The Editor, Sir:

I am extremely concerned about the plans, if any, we have as a community for the well-being of the mentally-ill persons who roam our streets, in particular those who are situated in the heart of downtown Kingston, a densely-commercial area.

On Monday, January 15, 2007, at approximately 11:40 a.m., a colleague and I were driving on Ocean Boulevard in the vicinity of King Street, when the local brown-skinned mentally-ill woman, who frequents FirstCaribbean Inter-national Bank by King Street and the Office Centre building, hurled a large stone that smashed the windscreen of my moving vehicle.

This is distressful in so many respects. What if the stone had hit someone in its path and taken a life? Or created a car accident as a vehicle tried to avoid the stone? Or broke the window in one of the buildings? After sharing my traumatic experience with several persons at my department, I discovered that this was not the first incident.

This woman and many others are not in control of themselves and constitute a life and safety risk to the public in this area. I suggest that the relevant authorities look into the problem of these mentally-ill persons, and, with respect to this woman, confine her to one of our institutions that will be better able to assist her situation.

Bearing in mind the incident with the Montego Bay street people some seven years ago, we who know better and realise the ramifications if there is a repetition of this should understand the time-sensitive need to address this issue immediately, especially with ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 on its way.

I am, etc.,

STACIA D. PINNOCK

Attorney-at-Law

Kingston 8

Via Go-Jamaica