AS a new court term started on Monday, Appeal Court judges renewed their call for the authorities to resolve the perennial problem of the homeless who line the sidewalks of Justice Square in downtown Kingston.

The judges argued that action should be taken before the unthinkable happens.

For years, Justice Square in downtown Kingston — which is home to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions — has been a refuge for dozens of homeless people, some of whom are mentally challenged and roam at will in different stages of undress.

Senior Appeal Court judge, Justice Paulette Williams, presiding over the official opening ceremony for the Michaelmas Term in the absence of President Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, said the recent fire at the rear of the court building — allegedly caused by the actions of a homeless individual — is sufficient notice.

The early morning fire on Peter’s Lane, which is frequented by homeless people at nights, caused damage to the court’s electrical infrastructure, resulting in a week-long closure.

“We continue to struggle with the challenges presented by the homeless and mentally challenged within our court environs. I don’t know how many of you are aware that there was a fire that affected the rear of the building sometime last term, and allegations are that the fire was set by a homeless individual.

“The dumping of garbage there was another issue. The garbage was not dumped by the homeless people [as] we were reliably informed that there are business places who actually pay people to come and dump garbage. Maybe they don’t know where it is dumped but it was piled behind us for weeks until a homeless person decided to burn it down,” Justice Williams told the sitting.

She said another recent incident involving the homeless in the vicinity has concerned the bench further.

“Just last week another incident involving another mentally challenged individual took place — and it took on serious proportions because this person was attempting to set fires. She was armed with a knife, and when she was accosted by the security guards she attacked them, and the security guard had to take defensive action, and there was discharge of a firearm in the circumstances, so we had to have the police brought in,” Justice Williams outlined.

“So these are some of the challenges that we contend with. We have done our best; we cannot stress our efforts to try and get the powers that be, the authorities, to address this nuisance. We have earned a reputation as a people of being reactive more than proactive, but we hope that this situation will not lead to something that we will end up saying, ‘if only’, and, ‘if wi did’. So, we continue to ask you to be cautious in your dealings with these people as they gather around us and to be aware of them,” added Justice Williams.

Meanwhile, attorney Maurice Manning, King’s Counsel, speaking on behalf of the Jamaican Bar Association, said the issue of the homeless in the location poses real safety concerns.

“We are not unmindful, because as we traverse the roads to get here we often encounter, or have to dodge or seek cover sometimes, because of the situation. I am praying that it does not continue falling on deaf ears. We will do what we can on our side to raise the issue again and to bring it into the spotlight that it’s not something that can continue,” said Manning.

“We have heard this talk of Justice Square and we are not rating justice as a cloistered virtue when we talk about Justice Square. It really is about recognising that, as an arm in a democratic State, justice must not just seem to be important or be spoken about as being important but we must treat it with the kind of respect that it is deserving of,” added Manning.