Appeal made for greater support for Maverley mental health centre following drive-by shooting

A month after gunmen shot and killed two people, including a two-year-old in Maverley, St Andrew, there are calls for greater support for a mental health centre in the community, which is reportedly one of the few safe havens for children suffering the deep psychological impact of the violence.

"This is where the parents and kids who would have been traumatised through violence or otherwise... this is where their mental wellness starts. Once they get here, there is a counsellor here to help," noted Andrew Harris, councillor for the Hughenden division in St Andrew North Western.

"It is also open to the parents as well, because if the parents are not fit and ready, the students most definitely won't be. Whatever happens here, if not carried over into the home, will be a failure," said Harris, reflecting on the months of lull in violence, which was shattered in seconds by a drive-by shooting incident.

Police said two-year-old Tajaun Jackson of Grand Ridge Path, Nannyville; and 25-year-old Kimarley Powell, otherwise called ‘Beans’, a business operator of Grenmeade Road, were both murdered, and another person injured when armed thugs drove up and opened fire on a group sitting on Grenmeade Road.

Police attributed the incident to standoffs between factions in 'Top' and 'Bottom' Maverley, who have been at loggerheads with each other for decades. Currently, there is a strong contingent of police and military in the area, aimed at preventing further reprisals.

Harris was speaking at a Wall of Fame ceremony put on by Maverley Primary and Infant School on Wednesday. He and past students Sandra Christie Brown, and Yvonne Foster, former councillor for the Hughenden Division were awarded for their contributions to the school over many years.

The wellness centre was launched in 2023 by Sandra Christie Brown, who is based in the US, and has served as a haven for residents dealing with mental and emotional troubles. It serves not only the school but the entire community, Christie Brown stressed.

"It is my way of giving back to Maverley, the starting of this wellness centre... I realised that in the classrooms, we have students who have suffered trauma of all sorts, especially in Maverley. Being an underserved community, there is crime, and what we need in the community is more participation from not only community stakeholders but also elected members of parliament," she charged, adding that more resources are needed to ensure effective outreach.

Meanwhile, as he lauded a recently implemented CCTV initiative in tackling robberies in the division, Harris urged residents of troubled communities to actively assist the police with their investigations by telling what they know.

"Whatever help we can give to the police we certainly should, but I'm also appealing to the police in the execution of their duties to handle it with care. So it is a two-way street," he affirmed.

- Corey Robinson

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