only four
persons have been murdered there in the past two months.
The last two homicides took place Wednesday when Dane McMurray and Maurice Walters, both 19,
were murdered at Glen Road off Maxfield Avenue.
Supt. Amos released these statistics during the St. Andrew South Crime Prevention and Community
Safety Forum, on Wednesday, at the Church of the Open Bible in St. Andrew.
Approximately 243 persons have been murdered to date in 2005 in St. Andrew South. Although this
maintains the division's record as one of the most violent in Jamaica, the rate has slowed in recent
months.
Mr. Amos says constant
dialogue between the police, Members of Parliament and civic groups has helped tone down
hostilities throughout the
troubled pockets in recent weeks.
"We have embarked on a crime prevention programme that accentuates creating social and personal
levels in these communities," said Mr. Amos. "We are involved in community
programmes, public meetings, dispute resolution and monthly church services."
Mr. Amos says an increase in police patrols has also helped in the reduction of criminal activities and
has led to the arrest of
several wanted men.
The St. Andrew South police division is one of the largest and most violent in Jamaica. It
encompasses four constituencies: East Central St. Andrew, Western St. Andrew, South West St.
Andrew and West Central St. Andrew.
Communities such as Whitfield Town, Greenwich Town, Payne Lands and Olympic Gardens are
located in St. Andrew South. In an interview with The Sunday Gleaner early this year, Mr. Amos said it
was tough policing these communities, some of which fought bitter political battles during the 1970s
and 1980s.

350

Andrew Holness is a two-term MP for West Central St. Andrew where some of St. Andrew South's
toughest enclaves including Seaward Drive, Olympic Gardens and Balcombe Drive, are located. He
too has noticed a decline in bloodshed and acknowledged the work of the police, politicians and
community groups.
"Clearly, the police have been very effective in some areas, the Waterhouse area and Balcombe Drive
in particular," he told The Sunday Gleaner. "They have not been successful in other areas like White
Wing and Seivwright Drive where community work has brought warring factions together."
Like most MPs of troubled constituencies, Mr. Holness says politics is not the driving force behind
violence in the St. Andrew South South division. He believes it is a matter of youth feeling alienated.
"If you come here and go into the back roads, you will understand that these guys have their own
culture and their own
system of economic survival, so they don't have an affinity with the rest of Jamaica," said Mr. Holness.
"So, the crime-fighting strategy has to be broader than the police ... It has to look at young people
between the ages of 16 and 24 who feel alienated."
Mr. Holness said unemployment was high among the young in his constituency. many of them, he
noted, were semi-literate, and drift into crime because they feel they have no chance in a society that
discriminates against inner-city youth.
One of those youths hung out on the Olympic Gardens strip on Friday. He bemoaned the lack of
opportunities for him and his peers.
"A jus' work the youth dem wan't, 'cause dem idle. If yuh lef' the youth dem pon dem own, bad tings
will happen," he said.

South St Andrew - Community policing pays off

THE ST. Andrew South Police Division, which up to recently had one of the highest homicide rates in
Jamaica, has seen a continuous reduction in crimes, complaints about police and demonstrations,
since the full introduction of community-based policing there in April.
Statistics from the Division show that in 1998 when the pilot Police Community-Based initiative was
launched by the Commissioner in eight divisions, there were 401 robberies in the St. Andrew South
Division compared to 155 in 2001 and 283 shooting with intent, compared to 200 in 2001.
In April 2002, the Community-Based Policing initiative was fully introduced into the Division and for the
period January 1-July 12, 2002, there were 67 murders, 80 shootings with intent, 71 robberies and 22
break-ins compared to 99 murders, 105 shootings with intent, 69 robberies and 44 break-ins same
time last year. This shows a 32 per cent decrease in murder, 24 per cent decrease in shootings with
intent and 50 per cent decrease in break-ins.
Community policing promotes a commitment between people and their local police to work together to
identify, prioritise and solve problems of crime, disorder, fear of crime and social decay and to improve
the overall quality of life for everyone.
The initiative was named by Commissioner Francis Forbes as the centrepiece of the Jamaica
Constabulary Corporate Strategy a new thrust to efficiently guide the police as people become more
aware of their rights. The strategy should help prioritise service to Jamaicans and help change the
nature and causes of crime.
The St. Andrew South Division has implemented programmes including a lunch money programme,
where needy students from schools across the communities are served (includes Waterhouse,

351

Olympic Gardens, Seaview, Duhaney Park) get lunch money equivalent to $50 per day, coming from
donations made by officers in the Division.
Officers have also been liaising with teachers and have been counselling and advising students on
the law and what their rights and responsibilities are, and police officers have been keeping a regular
presence in and around schools in order to bring back a level of stability. Regular searches are carried
out and knives, scissors and other sharp instruments have been confiscated.

New crime-fighting plan in St Andrew South

published: Wednesday | April 30, 2003

SUPT. CLAUDE Samuels, head of the St. Andrew South Police Division, yesterday unveiled a new
crime plan to tackle the increasing number of homicides there.
At an emergency meeting with his top officers yesterday, he disclosed that seven murders had
occurred in the division from Friday to Sunday.
He warned that while the police were effecting their new crime-fighting strategies, they would retaliate
if they are challenged by gunmen.
"Law-abiding citizens need not fear, but for the gunmen, we will be coming down on them very hard.
They will be harassed," Supt. Samuels warned.
Det. Inspector Michael Phipps said that since January, there have been 52 cases of homicide in the
division, an increase of nine when compared with figures for the corresponding period last year.
But the police are enjoying a better rate of success in clearing up murders this year, compared to last
year.
"We have arrested 32 persons in connection with the homicides committed since January. At this time
last year, we had only arrested 16 persons in connection with the 43 murders committed," said Det.
Insp. Phipps.
He said the murders were scattered throughout the division, mainly in Seaview Gardens, Union
Gardens and Cockburn Gardens. The murders in those areas have been linked to gang violence.
"We are now reviewing the motives behind these murders, with a view to implementing preventive
measures," the detective said.
Deputy Supt. Fitzgerald Barrett said that in the weeks ahead the police would be involved in a series
of spot checks throughout the division, targeting suspects and flushing out the perpetrators of crime.

Two killed, three illegal guns seized - St Andrew South cops' crimefighting initiative reaps success
published: Tuesday | June 28, 2005

Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter

352

Three 9mm pistols, along with several rounds, were recovered by the Hunts Bay police yesterday morning during an alleged
shoot-out with gunmen in separate incidents in the south St. Andrew area. Two of the men were shot dead by the police. NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

THE NEW crime-fighting initiative launched by the St. Andrew South Police Division on
Saturday has begun to reap success, following the seizure of three illegal firearms in the
Olympic Gardens and Balcombe Drive area yesterday.
"Since January, we have seized 67 illegal guns and 1,300 assorted rounds of ammunition," Deputy
Superintendent Oswald Ayre, who is in charge of the operation, told The Gleaner yesterday.
During separate operations yesterday, two men were shot and killed in what the police said were
shoot-outs. The first shooting took place along Grass Quit Glade, where Constable Desmond Douglas
was cut down by gunmen two months ago.
According to the police, they were shot at, and after returning the fire, one man was shot and killed. In
the other incident, residents of Balcombe Drive staged a protest over the fatal shooting of a man who
the police said engaged them in a shoot-out. The police said an illegal firearm was seized following
the incident.
Head of the Bureau of Special Investigation (BSI), acting Assistant Commissioner Granville Gause,
confirmed yesterday that his team of investigators is probing both shootings.
'OPERATION RESTORE'
"I am yet to get a preliminary report into both incidents," ACP Gause told The Gleaner yesterday
afternoon.
Despite their limited resources, the St. Andrew South police's new initiative, dubbed 'Operation
Restore', is aimed at targeting the problem areas in the 33 depressed communities in the area.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Several recommendations of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) were implemented in the
division in an effort to reduce the growing homicide rate. At least 44 additional police personnel, nine
patrol cars, six motorcycles and three bicycles were deployed in the division.
Speaking with The Gleaner last week, the divisional commander, Superintendent Newton Amos, said
after the implementation of the PERF recommendations in April 2002, homicides in St. Andrew South
decreased from 168 to 150.
"We have had more operations than any other division this year. We have also recovered the most
guns and seized the most guns so far," said Supt. Amos.

Abducted St Andrew woman rescued

353

Published: Monday December 8, 2014 | 8:54 am 6 Comments

Debbie-Ann Wright, News Editor - Radio

KINGSTON, Jamaica:
A woman who was reportedly abducted in St Andrew on Friday has been rescued by the
police.
She was located by members of the St Andrew South police based on information provided
by the Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID).
Head of OCID, Senior Superintendent of police Clifford Chambers says she was found about
8:30 last evening in the St Andrew South area.
SSP Chambers says the police were able to locate her using information received and cellular
phone data.
SSP Chambers has declined to say exactly where the woman was found or to disclose her
name.
He says the abducted woman was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where she was
admitted in critical but stable condition.
SSP Chambers says she is to be interviewed today.
The woman who is in her twenties was reportedly abducted as she travelled on a bus from her
home in West Kingston to visit friends in the Riverton City area.
She was reportedly prevented from getting off the bus at her intended destination.
The police have indicated that the woman was not the only person who was abducted but say
they are still carrying out investigations in that regard.

1,476 MURDERS in Jamaica - LAST YEAR'S DEATH FIGURE

SURPASSED
published: Thursday | November 24, 2005

Byron Buckley and Glenroy Sinclair, Gleaner Writers

Superintendent of Police Newton Amos (left), head of the St. Andrew South Division, stretches across the table to converse
with Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, during yesterday's St. Andrew South Crime Prevention and Community
Safety Forum held at the Church of the Open Bible, Washington Boulevard in St. Andrew. - CARLINGTON WILMOT/
FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER

354

AS Jamaica's murder rate reached a historic high this week, Finance and Planning Minister, Dr.
Omar Davies, yesterday called on the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to provide scientific
clues to address the crisis.
Dr. Davies' call, made yesterday during the opening of a PIOJ conference, comes against the
background of 1,476 murders recorded to date this year. The current murder figure is five more than
the previous record set at the end of last year, with just under 40 days remaining in 2005.
According to police records, the majority of the blood was spilled in the St. Andrew South police
division, which has 31 volatile inner-city communities. At least 243 persons have been murdered in
the division this year.
The brutal killings in St. Andrew South continued yesterday morning as two men were murdered by
gunmen at their home on Glen Road, off Maxfield Avenue. The victims have been identified as Dane
McMurray and Morris Walters.
"There is a scope for us to rigorously and analytically examine what are the causal factors (behind
crime)," Dr. Davies said during the opening ceremony of the two-day confab on economic and social
development planning being held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.
FACTORS CAUSING CRIME
"Based on that rigorous analysis, rather than in a sort of pontificating manner, (we need to determine)
what are the causal factors (related to crime) and how do we stop the problem and ensure it is
reduced over time," he posited.
He argued that while unemployment was a contributory factor, it was not the sole factor behind crime.
Hence, the need for the PIOJ to research and analyse the root causes of the phenomenon.
In addition to crime, the Finance and Planning Minister instructed the planning agency to also provide
policy directives in the areas of education, greater integration of the small and medium sized
enterprises into the economy, the eradication of poverty, and increased adherence to environmental
regulations.
Superintendent Newton Amos, the commanding officer for the St. Andrew South police division, said
yesterday that inner-city youth were to blame for the rampant criminality in his division, which includes
tough communities such as Whitfield Town, Payne Land and Olympic Gardens.
He said that, of the 242 murders there in 2004, 90 per cent of the persons arrested were young men
between the ages of 16 and 35.
Superintendent Amos was speaking yesterday during the St. Andrew South Crime Prevention and
Community Safety Forum at the Church of the Open Bible in St. Andrew.
MURDERS
YEAR AMOUNT
2004 1,471
2005 (to date) 1,476
TOP TEN DIVISIONS
ST. ANDREW SOUTH 243

355

ST. CATHERINE NORTH 208

ST. JAMES 125
KINGSTON EAST 118
ST. CATHERINE SOUTH 117
KINGSTON WEST 111
ST. ANDREW CENTRAL 110
ST. ANDREW NORTH 86
CLARENDON 85
KINGSTON CENTRAL 59

Different without dons - Commish profiling 'criminal actors'

Published: Sunday | October 9, 2011 11 Comments

356

Joel Andem

357

358

123456>

Tyrone Reid, Senior Staff Reporter

Jamaica's Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington is convinced that crime-riddled
communities across the island are markedly different places after dons are arrested or
killed by the police.
The country's top cop noted his claim in the latest edition of the Jamaica Constabulary Force
(JCF) Orders that was promulgated to members of the police force and the media on Friday.
"You will observe the dramatic change in the crime and security environment when certain
criminal actors meet their demise or are removed from the streets," the commissioner said.
He continued: "Matthews Lane is a changed place without Donald Zekes Phipps. The entire
downtown Kingston is changing for the better after decades of decline following the removal
of actors such as 'Puggu' of South Side, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, his brother Leighton
(Livity) Coke of Kingston West; Ruel James o/c Rooxie of Rose Town; 'Machine Man' of
South St Andrew, Donovan 'Bulbie' Bennett and Tesha Miller, Spanish Town, Orane Baldie
o/c Dubbie Newlands; Eldon Calvert and Doggie Montego Bay; Joel Andem and lately
Christopher Linton o/c 'Dog Paw' and 'Donevo' St Andrew North and there are countless
others.'
Reduced crime rate
To bolster his position, Ellington noted that crime figures fell dramatically in St Andrew
South and Clarendon in the last two years with the pacification of gangs "but more so the
removal of evil influential leadership and actors".
359

Meanwhile, the top cop revealed that the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) has been tasked
to work with divisional commanders in identifying and profiling the "significant actors" and
their support who remain in the communities and continue to influence killings for profit.
"These individuals will be targeted at two levels. Firstly, the divisions must deploy their Proactive Investigation Teams with the support of JCF lawyers to pursue and build strong cases
against these individuals with the hope of securing their conviction and imprisonment, while
stripping them of assets."
Second, the commissioner noted that the Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID)
along with the Transnational Crime and Narcotics Division will select the "dirty dozen" who
will get strategic level attention which will include the application of MLAT provisions where
appropriate.
Targets being set
"As a control mechanism, divisional and national targets must be agreed on by November 30,
2011. Profiling and casings must be completed by December 31 and the head of Criminal
Investigation Branch must be in a position to brief the EMG (executive management group)
on this," said Ellington, who also disclosed that the Police High Command, as is customary
with other elements of the counter-gang offensive, would monitor and provide strategic
guidance on this initiative.
"Gangs and organised crime constitute the most credible threat to our security, prosperity and
civilised way of life. They are motivated by greed and will stop at nothing to feed their greed.
Problem is, they will never be satisfied as there will never be enough resources to satisfy
greed," reasoned the commissioner of police as he addressed primarily the men and women
under his command.
According to Ellington, gangs will not go quietly into the night, they have to be conquered.
"Experience has taught us that gangs and organised crime cannot be deterred. They must be
defeated," he said.

CRIME REPORT
published: Thursday | March 31, 2005

Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter

360

Senior Superintendent Newton Amos inspects a Smith and Wesson gun seized during a shoot-out in the Majesty Gardens area
of St. Andrew earlier this month. One man was shot dead by the police during the shoot-out. - Rudolph Brown/Chief
Photographer

Jamaica's homicide count stood at a frightening 411 at the end of March, according to police crime
statistics. Three of the country's bloodiest divisions St. Andrew South, St. Catherine North, and St.
James have contributed to just under half of the number of persons murdered since January. These
are the prime areas which Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas said he would be targeting. Recently,
he said that he would be increasing the relevant resources in these divisions, in order to reduce the
murder rate.
ST. CATHERINE NORTH
Police working with communities
MURDERS SINCE JANUARY: 56
COMMANDING OFFICER: Superintendent Kenneth Wade
WHILE COMMISSIONER Thomas has increased the human resources in the violence-prone St.
Catherine North division, the commanding officer, Superin-tendent Kenneth Wade, said soldiers were
not deployed to this division.
"The soldiers are not here as yet, but we have been using an intervention process to defuse feuds
between rival factions," he said.
Elaborating on the point, the officer explained that the intervention of the Peace Management Unit
(PMI) dialogue with the leadership of the communities and assistance of local support groups, are the
tools he has been using to reduce tension between the communities.
Superintendent Wade said the police have been silently working with both governmental and nongovernmental organisations to take on various roles in the communities. These could help tackle
problems, such as the high illiteracy rate, the deep rooted social problems and political divisions.
SOUTH ST. ANDREW
Intelligence unit doing a good job
MURDERS SINCE JANUARY: 69
COMMANDING OFFICER: Superintendent Newton Amos Superintendent Amos said his divisional
intelligence unit is doing a fantastic job.

361

"THIS IS a unit that helped us to recovered 27 of the 105 guns we seized last year. I depend on this
unit to deploy my resources on a daily basis," said Supt. Amos, who added that there were at least 90
arrests in connection with the weapons found.
The unit, which is one of those spearheading the Jamaica Con-stabulary Force's modernisation
process, has helped the St. Andrew South police to target specific individuals, rather than carrying out
mass round-ups of detainees.
One of Superintendent Amos' main concerns is the poor success in the courts.
This he blamed on the unwillingness of witnesses to testify in court, faulty preparation of case files
and the absence of police personnel from court, which sometimes resulted in the release of the
accused persons.
"Disciplinary actions are being taken against some of these policemen," said Supt. Amos. "Some of
the charges are criminal ones and others are internal."
Among the obstacles faced by the lawmen in St. Andrew South is a shortage of safety equipment.
ST. JAMES DIVISION
Tourism sector pledges aid
MURDERS SINCE JANUARY: 40
COMMANDING OFFICER: Senior Superintendent K.K. Knight
SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT K.K. Knight of the St. James Division when contacted on Tuesday
declined to comment on the crime situation in his division, asking to be interviewed at a later date.
The tourism and other business interests in the parish have expressed serious concern about the
galloping crime problem in the resort. Last year, a group of business interests committed to provide
resources, such as vehicles and petrol to assist the police in the fight against crime and violence in
the parish.

