DANCEHALL ARTIST POPCAAN PROTESTS BAD ROADS WITH ST. THOMAS RESIDENTS!

By Shanna Monteith—

Dancehall artist Andre Sutherland, more popularly known as Popcaan, yesterday led scores of placard-bearing residents through the town of Morant Bay in St Thomas, as they peacefully protested what they described as the deplorable conditions of the roads.

Before making their final stop in Morant Bay, Popcaan led a convoy of vehicles through the eastern end of the parish with stops at major communities, including Bath, Dalvey, Golden Grove and Port Morant, where more residents joined in on the protest.

Popcaan, who is originally from York in the parish, told THE WEEKEND STAR that they are protesting the entire main road in St Thomas, leading out of Kingston and going into Portland.

“We (residents) have been trying to get the Government’s attention for a while now, and still no change. St Thomas is a parish where we don’t have a lot of things, but right now, we’re just asking for the road,” he said, adding that he has decided to use his influence to assist in getting the parish the necessary attention and help it needs.

Admitting that a song could be written, recorded, and released lamenting the poor state of the infrastructure, the recording artist noted that he chose to take a less passive stance.

“I could do a song about it, but that would just be a song. Nuff time artist sing song seh road waa fix and nothing happens, so I rather take action and let them see that we are serious, even though we not doing it in an outrageous way. We not blocking the road or anything, but dem still a see we and hear we voice,” he said.

Popcaan told THE WEEKEND STAR that he would not point fingers or call names, but that he knows that there are people responsible for the improvement of the parish’s infrastructure and that they know themselves.

The deejay warned that should they not receive a response to their calls within a week, they will return with a louder and bigger protest right before the start of the new school term.

Echoing the artist’s concerns were taxi operators, who quickly joined the demonstration.

“We need road bout here because more road mean more money for the youths. We can’t save nothing as taxi man cause everything we make go back into fixing the vehicles. It really rough pon we,” one operator, who gave his name only as ‘Iron’, said.

Another cabbie quickly chimed, saying: “We tired fi dem dig out 10 [potholes] and fix one. Something must be done, and we nah stop bawl until we see results!”