Superintendent Murdock
The same cop who has factored in so many run-ins with the youngsters in the Shoemaker Gully (often described as a sewer by some activists) has delivered on a promise of his powerpoint presentation on a solution to the issue in New Kingston, problem is it is the same folks who abandoned the men (their predecessors) from the powerful cogs of LGBT/HIV that are in earshot of his plan.
This ugly business of LGBTQ homelessness and displacements or self imposed exile by persons has had several solutions put forth, problem is the non state actors in particular do not want to get their hands dirty as the more combative and political issues to do with buggery's decriminalization or repeal have risen to the level of importance more so than this. Let us also remember this is like the umpteenth meeting with the cops, some of the LGBT homeless persons and the advocacy structure.
Remember JFLAG's exclusion of the group from that IDAHO symposium on LGBT homelessess? See HERE, how can we ask the same people who only want to academise and editorialise the issue to also try to address their own when they do not want to get their hands dirty but publish wonderful reports as was done earlier this month, see HERE: (re)Presenting and Redressing LGBT Homelessness in Jamaica: Towards a Multifaceted Approach to Addressing Anti-Gay Related Displacement also LGBT homelessness has always been with us from the records of Gay Freedom Movement(1974) to present but the current issues started from 2009, see: The Quietus ……… The Safe House Project Closes and The Ultimatum on December 30, 2009 as carried on this blog.
The last time we saw Superintendent Murdock in action with the population was in December 2013, SEE HERE and attempts have been made to address the group via Dwayne's House (Yvonne McCallah Sobers) who also propose a shelter but to no avail as yet. Also the public crackdown in October 2013, See HERE
Pity that it had to take so much years of grief and some international attention (that seems to be the only thing that moves some folks) to get the same organizations linked to Jamaica AIDS Support who ditched the homeless LGBT youth in the previous Safe House Pilot some five years ago and thus the issues since then to now to listen, but who wants to actually get their hands dirty? my podcast from a year ago on the government providing shelter still stands:
The previous Executive Director of Jamaica AIDS Support who piloted the Safe House Project and understands the issues or myself or other stake holders who have far more intimate knowledge of the situation were NOT made aware of this meeting until it was published in the papers. Another indication of how this issue is being controlled by some.
The Jamaica Observer carried this:
A senior police officer has proposed the establishment of a shelter where homeless gay men in New Kingston can access medication, psychological evaluation, counselling and skills training.
Commanding officer for the New Kingston Police, Deputy Superintendent Christopher Murdock, made the suggestion at a meeting last Thursday attended by residents of communities in New Kingston, some of the homeless young men, business operators in the financial district, and representatives of interest groups, including the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA).
The meeting, arranged by Government parliamentarian Julian Robinson, whose constituency includes the affected area, was called in an effort to address problems being experienced by residents and business owners in relation to the behaviour of the homeless gay men.
Police say they have received reports of murder, wounding, robbery, car break-ins, house break-ins, malicious destruction of property, one case of shooting, simple larceny, and assault occasioning bodily harm, most of which they have attributed to the young men who live in the Shoemaker gully on Trafalgar Road.
"The fact that you are homosexuals doesn't mean that the behaviour has to be bad," Murdock told the homeless men attending the meeting.
But one woman suggested to Murdock that he needed to accept the fact that because the young men are thrown out of their homes, "they learn street culture".
Until that reality is recognised and accepted, "we are going to always have this problem of finding the solution, because they are going to develop the behaviour to survive on the streets", she said.
But Murdock, in his defence, said that other homeless men are not indulging in acts of criminality.
"Whilst we are mindful of the sexual orientation and the issues surrounding that, we don't want to come to the meeting with that because we have other street boys and they do not give us the problem that we are having with these ones," he said.
However, Murdock's shelter proposal was questioned by Jermaine Burton, founder of the group Colour Pink.
"You have come up with the idea of a shelter, but how have you reached a shelter, because you guys have been on the issue of the shelter... that is like reinventing the wheel from how long," he said.
"The culture itself doesn't create an enabling environment to really go and get a shelter as well. If you put up a shelter and people know that this is a shelter [for homosexuals]... it is more problems," Burton said.
But Robinson quickly clarified the purpose of the shelter, saying that it would be a place for sustainable development.
"It's not a home for you to carry on your activities," said the MP. "So when you think of a shelter, don't think of a shelter for persons to carry on homosexual activities. The shelter we're looking at is a centre where persons can get home training and skills training.
"There are quite a number of persons living there (in the gully) now who don't even have a birth certificate, who have no form of identification, no skills training, no educational qualifications. The centre is to create that, not an area where you are going to say okay, this is where you are going to be carrying on with your sexual activities and carrying on with your lewd behaviour, which is associated with the group where they come out onto the streets, they strip themselves, they gyrate... that's not what we're about," he stated.