Curfews imposed to tackle upsurge in crime

Published: Sunday January 8, 2012 | 12:14 pm 4 Comments

Several curfews have been imposed in sections of St Andrew and St Catherine as the security
forces take aim at the sharp increase in murders and shootings since the start of the year.
More than 30 people have been killed since January 1. The lock downs follow an
announcement by national security minister Peter Bunting, that several curfews would be
enforced to curb the rising murder trend.
According to the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), the operations will affect
the communities of August Town and African Gardens in Central St Andrew; Payne Avenue
in South St Andrew; Park Heights, Portmore Lane; Washington Boulevard and Naggos Head
in St Catherine South; and Ellerslie Pen, 41-55 Job Lane and 75-91 Lanes off St Johns Road
in the St Catherine North division.

362

The curfews, which began at 6:00 yesterday evening, will be lifted at 6:00 tomorrow evening
except in St Andrew South, where it will be removed at 6:00 this evening.
During the hours of the curfews, people within the boundaries are required to remain within
their premises unless otherwise authorised in writing by the member of the security forces
who is in charge of enforcing the curfew. Mr Bunting says the security forces will intensify
their operations in all parishes.
He announced the measure as one of two strategies after his first official meeting with
Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington and Chief of Defence Staff Major General Antony
Anderson yesterday.
Mr Bunting has warned criminals that the new administration will move decisively to stem
the spike in murders and shootings.

Top cops to be promoted

Published: Saturday | January 1, 2011 8 Comments

Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter

Police Commissioner Owen Ellington has recommended the promotion of several officers in
tandem with the many transfers he announced yesterday.
There has been no word on the promotions from Ellington, but police sources yesterday
confirmed that a number of men and women have been recommended to move up.
"The Commissioner has decided that there are eight divisions to be led by a Senior
Superintendent of Police (SSP), so he has asked the Police Services Commission to promote
the Superintendents who head these divisions," a reliable source told The Gleaner yesterday.
"These Senior Superintendents will be supported by a team of Superintendents and Deputy
Superintendents, so there will be promotions all around," the source added.
Among the divisions to be headed by a SSP are St James, Clarendon, St Andrew South and
the two St Catherine divisions.
The other divisions to be headed by SSPs are Kingston Western, St Andrew Central and St
Ann.
This means that Linette Williams-Martin, who has been shifted from Trelawny to St James, is
up for promotion.
Well-known crime fighters
363

Others recommended for promotion to the rank of SSP are well-known crime fighters Delroy
Hewitt, who remains in charge of St Andrew South; Derrick 'Cowboy' Knight, who continues
to lead St Andrew Central; and Terrence Bent, who has been shifted to the Kingston Western
Division.
Superintendent Colin Pinnock, who has been moved to St Catherine South, is also up for
promotion as is Anthony Castelle, who remains at St Catherine North.
Another popular cop, Superintendent Dathan Henry, who heads the Clarendon Police is also
up for promotion as is Deputy Superintendent Arthur Brown, who is to be replaced as the
head of the Kingston Western police but will remain in the division in a senior role.
St Ann is now to be headed by SSP Carlton Wilson, so there was no need for Ellington to
recommend a promotion in his case.
It is expected that the Police Services Commission will give the green light for the
promotions before the transfers become effective on January 17 and 20.
Other transfers announced by Ellington in the Force Orders published yesterday include
Assistant Commissioner (ACP) Novelette Grant, who will leave the Strategic Review
Implementation Team (SRIT) to head the challenging Police Area Five Headquarters.
Police Area Five comprises the divisions of St Andrew North, St Catherine South, St
Catherine North and St Thomas.
SSP Dormah Harrison will take over the leadership of SRIT.
Inspector General
In the meantime, ACP Delworth Heath is to become the new Inspector General of the Force
replacing Deputy Commissioner Charles Scarlett, who begins his retirement in early January.
Heath is now the head of training at the Jamaica Police Academy and he will be replaced by
ACP Clifford Blake.
ACP Kingsley Robinson, now in charge of Police Area Three, will move to the Inspectorate
with SSP Derrick Cochrane taking control of Area Three.
Another ACP, Leon Rose, who now heads the Mobile Reserve, is moving to the Services
Branch with SSP George Quallo replacing him.
Former traffic boss SSP Elan Powell has been shifted to the headquarters of Criminal
Investigation Branch (CIB) from the Jamaica Constabulary Staff College.

364

SSP Wray Palmer has been moved from heading Area Five to the Operations Branch, while
SSP Donovan Graham moves from the Mobile Reserve to Area Four where he will report to
ACP Gervis Taylor who remains in place.
More Sharing ServicesShare | Share on facebook Share on myspace Share on
google Share on twitter

Water and Sanitation , Central Kingston

'You're moving too slow, NWC' International agencies say commission

taking too long to implement well-needed
projects already financed
Published: Sunday | June 16, 2013 14 Comments

A National Water Commission plant in Kingston. - File

Two of the world's foremost lending and grant-aid organisations are unimpressed by the
efforts of the National Water Commission (NWC) to implement multibillion-dollar
projects that are funded by them.
The agencies have reportedly signalled to the Government that it needs to move urgently to
ensure that the NWC implements the projects on a more timely and efficient basis.

365

The Sunday Gleaner last week confirmed that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
and the World Bank are very concerned regarding operations at the NWC.
However, the NWC says it is not to be blamed as it is the procurement process that is slowing
the implementation of these multibillion-dollar projects.
"The process in terms of project implementation is unfortunately very long," said NWC's
Corporate Public Relations Manager Charles Buchanan.
"The time-consuming elements is as a result of a desire for transparency, fairness and
protection but results in significant time being used up, sometimes months and even years,"
added Buchanan.
He was responding to charges by Howard Arzu, the operations senior specialist, the Country
Department - Jamaica, at the IDB, who told The Sunday Gleaner that the NWC's continued
failure to implement multibillion-dollar projects on a timely basis requires urgent attention.
"We would like to see programme execution benefiting from a more streamlined and efficient
decision-making process within the NWC and the Government of Jamaica," said Arzu in an
emailed response to queries by our news team.
Need for efficiency
According to Arzu, while the organisation is convinced that the money it has pumped into the
NWC - US$158 million in loans and another US$1.48 million in technical cooperation - is
necessary for the development of projects, there is a need for implementation efficiency.
Arzu charged that there is need for a more hands-on approach from the central Government,
as the internal management systems at the NWC have been found wanting.
"This would ensure timely delivery of benefits to the Jamaican people," he stressed.
However, Arzu pointed out that the IDB is satisfied that the loans and technical cooperation
grant it has allocated to NWC were necessary to advance Jamaica's infrastructural
development.
"The need for these resources is well justified and would address NWC's goal of enhancing
efficiency and improving the operations and services that the utility provides to the Jamaican
population."
In providing a breakdown, the IDB disclosed that a loan of US$25 million has been disbursed
to the NWC to develop the Kingston Water and Sanitation Programme, while another loan of
US$133 million is for the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) Water Supply Improvement
Programme.
The organisation has also provided a grant of US$1.48 million in technical cooperation for
the preparation for the KMA Water Supply Improvement Programme.

366

In the meantime, while World Bank representatives were less inclined to showcase specific
details. However, they agreed with the NWC that "the cumbersome procurement processes
often delays progress".
This was the highlight of a five-day workshop hosted by the World Bank recently.
World Bank country representative to Jamaica, Giorgio Valentini, said the workshop covered
financial management, procurement, disbursement issues and some typical problems
associated when implementing World Bank financed projects.
He said the workshop was intended to be very hands-on, looking at real-life examples of the
issues faced.
Valentini said the principles of the workshop were centred around building efficiencies,
focusing on utilising existing country systems in the effective management of the projects
and programmes.
According to Valentini, this was intended to eliminate the need for separate accounting and
auditing systems for the projects.
The World Bank's focus was welcomed by the NWC, which is struggling with the
bureaucratic hurdles.
"I think in some sense there may even be some sympathy and agreement with the sentiment
in terms of government, with strictures of procurement making it time-consuming," said
Buchanan.
Frustration
He told The Sunday Gleaner that that there has been a level of frustration even at the
ministerial level, as demonstrated by the previous minister Dr Horace Chang and the present
minister Robert Pickersgill.
Both ministers, from opposite sides of the political divide, have complained about the way
that procurement and other issues make the implementation of programme take longer than
desired.
"A thorough analysis of how much time is used will show that the time is used up as external
or international phases, as well as internally (at both government and NWC levels)," said
Buchanan.
He noted that advertisements for IDB-funded projects have to be placed in all IDB-affiliated
countries - another time-consuming exercise, as arrangements have to be put in place for a
minimum period.
Buchanan cited as an example of the time-consuming process of the exercise locally the
acquisition of simple water meters.
"That involved stages that take us a year before metres are available to us, subject to internal
subcommittee of boards along with due diligence, the input of sector committee and the
367

ministry to deal with procurement, then the National Contracts Commission. The process is
admittedly tedious," he asserted.

More concerns surrounding NWC

There are more questions being asked about the operations of the National Water
Commission (NWC) by members of its board and others inside the organisation.
The NWC occupies one of the largest fiscal space allowed by the Ministry of Finance this
year, with more than $10 billion to spend.
Sunday Gleaner sources say at recent meetings involving the NWC management and
members of its board questions have been raised regarding the possibility of a restructuring to
improve efficiency, and the implementation of programmes and projects to reduces cost of
production.
The consolidation of services to reduce cost, and the reduction of the monthly rent paid
(approximately J$5 million) by better utilisation of space.
Board members also argue that the NWC is the single largest public-sector entity, with a
management team comprising a president; 11 vice-presidents and six assistant vicepresidents.
After reporting an estimated loss of just under $2 billion last year, the commission is
projecting that a sharp increase in its income this year will leave it with a modest profit of
$267 million.
Part of that increase in income is expected to be driven by a tariff increase which the NWC
has already applied for.
However, members of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee of
Parliament have taken the NWC to task for wanting to increase rates while sitting on more
than $8 billion in loan funds provided for service improvements islandwide.
Government member Mikael Phillips disclosed that the NWC had spent only $2.5 billion, or
less than 20 per cent, of the $10.7 billion it had acquired to complete 11 projects in its 201213 capital programme.
Get cracking on downtown Kingston redevelopment
Published: Thursday | November 13, 2014 2 Comments

Andrew King, Guest Columnist

The downtown Kingston redevelopment programme was initiated by the Urban Development
Corporation (UDC) in the late 1960s. Since then, there have been many consultations, master
development plans and announcements of projects that would be the catalyst for the

368

redevelopment of downtown Kingston. Fast-forward to 2014 and examine the achievements

within the development framework over these 50-plus years.
Any successful long-term revitalisation and redevelopment of downtown Kingston must
include private-public partnerships. The UDC, through consultations, may convene the
strategy process, but that must quickly be led by the private entities (both local and
international) whose time and money will ultimately determine the effort's success.
The following are recommendations to the prime minister, who has direct responsibility for
the UDC:
1. A good starting point for comprehensive urban renewal is the redevelopment of Heroes
Circle, which will require the redesigning of the exterior of Heroes Park to allow the adding
of a third road lane around the park and down East Street (long-term vision is to transform
East Street into a Knutsford Boulevard with residential and commercial development). The
construction of a modern double-chambered Parliament building with underground parking
will be a new feature of Heroes Circle. The current George William Gordon House can be
renamed the Legislative and Parliamentary Museum.
2. Relocate the Office of the Police Commissioner, ministries of Justice, National Security,
Attorney General's Chambers (currently paying millions in rent at the NCB Towers), and the
Urban Development Cooperation into a newly constructed energy-efficient integrated
government complex to be located where the Machado Complex and the Central Sorting
Office is currently located. This integrated government complex will change the skyline of
the capital and will provide underground and surface parking, and ensure a 24/7 police
presence downtown. It is envisioned that departments within the Jamaica Constabulary Force
currently renting will be located within the complex along with the proposed FBI-style
agency. Importantly, the public can quickly and conveniently access services, other
government agencies and departments currently paying rent uptown. The land where the
current police commissioner's office is located should to be utilised for residential
development. If/when the global logistics hub becomes a reality, there will be an increased
demand for housing and other services by Jamaicans and expatriates, we must include in our
planning water taxi and ferry services from downtown to the Goat Islands.
3. Local and international investors should be invited by the Government to construct modern
eco-friendly and energy-efficient apartment towers featuring underground and multistorey
surface parking where the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre is currently located. Other
sites downtown, particularly sites overlooking the Kingston Harbour, should be earmarked
for eco-friendly residential and commercial developments. Buildings and land in public
ownership and strategically located sites that offer opportunities to introduce residential and
commercial projects can act as catalysts in reversing the dynamics leading to deterioration.
The Government should identify lands owned along East Street and earmark for modern
residential apartment towers for young professionals.

369

4. Demolish the current Justice Square multi-level parking lot and construct a new
multistorey building, which will feature increased multi-level parking, additional courtrooms
and judge's chambers, and all the amenities of a modern court building.
5. Relocate the Kingston Craft Market and use existing land and lands north of the craft
market (along Port Royal Street and Spanish Town Road) for the construction of multistorey
office spaces for the ICT and business process outsourcing industry. The increased traffic on
this side of the city should breathe new life into the underutilise bus park;
6. Construction of a boardwalk over the Kingston Harbour (along the waterfront which will
require redesigning) will feature restaurants, games arcade for kids, pubs, nightclub and retail
stores.
7. Construction and extension of the waterfront west of the proposed Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Foreign Trade building pass the Tower Street prison and Rae Town fishing village
(which will require proper facilities).
8. Construction of a scenic drive along the harbour side of the Michael Manley Boulevard.
Let us truly honour the late Francis Kennedy and Maurice Facey by fulfilling their vision of
transforming downtown Kingston into the cultural and economic hub of the Caribbean.
Maurice Facey's artistic impression of the waterfront and surrounding skyscrapers is an
excellent model and point of reference for the government to consider. I urge the prime
minister to develop a participatory programme that will promote community and stakeholder
involvement in the development of strategies for downtown Kingston.
Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com or abking020@gmail.com

Urban centre or a postmodern ghetto? How to revive

downtown Kingston
Published: Sunday | January 11, 2009

370

These boxes piled up on Heywood Street in downtown Kingston resulted in water settling along the road recently. - file

The following is an open letter to Prime Minister Bruce Golding and is published as part of the ongoing
debate on how best to revitalise the capital city.
Dear Sir:
I write this letter as a hopeful member of the downtown Kingston community. I use the word hopeful
because I am already encouraged by some of the things I have heard regarding plans for the city, and
also a few things I see happening that give hope.
I am very happy for the refurbishing of the St William Grant Park and for the building of that grand
monument with the names of our victimised children established on Church Street.
Another reason for my hope is that I see in you, sir, an honest desire to do well and to bring our
country back on a path of good governance, leadership, economic growth, high academic standards
and good morals. I would like to offer some suggestions as someone who has lived in the city all my
life and have observed many things.
IMPORTANCE
A city, using the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia's definition, is "an urban area with a high population
density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status, cities generally have advanced
systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, and transportation and more. This close
proximity greatly facilitates interaction between people and firms, benefiting both parties in the
process".
This definition highlights some of the very issues of interest to me, and also speaks to some of the
city's underlying problems.
The capital is usually the first place of interest for most persons wishing to visit or learn about a
particular country, and from the time they step off the plane in the capital, what they see helps to
shape their opinion of the place, people and government of the land.

371

No sensible government wants a run down city. Kingston is the capital of Jamaica, not St Andrew and
not Portmore. Yet, the latter two look aesthetically far more appealing than the capital; and are far
more urban in their development, housing, sanitation, administrative and even transportation (with the
new modern transport centre in Half-Way Tree). The streets are also cleaner, and this is no small
point.
From East Kingston to West Kingston there are abandoned, dilapidated, ugly and outmoded buildings
- both residential and commercial properties.
Historically, there are many narrow lanes and streets which tourists would find quaint in a place like
Venice.
Here in Kingston, these lanes are filled with garbage, sewage, dead animals, broken pavements and
walkways (a living hazard for the disabled). Some have forgotten what asphalt paving looks like.
should not be 'given up on'
As far as cities go, Kingston proper would rate as one of the smallest in this hemisphere and should
not be 'given up on' by moving Parliament and other government offices uptown or other such
nonsensical plans. What are we saying, that the city is unmanageable? Why can't downtown look just
as good as, and even better than, New Kingston?
All my life I have observed that no government in my time seems to care about downtown Kingston
which, through its rich history, business and commercial districts and people, add as much value to
this country as anywhere else.
I put it to you, sir, that where government over the years have neglected and failed in the proper
administration of the city, so have we failed as a country to progress in many areas. If we fail in the
city, the country fails, so it means if we can succeed in the city, the same format can be used as a
microcosm for the development of the rest of the country.
I firmly believe that no effort should be spared to ensure that the problems of the city be tirelessly
challenged and solutions found. Of course, no government can accomplish this task by itself, but a
collaborative effort is needed by all sectors of society, including the private sector, the Church and the
members of the communities themselves to ensure success. Here are some of my ideas, which I also
hope that you would seriously consider.
A CITY CENSUS
A census is overdue if the last one was done more than 10 years ago.
POPULATION CENSUS: How many persons actually live within the borders of Kingston? What are
the most concentrated age groups? Who are these people? What is their lifestyle? How many are

372

working and in what fields? Is there a way to track the activities of these people through the Taxpayer
Registration Number (TRN)?
In order to tackle crime, overpopulation and other serious issues in the city, these and other relevant
questions must be asked so that proper planning can be done to address the issues.
The schools, business and Church all have a role to play in this respect as far as acquiring
information about their own members and clients are concerned, and also disseminating information,
gathering volunteers and becoming centres for community participation and awareness.
BUSINESS CENSUS: There are so many businesses in Kingston both on and off the radar, it would
astound you to realise how much money and commercial activity flow in Kingston proper (i.e., below
Cross Roads) and the many persons who benefit across the island.
This includes businesses like wholesale, retail, distribution, sole traders, skilled persons and
professionals, many of whom do exceptionally good business, otherwise they would not be in the city.
issue guidelines
These businesses and people are integral to the process of rebuilding the capital and smart incentives
and guidelines must be given to them to get on board the process, to grow their businesses, and
improve the look of their surroundings.
This can be done by sales and marketing agents and strategists, who will make the calls and do the
foot soldiering work to teach these persons about the options and expertise available to them, along
with long- and short-term loans, technological training and equipment.
These Kingston businesses contribute a lot to the garbage, rodent and sanitation problems in the city,
with dumping in gullies and other inappropriate areas constituting a major portion of the capital's
problem. As I mention this, I am also speaking of one of the biggest market areas in the Caribbean
which sells produce, meat, fish, dry goods and clothing right here in the city but is really underregulated, poorly managed and designed to perpetuate every major issue that the country has.
redesign market area
The whole market area needs to be redesigned with a more defined and modern focus with better
facilities for space, parking, restrooms, eating, policing, etc., that takes the large numbers of users into
account. More stringent measures need to be put in place to enforce the Anti-Litter Act, as also more
trained and better-paid manpower is needed.
Where are the city's sanitation inspectors and district constables and persons trained to spot and
address these problems? If there aren't enough of them, then here's an opportunity to gainfully
employ some people.

