Vlogger Andre Stephens claims that he and his team were met with violence while trying to distribute supplies to victims of Hurricane Melissa in central Westmoreland. Stephens blames the area’s Member of Parliament, Dwayne Vaz, for the chaotic incident, which he describes as an ambush by residents.
He now says he will no longer coordinate relief efforts with any political representatives after the episode. Stephens recounted the incident bluntly, saying, “They stampede and ambush us in Central Westmoreland. I am not coordinating anything going forward with any political representatives… neither with PNP representatives and worse off with the Jamaica Labour Party representatives.”
He told listeners that the planned relief mission quickly fell apart once his group arrived. According to Stephens, the team, which included Courtney, Auntie Claudette, Pet, Abby and logistics coordinator Shaquel, had been promised logistical support by the member of parliament, who was nowhere to be found when they arrived.
He explained that “the agreement was to do the hospital, then to go into the adjoining community to the hospital.” However, the plan changed when Vaz reportedly suggested going to the community first. Vaz allegedly led them to a lane in a neighbourhood he later learnt was known locally as a violent area called Gully. “We never knew the reputation of the area,” he said.
According to Stephens, chaos erupted after the supplies arrived and residents decided to help themselves. He said people opened the trunk with the supplies and surged around the vehicle, forcing him and his teammates to try to secure the goods.
He detailed how the residents beat several members of his team when they tried to close the truck. A woman, identified as Miss Pet, reportedly received a direct blow to the eye, and another team member, Courtney, was stomped on. He added that his logistics coordinator, Shaquel, ran to get police help while they fled the area.
When police located them, officers warned them that they had been taken into a dangerous community.
Stephens said police later told his team they had been lucky to come away alive because they had entered “one of the most reputable area fi violence.” After regrouping, Stephens said two police officers escorted the team to Petersfield High School, where they repacked relief items and distributed food and juice to people affected by the storm.
He also accused MP Dwayne Vaz of abandoning them during the chaos rather than attempting to restore order. “You know where they found Dwayne Vaz? … He was in a rum bar drinking,” he said, calling the MP “a disgrace” and vowing not to work with political representatives on future missions.
Outraged, Stephens declared he would no longer work through political channels for future missions. “I am washing my hands of them,” he said, calling for discipline and sanction against the MP from his own party.
