London's lesson on urban poverty

By Dennie Quill, Gleaner Columnist:



A peaceful vigil for a black man killed by a police bullet that turned into fiery protests in London has held the attention of the world over the last couple of days. Scenes of looters plundering businesses and homes in broad daylight projected an ugly image not unlike what we have become accustomed to seeing being beamed from impoverished Third World countries.

But this is London, a lavish city which sets the trend in fashion and luxury living. Poverty is the last thing an outsider would likely conjure up when thinking about London.

But this is not the first time this modern city has erupted in violence, and invariably the troubles have involved the police and disgruntled youth caught in poverty and a jobless cycle. Railing against the police and the political status quo is a regular feature of these uprisings. Rioters accuse the police and politicians of ignoring their plight and treating them unfairly. And this time, we have to factor the powerful influence of the Internet in rallying support for the protest.

In reality, London is no different from New York or Santiago or Kingston, where there is a hazy mosaic of wealth and poverty existing side by side.

And as the ranks of the urban poor swell, amid a stubborn global economic crisis, improving these communities must be a political priority for every government.

The question that must be exercising the minds of many policymakers is: how can governments, strangled by debt payments and experiencing declining earnings and no growth, fulfil their social obligations to the citizens of their countries.

Take Jamaica with its estimated one million squatters. These squatter communities have developed along the edge of townships and they spawn various challenges to national security, health and sanitation. A visitor to any of these poor communities will immediately be met with a litany of complaints highlighting their plight - poor housing, unemployment, bad roads and water woes are some of the common grievances. In some cases, too, eviction is hanging over their heads.

Survival instincts

With limited skills and little education, people who find themselves in poor communities will do what they have to do to survive. Invariably, they end up in the informal sector, where they will hustle, and this may mean stealing, extorting, peddling drugs or vending illegally. These activities inevitably bring many of the urban poor into direct conflict with the authorities. The result is evictions and arrests. And the common questions they ask are: "Ah wha wi a go do now?" and "Ah how wi ah go sen wi pickney go a school?"

Our social scientists and our private-sector thinkers should recognise that discontent is simmering all around us, and we ignore this situation to our peril. Initiatives to change the circumstances of the urban poor will benefit the entire country.

What kinds of public-private sector partnerships can we develop to alleviate the stress of these communities? Can Grants Pen become the model for other areas?

Today, it is London that's ablaze, but we don't know where in the world the news cameras will take us tomorrow.

Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and denniequill@hotmail.com.

August 10, 2011

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