373

PROPERTY CENSUS: Here I speak of real property, i.e., land and building. For proper future
planning and development to occur, some property needs to be bought by the Government and used
to help facilitate this development. Other property may simply need to be acquired for a more
aesthetic and urban appeal to be established, based on your new model of the city which properly set
out the structure for commercial and residential areas.
There are far too many dilapidated, burnt-out, abandoned or captured buildings and property within
the city. Is Kingston an urban centre or a post-modern ghetto? If the true owners have abandoned it or
cannot afford to maintain it at a set standard, then it needs to be acquired for a housing and business
development plan that is strategic and comprehensive.
I can tell you that a lot of these properties, 'captured' and legitimate and found on every corner of
Kingston, constitute a large part of the warehousing for the crime, drugs and guns trade along with a
myriad of other illegal activities. Taking back these properties will help you to take back the city, and
will flush out many small criminals and destabilise some of the gangs whose family and support
network is tied up in these same run down rented and tenement spaces.
DIRECTION AND LEADERSHIP
The people themselves living in much of Kingston are decent and law-abiding persons, many of whom
may be undereducated and unskilled doing menial or labouring jobs. A few are illiterate and
unemployable. There are, however, a large number of reasonably educated, skilled, highly gifted and
trained persons who would like to see improvement in their communities, and are just awaiting the
opportunity to help make a difference if asked. We need both proper direction and leadership.
As far as housing for Kingstonians is concerned, I believe the solution probably lies with building
tasteful and modern apartments for low-income persons who demonstrate that they work and are
useful members of society and can be trained to properly maintain and appreciate their new homes.
Living in Central Kingston, where there is a hodgepodge of people thrown together in between
commercial buildings, I have never had a sense of what a community really is.
We are just here! I've never met an MP or been called to a community or town meeting to discuss
plans for the city. If these meetings have been called for the general public, then the advertising has
been too poor, and better use of the urban centres for gathering, including churches, bars, salons,
restaurants and retail shops, and even the gambling shops, need to be utilised for disseminating
information.
communication
Communicating with us, the people, on a down-to-earth level and having us share your vision, Mr
Prime Minister, is going to be a vital step to getting our participation and cooperation.

374

You, as Government, and also the Opposition, are among us when you are in Parliament making
decisions about our future, for which we have never been consulted. Please do not think that we are
so ignorant or naive that we cannot understand how we are being affected or neglected as a people in
the city.
Remember that if we go forward, we go forward together or not at all, and the latter will spell disaster
for this entire country.
Thank you for hearing me out and all the very best.
I am, etc.,
SHAWN THOMAS
abop.info@gmail.com
KINGSTON

Drought drains NWC's revenue

Published: Friday | June 4, 2010 Comments 0

The state-owned monopoly piped water provider, National Water Commission (NWC),
is accustomed to revenue shortfalls, a situation that has got from bad to worse. With net
consumer receivables of more than $2.7 billion up to February, the utility company is
now collecting anywhere between $100 million and $200 million less per month as result
of simply not having enough of the sole commodity it sells, to go around. Over a 12month period of the current drought condition, which began last year, the water agency
could be staring at an additional $2.4-billion hole in its budget.
375

With the latest financial bind, NWC officials are fearful that the company's capacity to
respond to a crisis, with the hurricane season looming, has been severely compromised.
"We are seriously concerned about the (possible) impact of the hurricane season," Charles
Buchanan, the agency's corporate communications manager, has said.
"We are moving from one crisis to another," he told the Financial Gleaner this week.
"We may be called upon to fund a repair and restoration process, but, in the context of the
reduction in revenue, there will be limits in what we are able to achieve," Buchanan said of
the possible scenario of a major storm hitting the island in a season the United States-based
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting will be an active one.
The cash-strapped central government is not ideally in a position to bailout the NWC, should
its fortunes deteriorate further and, as Buchanan has pointed out, for several years now, the
commission has been handling its recurrent and capital projects without help from the
consolidated fund. External sources of financing for the agency have largely been confined to
international organisations with the amounts forthcoming proving insufficient.
Heavy price
Last November, the commission floated a seven-year bond on the Jamaican market
successfully rai-sing $900 million in a one-week private placement.
But the debt came at a heavy price, an initial 21.17 per cent on the first six-month coupon
payment, a premium, then more than four percentage points above the prevailing benchmark
six-month treasury bill rate.
Buchanan said the proceeds would be used to pay down some of the NWC's United Satesdollar debt.
"The bond issue was for the retirement of portions of shorter term debt - liabilities (that are)
attached to loans that financed repairs to the hurricane-damaged Yallahs Pipeline, which pulls
water to the Mona Reservoir for distribution within Kingston, and that funded a portion of the
Soapberry project, a triple-agency joint venture project that built a state-of-the-art sewage
treatment facility serving parts of the capital as well as sections of Portmore," he said.
According to Buchanan, the Government, now currently operating under the constraints of
the International Monetary Fund programme, is not likely to be inclined to issue new loan
guarantees on behalf of the water agency.
There was clear knowledge that, as matter of policy, the NWC operates without national
budget support.

376

But, offering some good news for NWC clients, Buchanan said projects were in train to
improve over the next 24 months, storage and supply systems in the event of another drought.
The plans include the US$211-million Jamaica water supply improvement project being
funded by the France-based BNP Paribas and Bank of Nova Scotia, the Kingston water and
sanitation pro-ject financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and costing US$40
million, and the US$85-million Kingston metropolitan water supply project funded by Japan.
avia.collinder@gleanerjm.com

Page 35 - JAMAICA MEMORANDUM ON THE

BUDGET 2012-2013
Basic HTML Version

View Full Version

Table of Contents

Page 34

Page 36

377

378

TheKingstonWaterandSanitation
(KWS)Projectcosting$1,266mn.
Key
components

include
rehabilitationoftheMonaandHope
watertreatmentplants,rehabilitation
ofwatersupplyfacilitiesand
constructionofthenewDarlingStreet

pumpingstation.

CorporateGovernance
Astrategicdecisionwastakenbythe
Governmentinthelate1990'stoimprove
corporategovernanceinpublicbodies,
consequentongeneraldissatisfactionwith
theirlevelsofefficiency,transparencyand
accountability.Asaresult,umbrella
legislationforpublicbodieswasenacted,
namelythePublicBodiesManagementand

Accountability(PBMA)Act,2001.
Sincethen,effortshavebeenmadetoupdate
andimprovethegovernanceframework
withinwhichpublicbodiesoperate.Tothis
endthePBMAActhasbeenamendedin
2003,2010and2011.Theamendmentsin
2010and2011incorporateelementsofthe
FiscalResponsibilityFramework(FRF)
applicabletopublicbodies.
TheFRF
requiresimprovedlevelsoffiscalprudence,

379

transparencyandbehaviouronthepartofthe
centralgovernmentandpublicbodies.A
significantchangethatisincludedintheraft
oflegislativeamendmentsistherequirement
forthecorporateplansandbudgetsofpublic
bodiestobedebatedandapprovedbythe
Parliament,insteadofmerelybeingtabledas
wasdonepreviously.Thiselevatestheplans
andbudgetstoahigherlevelof
Parliamentaryscrutinysimilartowhat

obtainsforthecentralgovernment.
Duringthe2011112legislativeyear,3
Regulationsintendedtogiveeffecttothe
provisionsofthePBMAActandtheFRF

wereapprovedbyParliament.Theseare:
1.ThePublicBodies(Financial

Distribution)Regulation2012;
2.ThePublicBodiesManagementand
Accountability(Informationand

Particulars)Regulation2012;and
3.TheFinancialAdministrationand
Audit

(Fiscal
Responsibility

Framework)Regulation2012.
Withinthecontextofstrengtheningthe
accountabilitysystemsofgovernmentto
facilitate,amongotherthings,greater
transparencyandefficiencyinthefunctions
ofgovernment,theMOFPincollaboration

380

withtheCabinetOfficehassoughttodefme
andclarifytheaccountabilityandcorporate
governanceframeworksinorderto
strengthenGovernment'scapacitytomanage
forresults.Thishasledtothedevelopment
of(i)theAccountabilityFrameworkwhich
wasapprovedbytheCabinetinJanuary2010
and(ii)theCorporateGovernance

Framework(CGF)in2011.
TheCGFforpublicbodiesseekstopromote

effective
systems
ofcontrol

and
accountability,aswellasamoreresponsible
attitudeonthepartofthosehandling

Governmentresources.
AdditionalRegulationswillbedevelopedto
enhancetheeffectivenessofthePBMAAct,
includingtheCodeofConductforDirectors
andtheCodeofAuditPractices.The
strengthenedaccountabilitysystemsof
PublicBodieswillallowforgreaterprobity,
transparencyandefficiencyinthefunctions

ofgovernment.
TheMOFPhasbeenprovidingtrainingin
corporategovernancetotheleadershipof
PublicBodiessince2007.Thetraining,
whichisdeliveredthroughworkshopsand
Ministl)'ofFinanceandPlanning

381

BudgetMemorandum2012/13
Chapter3Page3

Jamaica Gleaner

NWC accused of skewed priorities

published: Sunday | November 23, 2003

THE OFFICE of Utilities Regulation has accused the National Water Commission of focussing on the
operations of the North Coast Wastewater District (NCWD), which was recently developed to provide
wastewater services to the Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios areas, whilst ignoring other treatment
facilities, especially in the Metro and Southern Regions.
Ignored are communities such as Harbour View in Kingston, where the central sewerage treatment
plant has been out of operation since 1987. Just two weeks ago Minister of Water and Housing,
Donald Buchanan, in response to Opposition questions in Parliament, said some of the community's
untreated sewage was now going directly into the sea.
"Yes, a portion of the discharge of raw sewage goes into the Kingston Harbour, but the major part
goes into the outer harbour," the Minister had said.
"This plant (Harbour View sewerage plant) was constructed in the late 1950s and by 1987, when it
became inoperable, it had long out-lived its useful engineering life of 20 years.
DECISION
"The fact that it has not been replaced is not a deliberate decision on anybody's part. This plant was
constructed by a developer as part of the Harbour View development and was subsequently taken
over by the NWC for operation and maintenance. The tariff rates given to NWC over the years have
never been sufficient to allow for capital cost recovery and replacement of the plant."
Despite this explanation by the Water Minister, the OUR's report of negligence by the NWC explained
that some $142 million was made available in 1999 to the NWC to rehabilitate wastewater facilities,
however, this was not done .
"The money has been used in potable water projects whilst the wastewater treatment facilities
continue to be operated in a deplorable condition."
PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT
The report further states that the NWC has acknowledged that a number of its plants are not in
compliance with the environmental standards stipulated by the National Environment and Planning
Agency (NEPA) and are currently negotiating a timetable to bring them into compliance.
Meanwhile Charles Buchanan, public relations manager at the NWC, said the Commission has spent
about $3 billion on new sewerage systems in the island in the last two years and there were plans
afoot for a US$400 million waste water improvement project in Kingston.

382

Despite this, however, he noted that the tariffs currently allowed the Commission by the OUR is
inadequate to address all sanitation problems.
The NWC provides sewerage services to 30 per cent of the population, with approximately 400,000
customers. It operates 100 sewage treatment plants, and 850 treated water storage facilities.
Three new systems were recently acquired by the NWC to handle sewage in Negril, Ocho Rios and
Montego Bay.

Facelift coming for 12 inner-city communities

published: Monday | April 17, 2006

A Flankers taxi driver making his way along damaged roads in the community last year. - FILE

THE JAMAICA Social Investment Fund (JSIF) is set to inject nearly $2 billion into 12 inner-city
communities across the island.
The project will be conducted under the Inner City Basic Services Project ( ICBSP)t to improve the
quality of life in these communities.
Government obtained funds from the World Bank to finance the project and an additional $167.4
million is to be procured for it to be carried out.
The 12 communities slated to benefit were selected through a prioritisation exercise that took into
consideration the levels of basic services in these areas, strength of community organisations and
levels of crime and violence.
UPGRADE WATER SUPPLY
Among them are Flankers, St. James; Bucknor in Clarendon; the communities of Central Village,
Tawes Pen, Africa, Shelter Rock, Lauriston and Knollis in St. Catherine; Jones Town, Federal
Gardens, Whitfield Town and Dunkirk in the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew.
The project will upgrade water supply distribution systems, sanitation and solid waste collection
systems. It will also aim to regularise electricity, street lighting; improve drainage, secondary and
tertiary roads, and construct community multipurpose and recreational facilities.
Through partnership with existing micro-finance entities, the ICBSP will also facilitate access to microfinance for community members who want to start or expand existing businesses. At a later stage this
component will also provide funding for incremental home improvement for residents.
To ensure its interventions will be sustainable, the ICBSP has signed a memorandum of
understanding with key service providers such as the National Water Commission, the National Solid
Waste Management Authority and at least three parish councils. Similar agreements are to be signed
with other stakeholders and with communities outlining the obligations and responsibilities of the
parties

383

Water and Sanitation West Kingston

New taste for Kingston Harbour water?
Published: Monday | November 5, 2012 Comments 0

Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

The waters of the Kingston Harbour are considered one of the most highly polluted in
the Caribbean, but with the right touch of human ingenuity and technology, it is already
proving to be a refreshing treat for those who dare to take a sip.
Considering that the National Environment and Planning Agency has listed improper sewage
treatment and disposal as the main contributor to the pollution of the harbour, it is easily
understood why many would want to steer clear of tasting its waters.
However, director of the School of Advanced Skills at the Caribbean Maritime Institute
(CMI), Osric Forrest, and his students are working to turn things around, and pretty soon,
Jamaicans could be stocking up on water from the dreaded harbour.
"It is polluted, but if you travel internationally, most of the best spots you go to, the water is
actually treated water - sewage. So the water produced here is still top of the game. This is
one of the few projects we have where we actually utilise the Kingston Harbour in creating
ways to satisfy our need, which is drinking water, a typical need," Forrest told The Gleaner.
Strategy to be different
He said the initiative began as one of CMI's major projects with the "whole concept of
climate change and mitigation" in mind. It is also part of CMI's strategy to be different.
"We are actually using a typical process, which is reverse osmosis. What is new is that we
have used solar energy to drive the system, so there is no immediate cost in terms of energy
fossil fuels," Forrest said.
The technology to purify and package the water, he said, costs between US$5,000 and
US$10,000.
Currently, the treated water is also packaged at the same plant on the institution's compound,
and Forrest said he is looking to market both the plant and the treated water.
According to him, Pedro Cays might just be one of the first areas to benefit.
"We are planning to roll it out [for] the fisherfolks around the island who have problems with
water for sanitation purposes ... . We are looking at the Pedro Cays where we could have this
portable, renewable energy system that can be set up in a small area to provide the drinking
water."
384

He said the institution is currently seeking funding and assistance from support agencies to
buy into the project.
"We are a training institution. We don't have the resources, but once anybody comes onboard, we will open the doors to the technology. We also will improve it, customise it based
on where it is going, and we can do the training of the staff and offer support services in
terms of technical assistance."
nedburn.thaffe@gleanerjm.com
Share

Enviro pollution taking toll on children

By Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION is taking a toll on millions of youngsters, including Jamaican
children, health officials state.
Although there is limited local research linking environment to respiratory, intestinal and other
illnesses, health officials add that anecdotal stories from caregivers and research from other
countries, regarding the harm caused by dust, smoke and bad environmental practices, provide
enough evidence for authorities to take the impact of environment on especially children's health,
seriously.
Dr. Kay Bailey, lecturer in the Child Health at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UWHI), says
Jamaica needs to do more research on certain illnesses and enforce guidelines or regulate sectors
such as the Day Care industry where children pick up several infections easily.
Other health officials said that the common illnesses affecting children include pneumonia, asthma
and gastroenteritis, which have been linked, at least anecdotally, to factors such as poor hygiene, a
lack of access to proper drinking water, sanitation and water and air pollution such as dust and
smoke.
Residents of several communities across the island have complained at intervals about dust and
smoke nuisances, garbage filled gullies and stagnant water, which sprout mosquitoes and breed rats
and other environmental hazards which have affected themselves and their children.
In 2000, Tivoli Gardens resident, Lisa Kerr said she had paid $6,000 in doctors' fees and medication
because she had to take her son, Romario Malvo, to see a doctor three times to treat sores that
developed from mosquito bites. She had been among protesters in Tivoli residents in West Kingston
who demonstrated at the state of a garbage-filled gully, said to cause several asthma attacks and
expose persons to 35 illnesses said to be carried by rats.
Just last month, residents of Harbour View in eastern Kingston complained of billows of dust particles
descending on their community. They said the particles came from Caribbean Cement Company, a
claim initially denied by the company, but which they subsequently said they would investigate.

