Troublemekka between a rock and a hard place

Troublemekka Music, a studio located in Olympic Gardens, used to attract several entertainers or visitors daily, however, the curfew in the area is having a negative effect on studio life.

According to Joy Coke, a resident who takes care of one of the events on the Olympic Way hip strip, "Entertainers add to the business, they come by the studio and hang out until five o'clock in the mornings, but now we are not seeing many people come in," she told The STAR.

"I think they said it (the curfew) will go on until October 5, but the community already expects it will be extended, because things really going on in the area. But we can only hope by Christmas time it will go back to normal," she said.

NIGHT JOBS

In an interview with The STAR last Thursday, producer Dominic 'Troublemekka' McDonald said that the studio, which typically does most of its work at nights, has observed a change in the traffic that not only attends the events within the space, but to the facilities.

"We don't want to see the crime continue, because there is nothing worse than people losing their lives. At this point, I don't know if the benefit is greater because up to yesterday (Wednesday) there was shooting, last week, shots were fired down the four way. We are in a ZOSO checkpoint area, so how can that still be happening?" McDonald said.

He continued: "There has been obviously some amount of decrease in crime, but it is drastically affecting operating hours. And the youths who could help out with clean-up around the place and earn a little cash for lunch money have lost that income."

Other communities within the area affected by the state of emergency which is in place for the South St Andrew Police Division, include Patrick City, Maverley, Drewsland, Waterhouse, Waltham Gardens, Seaview Gardens, Majesty Gardens, Maxfield Park and Riverton Meadows, among other troubled communities.

However, using Montego Bay as an example, he said: "It has been going on for two years and we cannot predict it won't go on for that long. While I think what they are doing is a good thing, it does affect the people in various ways and most of us don't really know whether that is going to last forever, much more if the impact will be worth it."