Two night ago we told you about a brewing turf war on Wagner’s Lane and Berkeley Street that show 30 shots fired in just one 24 hours period. No one was hurt, but today police decided to do more than just patrols – they decided to change the geography of things.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Overgrown and abandoned lots are not only a neighborhood eyesore but a danger to the residents like those who live in the area of Berkley Street and Wagner’s Lane.
Supt. Edward Broaster, Director - CYDP
“We have a number of overgrown lots in this area whereby persons with criminal intent can use as cover to commit crimes and be unnoticed. So we are just cleaning up the area to make it a secure environment and a safe environment for this neighbourhood.”
All the high grass and over hanging tree branches from this lot on Wagner’s Lane were chopped down. Recent shootings in the neighbourhood prompted the police and the Conscious Youth Development Programme to manage the clean up.
Supt. Edward Broaster,
“Doing an assessment of the area yesterday we realized that the overgrown
shrubs in these open lots pose a significant threat and danger to the citizens living in this community so we decided to contact the prison department for some assistance where we can clean up this area and make it more conducive for the citizens’ safety.
It stems from a beef that occurred in the prison and it just spilled out to the street and we are working on it and I am sure we will be able to resolve it. We have managed to calm down the situation. We are looking for one other individual who is involved in the conflict as well and until we get that individual then I believe we will be able to work with them and to deal with the matter properly.”
The Kolbe Foundation permitted ten of the inmates from the central prison to get the job done under close supervision by their guards and the police. One of those prisoners is forty two year old Archibald. He is serving four years for burglary.
Jacqueline Godwin,
But how it makes you feel that you were brought out to clean up an environment
that maybe you yourself would have used to commit your crime?
Archibald, Prison Inmate
“Well it makes me feel like I have a chance to do something different with my life because at the end of the day everything depends on me so I could only say that I feel good to cooperate in positivity. All my life I’ve been real negative, not proud to say it but that’s the way I used to be and right now I feel good that they choose me out of a thousand and odd men to be here this morning. That shows me that I am improving with my behaviour because that is not really always me. I am not really a man of a lot of words.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
When you hear those youths out there giving so much trouble what advice you have for them?
Archibald,
“Well I was a youth one time you know and then it is not like I raised up in the streets. I raised up in a good family and they were always giving me good advice so it is sad that the youths don’t take advice. No matter what we tell them I feel they won’t listen until they feel because that is how I started to listen. I had to really feel a lot, not lil bit, lot before I started to give a second look because life is worth more than what I am dealing with right now.”
We wish we could have heard from the residents but because they have become fearful of the crime in their neighbourhood they chose to remain silent.
Supt. Edward Broaster,
“The results that we have been having at CYDP have been positive and favourable to creating safe environments for young people, having mediums where they can come and report conflicts and we in turn are able to assist them in resolving the conflicts. We’ve been tracing unreported conflicts, unreported shootings, and we’ve managed them significantly and I believe that since the CYDP was rejuvenated, we have seen quite a significant decrease in the gun rivalry and violence in the streets.”
Jacqueline Godwin for 7NEWS.
