MONTEGO BAY, St James – Although the inner-city community of Canterbury in Montego Bay has not recorded a murder in approximately four years the area is still being stigmatised according to the commanding officer for the St James Police Division, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vernon Ellis.

“I see places like Canterbury being listed on a trip advisory [website] as one of the most dangerous places in Montego Bay. In four years we have had zero incidents in Canterbury,” Ellis said during the recent regular meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation.

The senior St James policeman noted that with the parish being so heavily dependent on tourism, Jamaicans should be mindful of the narrative that they push regarding Montego Bay.

“We will have to be careful with the narrative that comes out of Montego Bay, considering the tourism product. Sometimes the statistics will frighten people [and make it seem] like we are having an increase because we are comparing it with one of our best years or a state of emergency (SOE) year,” SSP Ellis warned.

“I don’t want it to go out and tourists don’t want to come to Jamaica because they say Montego Bay, which is the tourist capital of the Caribbean, is having an increase. So, we must be careful in that narrative,” Ellis continued.

While acknowledging the growth of the community members, Jamaica Labour Party councillor for the Montego Bay South Division, Richard Vernon pointed out that through the work of many State agencies, Canterbury has been “transformed”.

“This is commendable, knowing what the community has been through. It is indeed a success and I want to commend not just the State agencies that played their role in ensuring that Canterbury is at the position where it is at now, but also the residents who have tried to ensure that their community is a better place,” Vernon said.

“It was a mixed approach in terms of dealing with crime in the community. There was much social intervention done, but also some level of policing. It is not just hard-core policing that will bring a community from a place of violence to peace, so we had to implement social resources,” said Vernon, who is also Montego Bay’s deputy mayor.

“It is noteworthy to state that the community went through a certain level of transformation, not infrastructurally as we would have liked, but socially. It has transformed and it has done so without implementing a zone of special operations (ZOSO),” Vernon told the Jamaica Observer West.

But, as one Canterbury resident Shamona Whyte told the Observer West, though the residents have attempted to move past their stint with violence, “society is still trying to paint our community black”.

“We are still being judged for our past but our Canterbury Ambassador Youth Group as well as Councillor Vernon, Social Development Commission [SDC], Sandals Foundation, and the Observer West have been working very closely in maintaining and promoting peace in the community,” she said.

Whyte added, “Canterbury is down in history as a volatile community and that stigma has stuck with us. We do have a past, like everybody else, but Canterbury is not involved in any form of violent activities that are taking place now. So, instead of continuing to focus on our past, just give us the space and time in society to grow.”

Whyte, who is also president of the Ambassador Youth Club, pointed out that through her leadership and support from community members there have been numerous social events held in the community.

“The Canterbury Ambassador Youth Group has initiated activities on how to solve problems and promote less idle practices. So, we are promoting good standards and residents are working together as a group for one community,” she told the Observer West.

“We also had a job fair held in the community and we have a group called ‘Created’ so if there are any job listings, we post it in our group for residents to see. Residents here are busy seeking better for themselves,” the young woman shared.

Ruben Robinson, another resident of the community, shared that he has experienced discrimination by just sharing his address.

“Living over Canterbury means that we are automatically stigmatised,” he said.

“It looks like we need to change the community’s name because whenever they hear about Canterbury it’s like they expect something bad. Even when I go to get a work and mention Canterbury, everything changes,” Robinson stated.

Robinson shared that he, too, has benefited from the social inventions implemented in the community.

“I have been a part of an entity that transforms youths who were [troubled] into different individuals, the Peace Management Initiative,” said Robinson.

“Canterbury is not a violent place anymore, as they portray it in the media. There are a lot of good people living in the community or [who] have come from there. We have doctors, lawyers, police officers, soldiers, and pilots who are from Canterbury,” he added.

“We know that Canterbury is a place that a lot of people can live. The painting of Canterbury black needs to stop. They need to highlight the good that is happening in the community. I have also heard that only dunce people come from Canterbury and that is not true,” Robinson challenged.