Anderson

WESTERN BUREAU:

Like many inner cities across Jamaica, the community of Flankers in St James suffers from the debilitating stigma of crime and violence.

But residents like 30-year-old medical doctor Jason Anderson paint a positive picture of the Montego Bay community. Born and raised in Flankers, which teems with a network of informal settlements, Anderson is the last of six children for his parents. Inner-city life hasn't left him smarting from the 'sufferer' mantra, said Anderson, who oozes confidence and pride about his hometown.

Despite his professional success, Anderson hasn't moved house - Flankers is still where his heart is. The physician insists that Flankers should not be only defined by outbreaks of violence. He told The Gleaner he was never fearful in growing up in the community.

"We are not plagued by thieves, robbers or rapists. The only problem we have is turf war. Nobody is afraid to walk the streets at night," Anderson said. "I used to play a lot of games on the street because I was never affected by violence."

Top performers

He recalls that he and his siblings went to top schools in Montego Bay and were all high-performing students. This, he said, has earned his family a great level of respect in Flankers. They've even been dubbed by citizens there as "the bright family".

Anderson said, however, that the Flankers address label sometimes drew discrimination from persons who unfairly profiled residents.

"We were looked down on by the outside world because of the community and they would assume that we would have certain tendencies," he recalled. "I was an excellent student and I guess they had overlooked that part of it at times."

"My family wanted a doctor in the family but I was indecisive because I wanted to do both of them, but I leaned more to medicine," he told The Gleaner.

Anderson, who conducts personal outreach in the community, and wants the society to know that many successful people have come out of Flankers and other inner-city communities. "We produce all types of people: successful people, good people and in-between. It is the choices people make that result in what they become," he said.

tashieka.mair@gleanerjm.com