385

"Most of the people around here have either asthma or sinus trouble, old or young and I believe it is
caused by the cement dust," said a resident, Baldwin Sharpe. That same month, Winston Charles
from Waterford in St. Catherine complained that he "spent $2,600 for antibiotics and $1,200 on
doctor's fee," because he had been made hoarse by smoke from a fire at the Riverton City Dump. The
smoke covered the community although it was several miles away.
Ministry of Health figures regarding public hospitals showed that respiratory and infectious parasitic
illnesses such as asthma and "gastro" were among the leading causes of illness and death for infants,
aged one to four. Respiratory illnesses brought 32 per cent of over 200,000 children, aged 1-4 brought
to hospitals in the 2000. About 15 per cent of children who died, did so from respiratory illnesses while
22 per cent lost their lives because of infectious and parasitic illnesses like gastro.
There were also 16 respiratory-related deaths of children between the ages one and 10 in 1998 and
an increase in 1999 with 28 deaths recorded in Government hospitals and UHWI. On the parasitic
side, gastro claimed 18 young lives in 2000.
Similar findings have been encased in a new study, presented at the recently concluded United
Nations Special Session on Children in New York, USA.
According to the study, entitled, "Children in the New Millennium: Environmental Impact on Health",
every day 5,500 children die from diseases caused by consuming water and food polluted with
bacteria.
The study said that the young, especially children under five years old are "the greatest victims of
environmental degradation" and that "the diseases largely influenced by this degradation, most
notably diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections, are two of the leading causes of child mortality."
Back to News E-mail this story

Not 'Meating' Standards - Slaughterhouse mess - Lack of checks, balances Deplorable premises, facilities
published: Monday | April 7, 2008

Mark Titus, Enterprise Reporter

Water settles outside the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation abattoir in west Kingston. - Photo by Mark Titus

386

Jamaica's abattoirs and slaughterhouses paint an ugly picture of chaos, neglect, limited
supervision and poor management, checks by The Gleaner have revealed.
The abattoir that serves the Corporate Area, located on Lindo Street, was buzzing with
excitement when this reporter first visited the facility about three weeks ago.
Garbage and the remains of derelict buildings lined both sides of the muddy road leading to
the location. Dogs walked freely on the compound, wagging their tails in anticipation as the
early-morning sky was filled with the sounds of animals being slaughtered.
Animal remains lying around
Flies showed no interest in a chunk of offal lying on the corridor, alongside two motor trucks
used to transport animals, taken in for slaughter.
The rundown cold storage at the entrance to the slaughter area was testimony to the kind of
infrastructure that was in place in better times, while flies could be seen making the most of
residue from the previous day's slaughter, on an aluminium cart.
A public health inspector (PHI) was among a group of about six men holding a conversation
about West Indies cricket at the slaughter room.
"Lend me yuh stamp deh, Speck," a man said while walking briskly towards the PHI. This
request was refused as the PHI looked suspiciously in my direction. Shortly after, a man came
and told me that I could not remain on the compound. He told me if I was there to buy meat, I
was too late. He then told me that my only chance was to catch up with Horace.
I soon learned that Horace supplies meat to the butchers and meat vendors at the markets in
the Corporate Area. I immediately left for the Coronation Market, which, it was believed,
would be his first stop.
The legendary market was a hive of activity when I arrived there. An elderly woman gave me
directions to the meat area, reluctantly, when she realised I had no plans to purchase any of
the breadfruit she had for sale.
Fishy business
I could hear the sound of chatter as I approached the entrance of the area where the fish
vendors were housed. To my amazement, a vendor stood akimbo, holding conversation with
another vendor who stooped, with her apron thrown over her shoulder, urinating in a drain
that ran below a line of old refrigerators that were used to store fish for sale. A few metres
away, in plain sight, vendors continued to sell meat. After relieving herself, the vendor wiped
her hands in her apron, and then went back to selling her 'fresh fish'.

387

Horace had come and gone, most of the meat vendors were busy hanging out their purchase,
while a small group gathered, discussing a new licensing rule. Drawing nearer to them, I
learned that they were not pleased that they were now required to be the holder of both a
butcher's and cutter's licence.
No proper certification
One man who claimed to be selling meat for more than two decades said that he had been
operating without the required certification, as he had never been asked to produce one. I also
learned from the conversation that PHIs would "pass through" once or twice per year, but
only to take a look at the facility, not to conduct a thorough inspection.
Flies figured prominently in the area where the vendors operated, seemingly immune to the
lime juice being used by a female vendor. The scene was the same at all the parochial markets
that the team visited.
When I returned to the Kingston abattoir two days later, it was deserted. A man came running
towards the vehicle as I parked. He introduced himself as Samuel, the watchman, and
informed me that those who were in charge had left.
I told him that I wanted to establish a relationship with the abattoir, with the intention of them
becoming the supplier for my meat shop. He told me that a Ms Davis was the person that I
had to talk to, but she was gone for the day. He, however, agreed to give me a tour of the
facility.
Dining area for dogs
Dogs were everywhere, making the most of the refuse that was thrown out. The chunk of
offal that was on the corridor on my first visit was still there.
Opening the gate leading to the slaughter area, Samuel explained that the cold room had not
been in operation for some time, so I would have to collect my meat as soon as the animal
was slaughtered. He said a PHI was always there to "stamp the meat".
Asked if the relationship with the PHIs was such that they would stamp my meat without
inspecting it, he said maybe, but warned me that it would "cost me a food".
Four pieces of meat, with flies all over them, were on a hook located in the passage leading to
the slaughter room.
"Is hog liver," he said, when I asked what it was. "A man supposed to come collect it later."
The skin of a cow with its tail still attached was on the floor of a room next to the slaughter
area, a watery substance running from it. "You can get beef for about $160 a pound
wholesale," he says.
388

Intestines and other organs from slaughtered animals, along with bloodstained aprons, were
everywhere. The aprons would be used the next morning during killing, my tour guide
explained.
Equipment woes
Samuel showed me a machine which is used to remove the hairs of the animal. It showed
years of neglect and was messy, bloody water running from beneath it. The greenish dirt on
the wall made it difficult to tell what the original colour of the tiles was.
Two messy bathtubs were placed alongside each other, about four feet from the boiler, which,
according to my tour guide, worked occasionally. According to Samuel, the butchers used the
bathtubs to wash the meat with hot water after the killings. Convinced that conditions could
not be worse in the other areas, I left.
Health hazards
The situation was the same throughout all the parishes, except for St James. All the
slaughterhouses have been divested or closed by the respective local authorities. Those that
are now in use are functioning below satisfactory requirements. Those visited by The
Gleaner team are considered possible health hazards to the consuming public.
The St James abattoir in Montego Bay is caught in a stand-off between the parish council and
the National Water Commission over the use of a wastewater plant.
When The Gleaner related some of the findings of our undercover exercise to Senator
Norman Grant, chairman of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, he lamented that food safety
standards were not being taken seriously.
"I think that as part of the repositioning of agriculture, the overall chain of distribution,
including our markets, must be brought up to international standards," said Senator Grant,
who first made the call for a comprehensive review of parochial markets in 2005.
"There is no reason why our markets cannot be lifted to a level that it becomes a tourist
attraction." He continued, "I think as a part of our culture, the way we sell our produce in
itself is a tourism product, but you cannot sell it as a segment unless you lift the standards
that our farmers and housewives are presently forced to operate in."
mark.titus@gleanerjm.com

Tivoli residents to get sanitary facilities

Published: Friday | September 14, 2012 4 Comments

389

Falconer

MORE THAN $70 million is to be spent in Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston, to provide
sanitary conveniences for residents in the community.
Sandrea Falconer, the minister with responsibility for information, said Cabinet has approved
a contract which is aimed at making living condition of residents more bearable.
"The work will include the demolition of structurally unsound sanitation blocks and the
construction of 51 sanitation blocks. Each block will have a water closet and a window,"
Falconer said.
She told journalists at Wednesday's Jamaica House press briefing that the contract will also
cover the connection of the new blocks to the existing sewer system.
"There is an urgent need to address the poor conditions under which residents live as, due to
the run-off from the existing facilities, they have had to suffer with persistent bad odour and
unhygienic conditions," Falconer said.
The project is being funded by a grant from the Caribbean Development Bank.

Govt to spend over $70m on Tivoli clean-up

Published: Wednesday September 12, 2012 | 11:13 am
Comments

390

with audio | 3

Monique Grange, Assistant News Editor

The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre
The government is to spend more than $70 million to clean-up the Tivoli Gardens
community in West Kingston.
Minister with responsibility for Information, Sandrea Falconer, said Cabinet has approved a
contract for the Tivoli Gardens Sanitation Project.
She told reporters at this mornings Jamaica House Press Briefing that the project will include
the demolition of structurally unsound blocks.
Falconer said 51 new sanitation blocks equipped with properly ventilated water closets will
also be constructed.
She said the initiative is being funded through a grant from the Caribbean Development Bank
which is supporting the implementation of projects under the Basic Needs Trust Fund.
A total of $70,160,768 will be spent on the project.
In the meantime, Falconer said $64,903,071 is to be spent to upgrade the March Pen
community in St. Catherine.
She said the community known as Africa, will be targeted under the programme which is
aimed at improving water sanitation, solid waste collection systems, the availability of
electricity as well as other community infrastructure.
Falconer said several roadways will also be rehabilitated and pipelines and fire hydrants
installed under the Inner-city Basic Services for the Poor Project, which is being funded
through a loan from the World Bank.
The contract for was awarded to Construction Solutions Limited.
radio@gleanerjm.com

Water and Sanitation South St. Andrew

391

$55m vision for South St Andrew

Medical Officer of Health and initiator of the project, Dr. Pauline Weir (left
with shovel) joins Minister of Health John Junor, in the symbolic gesture
of breaking new ground for the St. Thomas Health Department building.
The construction is funded jointly by the Netherlands Embassy and the
Government of Jamaica through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund
(JSIF) at a cost of $15 million. The Health Department, which serves 17
health centres in the parish, is scheduled to be completed by year-end.
FINANCE MINISTER and Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew, Omar
Davies, has unveiled a $55 million plan for his South St. Andrew constituency.
Dubbed 'Area of Excellence', the plan focuses on two areas of strength in the
constituency its rich cultural heritage, particularly in music; and excellence in
sports, Minister Davies said at Wednesday night's unveiling. He added that the
new development would build on existing achievements in the community.
Excellence Park, one of two main areas selected for development, will feature
a covered bandstand, ten vending stalls with benches, 55 permanent and 90
temporary parking spaces, changing and storage rooms and restrooms.
Landscaping will extend beyond the boundaries of the park along Collie Smith
Drive. The vending stalls will be operated by community members and would
be a source of income generation.
The park will also include footbridges over a gully into the nearby Tony
Spaulding Sports Complex and parking for the Complex. Total cost for this
component will be approximately $14 million.
The second primary prong of the development is an athletic training centre
which will house a boxing gym, locker rooms, bathrooms, a multi-purpose
room to be used for weight training and community events, two netball and two
basketball courts at a total cost of approximately $21 million.
In an audio-visual presentation to an audience which included diplomats,
business leaders, fellow ministers and members of the constituency as well as
potential sponsors, Dr. Davies outlined work already accomplished in the
constituency as well as his vision for the Area of Excellence, the latter aided by
architectural plans and an artist's rendering of the finished project.
He highlighted a $40 million sanitation project funded by the European Union
which rehabilitated sewerage systems, and improved water supply to the
constituency; the upgrading of equipment and furniture in several schools and

392

on-going work to bring about behavioural change in the constituency.

In inviting sponsorship in cash, kind and management skills, Dr. Davies said
there were several allied projects which were scheduled to come on stream
shortly and for which funding was either secured or well advanced. One was a
park at a cost of $3.5 million and additional stand for the Tony Spaulding
Sports Complex. This, he said, would cost $15 million but cement and steel for
the project had been secured.
Dr. Davies told his audience that his focus on sports stemmed from the belief
that the discipline necessary in sports would stand individuals and the
community well in other aspects of their daily life.
Back to Real Estate

Islandwide clean-up for Labour Day

THIS YEAR, the National Labour Day Committee proposes an islandwide clean-up campaign, which
will focus on community renewal and sanitation. In preparation for the clean-up, work has already
started at the dump sites at Riverton City, Kingston, and Retirement, Montego Bay, to be upgraded to
sanitary landfills.
Labour Day will be launched from the Culture Yard, Trench Town, Kingston, which will also serve as
the venue for the national project. Labour Day activities will contribute to the restoration of the Hon.
Robert Nesta Marley's home community and its environs, which encompasses the Vin Lawrence Park
immediately facing the Trench Town Culture Yard.
Following are some of the Labour Day activities planned for the parishes:
ST. MARY
Plans are in place for Labour Day 2000 in the parish, tomorrow, with the committee chaired by Ms.
Avis Lungrin, parish manager of the Social Development Commission, registering 21 projects.
The parish project, Port Maria, will entail cleaning and clearing of shrubs from roadways and the
beach at the Ocho Rios end of the town. Groups such as the Port Maria Health and Environmental
Committee and from churches in the town have pledged to assist in the clean-up.
A North Eastern Parks and Markets truck will be on hand to assist with the dumping of the garbage,
and it will provide garbage bags. Several other projects are listed for the Port Maria division.
In western St. Mary, one of the major projects to be undertaken is the patching of the road in the
districts of Mason Hall and Hamilton Mountain. Road work will also take place in Gayle; in Jacks
River, a garbage receptacle will be erected.

393

In south east St. Mary, cleaning of the beach behind the health centre, tiling of the floor at the outpatients' department at the Annotto Bay Hospital, and general beautification are among the projects
from that area.
ST. CATHERINE
Linstead: Organisations and groups in and around Linstead are each adopting a street this Labour
Day as part of their plan to sweep the town clean.
Baldwin McKenzie, Community Development Officer, St. Catherine Social Development Commission
(SDC), says street co-ordinators, responsible for monitoring various streets, would help to ensure that
the clean-up was up to standard.
Plans include cleaning drains, painting buildings, kerb walls and culverts.
Those activities, he said, signalled the town's intention to focus on "sustainable environmental
development on an on-going basis". He said the Linstead Labour Day planning committee had divided
the work into phases, to achieve that goal.
He explained that phase I of the project would target the town centre with the effort being
spearheaded by service clubs, community-based organisations and district development committees.
Phase II would be carried out in districts bordering Linstead and is to be done by the Linstead Youth
Organisation, Linstead Police Youth Club, and the North St. Catherine Junior Chamber.
SPANISH TOWN
The Social Development Commission (SDC) and the St. Catherine Parish Council, in collaboration
with vendors in Old Harbour Bay Fishing Village, are making final plans to give the village a major
facelift.
The fishing village is an internationally-known St. Catherine landmark, but it has been in a deplorable
condition for several years because of the lack of adequate management.
Other Labour Day projects for St. Catherine, include completing the fencing of the Poor Relief
Complex, Old Harbour, and beautification of the yard; erecting street signs, cleaning drains and whitewashing kerb walls in Little Greendale; the construction of a bridge by the Welch Heights Citizens'
Association; clearing of its playfield by the Ensom City Citizens' Association; the cleaning of gullies
and drains by the Featherbed Lane, Leiba Gardens, Tawes Pen and Dallas citizens' associations; and
cleaning of the Old Harbour Bay round-a-bout.
In Portmore, more than 70 projects have been recorded for Labour Day 2000. More than 60 of these
will focus on beautification and tree-planting.
ST. ANDREW
The Boone Hall Citizens' Association, west rural St. Andrew, plans to remove garbage from the Wag
Water River, which runs through the community, as its Labour Day 2000 project.
Marta McKnight, secretary of the Boone Hall Citizens' Association, says garbage from various sources
is often washed into the river, causing it to overflow its banks and flood the area.
With the approach of hurricane season, it's important to clear the river, says Marcia Saddler, the
SDC's Community Development Officer.

394

Citizens of the area have been advised to seek the help of Metropolitan Parks and Markets Ltd., to
remove debris as heavy equipment may be needed in some cases.

