Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair, chairman of the Peace Management Initiative, comforts a resident on Saunders Avenue, off Mountain View Avenue in St. Andrew, on Tuesday, as members of the organisation conducted a peace walk through the community a day after gunshots were fired in the area. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

Residents of Mountain View Avenue in St. Andrew on Tuesday demanded that political flags, mounted on utility poles in their community, be removed.

The residents said they believed the presence of the flags and other graffiti has contributed to increasing political tension in the area.

"You must take them down, you are the bishop," one man shouted at Political Ombudsman Herro Blair, who was touring the area for yet another time with the Peace Management Initiative (PMI).

Hours after shooting

Bishop Blair, who is also chairman of the PMI, was touring the area a day after two women were shot and injured by gunmen, and 11 persons were detained and subsequently released by police.

"A tru the flag them, if you can get the flags them down a little tension will ease off," the angry resident said.

During the three-hour tour, held without political representatives and which moved through areas in the South East and East St. Andrew constituencies, residents also appealed for soldiers and policemen to consistently patrol the communities of Jacques Road and Jarret Lane in South East St. Andrew.

"Put back the police in the area to calm it down," one female resident charged.

Inside Desreen Anderson's home on Jarret Lane, which was allegedly shot at on Tuesday, were two gun 'warheads'.

Children traumatised

Also in the household was a bullet hole in a window curtain, apparent evidence of the incident that has traumatised two seven-year-old children who live inside.

"They (the children) just keep crying. They even pack them suitcase, saying that them leaving," Miss Anderson said.

Social worker and PMI board member Horace Levy said some of the political statements of a particular candidate of the area might have sparked the recent violence.

"We are hoping that, through walking and talking to them, we will bring some amount of sense to them and that the violence will stop," Mr. Levy said.

The Political Ombudsman said it was "the right thing to do" to keep the candidates of the constituencies out of Tuesday's walk.