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Caribbean Shores Rep and PM On The Politics of The Entertainment Strip
posted (July 4, 2017)
That talk about zoning came up when The Prime Minister responded to Caribbean shores area representative Kareem Musa. They were talking about the BTL part entertainment strip. Here's that back and forth in Friday's house meeting.

Hon. Kareem Musa, PUP - Caribbean Shores
"But I think he may have over - reacted in going from one extreme of allowing all these open air bars, to now shutting down some of these establishments. So, now, before the residents are misconstrued, let me just make it clear for the record what their concerns were. First of all they no longer wish to have the Carnival there. I don't know if it's Mexican or Guatemalan, but it's a real nuisance. So, if it is that he is no longer going to allow the Carnival to come there, we applaud that initiative. Two, the residents, Madam Speaker, complain that they are locked into their homes, because the parking situation is a disaster. And so you have the patrons of these establishments, parking right in front of the constituents' homes and they cannot get out."

"Thirdly, the noise level. It's not that they just want to completely shut down all of these establishments, but, man, let's be considerate. These residents were there before these bars came you know."

"But another part of the blame Mr. Prime Minister if you want to get straight to the point, why I rise today, is because the police department has a role to play, but after hours, the residents have no one to call. The police officers say that they have no jurisdiction."

"They're not going to come and enforce the public urination taking place on the resident's fences, They won't go out there and do that. And so what I'm saying, Mr. Prime Minister is that there needs to be this synergy, this chemistry, not just the city council is to blame but the other relevant bodies like the police department, like the department of the environment."

"So it's not that the residents want to shut down everything. Their willing to work along with the Mayor, willing to work along with police, but they want to be able to have a hotline to call, someone to appeal to."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"But my reports are that in fact there were those, who are residents, but who are also politicians, who wanted precisely what the mayor has now done, to be done. So, the mayor responded to them, there been a backlash against the mayor and that decision and those who in fact berated the mayor - I won't say obliged him, because the mayor da wah big man - but those who led the charge in terms of getting the mayor to make the decision that he made, now turn around and because of the backlash say "that is not what we asked him to do, that is unreasonable man." Man, there is a degree of disingenuousness that is coming from certain quarters - I don't say you, member - that really has to be called out."

"Now, I also want to make clear that while the member says oh but the police also has to do their job. In a vacuum you are right. But, if they were not, according to you, the noise pollution and the urination and all these things, there would be no need for the police to be involved."

As you heard the Pm say, "There is a degree of disingenuousness that is coming from certain quarters...that really has to be called out." That statement gave rise this week to an ad you've seen on this newscast targeting area resident and PUP Senator Valerie Woods.





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