When school reopens this week, the children of Rockfort will not share stories of a fun-filled summer. Instead, they will bombard their friends with horrendous stories of death, gunfights, and crime.

The Kingston community has, in the past few months, been daunted by rampant bouts of crime and violence as a result of conflicts between several criminal groups.

The residents, at a press conference two weeks ago, bemoaned the continuous onslaught of murders, theft and gunfights throughout the community.

This has forced children to be held inside as the gun battles “would start up any time a di day”.

“When shot a fire, man, mi haffi run under mi bed or mi haffi itch up pon mi uncle an mi sister,” 11-year-old Ashante, who has grown accustomed to the gun clashes, nonchalantly said.

“A move mi want move from yah, enuh. Mi a get fi nuh like Rockfort again, fi tell yuh di truth. Rockfort used to nice an’ wi coulda run up an’ down inna di holiday an’ dem ting deh, [but] now a bare inside, inside we haffi deh,” she added.

Having spent their two- month hiatus under beds, hiding from gunshots, the children, who were feted at a back-to-school treat last Friday by Jacqueline Lewis — the woman aspiring to become councillor for the Norman Gardens Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation — expressed fear and frustration with the state of their community.

“Me an my little sister neva want to go to di shop anymore, she was so afraid. The children didn’t want to go out and play at all,” another child, Oshin, told the Jamaica Observer.

“Mi neva hear so much gunshots in my life yet!” 17-year-old Mona Lisa chimed in. “It’s really disturbing, man. and it happen any time a di day, so by three o’clock come, me haffi leave the road.”

The traumatising memories will forever be etched in the mind of nine-year-old Nickoy Crosedale, who was close to one of the murdered victims.

“Sometimes I cry,” she said as she ate her popcorn and gazed into the distance. “One of my mommy friend dem did get killed in it.”

“A night time yu hear whole heap a shot and yu haffi run under the bed because a dat dem tell yu fi do,” she continued.

The nine-year-old urged the gunmen to “stop the killing” as she was very afraid to sleep at night.

Her friend, five-year-old Ariel Taylor, said she was made uncomfortable in her home during the two-month holiday from school.

“Mi neva get fi play or anything. Mi jus haffi a run under di bed wid mi sister and mother because it did really bad,” Ariel noted.

It was reported that the problems were being caused by two warring factions — one set involving gangsters from Corner One and Barnes Road, and the second involving gangsters from Oliver Road and Wareika Hills in conflict with men from Jarrett Lane in Mountain View.

In what many residents said was the first time the children were outside since the start of the summer break, gangsters representing opposing factions attended the treat to agree to a truce. The men, who initially avoided the event as they were alarmed by the presence of the police, symbolically shook hands later when the police left the location.

Interestingly, the thugs lauded the initiative and were pleased that the children and wider community were offered an opportunity to play and “enjoy di last a di summer”.

“Things a gwaan good so far enuh, thanks to Miss Kitty (Lewis) and her team. She really push fi di peace and mek wi deh down here so yah now,” one of the men stated. “Hopefully di peace can last because people have tings fi do, places fi go, an dem ting deh.”

The man, who did not wish to be identified, was confident that if “Miss Kitty can maintain a tight grip on the community everything will be all right”.

A member of the opposing faction, who was identified as ‘the boss’, shared similar sentiments.

“Is a good look, man. Yu nuh si say di people dem come out an’ a enjoy demself. A long time the kids especially nuh get fi do dem ting yah,” he said. “Mi glad say tings could a cool down fi di kids dem.”