MANCHESTER, Jamaica— Party promoters in Manchester are disgruntled with what they say was a “disappointing” town hall meeting on security issues in the parish as their concerns over curfews affecting their livelihood were not resolved.

The promoters were among the audience at the town hall meeting organised by Member of Parliament for Manchester Central Rhoda Crawford at Church Teachers’ College on Thursday.

Chavanna Gray-Bell, a party promoter, said the meeting was a “waste of time”.

“Everything happen a Manchester the first place dem lock down a entertainment. All when it nuh have nutten fi do [party] a entertainment get the beaten, a it we live by. A nuh every one a we go school go well educated and sit down round computer, a it we live off a,” she said.

She then criticised National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang over comments he made that Hennessy is now in demand all year round unlike during just the festive season.

“The meeting nuh make nuh sense, because all Horace Chang come and a talk about is people used to buy Hennessy inna December. Everybody a work hard and if you feel seh Hennessy you want fi drink and a Hennessy you want fi make your head nuh hurt yuh and it give you a vibe. Nobody nah kill nobody fi Hennessy. Why a Hennessy a the problem? Hennessy alone a the topic in there… Him nah talk nothing pertaining to weh me a talk about that we want keep we party,” she said.

“Weh Dr Horace Chang in dem a talk seh a scramble and we need wan interpreter fi tell we weh him a seh, because nobody nuh understand weh him a seh,” she added.

Gray-Bell pointed to the struggle being faced by promoters and small business owners like herself.

“Waste of time. I could have been at my shop trying to see if I can sell before the police come lock the bar, because we have to try hustle from early. By eight, nine o’ clock you have to think about going home,” she said.

“We have chef. We have people who help share food. We have selecta. We have people who do decoration. All kind of people demand on this. Weh you come out a talk about Hennessy. None a we in deh naah do scamming, because first thing you haffi get a permit from them and they ask you so many questions. They run all kind of checks to now if you can get a permit,” she added.

She said event promoters feel as though they have been “tricked” into paying for events only for police to lock off the parties while in session.

“The problems we are facing we have drink out. We have round robin, we have regular parties, we have dances. We go on the road for like four, five months promoting our dances and on the day of the event we already get the permit. No issue no happen and then they just come up in the middle of the dance like 9 o’ clock and say they get call from Kingston seh they have curfew,” the party promoter said.

“So we asking why did you go ahead and give us the permit and then you ago come turn off the party and no crime nuh happen on the same night?” Gray-Bell asked.

She claimed that there is a double standard approach.

“They lock down our small businesses. For example, our regular restaurants and bars. The clubs are open and KFC nah lock.

“I am a God fearing person, but at the same time. Wah happen to the gathering at the church. The church is able to perform and do everything weh dem fi do and we cyah do nutten. We come in like a slave to this,” she added.

Gray-Bell pointed to the huge economic loss being faced by promoters and farmers who depend on parties to offload meat.

“People a raise chicken for the event, people a raise hog for the event, people have them little goat and nobody not talking for us. We buy 200 pounds of chicken and have it put down on fridge and it cya use. Some people trust them and liquor,” she said.

“We pay a money at the parish council and before we get the permit we still have to pay for four police 40-odd thousand dollars and yet still dem a tell we about security and a that we pay for. When the party a gwan them same one a send a different set a police come lock off the party. That nuh make nuh sense. There is nowhere to keep any event. Yuh seh we can keep it inside a club and by 10 o’ clock them come turn off it and club have a 4 o’ clock license. We nuh put nuh extra boxes in there,” she added.

— Kasey Williams