Search

Dry spell - Drought heading to crisis level

Published: Thursday | July 10, 2014 28 Comments

Several gallons of water rush from this broken water main along Spanish Town Road, across from Hardware and Lumber, even as
the country grapples with a drought. The water has been running to waste since last Friday. A businessman told The Gleaner that
workmen from the National Water Commission dug-up the area on Saturday but never returned. - Norman Grindley/Chief
Photographer

With no substantial amount of rainfall projected for the rest of the year, Jamaica is
headed for critical drought conditions.
According to projections from the Meteorological Service, from July to September, the
parishes of Manchester, Clarendon, St Thomas, Portland and St Mary will be at greater risk
for extreme drought.
And with the below-average rainfall expected to continue, Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine
and Clarendon are expected to be the worst-affected parishes for the July to December period.
"With respect to rainfall prediction and the availability of water, conditions are looking pretty
dismal for the country. At this stage, conditions seem to be pointing that things will become
worse before they get better," Jeffery Spooner, director of the Meteorological Service, told
The Gleaner yesterday.
395

Jamaica is among several Caribbean countries experiencing critical drought conditions

because of climate change as well as the El Nio climate phenomenon that occurs when a
vast pool of water in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean becomes abnormally warm. These
conditions prevent the development of any storm or hurricane.
These conditions lead to the Caribbean being warmer and drier, experiencing below-normal
rainfall.
"With the entrenchment of the El Nio phenomenon, the projection is for below-normal
rainfall activities for this year, especially during the months of October and November, when
we normally expect to get an appreciable amount of rainfall," Spooner stated.
Two-month supply
Noting that a drought condition is when there is below 60 per cent of normal rainfall over a
consecutive eight-week period, he said so far, January and May were the only two months
that the country had above-normal rainfall.
"Although we are in the dry period now, what has been happening is that even from a few
months ago we have not been getting any significant amount of rainfall, so the projection is
that some parishes are expected to fall into drought conditions soon and this will continue
until we get an appreciable amount of rainfall, which is not expected anytime soon because of
the El Nio system," the director emphasised.
Spooner urged, "We definitely have to do all we can to conserve what little water we have
now in order for us to properly manage the resources that we have available in a sustainable
way. However, for a longer-term solution, rainwater harvesting should be a part of our way
forward."
Last week, Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Robert Pickersgill
announced a number of emergency water-management measures that are now in effect until
Jamaica's water reserve is back to normal levels.
Restrictions
Under the restrictions, persons are not allowed to water gardens, lawns, grounds and farms;
or wash cars using a hose, wash roadways, pavements, paths, garages or out-rooms. Persons
are also barred from filling tanks, ponds or swimming pools. Tanks can only be filled if the
water is for domestic purposes such as cooking, washing, bathing and sanitation.
Persons found in breach of the regulations, if convicted, will be fined $1,000 or imprisonment
not exceeding 30 days.
The country is urged to continue to practise vigilant water management and conservation, as
it weathers this drought crisis. Under the ministry and the National Water Commission, a
public education programme is under way to outline tips and plans.
In the meantime, the National Drought Management Committee is executing a number of
actions, including programmes to upgrade and rehabilitate existing storage tanks across the
island. Water is also being trucked to the worst affected sections of the island.
396

During 2009-2010, Jamaica was affected by severe drought conditions because of the El Nio
phenomenon.
anastasia.cunningham@gleanerjm.com

Majesty Gardens and Tivoli Gardens

Published: Sunday | June 3, 2012 3 Comments

Benjamin Morris, a 65-year-old resident of Majesty Gardens off Spanish Town Road, shows a Sunday Gleaner news team the poor
condition of his home during a recent visit to the depressed community. The piece of cardboard in the ceiling is used to insulate the
home from the scorching heat beating down on his zinc roof.- Gladstone Taylor/Photographer

Martin Henry, Contributor

Mama Joyce, at 73, remembers when things were better in Majesty Gardens, a section of
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's South West St Andrew constituency, which was only
a 'Pen' when Mama Joyce started living in that community in 1949.
Majesty Pen turned Majesty Gardens, like several other pens around the downtown core of
the city which were renamed gardens or towns, has seen deterioration rather than
improvement over the lifetime of Cynthia Bryan, better known as Mama Joyce, and certainly
over the 36-year stewardship of Mama P as MP.
Meanwhile, just a mile or so east along Spanish Town Road, Back-o-Wall, once "the rectum
of the city", in Edward Seaga's excremental metaphor, was converted with state money into
Tivoli Gardens with decent housing, a high school, health centre and community centre
offering cradle-to-grave 'development'. But as rectal as Back-o-Wall was, a home for hustlers
and a lair for petty thieves operating in the market strip, that shanty town didn't have a 'jail'
397

operated by a don in which, according to a former general in the system testifying against the
extradited last don, dissidents sentenced to death could be executed by chainsaw, hatchet or
gun.
As the Inner-City Housing Project Unit of the NHT moved into Majesty Gardens, the home
of the Rat Bat gang, with $300 million of NHT contributors' money to construct 96 houses
among 600 families, media in tow have provided us with a ringside seat of the deplorable
conditions in the rebranded Pen.
In the Gleaner report filed by Tyrone Reid last Sunday, 65-year-old Benjamin 'Australia'
Morris lamented, "You don't see a dog life we living down here? You don't see a swamp we
live in?"
Australia lives in a broken-down captured house that he and his children had taken over after
the owners fled from the violence engulfing the community. A common story among the pens
turned gardens and towns around the downtown core of the city.
Renewal programme
Just over a week before Australia's lament, Kelcy-Ann Wynter had wept uncontrollably as she
poured her and her community's woes into the comforting bosom of Mama P there to launch
a community renewal programme.
The 32-year-old mother of two has become so weary of her life-long ordeal that, upon seeing
her member of parliament, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, she burst into tears. She
said no one should live in her community.
Where the absence of basic amenities is not the subject of residents' gloom, the wanton gang
warfare in the area - which has, on occasion, accounted for the largest number of deaths in the
St Andrew South Police Division, suffices.
Majesty Gardens has been ranked among Jamaica's poorest communities. Comprising mostly
board dwellings, its squalid conditions rob residents of their dignity, forcing the more
impoverished to use nearby gullies, filled with debris and flies, as makeshift bathrooms.
Two of the most destructive problems facing these ravaged inner-city communities struggling
with reverse development were raised in the tear-drenched encounter between Mama P and
Kelcy-Ann Wynter. Ms Wynter herself raised one and the MP/prime minister the other. Ms
Wynter pointed out the division of the community, "up the top is Majesty Gardens and down
the bottom is 'Back To'. I am from 'Back To'." These divisions have led to countless senseless
tribal conflicts taking lives, destroying property, and reversing development.
The MP/PM pointed out that construction on the housing scheme was stopped when her
People's National Party (PNP) lost the 2007 general election. "Over four years ago we started
the housing scheme, and four years ago it came to a stop. Today, I am here to tell you that we
signed a contract for the completion of those houses, and after the completion, the building of
the phase-two houses," said Miller to loud applause at the community meeting. This other
dimension of political tribalism, of starving opponents and feeding supporters has, more than
anything, contributed to the construction of the garrisons with their vast destructive
capabilities.
398

Entering the community with the ICHP, Gleaner reporter Tyrone Reid says, "A foul odour
had a strong grip on some sections of the community, and it was clear why Kelcy-Ann Wynter
was moved to tears as she explained her depressing situation to her member of parliament,
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, just over one week ago. Members of our news team
had to watch their every step as they walked through one section of the community. It was
clear that Majesty Gardens is desperately in need of garbage receptacles, as rubbish is being
dumped everywhere.
"The living situation gets worse as you go deeper into the belly of the community. Adults and
children were seen bathing in the open.
The community is plagued with improper and inadequate sewage facilities and a plethora of
other social and structural ills. Wild pigs and stray dogs were also seen in the community,
relying on the steady flow of garbage for their food."
Zinc-fence mentality
Matriarch Mama Joyce was wise and solid in her analysis of the roots of some of the
problems.
"It is very bad. The zinc-fence mentality ... . We would like to live up. It name a Garden, but
not looking like one now," lamented the 73-year-old.
She believes the moral fibre of the community has disintegrated in step with its physical
infrastructure. "The discipline has fallen ... . We woulda like fi see yah so nice."
To underscore the problem of behaviour and moral readiness for development, even while the
prime minister was in the community calling for unity and the removal of violence, and
despite the presence of a heavy security detail, a fight erupted between two young men, who
are relatives, who had to be restrained and removed by the police.
Someone has just sent me a news report from the IDB: 'Civic culture is key to reduce
violence, study finds', which is a news story on an IDB study, 'Antipodes of Violence'. The
story said: "IDB-sponsored study explores how changes in civic culture are needed to achieve
long-term success in mitigating violence. Any successful strategy to prevent violence should
include measures to recognise and change behaviours prompted by beliefs, emotions and
cultural factors, according to a new study sponsored by the IDB.
"It is not enough to increase police capacity, reduce socio-economic inequalities or amend
laws to achieve deep changes in the safety of Latin American cities," the study says.
'Antipodes of Violence' examines civic culture as a way to transform harmful behaviours that
affect the lives and safety of other citizens, to help cut the high murder rates and personal
injuries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
"According to the study, culture may help explain, interpret and regulate the behaviours of
individuals. In the study, culture is defined as the universe of social norms, attitudes, beliefs
and habits shared by individuals in a social group, in which the goal is living in a community
without violence."

399

Tivoli Gardens offered houses and community facilities which Majesty Gardens can only
dream of. But these were not sufficient to prevent a criminal 'system' from taking root and
flourishing there and coercively dragging in all and sundry.
The cooperating witnesses in the Christopher Coke sentencing hearing have given riveting
testimonies on the growth and entrenchment of the 'system', its function as an alternative
government which managed to achieve a low crime rate within its zone of control, and of the
atrocities it carried out to enforce its will and to make its revenue.
Testimony
The witnesses told the US court: "The housing in which most residents of Tivoli Gardens live
was built by government, when the Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) was in power. The vast
majority of these residents do not pay rent, nor do they pay for utilities such as electricity and
water.
"As the area leader, Dudus, like his father and brother, provided certain services to the
community. For example, he assigned paid work to members of the community arising out of
Government contracts that he obtained - such as contracts to clean streets, fix roads or
engage in other construction projects. For these projects, Dudus would deduct, from the
salaries paid, a portion of funds as a contribution to the 'system' - essentially a required
payment to the organisation which was used to purchase guns and ammunition and also to
provide assistance to the members of the community.
"Dudus also imposed a strict code of behaviour and discipline within the community, which
was enforced at times through violence. "In my opinion, the Cooperating Witness Number 1
said, Dudus provided assistance and benefits to the community in part to maintain the
goodwill and loyalty of its members, and in particular the community's senior members who
were politically active. These senior members of the community received, at times in my
presence, greater amounts of cash and goods from Dudus than other members received.
Particularly in light of the harsh code of discipline that Dudus imposed on the community,
financial assistance and benefits were necessary to maintain the loyalty of the community
members.
"During the time that Dudus was in control of Tivoli Gardens, Dudus, like Jim Brown,
imposed a strict code of conduct upon members of the Tivoli Gardens and surrounding areas
such as Denham Town [they] did not report crimes or acts of violence to the Jamaican
police, known as the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Instead, residents of Tivoli Gardens
reported such incidents to Dudus directly, in his office."
We are now wrestling with a debt-servicing budget with little by way of straight development
commitment. But, clearly, a programme of rehabilitating and transforming communities like
Majesty Gardens and Tivoli Gardens, down to the core of civic culture, has to be part of any
viable development plan and its break out into annual budgets.
Martin Henry is a communication specialist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and
ianboyne1@yahoo.com.

400

Street Light-City of Kingston

Central Kingston

Police call for street lights at Ward Theatre

Published: Saturday | June 7, 2014 3 Comments

Michael Scott, superintendent of police in charge of the Kingston Central Division, poses
with the six graduates of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Quick Response Bicycle Patrol
Training Course at the closing ceremony, held at Kingston Central Police Station on Friday,
June 6. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Jodi-Ann Gilpin, Gleaner Writer
An urgent call is being made for street lights to be erected at the Ward Theatre in
downtown Kingston.
Superintendent in charge of the Kingston Central Police Division, Michael Scott, who was
speaking with The Gleaner following the closing ceremony of the Quick Response Bicycle
Patrol Training Course, disclosed that the lack of proper lighting in the area has resulted in
numerous robberies and criminal activities.
"We saw the need for more boots to be on the ground. A huge problem for us is Ward Theatre.
There is no light there and that's where we have most of our robberies," he said.

401

"Our concentration is right there because our data show that if we have 20 robberies, at least
12 or more are done in that area (Ward Theatre) which means we need the lights. Something
has to be done," he declared.
He added, "We keep emphasising road policing in a bid to enable our officers to respond
quickly. We believe that with these additional officers, there will be improved efficiency in
our patrol which will assist in our efforts to keep crime down."
In the meantime, assistant commissioner of police in charge of Area Four, George Quallo,
charged police officers to carry out their duties in a professional manner.
SOCIAL EMBARRASSMENT
"I want to make special mention of cell phones, it is very useful but it can also be a social
embarrassment for us," he said.
"From time to time, your friend, family or an acquaintance wants to get in touch with you,
which is important, but I beg of you that you be professional. If it means returning the call at
a later date then maybe we have to do that; but our priority on the job, must be to protect the
people of Jamaica," Quallo told the gathering.
He added, "We must be an example for citizens and I firmly believe that police officers must
never forget to maintain their morals and integrity.

Giving up gunshots - Central Kingston's 'Tel Aviv' ready to reject a life of funerals
and fury
Published: Sunday | March 9, 2014 5 Comments

402

Sections of central Kingston community dubbed 'Tel-Aviv'

12>

Corey Robinson, Staff Reporter

Tired of the life of violence they have endured for more than 40 years, residents of the
central Kingston community dubbed 'Tel-Aviv' are determined to make the latest peace
initiative work.
"The war fi done sah. Man can't war inna hungry time. Man dead and you can't find the
money fi bury him, man deh a jail and you can't pay lawyer fi go defend him. Peace, love and
unity we say now," declared one outspoken woman in the area last week.
"Me born 30 years ago and from me born this area never have two years of peace," another
resident told The Sunday Gleaner.
For well-known resident (some say area leader), Donovan 'Pepsi' Ainsworth, it is time to see
an end to the violence and to work with the police to achieve a lasting peace.
"Mek we all combine and live as one. You don't have to talk to a man to say that you and him
are friends. Him can be over there so and you over here so. But him is untouchable to you
and you are untouchable to him. You don't have to be friends with anybody but mek we live
as one," urged Pepsi as he lauded head of the Kingston Central Police, Superintendent Victor
Hamilton, for the work he has been doing to facilitate talks among men ready to end the
violence.
Tel-Aviv, named after the fabled city in Israel, covers an area in Kingston city, bordered by
East Queen Street, Barry Street, Church Street and Gold Street. It takes in areas such as Rum
Lane, sections of George's Lane, Hanover Street and Rosemary Lane.
PNP stronghold
It is one of the People's National Party (PNP) strongholds in central Kingston and came to
national attention in the 1970s when men from the community and gangsters from the
neighbouring Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) enclave of 'Southside' engaged in a deadly political
battle.
Today, the political rivalry between the two communities is not as deadly, even though most
of the votes from Tel-Aviv still go to the PNP while the JLP gathers most of the votes in
Southside.
However, the decades of violence has taken a heavy toll on the community with deteriorating
housing stock, abandoned factories and business places underlining the poverty in the area.

403

During a visit to the community last Thursday afternoon, our news team saw groups of
women sitting idly on sidewalks with male counterparts. All appeared unemployed, kneading
their palms in the not unfamiliar method used to prepare ganja for smoking.
"It's not all hopelessness, however," said Pepsi, as he noted that Tel-Aviv abounds with
entrepreneurship in the form of bars, restaurants and shops.
According to Pepsi, while the motive may not be political anymore, the youths find reasons
to war. He has lost more friends than he can count this way.
"That is what is going on now, a kind of deterioration a gwaan now. It is not a political war
because all of them grew up as friends. It is them against them one another," said Pepsi, as he
noted that the current gangsters who are quick to pull illegal guns can be as young as 15.
"So all this need is for the police them to have a little club and a little organisation where they
can come in and socialise with the youths dem and find out their needs," argued Pepsi.
He charged that if members of the police force are afraid to venture into certain volatile
communities to socialise with residents, they are not deserving of their jobs.
He theorised that there are two factors hampering any peace initiative in the area.
"In the garrison, not everything you can carry go tell the police because you will get labelled
as informer; and two, you can't just tell a likkle man fi put down him gun because him will
use it back against you," said Pepsi in a sombre tone.
However, he argued that the weekly meetings with Superintendent Hamilton and his team at
the Kingston Central Police Division offers a possible remedy to these problems.
"It is a lovely thing. Because underneath it the youth them find somebody to reason with
them, to dialogue back. And under the power of Mr Hamilton, the youths can get closer."
Pepsi explained that persons who attend these meetings will not be labelled as informers.
Hamilton has indicated that the talks are aimed at preventing potential flare-ups between
enemies, helping to understand the unique situations of the division's troubled youths, and
finding creative ways to lure investors and business owners to the areas.

Resurrecting downtown Kingston

- Ian Allen

404

Members of a police party maintaining a presence outside the Kingston Parish Church, South
Parade, downtown Kingston, last week Monday. The KSAC recently removed vendors who
sold their wares in front of the church.
The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), declaring that public disorder and urban decay were
threatening to destroy Kingston, said that now was the time for corrective action. The JCC made a
presentation on the subject, 'The restoration of public order and the renewal of Kingston', which
proposes measures which, they say, must be implemented in order to restore downtown Kingston.
This is the presentation which was delivered by Michael Ammar, Jnr., 1st vice-president of the JCC, at
a media briefing last Tuesday at the Courtleigh Hotel, New Kingston.
OVER THE past 30 years Kingston has developed in an unplanned, unmanaged and increasingly
lawless manner, particularly over the past five years. In particular, downtown Kingston and its central
business district have become a model example of social decay, unchecked public disorder and a
total lack of effective municipal leadership. We could spend all morning trying to figure out how we got
here or who is to blame but that would only waste more time, and believe me we have wasted
enough.
Over the past three years, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce has been making concerted efforts to
highlight the harsh realities of downtown, where a breakdown in public order, congestion,
underdevelopment and general lawlessness continue to threaten and undermine the lives and
livelihood of those who live, work and operate businesses in the area. In addition, the reputation of
downtown Kingston continues to destroy the image of our country and negate even the best efforts to
promote Jamaica as the 'One Love' land.
All over the world the phenomenon of decaying urban centres is not unique, as this occurs throughout
North America and the Caribbean. The difference is that most of these cities have recognised that
they have a problem, sat down and defined the problem and formulated workable and practical
solutions to turn back the forces of public disorder and urban decay.
The time has come for Kingston to experience a renaissance. The citizens of our capital city, the
private and public sectors, must unite to arrive at a common vision and path to make Kingston what it
should be the proud capital of Jamaica and the cultural capital of the Caribbean.
In today's world tourism can no longer only rely on sun and sand to lure visitors to our shores. Local
entrepreneurs cannot rely solely on exporting relatively unknown products into a global marketplace to
boost their sales. What must be done is that Kingston must be repackaged, redeveloped and reenergised to make it a prime tourism destination with culture, entertainment, cuisine, history,
commerce and location as its underlying strengths.
Imagine, if you will for a moment, the new Kingston. A city filled with orderly shopping districts, busy,
clean markets, a myriad of exciting restaurants offering the best in local and international cuisine, a
modern harbour front, cruise shipping and entertainment complex. Imagine a city buzzing with
business by day and pulsating to the rhythms of reggae by night. A city where law and order are
commonplace and a city where our children can play safely in its parks and playgrounds.
If this is the type of city that we want Kingston to become, then we must realise that downtown is the
gateway to urban renewal and that the restoration of public order and strong municipal enforcement
are the pillars of this gateway.
The Chamber proposes that the following be implemented in order to restore downtown Kingston and
open the gates to our new city that all the world will want to share.
PUBLIC ORDER ISSUES
Restore and sustain adequate police personnel in the downtown commercial district in order to retake
control of the streets.

