Defending Paul’s Lot- Part 2

I really relish the feedback that I get in reaction to my weekly column. Not unexpectedly, a good friend of mine, while not hostile, expressed disappointment with last week’s “In defence of Pauls Lot”. He wanted to know how I could be defending, even supporting crime and criminal elements by such a “Defence”.

There must be others who think that way, all because we are reluctant to “look beneath the surface”. The reputation with which Paul’s Lot has been branded has also been tagged on many similar communities. Bottom Town here, though to a lesser degree, also unfairly suffered as did Laventille in Trinidad and many other communities globally, in countries big and small. That is not to deny the reality of life in those communities or that many unsavoury activities occur there including criminal acts.But there are many other glorified communities where conspiracies and crimes are hatched and it is left to elements in deprived communities to carry out the dirty work and take the blame. Not a single one of those communities have even come remotely close to causing the collapse of the global economy as Wall Street did in 2008. Is Paul’s Lot or Bottom Town more dangerous than the white-collar criminal elements?

The point must be made that it is the deliberate abandonment of these communities by “society”, the social and economic neglect, which make them hospitable to misguided social elements. They feel safe in gravitating there and in fact, those from the outside try to maximize on their association with such “ghetto” areas to enhance their reputations. Growing up in Paul’s Lot has historically been no Sunday school picnic and even the residents there have to “toughen up” in order to survive.

Reacting to brazen daylight murder of citizens by saying “dat good for dem” in no way helps any of us or the society as a whole. The latest murder victim, “Sanga” is well known to the police and as reported in the media, no stranger to arrests, accusations of violent crime and himself a victim of what appeared to be targeted assassination attempts. But if we are to follow the law, as far as we are aware, he was never convicted of murder, so how could the society which prides itself in claiming “a man is innocent until proven guilty”, then turn a blind eye to his daylight assassination? Shouldn’t the circumstances around him attract intense police surveillance so that if by chance an incident such as the shooting occurred, police would have been able, if not to prevent, at least to carry out early apprehension? The residents of Paul’s Lot themselves have made it clear that it was a grave error not to have a 24-hour police presence in the community.

But let’s turn to more positive reflections. This same community, so maligned, has made a massive contribution to the development of our country, especially in the fields of sports and culture. In sport, Paul’s Lot is synonymous with the Avenues club and there is much to be proud of, especially in football and netball, with legendary names such as the Walrond husband and wife team of Seymour “Rollit” and Aldith, the latter from a sporting family which even produced an outstanding umpire. The names are too numerous to mention here, but one cannot ignore the goalkeeping riches which necessitated Dorian Phillips, having to leave his Avenues to be goalkeeper for Roseans of Bottom Town, because Winston Soso, a Sion Hill man then resident in Paul’s Lot was the custodian, not just for Paul’s Lot but nationally as well. These are among the best ever produced by our country.

Then, how do you quantify the massive cultural contributions from this community. Mas in particular owes a lot to Paul’s Lot. Not many persons of today have a clue about Reid, the famed batman of the fifties. The late Louis Boucher made his name for his massive individual portrayals which also highlighted our history.

Then there was the mas, starting with the legendary “Tunks” and Fuzzy Knights and continuing with Nelson Block, Melbourne Constance, “Taryah” Boucher and the High Voltage band.

I mentioned Winston Soso, but he was even more special as he became one of our outstanding vocalists, starting with ballads and becoming an international Soca star. “De Man Age” and “I-pa” Constance also won Calypso Monarch titles. And of course, there was the massive musical presence of the Mc Intoshes with Syl and The Blue Rhythm Orchestra at the McIntosh residence in Paul’s Lot, while Frankie and his renowned orchestra overlooked from neighbouring McKies Hill. How could we then ignore such a community? Next month is our Independence Month but independence, like Emancipation, did not come on a platter. It had to be fought for and won. By coincidence October is also the anniversary of a contributory series of events, the rebellion of 1935. It says something about Paul’s Lot that when the British used their military superiority to crush the island-wide rebellion, the two most prominent persons charged were George Augustus MacIntosh, a pharmacist and anti-colonial advocate, and the humble Samuel “Sheriff” Lewis. Both were from Paul’s Lot. Alongside them was another Paul’s Lot resident, Bertha Mutt, the most prominent woman involved. It was from Paul’s Lot that those who challenged the might of British colonialism emerged. Yet these are never mentioned when we ridicule Paul’s Lot and its residents.

I rest my case, Your Worship.

• Renwick Rose is a Social and Political commentator.