Dancers dressed as kitchen workers make the rounds at Dutty Fridaze, held at Fletcher's Land square, on Saturday morning. - Nathaniel Stewart

At last. At last. Some signs of sonic sanity at last.

Last weekend THE STAR reported not only the spread of the 'Dutty Fridaze' session from its Fletcher's Land, Kingston, base, but also the enforcement of the 2:00 a.m. cut-off point. This was remarkable, for a session that was known for people actually turning up to party at 5:00 and 6:00 on Saturday.

What is notable, though, is promoter Two Grand's take on the matter, as he said that once people got the idea that if they came out late to the party it would be over without them, they duly came in time for the music. In addition, he said that there were some people, like UTech students, who wanted to come previously but complained of the late hour.

Then there was the shutting down of the all-inclusive 'Rhythm and Booze' at the Liguanea Club, New Kinsgton, on Saturday night. Physically, it is not far from Fletcher's Land, but socially the two are worlds apart. It ran 40 minutes over time and was shut off.

And then The Gleaner reported yesterday that Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin was looking towards a review on the permits granted to and policing of events.

I say great. There are sure to be those who say that dancehall is getting a fight, but I say if that is so, then in this instance dancehall, which really has been oppressed from its ghetto roots, has brought it on itself.

Freedom of speech and sound simply does not extend to keeping a sound system going until 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. when other people want to sleep. There are those who will say that it is "poor people suppen". Rubbish! The star deejays who go the rounds of nightly sessions every day of the week are not poor. Nor are the sound system owners, by and large, and the star selectors can certainly help themselves. The girls who doll up in designer gear and party into daylight could never call themselves poor.

The poor people are often trying to sleep, so they can get up and go to work or school to improve their circumstances. I have seen some of them come out and watch Dutty Fridaze.

And it is not only the hour, but the music that is played and the obscenities that are sometimes shrieked into the microphone. Some of dancehall music has reached a level of unrelenting lyrical violence and verbal orgies which, if adults wish to listen to it, fine. But it is played at a volume that invades homes and the ears of children whose parents do not want their little ones listening to a selector tell a man to "ram it now!"

I love dancehall, but dancehall must show some love for people around. Some will say "dancehall a get a fight". I say in many cases persons who run dancehall sessions are giving people who want to sleep a rahtid fight.

No man, it is way past time for the madness to stop, whether it is dancehall, rave, oldies, soca, church convention or radio outside broadcast. Sure, there will be some leeway, but I suggest that requests for sessions to be held be posted outside the respective police stations and residents of the communities invited to register any protests.

And Rear Admiral, check out the police who are taking money for sessions to run past the allotted time span. It is not only traffic policing that lends itself to consistent corruption.