Burton, however, asked: "Is this what the community wants? You don't ask the community what they want, yet still you put up that they want a shelter?"
However, Superintendent of Police Fitz Bailey quickly interjected, saying that for years people have been fed up with the behaviour of the young men, and the shelter was the solution.
"All of us are here because we are frustrated and we want a solution, so I have devoted more time than others in sessions trying to come up with a solution, and that would be the ideal thing," Bailey said.
One resident, who expressed frustration with the behaviour of the homeless men, said education would be one of the first steps to finding a remedy.
"First and foremost, we need to educate the persons and their families about their lifestyle. In Jamaica every family has at least one person who is gay. I have gay family members and for years we did not know," she said, adding that when they found out, they did not put them out on the streets.
"I agree with the approach to create a centre and educate these people to let them know if you want to be accepted into society, don't go about behaving like this, as you're only making the situation worse by putting yourselves out there. Your behaviour should be confined to your bedroom and your private quarters, nobody has to know," she said.
The health risks associated with the young men living in the gully were also raised at the meeting which heard that they cook, eat and defecate there.
As the meeting progressed, the idea of the shelter seemed to have gained a bit of support, but even then the question of who would be responsible for getting it established was raised.
"If we could convince members of the civic coalition and those who are spending millions on security to help, we could go a far way," said Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays President Dane Lewis.
"We have to have land, pay people who are going to come and look after health care and other benefits. We've had enough of these sessions; we need to come to a solution," Lewis added.
A female participant felt it was the Government's responsibility.
"The Government has to lead on this. We have had donors give us money and we cannot get the support from communities in society to do this. We have had to give back a $9-million grant because we couldn't find a place. If the Government leads, we will be willing to support in whatever way using our own resources such as representatives from the Ministry of Health and from among those working with the group for quite some time," she said.
Robinson said that he would help to source the land for the shelter, while Murdock asked for a small group to be committed to leading the charge.
A representative from the NCDA and one from the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition gave their commitment to assist, once proper funding was in place and the Government decided to lead the charge beyond providing land.
A senior police officer has proposed the establishment of a shelter where homeless gay men in New Kingston can access medication, psychological evaluation, counselling and skills training.
Commanding officer for the New Kingston Police, Deputy Superintendent Christopher Murdock, made the suggestion at a meeting last Thursday attended by residents of communities in New Kingston, some of the homeless young men, business operators in the financial district, and representatives of interest groups, including the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA).
The meeting, arranged by Government parliamentarian Julian Robinson, whose constituency includes the affected area, was called in an effort to address problems being experienced by residents and business owners in relation to the behaviour of the homeless gay men.
Police say they have received reports of murder, wounding, robbery, car break-ins, house break-ins, malicious destruction of property, one case of shooting, simple larceny, and assault occasioning bodily harm, most of which they have attributed to the young men who live in the Shoemaker gully on Trafalgar Road.
"The fact that you are homosexuals doesn't mean that the behaviour has to be bad," Murdock told the homeless men attending the meeting.
But one woman suggested to Murdock that he needed to accept the fact that because the young men are thrown out of their homes, "they learn street culture".
Until that reality is recognised and accepted, "we are going to always have this problem of finding the solution, because they are going to develop the behaviour to survive on the streets", she said.
But Murdock, in his defence, said that other homeless men are not indulging in acts of criminality.
"Whilst we are mindful of the sexual orientation and the issues surrounding that, we don't want to come to the meeting with that because we have other street boys and they do not give us the problem that we are having with these ones," he said.
However, Murdock's shelter proposal was questioned by Jermaine Burton, founder of the group Colour Pink.
"You have come up with the idea of a shelter, but how have you reached a shelter, because you guys have been on the issue of the shelter... that is like reinventing the wheel from how long," he said.
"The culture itself doesn't create an enabling environment to really go and get a shelter as well. If you put up a shelter and people know that this is a shelter [for homosexuals]... it is more problems," Burton said.
But Robinson quickly clarified the purpose of the shelter, saying that it would be a place for sustainable development.
"It's not a home for you to carry on your activities," said the MP. "So when you think of a shelter, don't think of a shelter for persons to carry on homosexual activities. The shelter we're looking at is a centre where persons can get home training and skills training.
"There are quite a number of persons living there (in the gully) now who don't even have a birth certificate, who have no form of identification, no skills training, no educational qualifications. The centre is to create that, not an area where you are going to say okay, this is where you are going to be carrying on with your sexual activities and carrying on with your lewd behaviour, which is associated with the group where they come out onto the streets, they strip themselves, they gyrate... that's not what we're about," he stated.
Burton, however, asked: "Is this what the community wants? You don't ask the community what they want, yet still you put up that they want a shelter?"
