Bread Lane to receive P.E.A.C.E Garden

The residents of Bread Lane in Denham Town were excited last Friday as they watched Jamaica Defence Force personnel offloading equipment to begin construction of another P.E.A.C.E Garden in the Kingston western division.

P.E.A.C.E is an acronym for Public, Education, Awareness, Culture and Environment. The development of P.E.A.C.E Gardens was conceptualised by Inspector Pilmar Powell, whose aim is to create safe spaces to bring a sense of love, unity and assurance to the crime-prone community.

"In 2018, I was sent to the joint military operation base in Denham Town. I saw the youths that were coming in to be processed. I would sit and speak with them and I realised that there were several gaps in their socialisation," Powell explained.

She started a social intervention programme called the Youth Transformation Initiative, targeting youth between ages 18-24, with efforts to eliminate socialisation gaps. But Powell believed the community needed greater change.

"To be frank, I noticed that there was no symbolic gesture within the ZOSO space. So I reached out to Fight for Peace and RISE and said 'let us see if we could create some P.E.A.C.E Gardens within several spaces in Denham Town'," she said. Powell said she envisioned that when people look at these gardens, "it might give reassurance and peace of mind".

Comes at the ideal time

The P.E.A.C.E Garden started in February with the help of various sponsors. Excited Denham Town residents said the safe space comes at the ideal time when shootings in the division have increased.

"The pickney dem nuh have nuh weh fi ramp and even we as big woman ramp, too. Sometimes when dem deh pon the road a play, dem come fire shot. We more than happy now because it ago bring some light to the community," Tash, 42, told THE STAR.

Cassia Murray, 33, described Bread Lane as "gunshot town".

"We feel good because we want it long time man because basically right here so a the place weh every minute shot fire pon the road and pickney a get hurt. Wah day here, just round the corner, a likkle one-year-old get hurt, [him] get shot in him foot. So we like it, because the open land space and the pickney dem can have fun so the man dem affi know weh dem a do with the violence. Everything affi go come to an end," she said. Other P.E.A.C.E Gardens are expected to be completed in Golden Heights, Shooter's Hill and Scream Corner.