BUT THERE’S a thing, nuh? After years and years of being a very quiet old community, all of a sudden people calling Brittons Hill a hot spot.
All of a sudden people talking ’bout how bad Brittons Hill is. Duh talking ’bout the lot o’ shootings and the more recent ones dat took place up in there in the past week or so. Then duh talking ’bout the young fella who was raise up in Brittons Hill but doan live out there nuh more, but he is the one who get shoot and died out there pon the wharf last weekend.
From the way things going and the things people talking, you would believe that Brittons Hill is a war zone in trute but it only seem so because of the kind o’ people who move in the area ovah the years. I could tell you so because when I was growing up, I had a good few school friends who used tuh live in Brittons Hill. I went tuh St Ambrose Girls’ School and had a nice teacher name Miss Griffith, who I used tuh go by in Brittons Hill in the vacation time. My godmother used tuh live in Britons Hill and I would go up there and spend some time wid her and I thought it was one o’ the nicest places wid some o’ the most beautiful houses.
I used tuh always admire dem houses – suh much so dat when I grow up and had a li’l puma, I would drive through Brittons Hill just tuh see some o’ the houses dat I used tuh admire suh much. Today I still do the same thing. Every once in a while I would take a drive out there just tuh look at some o’ dem beautiful old houses dat still remain. Ya see, it is one o’ dem very old communities like Black Rock and Bank Hall – especially Bank Hall wid its quaintness, like Brittons Hill, in the street names and architecture.
But, of course, a lot has changed ovah the years and all types o’ undesirables have moved in tuh these quiet neighborhoods and communities, spoiling dem wid duh drugs and duh disgusting behaviour. Duh doan have any regard fuh anything or anybody; it is all about demselves and it got all the old people who grew up and lived in these communities all duh lives; who used tuh be accustom tuh having duh doors and windows open all the time, while going about duh business, living in peace. And now in duh old age duh gotta be living in fear.
Fear of some idiot bonging in duh place running from another idiot. Fear of people setting up duh blocks all ovah duh neighbourhoods and inviting who-suh-evah-will from all ’bout the place tuh come and congregate there or fear of stray bullets dat flying outta the guns in the hands of li’l foolish boys who doan know the first thing ’bout handling a gun but duh got more high-powered guns than the very police.
It is so unfair tuh good law-abiding citizens whose only desire is tuh live a peaceful life and tuh sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits of their labour in their old age. I doan care who get vex wid me but you see the lot o’ blocks dat we have somehow come tuh accept? The Government, the representative fuh the constituency, the police or whoevah else, should nevah allow dem tuh be set up all ovah the place fuh the young men especially tuh congregate and do absolutely nothing when the day come.
The old people used tuh say dat the devil does find work fuh idle hands tuh do and duh right as France. I only hope dat the people who know how these lot o’ guns getting in tuh this beautiful island, the people who know how the li’l boys getting duh hands pon dem and hurting the good name o’ this country –
I hope dem and duh families could sleep comfortably when the night come.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
