BY AALIYAH CUNNINGHAM—
Observer Writer—
Delroy Williams—
DELROY Williams, Kingston’s mayor, plans to meet with party promoters to discuss the way forward as it relates to lock-off time for their events. He said promoters have reached out to discuss amicable solutions and it was his duty to facilitate them. He was speaking at the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation’s (KSAMC) monthly meeting in downtown Kingston on Tuesday.
“We have a responsibility to air the concerns because, as a municipality, we have some level of responsibility as it relates to the issuance of amusement licences, and we also have a responsibility to ensure that the environment within which the industry operates is orderly, structured, and is fertile for investment,” Williams said in a Jamaica Information Service release.
He also shared that the majority of concerns expressed by promoters deal with the behavior of police, a need for designated areas for large events, and rigmarole to obtain event permits. Williams said talks to rectify the problem must take place in several spheres.
“Those discussions will take place at our level, and I am pretty sure those discussions will take place at other levels as it relates to the Noise Abatement Act,” he reasoned.
On Tuesday, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, met with investors in the entertainment industry to discuss the Noise Abatement Act which among other things, calls for dances to end at 2 am. She advised them that she has presented ideas for allotment of more hours as well as the establishment of entertainment zones.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness in his address at last Sunday’s ceremony that saw the proposal for Gordon Town Square to be renamed Miss Lou Square, said he supported the preservation of Jamaican culture. He stressed the need for creating entertainment zones to help pacify promoters and keep the entertainment industry alive.
Police halted the event at 2:00 am, even though promoter Tyrone Dixon said his permit reflected a 4:00 am lock-off. Since that incident, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kevin Blake has met with leading show promoters.
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