Members of the church community yesterday protested the closure of Little Dunn’s River in St. Ann and voiced their dissatisfaction with the treatment of the property.
“We consider it untenable,” said Reverend Jonathan Hemmings of the closure during a media interview. He said it was being done on the pretext of law and order.
Chairman of the Ocho Rios Ministers’ Fraternal, Hudston Taylor, said they are hoping for an amicable solution. He noted that they were advocating for change and for the development of people. He said ordinary Jamaicans are not able to able to afford other beaches which are costly.
The popular venue was closed, following the murder of 25-year-old Roshane Housen on August 31 on the beach. The police theorized that Housen’s killing stemmed from a criminal network linked to Steer Town in the parish, and urged the owners of the beach to take control of the facility.
The property, known as Belmont, is owned by the government’s Urban Development Corporation (UDC). In their response to the protest, the UDC said the facility is not operated as a licensed beach for various reasons.
“The UDC wishes to remind the public that while the property falls within the remit of the Corporation, Little Dunn’s River is not operated as a licensed beach as the premises lack basic sanitary conveniences, has no insurance coverage or other requisite permits in place,” the government entity noted.
There was widespread protest against the UDC in late 2013, after it closed the property, shutting out persons who had been using the beach for years. That decision also drew the attention of the Ocho Rios Ministers’ Fraternal which condemned the action of the Government entity then.
The UDC is hoping that the public will adhere to the closure notice.
“Further to the tragic incident in August, in which a member of the public was murdered, the UDC again closed the property and introduced security on site,” the state body wrote.