From fear to football in Riverton

RESIDENTS of the often volatile Corporate Area community of Riverton Meadows are celebrating a sharp decline in violent crime in recent months, with the newfound peace allowing the recent staging of a six-day football competition there. Dubbed ‘Freezing Summer’ the football competition brought residents together in a symbol of continued peace, unity, and hope for Riverton City, renamed Riverton Meadows 17 years ago. The community, which has been plagued by crime and violence in past years, has been showing signs of a turnaround recording only one murder in the last nine months.

Organisers of the football competition told the Jamaica Observer that it would not have been possible without the current calm. “For years… Riverton was like a ghost town. By six, seven o’clock [in the evenings], persons were hurrying to come off the road.

Businesses were closed by a certain time… People having to leave the space and losing homes and even lives. So we had a problem with borderlines being drawn [and] there wasn’t much free movement. Now that the violence has ended, this [tournament] was basically the tool used to bring the unity, and a level of togetherness inside of the space,” said Mario Wallace, co-organiser of the football event.

Speaking at the final of Freezing Summer on Sunday night, Wallace said he credits the St Andrew South Police Division with driving down the level of crime in the community. the reduction in crime in Riverton reflects both the strategic efforts of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and strong collaboration with forward-thinking residents “They have been instrumental in making this possible, and right now they are looking at how they can work with even the community in forming what we consider a police youth club… We’re also looking at how we can strengthen the relationship with the Social Development Commission so competitions like this can be better organised and better supported by corporate,” added Wallace. He pointed out that the return of peace in the community is also fuelling economic growth, with residents once again obtaining permits to host parties and community events.

Kevon Clark, the main organiser of Freezing Summer, noted that welcoming 20 teams from communities as far as Spanish Town, St Catherine, underscored the tournament’s positive impact on residents and youth. “Definitely this has displayed a lot of peace bec…