Kingston mayor condemns latest attacks on homeless
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Mayor of Kingston, Senator Delroy Williams, has condemned the beating of homeless people in Kingston on Sunday night.
It was earlier reported that four men were beaten while sleeping on the streets at various spots across the Corporate Area. The description of the perpetrator in all four incidents is similar.
Read: 4 men beaten while sleeping on the streets
This is the second reported attack on homeless people since the start of the year. In January, police reported that at least six homeless men were attacked in the Corporate Area. Four of them died.
“I cannot but reiterate that it speaks to the awful state of affairs within the conscience of men, or perhaps it is a deranged serial attacker, but we already have a difficult task in managing to care for our brothers and sisters who have, for whatever reason, met up on hard times and found themselves vulnerable and homeless,” Mayor Williams said.
“I am happy that the police have a suspect in custody in this latest incident and we are working with the JCF, residents and other stakeholders as the investigation progresses,” he continued.
“Keen attention will be paid to the areas where homeless persons converge as this follows from the brutal murders of three homeless persons earlier this year.
“We continue to explore avenues to ensure utmost safety and care of the homeless and continue to encourage them to use the state-run facilities for their protection. The KSAMC’s (Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation) poor relief officers and other workers will be redoubling our due diligence in appealing to these homeless persons to stay in the approved shelters -especially at nights,” Williams said. He further noted that poor relief officers continually go “above and beyond the call of duty with limited resources to serve and care for the poor and homeless”.
He said that a lot has been done to improve the care afforded to the homeless population with greater investments to come from both the public and private sectors.
“Our partners in the private sector, NGOs and other industries play a great role in what we have been able to accomplish for the care of the homeless and we will be focusing on their protection even greater moving forward,” the mayor said.