RESIDENTS in a West Terrace, St James community, who say the peace of their neighbourhood has been shattered by loud, marathon parties at a house occupied by university students, have been promised relief by Christmas.
The owner yesterday began the process of giving the three Bahamian males notice to move within two months, after a Friday night fete at their 8th Avenue residence ended in violence.
Residents, who spoke to the SUNDAY SUN but requested their names not be used, said they had endured six months of loud music, singing, obscene language and other activities that began around 11 p.m. and ran as late as 6 a.m. the next day.
“Almost every other week they have a big do out there and it is annoying, but this was the worst because we heard gunshots. We’ve never heard gunshots before, even though they have their parties and play music loud and sing and leave their garbage all over the place,” said one resident who has lived in the area for 25 years.
“I heard two shots and everything was quiet, then there were four more. It was frightening.”
Police public relations officer Inspector David Welch confirmed that lawmen went to the scene and spoke to residents who reported hearing gunshots. He said they patrolled the area looking for evidence but did not find any spent shells.
When a SUNDAY SUN team visited the area yesterday, much of the cleaning up had already been done, with just a few paper cups, pieces of bricks and plant pots – reportedly thrown during the fight the night before – on the landscaped ridge adjoining the 7th and 8th Avenues.
The owner of the house in question, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said she was “disturbed” by what had been taking place, lamenting she was not contacted sooner.
“I first heard about the fetes around April and thought it had to do with the Easter season, but I spoke to them and told them that there should be no parties because it is a residential area,” she said.
“Then in a letter dated May 26, I wrote informing them that if it continued I would have to take more drastic action.”
Yesterday’s call was the first she has had since then, although residents reported there had been several parties since.
An upset St James South Member of Parliament Donville Inniss, who supported residents’ agitation for the offenders to be removed from their community, said that type of behaviour by the University of the West Indies (UWI) students was unacceptable.
