WESTERN BUREAU — To help change the negative reputation that has dogged the inner city community of Flankers for years, a group of area youth have collaborated with the Social Development Commission’s (SDC) Montego Bay arm to form the Destiny Youth Club.

“The youth decided that, for too long, people would stigmatise their community and would (in some cases) not allow them to get jobs because of the stigma of where they are from,” said Philip Spence, the SDC’s community development officer (CDO) for the area. “They wanted to change that, and by changing it they would take their destiny into their own hands, and that’s why they call the club Destiny.”

He was speaking with the Observer about how the club had emerged.

“They needed somebody from outside to come and start it, because if somebody from among their ranks started it maybe they wouldn’t take it seriously. So I started it,” Spence added, explaining the SDC’s involvement.

Destiny Club was formed about two months ago and has a membership of some 80 youths, ranging in ages from 13 to 25. The group has already painted the post office along the community’s Headquarters Drive.

And, Spence said, the club does not intend to stop there. They have more projects planned for the next few weeks and their aim, he said, is not only to change Flankers’ image but also to unify the community and promote development.

One of their goals is to develop a skills bank.

“We want to plan a skills bank for the youths of Flankers,” Spence explained, “and invite people with influence and who are in a position to give them jobs to come in and give talks and look at the skills available.”

They also intend to invite Superintendent Newton Amos, head of the St James police, to talk with area youth.

“We plan to meet with Superintendent Amos to improve the relationship between the police and the youth,” Spence added. “(The area called) Vietnam, (for example), has always suffered from abuse at the hands of the police. I will not get (more) specific but just to say that the general way the police approach the youth is in a very aggressive manner.”

Three months ago, on March 9, the police shot and killed 26 year-old Errol “Monkey Man” Whittaker in the area. The killing sparked a protest by residents who refuted official police reports that Whittaker was killed after lawmen were greeted by gunfire when they went to Whittaker’s home.

The police maintained that they were forced to return fire; Whittaker ended up dead and a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver later recovered.

The Club, Spence said, has a number of leisure and sporting activities planned, and these are aimed at keeping members occupied and, hopefully, with no time to get into run-ins with lawmen.

“They are going to start with a corner league; then they’ll want to move to a St James Federation Football league,” the CDO said. “These sporting activities are designed to encourage the youth to stay with the club. It cannot be all serious when you have a club dealing with the youth. You have to have some activity so that the membership will grow; and the sports will also unify the youth.”