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Urban Renewal Donates to Residents of Montell Heights
By Gena Gibbs, BIS
Sep 27, 2014 - 5:36:24 PM

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(BIS Photos/Gena Gibbs)

NASSAU, The Bahamas -- Developing neighbourhoods battling poverty and crime are getting a boost of confidence in social development through the Urban Renewal Peace Ambassadors.

Hundreds of Montell Heights residents gathered at the Park for a peace demonstration to get free food, text books, dictionaries, hope and encouragement.

“What are we going to do about our area?  What will it be tomorrow?  It’s up to us.  ‘We The People’, not the Government.  ‘We The People’…we determine what happens in our area,” said Mother Pratt.

“The Police are only there to oversee, but we as a people, we must say I’m sick and tired of this mess in my area and we must come together and get rid of it.  That’s how change comes about, when we have zero tolerance for mess because my children must grow up here.  We must say I’m looking out for the neighbour, you look out for me.  We determine who comes and goes in our area.”

On September 25, the Urban Renewal 2.0 Peace Ambassadors, led by former Deputy Prime Minister, Cynthia “Mother” Pratt, under the theme “Strength for Today, Bright Hope for Tomorrow,” joined the residents of Montell Heights on the Park, off Robinson Road at 11 A.M. to discuss and pray about solving poverty, violence, crime, and limited education issues.

“We can no longer sit in our corner and say ‘You know that’s next door, that’s not in my yard’.  It’s all of our concern and when we come together and we say enough is doggone enough, something will be done, but it’s up to you,” said Mother Pratt.

“What’s going to happen to your children tomorrow, if you sit by and do nothing? You’re not going to be young all your days!  You’re getting up in age! Then, what about the next generation? And, the next generation?  We must prepare for them.  We can’t be afraid.  Why? This is all we got, man.  This is home.  This is all we have.”

Mother Pratt said that if we don’t care, then, who do we expect to care because it can only be us.

“I lived all my life in the inner city; all my life.  I can name the houses on every street we lived on.  Mother is gone.  Daddy is gone.  But you know what?  I had to have inside of me something that would cause me to rise up and to know there must be a better way.  I got to do something about it,” said Mother Pratt.

“God has taken me to the top.  But, you know what?  I got so many who are still down there.  I got to help to provide for them that they will know that there is hope, man.  There is hope.  You can’t be afraid.  Somebody must take the bull by the horns and say it’s enough, even if I die trying.  I’m going to die trying.” (BIS Photos/Gena Gibbs)


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