Mayor Davis wants freedom monument relocated

Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis is calling for the Freedom Monument, which is at the rear of the Montego Bay Cultural Centre (formerly Civic Centre) in Sam Sharpe Square, to be relocated to somewhere more accessible to the people.

"I would like to see this monument place in a conspicuous position, in front of the Civic Centre, where the citizens of Montego Bay will have the opportunity to stop by and look at some of the names [of people] who suffered for us to be enjoying the freedom we [are] now enjoying,"Davis said.

The mayor argued that the Freedom Monument, which is 10 feet tall, is wrongly placed.

"I have been here for quite a long time and I only visited around there twice, so those of you who have never experienced it, you have never gone around there. I am sure that if you should go around there, you will concur with me that it is wrongly placed," he lamented.

Davis, who is also the chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation, recalled a conversation he had about the current location of the markets, and said, "You think it is a mistake that our markets are placed where they are placed? They are placed at the back, on backstreets and stuff like that. It's time for our people to be on the front page, and I am calling on all of us to lead this charge to move that monument.

"I am saying to us as citizens of Montego Bay, I am prepared to lead that charge and I will be entering into discussion with the relevant persons and agencies to have that monument put at its rightful place," Davis said.