The once vibrant and busy Thunder Bay in Lower Carlton, St James, has become a quiet and muted space since the demolition of the popular beach bar and restaurant last month.
A decorated tree trunk and a sign bearing the name of the Thunder Bay Beach Bar are the only memories of what once was. Where once stood a popular watering hole for beachgoers and visiting celebrities is now a pile of splinters on an empty lot.
In June, the Planning and Development Department moved in on the site, dismantling it. This action followed the April 19 shooting deaths of 34-year-old Jamar Leron Edwards, of 4th Avenue, Lower Carlton; 33-year-old Lyle Anderson Robinson, of 1st Avenue, Lower Carlton; and 33-year-old Jamar Kareem Ramsay, of Brownes Gap, Sargeant’s Village, Christ Church.
All three died after gunmen opened fire on a group gathered along the beach shortly after 8:40 p.m. that Sunday.
When a Nation team visited the beach around 2:30 p.m. Monday, a beach chair vendor packing up for the day lamented the lack of traffic to a once busy space, noting that fewer tourists venture into the area since the bar was removed.
“They killed in here. They killed the place, killed the vibe, killed everything. No tourists come around here anymore. All the tourists coming and asking where the bar gone and asking why they took it down. World Cup is going on and people want to know why we’re not showing football and why the bar gone,” he said.
Georgia Inniss, another frequent patron, said Government should have made an adequate replacement for a space that was once a very popular tourist area.
“To be honest, I like the serenity, but what I’m saying is if you’re going to move the bar, put something else. You don’t have any beach facilities for the people to change. You have no bathroom or a place for people to buy a drink, so why would they come here?” she asked. (JRN)