PASSING by the bridge located close to the Ocho Rios Police Station along the Ocho Rios bypass, curious onlookers will notice well washed clothes on a line, or smell the aroma of food being cooked, as smoke rises from beneath the road.
But many will be surprised to know that that is where former dancer Lavern Edwards, also known as Bev, has called home for some 20 years now.“A long time mi live here. About 20 years,” she said.Edwards, who is originally from Clarendon, told the Jamaica Observer during a visit to her “home” recently that she has been living under the bridge after she became involved with drug-taking and wanted a break from the lifestyle.Living there has not been easy for her and it is no easy task to leave, as Edwards said all she has been getting over the years are promises with nothing coming through for her.Through storms, hurricanes, murky and clean waters, this is where Edwards has called home — and she does everything to make it just that. A visit to her ‘home’ reveals a shared space for three, Edwards, her spouse and a young man, who is not related to the two.The makeshift bedrooms with furniture and mattresses, along with a kitchen area, show that Edwards has been busy trying to make the best of her situation.The 59-year-old, who makes a living from doing the laundry of several people in the resort town and from gardening, however explained that life has been difficult for her.Living under the bridge has not prevented criminals from targeting her. In fact, Edwards, who now experiences discomfort getting around as one of her legs has been broken twice and the other fractured, said that she was pushed from the top of the bridge during an attempted robbery several years ago.The pains that she now feels reminds her of that encounter.Edwards also plants bananas, plantains and sugar cane along with ground provisions, and she too has suffered at the hands of praedial thieves.“Last year dem tief 17 banana and 12 plantain,” Edwards said.“Very rare you will hear someone say sell mi something,” she stated, adding that she loses more to thieves than she is able to sell from her small farm located in close proximity to the bridge.Edwards, who has a sound reputation for doing laundry, is often called upon by many, including vendors in the Ocho Rios market.“Sometimes when mi wash the things and put dem on the line, dem same one no know a dem,” she said.The Sunday Observer met one of Edwards’ customers during a visit to the place that she calls home.“She wash dem good and she need the money,” the man who has been using Edwards’ laundry services stated.Edwards said that she is a hard-working person and if given the chance to leave under the bridge, would do so.‘A several times dem light under here,” she said as she complained of the brutal attacks she has faced by fire.Some people have even removed her things when she is not there, she revealed.During the interview, she constantly wiped her right eye which is infected. She explained that this happened while she cleaned a section of the river near to the bridge as she tried to make her area comfortable.“Mi can’t stand in the sun. Mi have an infection in mi eye,” she stated.Edwards said that she would be happy to get a house, but is tired of promises.She said that several persons have visited her over the years and have promised assistance but nothing has been forthcoming.“All dem tell mi is dem a guh find place put mi and all now…” she stated.Edwards said that she has even been interviewed and her story published on local television.“All mi hear is ‘Bev you a celebrity; we see you on TV’,” she added.The mother of four, one of whom she does not know, said that her children help her when it is possible, but they are in no position to get her out of her predicament.Edwards said that she ended up in Ocho Rios several years ago after she left Kingston where she danced for years and came to the resort town to dance.“Mi a did head dancer; mi use to dress nine girls,” Edwards said.She said that she was also a songwriter and singer.She, however, admitted that becoming involved in drugs forced her to seek refuge on the streets so as to avoid conflicts. While on the streets, she decided to call under the bridge her home. The bridge under which Lavern Edwards has been residing for some 20 years. (PHOTOS: RENAE DIXON) twitterThe bridge under which Lavern Edwards has been residing for some 20 years. (PHOTOS: RENAE DIXON)Edwards shows her bedroom in a section of her home that she shares with two other persons.A section of Edwards’ bedroom.Edwards’ spouse is asleep in one of the makeshift bedrooms.View the original article here
Former dancer lives under Ocho Rios bridge for 20 years
