From the other side of the windscreen

There have been recent discussions about banning the windscreen wipers from the streets or whether to regulate their activity. Many persons argue that these men are more of a nuisance than anything else, disrespecting innocent drivers and oftentimes being violent. Though I don’t doubt that this is true, I beg to offer a view from the other side of the windscreen.

Having worked in inner-city community development for the past 7 years I have met a wide cross-section of youth to adults with different stories. I have seen a few young men decide to venture into a life of crime; young girls get pregnant at 14 as well as witness young people be the first in their families to graduate from university and young entrepreneurs start their own businesses. It often tricky to determine the factors that determine whether or not social intervention programs cause the success of its participants, but having seeing firsthand more positive results than negative I would shudder to think what would happen if they did not exist.

Last summer, I was driving hastily down a major thoroughfare to try to catch the light. As I sped down the road, I noticed a familiar face standing on the road with a wiper in his hand. It was too late to turn around and in fact, I was late to my destination and had other passengers in the car. I quickly called someone I used to work with to inquire the last time she had spoken with Sheldon was. As it turns out she reported that she had last seen him wiping windows at the same intersection. Rewind a few years back when I had met Sheldon at a summer camp. He had won the hearts of his fellow campers as he was a sportsman and a Mr. Bogle in the making. As soon as music played through the speakers the other campers would call on him to perform and to top it all of he was well-mannered and lovable. One day while down at the football field, I noticed fresh bruises on Sheldon’s back. He told me that his mother had beaten him the night before with a stick. He regrettably reported that this type of beating was a regular occurrence. I told him that I was mandated to report the incident to the authorities. He didn’t think anything would come out of it as he thought no one cared about the people from his community. Report was made and the authorities began their investigation, unfortunately he was not removed from the home. Sheldon was from the community of Majestic Gardens and he and his sister as well as their peers were often sent on the streets by their mothers to help offset the household bills (This particular summer camp was aimed at mitigating child labour). Sheldon was later kicked out of the house by his mother and was sent to live with an uncle, a year after that he was living under a bus shed for a few months before another family member took him in. In our position, we were unable to directly secure a housing solution for him. Sheldon refused to go onto the streets to beg/work and insisted on going to school despite his situation. Thus my surprise when I drove past him years later. Now legally an adult, Sheldon often ventures onto the street to hustle as he now lives alone and abuse-free in a government home in his community. Window wiping was a last resort for him and he is currently trying to organize his TRN etc in order to go back to school.

I then reflect on Andrew, who I often pass on the street wiping windscreens at the Portia Simpson Miller Square. He was another of our summer camp participants who came from unfortunate circumstances. The difference between Andrew and Sheldon is that Andrew never had the desire to be in school even from a young age. According to him school wasn’t going to do anything for him, he quickly wanted to “go mek some money”. He failed to see the connection between schooling and money-making despite our efforts. The first encounter we had years after the summer camp had ended was after I saw him getting into an argument with a fellow wiper. I was nearby and called out to him, I pulled over and we chatted a while. Turns out that Andrew dropped out of school and came out on the streets to hustle. He reiterated the same sentiment from years before about school not making any sense for him and reported that he preferred to hustle than go back to school.

Lastly, I think about Kevin who I have not seen since that fateful summer. Kevin, wherever he is, is surviving; of this I am confident. Kevin’s mother had also sent him on the streets to hustle as he was the eldest child and had to fend for his younger siblings. The summer camp was quite an inconvenience for Kevin as he saw it as interfering with his hustle. Nevertheless he was present and actually enjoyed himself. The first Friday however, he was missing from camp, when he returned the next week he reported that Friday is his most profitable day and he could not afford to miss it. Another day shortly after camp had ended I passed him by Megamart. I was confused as this was well out of his way. Upon asking, he said “Aunti, down my side too congested with too much people, hard fi hustle with so much competition”; a businessman in the making as at a young age he was able to identify his best business days and find an underserved location.

I know that none of this changes the fact that many of these windscreen wipers are aggressive and violent. I also know that this may not evoke any sympathy for those of us who have been cursed out and have had our property damaged by them. However, what I must underscore is the need for sustained social intervention programs in order to possibly put a dent in cycle of some of these social ills. Social interventions especially in inner-city and rural areas in paramount to national development and cannot happen ad-hoc or for the short-term. . The arms of non-profit organizations are short because the multitude is growing and the 5 loves and 2 fish are running out. Unfortunately international donor funds are the main staple for many non-profit organizations and the competition is stiff as there are many non-profit companies vying for international funds which are drying up because of our classification as a middle income country. Non-profit organizations now need to find innovative ways to keep on their lights and continue to serve vulnerable communities. This is where the government needs to step their game up if they are serious about national development. If Jamaica is to be the place to live, work and do business then we need to pay keen attention to our most valuable resources; our citizens.

I also hope that by telling a part of the stories of these 3 young men that we can see and understand that everyone has a story, some more gory than others, and if “fairy godmothers” are not interjected those persons can become villains wreaking havoc on us the readers. If their stories aren’t told they will be seen as villains and nothing more instead of the victims that many of them are. I know many will say, I grew up poor and never turned out like that etc etc; I would then implore you to find a way to pour into the life/lives of those young people and see if some kind of impact can be made

Everyone has a story; let’s bear that in mind when we interact with each other. More importantly, let us endeavor to help one another when we can in order to build a better Jamaica for the next Sheldon, Andrew and Kevin.