405

Implement a centrally monitored CCTV surveillance system throughout the central business and
market districts.
Establish a municipal police force which will work with the KSAC to enforce muni-cipal law in
particular, as it relates to vending, parking, littering and other breaches of municipal code.
Implement a policing strategy which will break the protection rackets and criminal gangs operating in
and around downtown Kingston.
Design and implement a co-ordinated private security patrol for downtown with panic response
capabilities. This could be done through multiple companies in full co-operation with the police.
STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS
Repair, restore or demolish all abandoned and derelict buildings in the downtown business districts.
Design new streetscapes for all main streets to reflect a tropical atmosphere (in particular King Street,
Harbour Street, Parade, Duke Street and Ocean Boulevard.)
Design a facade improvement programme to complement the streetscaping, as well as to include all
other buildings in the downtown commercial district.
Upgrade the retailing and restaurant facilities in the business district in order to bring them up to
uptown Kingston standards. In addition, undertake a complete 'paint-up' campaign of all buildings
downtown.
MARKETS, ARCADES AND VENDING AREAS
Implement fully, the KSAC market district plan and continue to repair, renovate and enhance all the
downtown markets.
Relocate all vendors to the prescribed vending areas within the market district and implement the
licensing system for newspaper and fruit type vendors to allow them to sell in prescribed areas
throughout the business district.
Redo the craft market and transform it into a major attraction with a restaurant and entertainment
component.
Amend the penalties for street vending to result in higher fines, and upon repeat offences, forfeiture of
the merchandise.
Fully empower the KSAC Market Company to be established, funded and be allowed to run the
markets in a business-like manner.
(iii) Employ the development corridor strategy to improve the entrances and exits to downtown and in
so doing start to spread the redevelopment throughout Kingston.
(iv) Strengthen the schools, health centres and police stations within the downtown area.
(v) Completely renovate St. William Grant Park to create an oasis in the centre of the city with facilities
to include restaurants, some types of vending, entertainment areas and green spaces.
(vi) Establish a historic preservation programme to save the important buildings downtown especially
in the residential neighbourhoods.
3. Infrastructure Improvements:

406

(i) Repair and maintain all storm drains, gullies and sidewalks in the downtown business and market
districts.
(ii) Replace or repair all street signs (street names, no parking, directional signs etc.)
(iii) Repair and re-mark all damaged road surfaces especially in the market district.
(iv) Repair all JPS street lights and tidy up overhead wires throughout the business district.
(v) Repair the sewer mains in downtown Kingston and restore and repair the sewer connection in the
residential areas surrounding the business district. The NWC should immediately stop pumping raw
sewage into Kingston Harbour and fix the treatment plants as needed.
(vi) Improve the public parking by introducing a shuttle bus system to link all downtown public parking
lots, bus terminuses and main business areas.
(vii) Redo the transport plan to relocate some of the busses from South, West and North Parade into
the market district of West Street and to the vacant land entering downtown from Marcus Garvey
Drive.
(viii) Remove all illegally parked taxis from the Parade area and relocate them in designated bus
loading bays.
(ix) Introduce parking meters in downtown Kingston.
(x) Create a transport hub around the municipal bus terminal and railway station.
(xi) Establish additional public parking lots in the north of the business district using abandoned and
vacant pieces of land.
(xii) Develop the railway station complex into a shopping, transport and eating centre to service the
busy market district.
(xiii) Enforce stringently the anti-litter laws and prosecute individuals and businesses that dump
commercial garbage on the streets and empty lots downtown.
(xiv) Repair and replace all non-functioning traffic lights in the downtown commercial district
4. Recreational Spaces / Entertainment / Sports:
(i) Establish the Ward Theatre Entertainment and Arts Complex on North Parade.
(ii) Work with the National Gallery and the Institute of Jamaica to enhance both as attractions to
downtown Kingston.
(iii) Improve and increase the number of playing fields, basketball courts and recreational areas
around downtown, especially in the residential communities.
5. Residential:
(i) Do an audit of the housing stock surrounding downtown to determine the viability of restoration
versus redevelopment. Establish a land bank to be used as a land assembly policy to create larger
parcels of land on which to create new mixed level housing stock for downtown.
(ii) Develop a funding proposal for a mix of financial and Government funds for low-income persons to
access to be used to purchase new housing.

407

6. Social Agenda and Community Development:

(i) The street feeding programme for the indigent now taking place on the main streets of downtown
needs to be relocated and supported.
(ii) The problem of increasing drug addiction and beggars in the commercial district needs to be
addressed.
(iii) There now exists a number of training programmes in and around downtown. To support this, a
job bank should be established and downtown businesses should utilise these persons whenever
possible for their staffing requirements. In addition, an apprenticeship programme should be
established to give the youth of downtown an opportunity to gain job experience.
(iv) The children's homework and recreational programmes should be expanded and supported by the
downtown business community in order to better educate and train the children of downtown.
7. City Management:
(i) The KSAC needs to be supported and its capacity enhanced and strengthened to make it into an
effective city management organisation.
(ii) Legislation needs to be enacted to formally establish special improvement districts such as in
downtown Kingston. This will allow for better management, maintenance and development within
these specific areas.
(iii) Establish a development fund to be used to finance the redevelopment of downtown. A bond could
be floated for this purpose and serviced through the sale of restored properties and buildings or the
revenue from their rental.
(iv) The tax incentive programme in effect downtown needs to be enhanced and simplified in order to
encourage businesses to expand, improve or relocate downtown.
8. New Developments:
(i) Design and implement the Kingston waterfront development project to include a cruise ship docking
pier and facility, a recreational marina, a major outdoor entertainment concert facility on the old Myrtle
Bank lands and a well-lit ocean front promenade to link these facilities
(ii) Create a restaurant/ bar/club district in close proximity to the promenade, possibly along Port
Royal Street.
(iii) Establish a Chinatown district on Barry Street between Orange and West streets. This should be
done to enhance the attractiveness of the area in typical 'Chinatown style'.
(iv) Undertake the cleaning and restoration of Kingston Harbour so as to allow its full potential to be
realised.
(v) Relocate the General Penitentiary and restore the existing facility and turn it into some type of
tourist attraction.
I realise that this is indeed an ambitious dream but we must understand that unless we undertake
Kingston's redevelopment now, the forces of lawlessness will only grow to fully engulf our capital city.
We as a people must stop thinking small and realise the full potential of what our capital city could be.
Those in leadership positions must also come to realise that they must lead for the greater good and
not continue to pander to the forces of anarchy and disorder.

408

Kingston will be reborn with or without our current set of leaders. Downtown Kingston will regenerate
itself with or without the current business community. The only question is - when? What the JCC
proposes, is a coming together of the forces of civil society, the public sector and private enterprise to
create a coalition to restore public order and create a renaissance in our capital.
The time for action is now. We can wait no longer. Public disorder and urban decay threaten to
destroy what can be the gem of the Caribbean and the No. 1 visitor destination of our island home Jamaica.

KSAC calls for JPSCo probe

published: Thursday | October 16, 2003

By Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter

THE KINGSTON and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) is calling on the Government to probe the
Jamaica Public Service Company's (JPSCo) repair and maintenance of street lights in the Corporate
Area.
Kingston's Mayor Desmond McKenzie wants the ministries of Finance and Planning, Local
Government and Mining and Energy to intervene and investigate the issue following recent surveys
which show the number of non-functioning street lights in the Corporate Area is greater than first
reported.
The KSAC is also seeking a two-year rebate from the electricity company and is threatening to
increase the $2 million sum it promised to withdraw monthly from electricity bills to prevent paying for
malfunctioning street lights."
The $2 million represents nearly 10 per cent of the $18 million the KSAC spends per month for
electricity. Mr. McKenzie said the KSAC will be making calculations based on new information and
that percentage will be subtracted from monthly bills now being paid.
"We are convinced that the JPSCo needs to speak to this issue and not only in terms of repairing the
street lights. It needs to say what it intends (to do) in terms of compensating the taxpayers," Mayor
McKenzie said during yesterday's press briefing at 24 Church Street, downtown Kingston.
He said a survey carried out in September along Six Miles, Spanish Town Road, Marcus Garvey
Drive, Harbour and Port Royal streets showed only 235 of the 595 street lights working. It has also
surveyed areas in the Liguanea Plain in St. Andrew.
ESTIMATE NOW AT 3,000
Last month, the KSAC estimated 2,500, or just over 10 per cent of the 23,000 street lights in Kingston
and St. Andrew, were not working. The estimate now puts the number at 3,000, he said.
The KSAC and the electricity utility company have been at loggerheads over having to pay electricity
bills for what the KSAC said are malfunctioning street lights. Last month, following a meeting between
both sides, the light and power company promised to repair all non-functioning street lights within the
next four to six weeks. But the Mayor said yesterday while there has been some improvement in
repairs over the last six weeks, the company has missed its deadline and needs to "come to grips with
the problem."

409

Councils, Central Government in same mess

published: Sunday | August 20, 2006

Dawn Ritch, Contributor

Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, likes to make a public song and dance about funding and
trans-parency. None of it, of course, applies to the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).
There the Auditor General has had some long-standing questions which, it seems, either cannot or
will not be answered. Indeed, the Auditor General has been called into four different parish councils to
investigate questionable expen-diture. With the exception of Portmore and, lately Portland, all are
controlled by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Where's the money?
Recently, the Mayor of Kingston, who heads the council responsible for cleaning drains, was in the
news asking where was the money for drainage clearances. This, in the aftermath of heavy flooding
on Marcus Garvey Drive after only two hours of rain. It was as though the KSAC bore no responsibility
whatsoever for drain cleaning in any part of the city and, if so, was doing a brilliant job.
More recently, he participated in a television discussion programme and said that the Corporate
Area's drainage system was very old. I don't see how this can be an excuse for keeping them
blocked.
Now, he wants to know where is the money announced for the restoration of Kingston before Cricket
World Cup 2007.
Wherever it is, I hope none of it gets to the KSAC. They have a hole in the bottom of their bucket that
they were busy pretending didn't exist at all. Setting up a monitoring committee is no solution, but
merely gives public legitimacy to the pretence.
The JLP under Bruce Golding says that it's new and different. But the operations of their parish
councils suggest that they have merely taken a page out of the ruling party's book.
Indeed, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding is more a student of P.J. Patterson than Edward Seaga.
Golding is showing every bit as much fondness for reports and committees as Patterson ever did.
From past experience, we know that these are the cloaks of night spread over traps so we'll step right
into them. Committees are delaying tactics designed at best to confuse the public, or at worst to fool
them up completely. If something has gone to a committee, no one need ever worry about it again
because it will be ignored there as well.
The irony, there-fore, is that the JLP has found itself transformed into having the worst aspects of the
former Patterson administration.
Golding says one thing, and means another. That was a hallmark of Patterson. He also was forever
justifying himself unsatisfactorily Now Golding is doing the same thing. This is a common tactic among
people who have no reference point, and are afraid to be found out. Nobody listens carefully to people
like that. It's too confusing, and in my opinion is meant to confuse.
Lure of camera
McKenzie confuses himself because he can't resist the lure of a television camera. He just makes it
up as he goes along, in the blind hope that he'll look authoritative. But it's hard to look authoritative
when dressed by his tailor.

410

Somebody who heads an organisation being investigated by the Auditor General ought really to
resign. In the absence of that, he should have the grace to sort out his own council before he goes
pursuing others for allegedly owing the parish council money. In any event, paying up might just throw
good money after bad. It's one thing to be starved of cash, and entirely another not to know where it's
gone.
I am not sure how the Opposition Leader is going to make a good fist of the next general election. He
will be dragging around the JLP parish councils by the feet behind him like a dead dog. Performance
from them is thin on the ground, and there is even concern about unauthorised overdrafts in at least
one instance. They are proving themselves little different to the catalogue of scandals with which they
beat the PNP.
The JLP has found itself publicly condemning even the benefits given to their constituents. I was
astonished to read of the JLP complaining bitterly that the advocacy of PNP caretakers was the
catalyst through which street lights were installed in constituencies across the island.
The JLP accused Prime Minister Simpson Miller of playing 'dirty politics', and said that she was in
effect the cause of their public humiliation.
In the first place, there can be no political mileage to be had from grumbling when people get street
lights.
In the second, there can be no glory in pointing out that one's political opponents are more effective,
for whatever reasons, at serving the needs of the people. This is both craven and foolish in one
breath.
It is not at all surprising, therefore, that under Golding's leadership, the JLP has remained static in the
polls commissioned by this newspaper. As a political party it is neither coming nor going. It doesn't
seem to realise that it has lost the will to live.
Even though the PNP dropped six points, that party is still 12 points ahead of the JLP. Such a gap is
closed only in dreams, or by new leadership.
No room for third party
When Simpson Miller won the internal contest in the PNP, her already-high ratings soared like a
rocket. Since then, they have been in stately decline.
So anybody who thinks that new leadership makes no difference had better look again. Of course,
people have to believe in that politician's fixity of purpose, and, on that score, Golding went skating on
his belly long ago.
Political parties would sooner see their members go to the rival political party, than go independent or
form a third party. Poor Robert Lightbourne was never taken seriously again once he left the JLP, and
formed a now dead third party.
Jamaica has never had room for them, except as a form of public spectacle.
Golding made a spectacle of himself when he formed the National Democratic Movement (NDM) and
left it high and dry.
His memorandum of under-standing with the JLP, and its so-called basis for his re-entry, were no
more than a fig leaf to cover his nakedness.
Taking a raft of NDM members and associates into the JLP with him, and giving them seats over party
stalwarts have not endeared the Opposition Leader to the JLP grass roots. The currency of a party is,

411

and has always been, loyalty. This is a currency which Golding has much tarnished and devalued.
Without it, there is no party machinery.
Simpson Miller's campaign for the presidency of the PNP demonstrates that there is more to politics
than money. The least well-funded campaign of all was the one which triumphed by however close a
margin.
We must, therefore, wait to see what kind of people will represent the Prime Minister and the Leader
of the Opposition in the next general election. If she can find a few like herself, she'll have it in the
bag.

WIHCON awarded $330m road contract

CABINET HAS approved the awarding of a contract totalling $330 million to West Indies Home
Contractors Limited (WIHCON), under phase three of the East Kingston Coast Road project.
The contract was awarded by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), whose development plan
for East and Central Kingston includes the Coast Road.
The current phase of the project will result in the construction of two lanes south of the existing
roadway to form the westbound carriageway of a four-lane divided highway.
Additional works include the installation of street lights, pavement markings and signage, demand
activated traffic signals, drainage structures, storm surge protection structures, guide-rails, barriers,
fencing, pedestrian crossings and safety features. There will also be landscaping work and the
relocation of a number of utilities.
According to a document presented by Senator Maxine Henry Wilson, at Tuesday's post-Cabinet
press briefing, the contract was awarded "based on the successful negotiation with WIHCON and the
'on-time' and 'on-budget' completion of works in phases one and two". The contract price is in fact
nearly $50 million less than the engineer's estimate of the cost of the project which was put at $378
million, the document said.
Under phases one and two, a 3.5km dual carriageway has been created, linking the eastern end of
Kingston to the West via downtown Kingston. Phase one saw 0.8km of roadway being constructed
between Windward Road and Hyslop Avenue for $50 million. During phase two, 2.7 km was
constructed from the southern section of Paradise Street to the southern section of Hyslop Avenue at
an estimated $173 million.
Back to Lead Stories

Street Lights, West Kingston

Decking the halls downtown
Published: Sunday | December 21, 2014 0 Comments

412

The Christmas tree in St William Grant Park. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

12>

Lights, action, excitement as St William Grant Park underscores Kingston Christmas

Erica Virtue, Senior Gleaner Writer
The recently lit Christmas tree stands regal in the St William Grant Park in downtown
Kingston and the afternoon's heavy rains, post-work evening hustle and bustle, trees
413

dressed in various colours all mingled with noise, charm and character of this busy area
when our news team visited last Wednesday.
But this was no ordinary Wednesday. It was the week before Christmas, and children, some
only hours before being dismissed from school, home for the holiday, were among the
revolving group of hundreds of people entering and leaving the park.
The park rocked with the rhythm of a band that warmed up for a concert in the newly
refurbished area, and so did the mosquitoes which swooped down on all and sundry.
But amid the noise was the melodious voice of a child singing Deck the Halls, and it
appeared the signing was coming directly to where I stood. The voice was very comfortable
with "fa la la la laa, la la la laa".
She was tiny, not more than six years old, beautiful, and beautifully adorned. Her pretty floral
dress complemented her African-braided hair, with the white-beaded bangs. I stood taking
notes and I stopped her with a question, which ended her singing.
"Jameela Richards," she said, flashing a smile that lit the darkness as she came to a stop. She
was holding hands with a young boy, nine-year-old Jevani Richards, her brother.
Close on their heels was their mother, Maxine Hinds.
"I soon come back. A coming back to the park with dem to the concert. A just going to leave
something with a friend on East Queen Street and then we come back and tek in de scene,"
said Maxine.
Jameela wanted to know if I was Santa Claus, but then she answered the question for herself.
"You not wearing a Santa suit, and you not bleaching," she said to uncontained laughter.
There was obvious discomfort on her mother's face.
"But a still want a dolly and a bicycle for Christmas," she said.
Jevani appeared to be the quiet one, not saying much, except, "a want a good football" when
asked what he wanted from Santa.
MORE LAUGHTER
As they walked off towards the Pearnel Charles Arcade, Maxine's voice was clear.
"Hey gyal, how you mean Santa a bleach ...?" The little girl responded with loud giggles
which faded in the evening, and into the noise.
Close to the back of the stage, a security guard's authoritative voice filled the evening.

414

"Whey yuh parents deh?" she shouted to four little boys, the youngest being about five years
and the eldest about eight years. Two of the boys stopped to respond, and pointed in the
direction of an adult male dressed in red shirt, black pants and sneakers, while two continued
to run like they had just escaped captivity.
The security guard said while children alone in the park was not so much a problem, in this
case she asked because the boys were particularly small.
A noticeable drizzle began again, and brought a group of young adults hurrying towards the
stage area.
"I am going to dance tonight. I am just going to put everything in my foot, hip, hands and
neck," said a young woman, walking in a group of about eight. Three of the young men in the
group quickly joined her in putting on an impromptu 'dance extravaganza' with electrifying
movements.
The dancing appeared to have been choreographed, and applause rang out for the brief
entertaining moment.
"That's why I like Christmas. People just kinder around dis time. You tink anybody would a
clap if a neva Christmas," concluded the young woman as she disappeared into the gathering
concert crowd. Her leaving coincided with the rain getting heavier and signalled that it was
definitely time to leave the welcoming arms of the happy St William Grant Park in downtown
Kingston.

