Brothers and partners in business Gary (left) and Shavar Blake at their Zinc Fence Car Wash and Bar in Flankers, Montego Bay. - Sheena Gayle photos

Western Bureau:

The days of violence among gangs within Flankers in Montego Bay is something entrepreneurs Shavar and Gary Blake would like to see disappear with initiatives like their new business.

The brothers, under the guidance of the Flankers Peace and Justice Centre, pooled their resources to form the Zinc Fence Car Wash and Bar which they hope will serve the neighbourhood and extended community.

"Our community is not like what persons think of us. Flankers is a good community, it is safe to be here, it's not like a guerilla warfare going on inside Flankers, and that is the stigma we are trying to get rid of," Shavar explained at the official opening of the business over the weekend.

He added that more entrepreneurial initiatives are needed within the community in a bid to provide employment to the youths who would have otherwise fallen through the cracks of society.

"We hope that other persons in the community will come up with business ventures that would provide employment for our own citizens. We are trying to do this to better our community, to keep some of the youths with nothing to do occupied and keep them off the road. We want crime and violence to be a thing of the past for Flankers," Shavar said.

one of many

According to Allan Bernard, director of the Youth Crime Watch of Jamaica (YCWJ), this venture is one of several strategic enterprise partnerships of the non-governmental organisation.

Bernard said: "This is the first in a series of projects that we intend to roll out under a broader mandate that is called Saving Lives through Enterprise. The idea is to have young men, in particular, and youths at risk engaged in enterprise where they can be gainfully employed and so curtail the level of crime and violence."

YCWJ is one of the 26 affiliates of the Youth Crime Watch of America. The organisation seeks to bring youths from different backgrounds together and empower them to take an active role in addressing the problems around their communities.

Two men wash a car at the newly constructed Zinc Fence Car Wash and Bar.