Building lives in Rema
Published:Sunday | May 23, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
WELCOME TO Rema! The community which was officially christened Wilton Gardens has had an unofficial name change and now most persons have forgotten the correct name.
Rema is situated in the bowels of the People's National Party stronghold of South St Andrew.
For years, the community was aligned to the Jamaica Labour Party and provided almost 100 per cent of the votes that party received in the constituency in any election.
As the residents explain, Rema is divided into three sections: Pace and Cay, Rema Scheme, and Federal Gardens.
Rema is neighboured by other troubled communities, such as Denham Town, Arnett Gardens, Tivoli Gardens and Trench Town.
Political neglect
Many people call Rema home. But judging by the look of the community, they probably shouldn't. Rema needs rebuilding and rebranding.
At first glance, it seems the community, shattered by years of gang warfare, is also the victim of political neglect.
It is evident that the residents of Rema are still shell-shocked by its harsh history of violence.
The community is in dire need of infrastructural repairs. The roads don't give a smooth ride, like those in Norbrook and Cherry Gardens. And garbage is strewn along the streets. A concrete skip in the area, used to collect waste, is broken down and in need of repairs.
Men from the Action Pack corner in the area tell The Sunday Gleaner that they are planning to rebuild the skip as part of a Labour Day project.
When our news team visited the area last week, it was a school day, but several children were seen on the streets.
The businesses in the area - bars and shops - are mostly wooden structures with zinc roofing.
"Businesses are surviving because there is no violence in the area. The area nice, man. No shooting," said one resident, who gave only his alias - 'Deala' (Dealer).
One of his friends, 'Bad Vibes' - another alias - said they were not destroying lives in Rema, they were building lives.
The remnants of what used to be a park remain in Rema, not too far from where the men gathered at Action Pack HQ.
Antique train
There is an old locomotive smack in the middle of the old play area. Not much of a park, but the children still play there. According to the residents, it has been there from about the time of Jamaica's Independence.
The antique structure stands out like a sore thumb in the dilapidated area. Deala believes the old locomotive is a curse on the community.
He claims the train was the same steam engine that was involved in the infamous Kendal crash that resulted in the deaths of many persons, including about 15 "church people".
"And dem bring the crosses come yah. That's why so much a we a dead," Deala said.
As they struggle to recall the exact date the locomotive made its virgin voyage into the community, one of the men called his mother and asked her to give our news team the history of the steam engine.
She is older and wiser it seems. The elderly woman told The Sunday Gleaner that the train was brought into the community in 1966, four years after Jamaica's Independence.