There was an organised march to cement the peace call between political rivals of the PNP and  the JLP. Both group leaders called a truce and expressed their wishes for  a better life for the members of the respective communities.

Published Thursday, January 12, 1978

Peace move spreads

fletcher's Land, Allman Town in

THE WEST KINGSTON TRUCE of warring political factions spread yesterday afternoon to the politically volatile areas of Allman Town and Fletcher's Land in the downtown Corporate Area.

Carl 'Byia' Mitchell, representing the JLP gang and Aston 'Buckie' Thompson of the PNP met on neutral ground at National Heroes Circle in Kingston and spoke with members of opposing camps looking on.

On Tuesday, opposing gang members from the PNP and the JLP met at Oxford Street and Beeston Street and made a verbal peace treaty as a cheering crowd of  hundreds chanted “We want peace”.

Historic gathering

At the smal,l quiet but still historic gathering yesterday, Carl Mitchell said: “After this truce is for PNP and JLP to live together. Together means walking free on the streets. It means providing prosperity in the nation. This is not political. This is from I who felt the pangs of jail."

Said Buckie Thompson. “After peace now we want to see improvement in living conditions. We want work, in general, and Government must put more in youth programmes.”

A vocal female member of the gathering had this to say: “This is not gang truce. What we want is youth and community development. The devil find work for idle hands.”

“Amen!” an elderly voice from the gathering said.

"The gathering of people involved in political gang warfare was peaceful, but we need a push-start.”

Several persons suggested the need for the establishment of more trade training centres in the ghetto areas and, in general, for more youth programmes.

The suggestion was also made that there were a number of abandoned buildings in the west end that could be repaired and turned into factories or other productive enterprises.

Elsewhere on the west front, the Matthews Lane gang, who were part of the earlier peace meeting on Tuesday, have decided to volunteer their labour to set up a JAMAL centre.

Howard Thompson, the JAMAL zone officer, told The Gleaner yesterday that he had met with youths from the area earlier in the morning. They had volunteered, he said, to clear and fix up a centre at 100 Matthews Lane.

Thompson said the youths had expressed their determination to move forward in a progressive way.

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