Jamaica’s inner city communities are plagued with many problems. Many believe that the root of the troubles stem from the ‘gang leaders’ and ‘Dons’ that control these communities. These persons ‘run things’. Even though most of them work nowhere and have no businesses they are the ones that help the members of the community. With what, you ask, and at what price?
Daily we hear the cries of the residents for more job opportunities, better road conditions, safer and more reliable transportation, more educational and recreational facilities and overall protection from crime and violence. But how do you help someone when they are the very ones blocking any form of progress.

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Businesses that have the potential to provide employment within these communities are closing because they are being asked to pay ‘protection money’. Other potential businesses deliberately stay away from these troubled areas for fear of extortion and crime. Not to mention the down time experienced when business must be closed because of gang violence.
Every time there is any kind of problem in the communities residents block the roads and burn tires. This results in the destruction of the road surface that the same residents must use on a daily basis. Needless to say the bad roads destroys their vehicles and cost them money.
The public transportations are also subjected to extortion and in times of disturbances are always the first to be set ablaze. So as soon as there is word of a disturbance most public transportations are pulled and the residents are the ones left stranded.
Education also suffers from constant gang violence in the inner cities. In an effort to protect the children schools must often close their doors at the first sign of trouble. Children also have a hard time trying to concentrate with the sound of gun shots all around them.
The security forces are always to blame whenever someone from the community is killed. Women and children are quick to fill the streets protesting and crying ‘police brutality’. No matter how severe the crimes committed by the individual killed. Not that there aren’t genuine cases of police brutality however the general public has become so desensitized by the frequency of these protest that the inner city residents are no longer taken seriously.
Overall the residents of these communities control their own destiny. Until they decide to end the reigns of the ‘gang leaders’ and ‘dons’ it will be hard for anyone to help them.
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