On Sunday night, or much more correctly Monday morning, I attended a dance in Fletcher's Land Square entitled 'Ghetto Story'. To be more exact, I tried to attend the session; at 2:30 a.m. on Monday there was practically no one there but the sound system was pounding. After a trip to Rae Town for the oldies, which were in full flight, it was back to Fletcher's Land close to 4:30 a.m. Although there were more people there it could hardly be called a crowd.

It kept building, though, but when I left at 5:30 a.m. a whole crew was just rolling in, all decked out as if it was 11:00 p.m. on a Saturday.

And I thought this is madness.

We have got used to the late going out, particularly with Passa Passa running into Thursday morning on Spanish Town Road, and then there is Dutty Fridaze, also in Fletcher's Land Square, which really starts at about 5:00 a.m. on Saturday. This, however, took it to a new realm of lateness. In addition, the music is played throughout the time when no one is present, hence those trying to sleep (and there is no one who can tell me that there are not children, senior citizens and other age groups of persons who wish for some decent rest and cannot get it) have not got a chance.

What must make it annoying as well is that the people who come from outside the area can always talk excitedly about dancing in the streets at 8:00 a.m. They do not live there. They come for a few hours, have a good time and leave (often to uptown areas where if someone plays their radio too loudly there is a complaint).

I have been to a couple Dutty Fridaze sessions which have been locked off by the police, but at 'Ghetto Story' when a police van from Central passed through close to 5:00 a.m. the selector on Swatch simply said that everything was alright and off they went.

So, don't children from the inner city go to school too? Do senior citizens, children and persons of other ages in the inner city who are not into that sort of entertainment really want to hear about big guns and various sexual stabbings at 5:00 a.m.?

Nah man, this is gone past the limit of fun. However, I have the funny feeling that those who feel it most cannot complain.