Resurrecting downtown Kingston

- Ian Allen
Members of a police party maintaining a presence outside the Kingston Parish Church, South
Parade, downtown Kingston, last week Monday. The KSAC recently removed vendors who
sold their wares in front of the church.
The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), declaring that public disorder and urban decay were
threatening to destroy Kingston, said that now was the time for corrective action. The JCC made a
presentation on the subject, 'The restoration of public order and the renewal of Kingston', which
proposes measures which, they say, must be implemented in order to restore downtown Kingston.
This is the presentation which was delivered by Michael Ammar, Jnr., 1st vice-president of the JCC, at
a media briefing last Tuesday at the Courtleigh Hotel, New Kingston.
OVER THE past 30 years Kingston has developed in an unplanned, unmanaged and increasingly
lawless manner, particularly over the past five years. In particular, downtown Kingston and its central
business district have become a model example of social decay, unchecked public disorder and a
total lack of effective municipal leadership. We could spend all morning trying to figure out how we got

415

here or who is to blame but that would only waste more time, and believe me we have wasted
enough.
Over the past three years, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce has been making concerted efforts to
highlight the harsh realities of downtown, where a breakdown in public order, congestion,
underdevelopment and general lawlessness continue to threaten and undermine the lives and
livelihood of those who live, work and operate businesses in the area. In addition, the reputation of
downtown Kingston continues to destroy the image of our country and negate even the best efforts to
promote Jamaica as the 'One Love' land.
All over the world the phenomenon of decaying urban centres is not unique, as this occurs throughout
North America and the Caribbean. The difference is that most of these cities have recognised that
they have a problem, sat down and defined the problem and formulated workable and practical
solutions to turn back the forces of public disorder and urban decay.
The time has come for Kingston to experience a renaissance. The citizens of our capital city, the
private and public sectors, must unite to arrive at a common vision and path to make Kingston what it
should be the proud capital of Jamaica and the cultural capital of the Caribbean.
In today's world tourism can no longer only rely on sun and sand to lure visitors to our shores. Local
entrepreneurs cannot rely solely on exporting relatively unknown products into a global marketplace to
boost their sales. What must be done is that Kingston must be repackaged, redeveloped and reenergised to make it a prime tourism destination with culture, entertainment, cuisine, history,
commerce and location as its underlying strengths.
Imagine, if you will for a moment, the new Kingston. A city filled with orderly shopping districts, busy,
clean markets, a myriad of exciting restaurants offering the best in local and international cuisine, a
modern harbour front, cruise shipping and entertainment complex. Imagine a city buzzing with
business by day and pulsating to the rhythms of reggae by night. A city where law and order are
commonplace and a city where our children can play safely in its parks and playgrounds.
If this is the type of city that we want Kingston to become, then we must realise that downtown is the
gateway to urban renewal and that the restoration of public order and strong municipal enforcement
are the pillars of this gateway.
The Chamber proposes that the following be implemented in order to restore downtown Kingston and
open the gates to our new city that all the world will want to share.
PUBLIC ORDER ISSUES
Restore and sustain adequate police personnel in the downtown commercial district in order to retake
control of the streets.
Implement a centrally monitored CCTV surveillance system throughout the central business and
market districts.
Establish a municipal police force which will work with the KSAC to enforce muni-cipal law in
particular, as it relates to vending, parking, littering and other breaches of municipal code.
Implement a policing strategy which will break the protection rackets and criminal gangs operating in
and around downtown Kingston.
Design and implement a co-ordinated private security patrol for downtown with panic response
capabilities. This could be done through multiple companies in full co-operation with the police.
STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS

416

Repair, restore or demolish all abandoned and derelict buildings in the downtown business districts.
Design new streetscapes for all main streets to reflect a tropical atmosphere (in particular King Street,
Harbour Street, Parade, Duke Street and Ocean Boulevard.)
Design a facade improvement programme to complement the streetscaping, as well as to include all
other buildings in the downtown commercial district.
Upgrade the retailing and restaurant facilities in the business district in order to bring them up to
uptown Kingston standards. In addition, undertake a complete 'paint-up' campaign of all buildings
downtown.
MARKETS, ARCADES AND VENDING AREAS
Implement fully, the KSAC market district plan and continue to repair, renovate and enhance all the
downtown markets.
Relocate all vendors to the prescribed vending areas within the market district and implement the
licensing system for newspaper and fruit type vendors to allow them to sell in prescribed areas
throughout the business district.
Redo the craft market and transform it into a major attraction with a restaurant and entertainment
component.
Amend the penalties for street vending to result in higher fines, and upon repeat offences, forfeiture of
the merchandise.
Fully empower the KSAC Market Company to be established, funded and be allowed to run the
markets in a business-like manner.
(iii) Employ the development corridor strategy to improve the entrances and exits to downtown and in
so doing start to spread the redevelopment throughout Kingston.
(iv) Strengthen the schools, health centres and police stations within the downtown area.
(v) Completely renovate St. William Grant Park to create an oasis in the centre of the city with facilities
to include restaurants, some types of vending, entertainment areas and green spaces.
(vi) Establish a historic preservation programme to save the important buildings downtown especially
in the residential neighbourhoods.
3. Infrastructure Improvements:
(i) Repair and maintain all storm drains, gullies and sidewalks in the downtown business and market
districts.
(ii) Replace or repair all street signs (street names, no parking, directional signs etc.)
(iii) Repair and re-mark all damaged road surfaces especially in the market district.
(iv) Repair all JPS street lights and tidy up overhead wires throughout the business district.
(v) Repair the sewer mains in downtown Kingston and restore and repair the sewer connection in the
residential areas surrounding the business district. The NWC should immediately stop pumping raw
sewage into Kingston Harbour and fix the treatment plants as needed.

417

(vi) Improve the public parking by introducing a shuttle bus system to link all downtown public parking
lots, bus terminuses and main business areas.
(vii) Redo the transport plan to relocate some of the busses from South, West and North Parade into
the market district of West Street and to the vacant land entering downtown from Marcus Garvey
Drive.
(viii) Remove all illegally parked taxis from the Parade area and relocate them in designated bus
loading bays.
(ix) Introduce parking meters in downtown Kingston.
(x) Create a transport hub around the municipal bus terminal and railway station.
(xi) Establish additional public parking lots in the north of the business district using abandoned and
vacant pieces of land.
(xii) Develop the railway station complex into a shopping, transport and eating centre to service the
busy market district.
(xiii) Enforce stringently the anti-litter laws and prosecute individuals and businesses that dump
commercial garbage on the streets and empty lots downtown.
(xiv) Repair and replace all non-functioning traffic lights in the downtown commercial district
4. Recreational Spaces / Entertainment / Sports:
(i) Establish the Ward Theatre Entertainment and Arts Complex on North Parade.
(ii) Work with the National Gallery and the Institute of Jamaica to enhance both as attractions to
downtown Kingston.
(iii) Improve and increase the number of playing fields, basketball courts and recreational areas
around downtown, especially in the residential communities.
5. Residential:
(i) Do an audit of the housing stock surrounding downtown to determine the viability of restoration
versus redevelopment. Establish a land bank to be used as a land assembly policy to create larger
parcels of land on which to create new mixed level housing stock for downtown.
(ii) Develop a funding proposal for a mix of financial and Government funds for low-income persons to
access to be used to purchase new housing.
6. Social Agenda and Community Development:
(i) The street feeding programme for the indigent now taking place on the main streets of downtown
needs to be relocated and supported.
(ii) The problem of increasing drug addiction and beggars in the commercial district needs to be
addressed.
(iii) There now exists a number of training programmes in and around downtown. To support this, a
job bank should be established and downtown businesses should utilise these persons whenever
possible for their staffing requirements. In addition, an apprenticeship programme should be
established to give the youth of downtown an opportunity to gain job experience.

418

(iv) The children's homework and recreational programmes should be expanded and supported by the
downtown business community in order to better educate and train the children of downtown.
7. City Management:
(i) The KSAC needs to be supported and its capacity enhanced and strengthened to make it into an
effective city management organisation.
(ii) Legislation needs to be enacted to formally establish special improvement districts such as in
downtown Kingston. This will allow for better management, maintenance and development within
these specific areas.
(iii) Establish a development fund to be used to finance the redevelopment of downtown. A bond could
be floated for this purpose and serviced through the sale of restored properties and buildings or the
revenue from their rental.
(iv) The tax incentive programme in effect downtown needs to be enhanced and simplified in order to
encourage businesses to expand, improve or relocate downtown.
8. New Developments:
(i) Design and implement the Kingston waterfront development project to include a cruise ship docking
pier and facility, a recreational marina, a major outdoor entertainment concert facility on the old Myrtle
Bank lands and a well-lit ocean front promenade to link these facilities
(ii) Create a restaurant/ bar/club district in close proximity to the promenade, possibly along Port
Royal Street.
(iii) Establish a Chinatown district on Barry Street between Orange and West streets. This should be
done to enhance the attractiveness of the area in typical 'Chinatown style'.
(iv) Undertake the cleaning and restoration of Kingston Harbour so as to allow its full potential to be
realised.
(v) Relocate the General Penitentiary and restore the existing facility and turn it into some type of
tourist attraction.
I realise that this is indeed an ambitious dream but we must understand that unless we undertake
Kingston's redevelopment now, the forces of lawlessness will only grow to fully engulf our capital city.
We as a people must stop thinking small and realise the full potential of what our capital city could be.
Those in leadership positions must also come to realise that they must lead for the greater good and
not continue to pander to the forces of anarchy and disorder.
Kingston will be reborn with or without our current set of leaders. Downtown Kingston will regenerate
itself with or without the current business community. The only question is - when? What the JCC
proposes, is a coming together of the forces of civil society, the public sector and private enterprise to
create a coalition to restore public order and create a renaissance in our capital.
The time for action is now. We can wait no longer. Public disorder and urban decay threaten to
destroy what can be the gem of the Caribbean and the No. 1 visitor destination of our island home Jamaica.

419

Customs, utilities target Kingston cheats

Published: Tuesday | June 8, 2010 39 Comments

A National Water Commission worker disconnects supply yesterday at a Princess Street, downtown
Kingston, establishment for non-payment of charges. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter

Under cover of scores of police and soldiers patrolling the streets, revenue-protection
agents from utility companies and the Customs Department swarmed west Kingston
communities yesterday in search of cheats.
The Customs Enforcement Team seized several cartons of bleaching cream, counterfeit
batteries and illegally imported cigarettes during the operation that focused on the many
wholesale stores which operate on Princess Street, Luke Lane, Charles Street and other areas
in downtown Kingston.
At least 15 illegal connections to commercial and residential premises were disconnected by
the National Water Commission (NWC), while scores of unauthorised electricity connections
were cut down by the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), leaving some residents fuming.
"We willing to pay. If them did give we some notice and make some arrangement, we would
pay, but them just come cut off the water and light, and these are essential," said Patricia
MacMannus, a resident of Princess Street, told The Gleaner.
"Them could give us a flat rate and give us time to sort it out, but now mi children gone to
school and them a go come home to no light and water," added Suzanne Chamberlain, who
also lives on Princess Street.
No mercy

420

But the teams from the two utility companies were unapologetic as they moved from
premises to premises.
"We came in targeting the places which have not been paying their bills for years," a
representative of the NWC told The Gleaner.
"We are cutting supplies to everyone who is not paying, big or small," added the NWC
official, as the team disconnected the water supply to a well-established juice-manufacturing
plant on Princess Street.
It was a similar story from the JPS team, which severed the electricity supply to several
houses in Matthews Lane.
"We are going to premises and checking for throw-ups and meter bypasses," a JPS official
said, while using an elaborate device to assess the power going into a wholesale on Princess
Street.
The NWC and the JPS have, for years, been losing millions of dollars because of illegal
connections islandwide, with west Kingston accounting for a large percentage of the thefts.
Last week, a JPS official told The Gleaner that the west Kingston enclave of Tivoli Gardens
and seven neighbouring communities were robbing the company of an estimated $271
million in revenue each year.
Hundreds of residents from these communities pay no utility bills, with some persons yet to
pay a single electricity bill, although enjoying the service for years.
According to JPS records acquired by The Gleaner, fewer than 30 of the more than 4,000
residents in Tivoli Gardens are registered as customers.
Meter readers have traditionally shied away from these communities for fear that gunmen
who abide there will exact retribution.
In the late 1990s, the JPS - as part of its effort to get non-paying persons in inner-city
communities to register as legitimate customers - introduced a flat-rate pilot project in Tivoli
Gardens, Central Court, Denham Town, Seaview Gardens and Torrington Park.
However, the project was short-lived, as it did not produce the desired results.
From town crier to first citizen
published: Sunday | June 29, 2003

421

McKenzie
Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter
AN OLDERM generation of Kingstonians remember him as a slender youth in the late 1960s and
early 1970s riding carelessly atop open-back vans through the streets of West Kingston, shouting
through loud speakers and urging "Labourites" to attend political meetings.
In later years, when missiles were thrown or gunshots fired to disrupt meetings, he would grab the
microphone to urge the faithful "not to run".
Then, he would lead the party supporters in the singing one of their favourite songs before the
address by the main speaker: "It is a mighty long road to travel and a very long way to go, but Jesus
my Blessed Saviour, will keep on the way I go..."
Desmond McKenzie has travelled a long road, most of it political.
It's in his blood politics. He grew up in a home of Labourites. And then there was Edward Seaga his
mentor, his role model, a man to whom he is fiercely loyal, his "father".
It is not entirely surprising then that this man would become a career politician and make the push to
be the Mayor of Kingston.
"I grew up in Western Kingston in a JLP home. My mother at that time was an active member of the
Most Honourable Hugh Shearer's West Kingston organisation. And I was a part of, at that time, what
they called the Junior Branch," he told The Sunday Gleaner in an interview last Friday.
EYEING THE MAYORAL POSITION
Now at 51, Desmond McKenzie, who has been a councillor at the Kingston and St. Andrew
Corporation (KSAC) for 26 years, does not hesitate to admit that he had been eyeing the top position
of Mayor of Kingston for some time.
"Well, when you are involved as long as I have been in the hustings of politics, then at some point in
your life, if you don't try to strive for something greater in it then it means you would be wasting your
time. I believe I have worked hard enough and hard work is what gives you the kind of rewards that
you get. So I would say that that I had been looking forward to and I am grateful that it has happened.
I am hoping that I will make a success of it."
Sunday Gleaner (SG): Do you think you'll get used to being called "Your Worship"?
DM: I had a very uneasy experience yesterday (Thursday), when I went the office of the KSAC and I
met with the Town Clerk and the senior management team of the Corporation to look at the plans for
the swearing-in on Thursday, and I saw faces around that table that I knew when I went to the Council
in 1977 as a youngster. And I felt uneasy because I am accustomed to them saying Desmond or
Councillor McKenzie but to hear them referring to me as His Worship, I felt uneasy. But it is a
responsibility that you have, as the first citizen of the city. There is a certain level of prestige that goes
with that and respect for the post. I'll have to get accustomed to that.
The discussion naturally turned to Mr. Seaga.

422

Mr. McKenzie remembers those trips of long ago, when Mr. Seaga used to take him to buy ice cream.
He remembers his first terylene and wool pants and first "real" shoes, courtesy of Mr. Seaga.
When Mr. Seaga came to West Kingston in the 1960s, it made a difference because we were all
fascinated by this man and we gravitated to him so much like magnet. I saw him for the first time
when I was about 10 or eleven.
SEAGA AS FATHER
From there, I used to go and look for him at West Indies Records, which is now Dynamic Sounds. And
we used to look forward to Sundays to go and have ice-cream with him. This was before he became
Member of Parliament (MP). He would take us uptown, anywhere ice-cream was at that time."
SG: Some persons see the relationship between you both as father and son.
He is, in fact, my father; not my biological father but he has been more than a father. You see when
one speaks about Edward Seaga, one has to be very careful about the things that you say about him
because if you don't know him you can't speak about him and one of the things that I have learnt from
him is that he is not flustered about anything.
You can say as much as you want to say about him, but one thing, when he believes in something,
when he believes in somebody, if Mr. Seaga believed in me that there is potential... not just in me,
because Olivia 'Babsy' Grange is a product, the late Dennis Brown is a product, I could go on and
mention numerous names that have made it on a national scale because of what he has done and still
continues to do.
A lot of us in West Kingston grew up without fathers. A lot of people in the inner-cities of West
Kingston only knew one father at that time Edward Seaga.
History doesn't have sufficient space to hold his record of achievements of what he has done for
people. Not just in West Kingston because Negril has felt his hands, and Ocho Rios has felt his
hands. If you look at the landscape of Jamaica right now, every single aspect of social and economic
development in this country has the hands of Edward Seaga written somewhere in it.
He is too unique a person for anybody to be a replica of him, but making him happy is what is
important to me because when he sits back he looks at persons, like myself, who have changed from
very low situations and who he helped to have an opportunity to develop...because no university, no
degree can match what he has created to prepare you, or me, for the job that is ahead of me.
One of his main theses in school when he was in university was to study the social life of people. He
lived in Buxton, he spent many days living in Salt Lane, eating out of the same pot, sleeping on the
same beds in rooms with five, six, seven people. And this is not something that he had to do and the
people of West Kingston are grateful. That is why we believe that if loving Edward Seaga is wrong,
then we don't want to be right.
THE FAMILY MAN
Still, there is another life for Desmond McKenzie. Outside of politics, he has a family. He is a married
man with four children.
"I have been married to Marcia for 25 years, this year. How do you describe someone who as been as
supportive and has been tolerant as Marcia has been for those periods of time? There are my
children, Marcus who is presently abroad at school; Mark, who lives in London; there is Tiffany who
lives in the United States, and Peta-Gaye and Matthew. My mother is still alive. I lost my father a
couple weeks ago.

423

"I am from a strong family. My family unit is very strong and then there is my extended family, the
people of West Kingston."
He is also a fan of cricket and loves to read.
The man soon to be sworn-in as Mayor concedes that people find him to be miserable: "I have some
ways about me that I probably need to look at. None of us is perfect. But then you know, if you don't
have faults as human beings something is wrong. I love music. I own a disco andI say to those
persons who are reading this article who normally depend on me to play for them, my reaching the
level of Mayor does not preclude my music from being played."
There is one little nagging point that he must settle.
"Basically, I am not miserable. I am okay," he insists.

