For several years, the people of sections of West Kingston and South St Andrew lived virtually like cats and dogs — bitter enemies.

Political strife which began during the 1960s, escalated during the 1970s, and ballooned to record levels during the early part of the 1980s, is responsible for thousands of deaths of citizens from the communities of Tivoli Gardens, Denham Town, Hannah Town, Arnett Gardens, Rose Town, and Wilton Gardens (Rema) in particular.

Such was the tension that those who lived in Tivoli Gardens dared not venture into Arnett Gardens, unless they had already affixed their signatures to their death wish certificates. Even members of sports teams were having a hard time putting their best on display without having to be consistently looking over their shoulders to see if danger lurked.

Some of the fine talent produced by Jamaica in football originated from the troubled communities, and quite often there were clashes by supporters when Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens met. things deteriorate so badly that security had to be doubled whenever the teams met, usually on neutral turfs. But on one occasion during 1996, rival supporters clashed at Up Park Camp, headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force, and the scene turned violent, despite the presence of military personnel. The return game had to be played without spectators present.

Football administrators were frustrated. They had decided that things could not continue that way and explored the idea of expelling both teams from the National Premier League, the top-ranked league in the island.

But one member of the Arnett Gardens camp had had enough. He wanted it to end and was willing to put the first foot forward.

“One Friday at training, Captain (Horace) Burrell called and said, ‘George, we just had a meeting about Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens and we came to a decision to drop you out of the National Premier League because everywhere you go, it comes with violence’,” Manager of the Arnett Gardens Football Club George Phang recollected about his communication with the President of the Jamaica Football Federation.

“’There has been violence at the National Stadium, and Up Park Camp, and we have to get you out of the NPL and you have to find a way to put the field that you have to good use’,” Phang continued.

Phang called club coach Allan “Skill” Cole, regarded by many as the most talented footballer to have emerged from Jamaica, and told him that he was going to Tivoli Gardens to see Christpher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the man known to rule that inner-city community with an iron fist. The manager repeated the plan to the players that evening after training, most of whom thought that he was joking.

“Eugene Barnes and Everton Bunsie were the only two players who stayed behind and said they would make the trip to Tivoli with me. They insisted on it,” Phang said. “Another Arnett supporter, ‘Jah D’, also wanted to come. I told them not to come because the water deep, but they would have none of it,” Phang went on.

The quartet travelled down Collie Smith Drive, along Spanish Town Road, and onto Bustamante Highway, where they stopped, Phang having seen a young man he called ‘Cado’ along the way.

“A wa you a do down ya brethren?” a frightened Cado was said to have asked Phang.

“I told him I wanted to see Dudus, and Cado told me to wait here. After a while, Cado came back with Steve Green, a Tivoli player, and tell us to follow them. So I followed them to where Dudus was at the community centre. Dudus greeted me with honour. I said, ‘Short man’ I come look for you, and told him what Burrell had said.

“Dudus said to me ‘Big Man, a long time me want this, but me couldn’t run the risk of checking you, worse at night’,” Phang related.

In no time, news went out that Phang and Coke were at the community centre and the place quickly filled up with residents of Tivoli Gardens.

Longtime Tivoli supporters Dawn Heron and Saleem Lazarus could hardly believe what was happening. They all joined in the spontaneous celebration and stayed until daylight.

“When I called Dawn, she couldn’t believe me when I told her I was in Tivoli,” Phang reflected.

By the following day, things became even better for the two teams. Arnett Gardens players walked from the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex in their community, to the Railway Oval, later to be renamed the Edward Seaga Sports Complex, to train.

By Sunday, youth from Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens played a friendly football match, dubbed Rude Boy v Rude Boy, which helped to further ease lingering tension.

Further encouragement of lasting peace occurred by the Monday, when members of the Tivoli Gardens squad went up to the Arnett Gardens ground to train, accompanied by Coke, who is now serving time in a United States prison for drug-running and gun-related crimes.

But it was not all smooth sailing. A snag had to be sorted out. During that same period, some of the people from Rema and those from Tivoli Gardens, both cut from the same political cloth, were at odds. Rema, which took its nickname from the construction company that built houses there, were not happy that the Tivoli youth with whom they had conflicts, were being given safe passage through their community enroute to Arnett Gardens.

Phang again had to intervene, and contact was made with then Superintendent in charge of the Denham Town Police Station, Colin Pinnock, who defused the tension.

“The Rema people didn’t know about the peace arrangements and I didn’t want to get too involved in that conflict because I never want people to believe that I set up the Tivoli people against Rema,” Phang stated.

It was during the same time that the sports complex at Arnett Gardens was to be renamed and officially opened. That’s how the match that was played there between footballers of both communities was called ‘Bring Back The Love.’

“I ran a risk with my life, but I had the vibe to do it,” Phang said. “Every man cut and leff, except the two ‘ballers. Until now the vibes good between Arnett and Tivoli and it doesn’t work only for football but for other things in the communities.

“At one time you couldn’t have orange shirt and be in Tivoli, or wear a green shirt and be in Jungle. The whole thing also brought back the love between Tivoli and Rema.

“When Seaga came back to Arnett for the first time, he said it was 30 years since he didn’t visit Arnett,” Phang said of the former Jamaica Prime Minister who served as Member of Parliament for West Kingston for over 40 years.

“It would have been too sad for Arnett and Tivoli not to be in the National League, because Arnett is Tony Spaulding’s legacy,” Phang stated.