However, Superintendent of Police Fitz Bailey quickly interjected, saying that for years people have been fed up with the behaviour of the young men, and the shelter was the solution.
"All of us are here because we are frustrated and we want a solution, so I have devoted more time than others in sessions trying to come up with a solution, and that would be the ideal thing," Bailey said.
One resident, who expressed frustration with the behaviour of the homeless men, said education would be one of the first steps to finding a remedy.
"First and foremost, we need to educate the persons and their families about their lifestyle. In Jamaica every family has at least one person who is gay. I have gay family members and for years we did not know," she said, adding that when they found out, they did not put them out on the streets.
"I agree with the approach to create a centre and educate these people to let them know if you want to be accepted into society, don't go about behaving like this, as you're only making the situation worse by putting yourselves out there. Your behaviour should be confined to your bedroom and your private quarters, nobody has to know," she said.
The health risks associated with the young men living in the gully were also raised at the meeting which heard that they cook, eat and defecate there.
As the meeting progressed, the idea of the shelter seemed to have gained a bit of support, but even then the question of who would be responsible for getting it established was raised.
"If we could convince members of the civic coalition and those who are spending millions on security to help, we could go a far way," said Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays President Dane Lewis.
"We have to have land, pay people who are going to come and look after health care and other benefits. We've had enough of these sessions; we need to come to a solution," Lewis added.
A female participant felt it was the Government's responsibility.
"The Government has to lead on this. We have had donors give us money and we cannot get the support from communities in society to do this. We have had to give back a $9-million grant because we couldn't find a place. If the Government leads, we will be willing to support in whatever way using our own resources such as representatives from the Ministry of Health and from among those working with the group for quite some time," she said.
Robinson said that he would help to source the land for the shelter, while Murdock asked for a small group to be committed to leading the charge.
A representative from the NCDA and one from the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition gave their commitment to assist, once proper funding was in place and the Government decided to lead the charge beyond providing land.
ENDS
from December 2013
2012 Television discussion with Supt Murdock and MP Julian Robinson
2012 Television discussion with Supt Murdock and MP Julian Robinson
Shoemaker Gully prior to the population explosion
the Cargill Avenue Eviction by cops in 2012 on television
JFLAG shelter document as presented at a Nov 7 2012 townhall meeting, no further explanations as to why it never materialized
former Jamaica AIDS Support/JFLAG office site and Safe House Pilot space that was closed and both agencies evicted as the relationship between the LGBT persons and the agencies deteriorated
member of parliament Julian Robinson and board member of Dwayne' House at a meeting in 2013, also see: MP Julian Robinson claims he wants help for New Kingston homeless gays
Identified space by previous JLP administration left unimproved since 2009
Dwayne's House feeding program earlier this year
.jpg)
Millsborough Avenue house that was captured by the older populations last year
Millsborough Avenue house demolition last year where some of the men illegally captured, more HERE
Take note that it is the same Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition CVCC that was involved in the JFJ sex education fiasco and the Programs Manager is the Chair of JFLAG yet with all those linkages a viable solution cannot come forth after some five years since the Safe House pilot closure and the population explosion. See: Why did CVCC & JFJ not Fund a Project/Home for Homeless LGBT Youth in New Kingston instead of the Children’s Home Fiasco that now obtains?
Flashback to the origin of the Homeless MSM explosion causation and why to date we have the numbers in Kingston especially.
Let us see where all this goes, great idea by the Superintendent but it will only go down as many others have as another meeting and no real solution and just a formal exercise.
also see from 2012: Homeless impatient with agencies over slow progress of promised shelter and THE PROBLEMATIC “BATTYMAN ENTITLEMENT” PHENOM, HOMELESSNESS & LGBT SAFE SPACES
2014 - Funny And Framed - 'Mother' Of New Kingston Gays Says They Are Not To Be Blamed For Increase In Crime
Police Hunt Murder Suspect in Homeless MSM/Trans Population in New Kingston
Yet another documentary and no improvement follows, watch if you can, at least this one is the most realistic one yet in the line of them:
Peace and tolerance
H
also see from 2012: Homeless impatient with agencies over slow progress of promised shelter and THE PROBLEMATIC “BATTYMAN ENTITLEMENT” PHENOM, HOMELESSNESS & LGBT SAFE SPACES
2014 - Funny And Framed - 'Mother' Of New Kingston Gays Says They Are Not To Be Blamed For Increase In Crime
Police Hunt Murder Suspect in Homeless MSM/Trans Population in New Kingston
Yet another documentary and no improvement follows, watch if you can, at least this one is the most realistic one yet in the line of them:
Peace and tolerance
H
.mkv_000108708.jpg){kind=spacer}
.mkv_000109059.jpg){kind=spacer}
.mkv_000113988.jpg){kind=spacer}
+(Light).jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment