Campbell SOLDIERS AND Police swooped down on the Elletson Flats community centre last night after being called in by security personnel for Colin Campbell, the Member of Parliament for the area, who was having a meeting with residents.
Some 15 soldiers and policemen were brought in to reassure Mr. Campbell, who was coming under heavy pressure from residents to answer questions about the proposed relocation of squatters from Mona Commons, located in front of the University Hospital to lands adjacent to the Elletson Flats community in St. Andrew.
Armed with rifles and handguns, the lawmen alighted from two police jeeps and quickly spread out covering the perimeter of the community centre, placing themselves at strategic points to observe what was a very stormy meeting.
The Inspector heading the team, dismissed suggestions that they had been called in by Mr. Campbell's security, noting that it was a "routine operation."
However, the over 100 residents who crammed into the community centre and spilled out onto its corridors, expressed anger and disappointment that the security had been brought in.
"The residents are very unhappy that Mr. Campbell saw it fit to bring in two jeep loads of police and soldiers into the community," one community member said.
The Elletson Flats Citizens Association called yesterday's meeting to discuss the relocation exercise, which involves building 144 studio apartments on 3.2 acres of land, held by the University of the West Indies (UWI) under a lease arrangement with the Government.
They said they argued that the relocation, geared for single persons, would pose environmental and security problems to their community, as well as the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre and students of Preston Hall, one of the UWI halls of residence. In a letter to Mr. Campbell, which was brought up at the meeting, the residents also raised the issue of the difference in "background" between themselves and the residents of Mona Commons and the potential conflicts this could cause.
Last night Mr. Campbell said he was prepared to represent the residents views about "real issues" of security, the potential for the devaluation of their property value and the threat of crime. However, he said he was not prepared to discriminate against Mona Common residents because of their social status.
"Asking me to isolate people because of social background is something that I cannot deal with," he said.
The angry residents, who were adamant that the development should not go ahead loudly jeered many of the responses Mr. Campbell made to the questions asked. It was after several heated exchanges between Mr. Campbell and residents, that one of the MP's security personnel was overheard calling in reinforcement.