'His Worship' speaks...

IN A MEETING room at the offices of the Ministry of National Security in Kingston on last Friday,
members of the Peace Management Initiative team were already calling him, "Your Worship".
It's something that he had wanted, worked hard for and waited to happen but just the thought of being
called "Your Worship" after years of being called 'Councillor' or simply 'Desmond' feels a bit strange
now.
Since the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) trouncing of the People's National Party (PNP) at the Local
Government polls more than a week ago, JLP senator and Councillor of Tivoli Gardens in Western
Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, has been a very busy man.
He has been up and down and moving around the town at various meetings, preparing for one of the
biggest moves in his political career to be sworn in this Thursday as Mayor of Kingston.
The 51-year-old man of the moment sat down with The Sunday Gleaner on Friday and spoke about
the capital city, the outgoing Mayor Marie Atkins, Opposition Leader (his "father") Edward Seaga and
his coming of age in the local political arena.
Sunday Gleaner: What were your thoughts and feelings when the Jamaica Labour Party won the
Local Government Elections?
Desmond McKenzie: Well, the feelings cannot be described because it is the first time in almost 22
years that the JLP has had any real success at the national level at the polls. When the results were
known one got the feeling that the efforts of the last three and a half years, in terms of moulding a
proper party organisation on the ground, had finally paid off. So I was more than elated, not for me but
for the Jamaica Labour Party and our leader.
BRIDGING THE GAP
SG: How do you plan to bridge the gap between the JLP as the Local Government administration in
the Corporate Area and the PNP's control of central Government?
McKenzie: It's not a matter of bridging the gap, it's a matter of working in a collective framework
because it is only a fool who believes that Local Government should not be a part of central
Government. Local Government lives off central Government. Ninety-eight per cent of the revenue
that comes to the local system comes from central Government. So what is important in this new
dispensation is a level of maturity both at the Local and central Government in order to achieve the
end result. If the end result is not accomplished, then both central and Local Government can't survive
because both are totally entwined together as one."

424

SG: How do you expect to carry out your work under the current political arrangement? Do you forsee
any problems?
McKenzie: The JLP has a history when in Government of sticking to what is best for the country. You
would remember that in 1980 when we won there were certain high level representatives of the
People's National Party (PNP) who held sensitive jobs in Government and they were retained by a
JLP administration. Not because of their politics but because of their ability to perform and to work
and to deliver. And this new JLP Local Government administration is there to get the best out of what
is in the system. We are going there to work with everybody once the person is willing to work. We are
not going there to clean house. We have to create our own space, but you create your own space in
areas where it is necessary.
SG: What do you think about the outgoing Mayor, Marie Atkins?
McKenzie: Let me say that for anyone in public life especially in representational politics who has
served a city and a Council and a party for over 30 years in that level that Mayor Atkins has done, is
very commendable. I have a great deal of respect for her. Not just as Mayor but as an individual
because I remember when I went to the KSAC in 1977 as a councillor, I got very good support and
advice from her. In the latter years I don't believe she did as well as she ought to have done. I frankly
believe that she didn't get the kind of support from the PNP councillors that she ought to have got and
it affected the overall running of the city but in terms of her overall commitment to Local Government, I
believe it is unquestionable.
SG: Is there anything that you have learnt from her?
McKenzie: (laughs uneasily) It's difficult but you do learn from everybody regardless of what their
shortcomings are, you do learn. She (Mayor Atkins) is a strong advocate. She strongly believes in the
principles of her party and that speaks volumes for the person that she is."
SG: Is there anything in particular that she has done that you intend to do differently?
McKenzie: That's a difficult question. One of the things that the city lacks in terms of its governance is
the fact that the KSAC seems to distance itself from the corporate Jamaican. There wasn't much
interaction between say, the Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturer's Association, the private
sector and the social interests groups who are in the heart of the city. And that was one of the things
that was lacking at the level of the KSAC.
The JLP will be working to have that as an integral part of our administration because I believe that is
important. You can't exclude the politics from the commmercial and the social sector. Both have to go
hand in hand and that is one of the weaknesses of the previous Council and the fact that the Council
was more reactive more than proactive.
SG: What more can people expect from the JLP leading the KSAC?
McKenzie: Well right now as we speak the party has instituted what we call an Oversight Committee
to work not just for the KSAC but with all the Parish Councils to look at the existing programmes that
are in the Councils in terms of the Local Government Reform and to combine those, the ones that are
workable, the ones that make sense with our new thinking, and some of that will go into new policies
that we hope to implement. I had some discussions yesterday (Thursday) with Councillor Angela
Brown-Burke who is slated to be the leader of the PNP side in the Council about collectively working
together in terms of the vision for the city of Kingston.
VENDING SITUATION
SG: Do you think the vending situation in downtown Kingston was handled satisfactorily?

425

McKenzie: I believe the KSAC failed in many ways to effectively deal with the issue of street vending.
I sympathise with a lot of the vendors because one of the biggest drawbacks about this present
administration of the PNP is the total disregard and disrespect that it shows to the women of this
country. Nintey-nine per cent of persons who vend right across Jamaica are females and you look at
the conditions that exist in the markets right across Jamaica not just in the city alone but right acrss
the length and breadth of Jamaica... There is hardly one market in Jamaica that is accessible to both
vendors and persons who are buying.
For instance the Oxford Mall has been one of the greatest disappointments of this administration. In
1989 when the Jamaica Labour Party left office it required something in the region of I believe $30
million to complete the downtown market district and that money was there, it wasn't a question to find
the funds, the funds were there and the Government of the day found it fit to discontinue the
programme and what that did was to contribute more to street vending, because, as a man lost his
job, him take the redundancy money and go out in the field and start a thing. And you find that there
became an influx of vending on the streets and then it became so huge that the Council found it totally
impossible to deal with it.
SG: What are your immediate plans to deal with that situation? Will the KSAC be committing any
funds to complete the unfinished Oxford Mall?
McKenzie: I am meeting with the commercial services manager and the staff of the markets to look at
the things that are necessary. I don't want to say right now that we will be committing funds. One of
the things that people don't know is that a lot of the funds that come to the Council are for specific
purposes. The Parochial Revenue Fund and the property tax speak clearly to the question of roads,
street lights and sanitation.
The markets are revenue-earning components of the KSAC. I don't believe ... as I said before,
because of the conditions, the potential that the markets have is not being realised and one of the
things that the new Council has to do, is not just to seek outside funding alone, but to get the kind of
compliance in terms of the revenue potential. And if there is an improvement in that area then a lot of
what is earned from the markets can go back to really improve the condition of the markets. But we
will definitely be making representations to Central Government to pump some money into upgrading
the markets in the city. Because there is the Papine Market, the Norman Manley and so on, so that in
itself is on a list of priorities.
The Oxford Mall will also definitely be a priority because there is sufficient space in the Oxford Mall
that can take almost every single person who is vending on the streets. But it is how you go about
getting it and how it is streamlined. And I think public education is going to be a key component of the
programme.
BREATH OF FRESH AIR
SG: There are some persons who see your appointment as Mayor of Kingston as a 'breath of fresh
air', however, others are of the opinion that the JLP will be 'sticking it' to the PNP now that you are in
control of Local Government, what is your view?
McKenzie: Let me say to those persons who see my promotion to the post of Mayor as a breath of
fresh air, let me say how grateful I am to those persons for the comments and I will try my best to
make them happy in terms of my performance. The JLP is not gloating over this victory because we
know how rough the road is.
What we will do as an administration is to try and get the job done. We represent the City of Kingston,
I am not Mayor for the JLP. My councillors are not councillors alone for the JLP, we are all city fathers
and city mothers and it is in that perspective that we will be approaching the job that is ahead.

South West St. Andrew, Street Lights

426

Lawsuits may shock JPS for anti-theft blackouts

Published: Tuesday | May 13, 2014 49 Comments

Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

Light and power monopoly, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), could run afoul
of local laws if it carries out its threat to deprive paying customers of electricity supply
at the expense of electricity thieves.
Prominent attorney Bert Samuels told The Gleaner yesterday that the JPS is contracted to
provide 24 hours of service.
"Any deliberate breach of that contract by the JPS entitles those customers to damages and
specific performance of the contract," he warned.
Samuels also cautioned that such a move by the JPS could trigger not only a legal stand-off
but far-reaching social unrest as well.
"In affected inner-city communities, the reality is that it may set off a rift between the paying
and non-paying customers, which is most undesirable," Samuels warned.
The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), the local regulator, issued a statement yesterday
evening that it has summoned the JPS to a meeting Tuesday to discuss the strategy.
Stating that it was treating this issue with the highest priority given the impact on legitimate
customers, the OUR has asked the JPS to provide critical information on its decision as well
as on the number of paying residential and commercial customers in the affected areas, and
the alleged level of damage done to JPS equipment as a result of electricity theft in these
communities.
Paying customers face blackouts
Lovey, a 60-year-old amputee, is among the JPS's paying customers facing the unpleasant
prospect of having her electricity disconnected daily for long stretches although she has never
owed a cent for the service.
Her husband, Albert, who is also in his 60s and the sole breadwinner in the family, has
absorbed abuse and threats in his daily resistance to the scores of electricity thieves who are
his neighbours.
The senior citizens, who live with a daughter and two grandchildren, refuse to allow
electricity scammers to abstract, or 'bridge', light or run illegal wires over their home.

427

Now facing bleak days and darker nights, family members say they are being penalised for
being honest because they live in the Maxfield Park community.
The area borders South West St Andrew, represented by Prime Minister Portia Simpson
Miller, and East Central St Andrew, by Dr Peter Phillips.
The JPS says that as part of continuing efforts to reduce the impact of electricity theft, it will
be cutting the number of hours that power is provided to communities where more than 70
per cent of the electricity is stolen.
The Corporate Area communities targeted in the initial phase are Seaward Drive, Trench
Town, Denham Town, Maxfield Avenue, Wilton Gardens (Rema), Central Village and
Spanish Town Road.
Gary Barrow, JPS' senior vice-president for energy delivery, complained that the company is
stretched to its limit. "We have tried everything to reduce electricity theft," he said.

Woman killed beside 5-y-o daughter

published: Friday | May 11, 2007

Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

Several hours after she was beaten up and warned not to report the matter to the police,
her attacker returned and fired a single bullet into her forehead. Natasha Dobbs, 21
years old, who was standing beside her five-year-old daughter, died on the spot.
According to the police, she was killed shortly after 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, while talking with
friends on Windward Road, near the Rockfort community in east Kingston.
Up to yesterday, police records showed that at least 503 persons have been murdered in
Jamaica since the start of the year. Of that number, 52 were females. The records also showed
that for the corresponding period last year, 53 women were killed and 61 the previous year.
Dobbs had an argument
Allegations are that Dobbs had an argument with a woman. Her killer later intervened and
beat her up. Residents who spoke with The Gleaner yesterday claimed that she was warned
not to report the incident to the police, or else she and her family would be wiped out.
"This is as a result of a domestic problem and I don't think it will escalate," said Angela
Brown-Burke, People's National Party councillor for the Norman Gardens division.

428

Mrs. Burke told The Gleaner that the community was saddened by the death, which took
place at a time when a lot of effort had been made to unite the citizens.
"It is a very tragic incident right now, I think we will have to focus on dispute resolution,"
said Mrs. Brown-Burke.
For most of last year, the Rockfort community was under siege by gunmen, who fire-bombed
several houses. Several residents were murdered while several others fled the area.
glenroy.sinclair@gleanerjm.com

Desmond's destiny
Published: Monday | December 19, 2011 4 Comments

Billboard for Desmond McKenzie.

Desmond McKenzie shed tears as he was nominated to contest the December 29 general
election on a Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) ticket in West Kingston.
This was a step up for the man who has served as councillor for the Tivoli Gardens division
in the constituency for years.
A son of the soil, McKenzie has made his way up the political ladder to become mayor of
Kingston and there is good reason to believe that when the votes are counted he will be
declared member of parliament (MP) for a constituency which is more infamous in Jamaica's
political history than any other.

429

The constituency became even more notorious in May 2010 when a bloody battle between
security forces and gunmen loyal to then community don, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, captured
the headlines locally and internationally.
More than 70 persons died in the firefight that shut down sections of Kingston for almost one
week.
While West Kingston has produced some colourful enforcers like Claudius Massop and
Lester Lloyd 'Jim Brown' Coke, the constituency can also boast that it is the only one in
Jamaica where four of its members of parliament have served as prime minister.
The JLP has held the West Kingston seat since 1962 when Edward Seaga defeated Dudley
Thompson of the People's National Party (PNP).
Sir Alexander Bustamante, Jamaica's first prime minister, and Hugh Shearer, who became the
country's third prime minister, preceded Seaga.
Bruce Golding, who would be elected Jamaica's eighth prime minister, succeeded Seaga in
2005.
He has now handed the reins to McKenzie who is expected to maintain tradition by easily
defeating his PNP opponent, who this time around is Earl Dawkins.
The last time the PNP won West Kingston was in 1959, when Hubert Wallace got the better
of Shearer.
Mutual respect
The affable McKenzie has been mayor of Kingston for the past eight years and has been at
the forefront of somewhat successful efforts to dismantle the political barriers which were a
part of life in the constituency, which includes areas of strong support for the PNP, including
Hannah Town.
Residents say there is now mutual respect between the politically divided communities and
Dawkins received a cordial welcome from JLP supporters when he was nominated on
December 12.
For Angella Phillips, who was born and raised in Hannah Town, keeping the peace and
building trust among constituents, must be a priority for the new MP.
"We need the politicians to take their state responsibility and do their jobs and represent the
people," Phillips told The Gleaner.
"It can't be left to an individual," added Phillips.
West Kingston was one of the 32 constituencies in Jamaica's first national elections in 1944.
Bustamante was its first MHR (member of House of Representatives) until 1949 when he left
for the South Clarendon seat.

430

The PNP's Ken Hill won the seat in 1949 but served part of his term as that party's
representative. He was expelled from the PNP in 1952 and ended his tenure as a member of
the National Labour Party which he founded.
Shearer regained the West Kingston seat for the JLP in 1955, but four years later the PNP was
back in business through Wallace.
In 1962, Wallace was discarded for Dudley Thompson, the flamboyant Pan Africanist who
had defended Kenyan nationalist Jomo Kenyatta in the Mau Mau trials of the 1950s.
In 1962, Seaga defeated Thompson by just over 600 votes. That margin increased to more
than 2,000 in the 1967 polls but those contests are more remembered for violent clashes
between supporters.
Seaga represented West Kingston for 42 years, the longest term by a Jamaican
parliamentarian.
Most of his election contests were one-sided but some of his opponents were far from
lightweights.
Firebrand journalist John Maxwell ran for the PNP in 1972, while Clinton 'Jingles' Davy of
Skateland fame, and the outspoken Earl Spencer, a former JLP member of parliament took up
the challenge in 1989 and 1993, respectively.
Joseph 'Bunny' Witter has represented the PNP most in West Kingston.
He ran three times, the first against Seaga in 2002. Witter opposed Golding twice, first in the
2005 by-election and again in the 2007 general election.
This time around, it's the turn of Dawkins to see if he can change the tide in what many
consider the JLP's safest seat.

Commitment to peace in central Kingston

published: Thursday | October 16, 2003

By Claude Mills, Staff Reporter

ONE OF the cardinal rules of life in the ghetto is: thou shalt not cross border lines. And the border
lines are everywhere in the Parade Gardens community of Central Kingston, cutting across
geographical areas with differing political affiliations from Laws Street, Rose-marie Lane, Rum Lane,
Wildman Street, Southside, Gold Street, to Rose Gardens.
The area has long been the stage for macho street theatre perpetuated by teenage toughs seeking to
control territory, and protect themselves from a perceived enemy.
Fear and mistrust of this perceived enemy has resulted in the mounting of emotional and physical
defences, where otherwise healthy and normal young men impose a form of social isolation on
themselves.

431

Afraid to cross border lines, they have severed family ties, embraced insularity and foregone
opportunities to advance their education and employment. The problem was further compounded by
overcrowded housing conditions, inadequate social amenities, and high unemployment rates due to
business migration and poverty.
Now, the work of the fledgling Central Kingston Task Force (CKTF), formed in May 2003, is trying to
change all that.
'A DIALOGUE FOR PEACE'
"This is not a peace, this is a unity, a dialogue for peace," says Dunstan Whittingham, chairman of the
CKTF.
"People who are hurting have come together. Kids can play on the streets again. People can stop
going to their beds before 5:30 p.m. There can be no development in this area until we stop 'bussing'
the gun... there have been no housing developments in this area for 35 years. We live, sleep, work
here, this is our Cherry Gardens; we will spend the rest of our lives here," Mr. Whittingham intoned
passionately.
Parade Gardens is bordered to the north by East Queen Street, south by Harbour Street, east by
Elletson Road and west by East Street.
The community leaders from central Kingston which include small fiefdoms like 'Southside', Rose
Gardens, and Spoilers (Wildman Street and Rum Lane) have made an ironclad commitment to peace.
They have been holding meetings with representatives from the police, private sector, social
agencies, political directorate and even spiritual leaders to forge links that will hopefully ward off the
threat of violence, and put a check on the slaughter.
MEET EVERY TWO WEEKS
The leaders meet at the Harbour Street offices of Grace, Kennedy every two weeks along with
Frances Madden, of the Grace and Staff Community Development Foundation to hammer out
problems, and tackle thorny issues.
Problems are approached head-on, former enemies sit side by side, accusations fly left and right, and
solutions are ironed out. While the meetings may not entirely eliminate spasms of violence or malice
aforethought, the 'unity' is working.
In spite of the problems, a step has been made in the right direction. Community links will be
strengthened by a host of ideas such as quiz and debating contests, a culinary contest; basketball,
netball and a five-a-side football contest throughout the constituency, a mass dance at Highholborn
Street; and a memorial service and crusade on West Lane for the lives of all those slain in the
internecine violence of the area.
A rapprochement that once seemed hazy and far-off now suddenly seems attainable, and for the
people of Central Kingston, the future is looking better.

432

433