We can work things out - Entertainers beg JUTC and taxi drivers to make peace

With the early dismissal of schools in the Corporate Area, a bomb threat, and a public transportation strike that carried on well into the evening, tensions between taxi operators and Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) drivers remained high yesterday.

The conflict between the two sets of public passenger operators began on Monday night as a taxi man, Akeeno 'Bubinile' Britton, was stabbed to death during an altercation with a JUTC driver. Later that night, another JUTC driver, Mikkel Donaldson, was shot dead on Oxford Road, allegedly in reprisal.

Entertainers are crying out for peace before the situation worsens.

I-Octane, who described the violent outbreak as 'sad and serious' said although he understands the 'eye for an eye' approach some persons may be taking, killing each other is not the answer.

"I don't know what transpired between the two drivers that caused that altercation (on Washington Boulevard) but in a situation where you have people losing dem life, den who am I to tell a person to turn the other cheek? As a human being, the first impulse is to retaliate but on the other hand, the whole entire thing has a weight," he said. "It affect the country and not just an individual. We can come to a next solution, not crime and violence. We can't just kill off everybody. Every bus driver can't kill every taxi driver, dat only a go make things worse."

He is urging both parties to come to an amicable solution.

"I am asking kindly that we stop it right here. We can't make it escalate any further and we have this whole avalanche weh the entire place collapse. When bus man start kill taxi man, wah go happen? It a go spread from just bus man and taxi man and it a go get bigger and innocent people a go start lose dem life," he said.

Gospel artiste Chozenn, in giving a scripture, encouraged Jamaicans to seek the Lord.

Humble themselves

He referenced 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says 'If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land'.

The entertainer alluded to the fact that the hearts of men have become wicked, because they are not actively seeking God.

He then offered a word for the law enforcers who will now have to work overtime to try and restore calm in the Corporate Area.

"The harsh reality is that in these last days, us humans are not empathetic. We pray for peace and divine wisdom as our police and military personnel go out on our streets." he said.

Fellow gospel artiste Kevin Downswell said Jamaicans would overcome if united.

"As a nation, no matter what we face, we overcome by standing together. We will overcome this ... But we must be our brother's keeper, we must look out for each other. God is in the midst of us, we will not be moved," he said.

Fast-rising dancehall star Kemar Highcon also joined in on calls for unity. He said that both bus and taxi operators played big roles in Jamaica.

"So they both can meet in the middle and compromise and find a solution. The fact that it (the stand-off) is now affecting our education system, it is having a negative impact on our country. So we should just come together and find some peace, and let peace reign," he said.