By Dale Andrews Last Thursday I covered another assignment in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, and unlike several other occasions,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysnear.us@#$%&/]wholeslae cheap nfl jerseys china[/url], the atmosphere was not one of apprehension but one of feeling free and welcomed.There was a time when one went into Buxton, wondering whether one had a right to be there. Even the police used to think so during that period.Last Thursday?s assignment was to cover a fire. I parked my car on the Railway Embankment and did not even take the time to secure it properly, leaving my bag with some very important equipment inside.It was not that I was careless but my immediate greeting from villagers made me feel at home and I saw no need to be ultra cautious.I found out that the village,[url=http://www.cheapnfljerseysmr.us@#$%&/]Jerseys NFL Wholesale China Online[/url], which was once labeled (and rightly so) the crime capital of the country, has become more accommodating within recent times.Of course there were the usual limers with their dreadlocks. But these same limers were the ones who readily and willingly offered the information I was seeking.This clearly puts paid to the profiling of persons, a measure that is unfairly used by the local law enforcement agencies.There were times when reporters were reluctant to cover assignments (and there were many) in the village of Buxton and its surroundings- I was no exception.Others would be skeptical if even if they had to pass Buxton to get to their intended destination.Almost everyday there was a killing,[url=http://www.cheapnfljerseysmr.us@#$%&/]Jerseys NFL Wholesale China[/url], a robbery, a kidnapping or a confrontation between gunmen and the security forces?all linked to the village.Even the police were at times reluctant to respond to reports of criminal activity there.“Even if they are killing themselves in there we will not go because sometimes we run into an ambush,” one policeman had remarked during the days when gunmen controlled the village.Utility companies like the Guyana Power and Light and the Guyana Water Incorporated were powerless to recover monies owed for the supply of the basic services. Hire purchase companies also suffered.While many had blamed the gunmen who were using the village as a haven,[url=http://www.cheapnfljerseysmr.us@#$%&/]NFL Jerseys Outlet From China[/url], others lashed out at the residents who they claimed provided shelter.But to date, no one in the village has been charged with harbouring fugitives, which makes a mockery of the suggestion that the village was harbouring the criminals.Many persons had fled their homes and today there are strong indications that some are returning.Since those days there has been a sharp decline in criminal activity in the village, so much so that persons who were reluctant to do business in the village are returning quickly.“I have no problems going into Buxton now,” one sales representative told this newspaper.But there is one stumbling block and this has to do with the fractured relationship with the police.Recently, Buxtonians rejected an olive branch offered by the police for talks to restore relationship with the village following the worst crime wave between 2002 and 2008.In a move that bears startling resemblance to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, the Buxtonians, through a committee identified to represent them,[url=http://www.theworldbaseballclassic@#$%&/]WBC Jerseys[/url], are demanding the release of two villagers who have been charged with separate high profile criminal acts before any talks could be started.The two villagers are David Leander, called ?Biscuit? who is on trial for the murders of Satydeow Sawh, and three others at LBI, and James Isles who is charged with the Lusignan massacre.“You can?t get people holding for something that they did not do,” the source said.New Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Balram Persaud, confirmed that an approach was made to community leaders in the village for consultations on normalizing of relations between the two sides.“I have approached them. But some want to lay conditions for the talks. If we don?t reach at the table we can?t achieve anything,[url=http://www.theworldbaseballclassic@#$%&/Aj-Morris-Team-Italy-Jersey/]A.J. Morris Italy Jersey[/url],” the police commander told this newspaper.While the mother of James Isles is of the view that the initiative is a good one, she believes that her son?s continued detention could hinder progress.“It?s good; it?s not a bad deal. God knows my son is innocent,” Isles?s mother declaredIsles was arrested in February last year following the slaying of 11 persons in East Coast Demerara community of Lusignan Pasture.Relations had deteriorated in 2002 following the killing of Buxtonian Tshaka Blair.Since then there have been ongoing conflicts between the two sides, forcing the administration to employ the services of the army to assist the police in their operations in the village.Three policemen were executed in the village, while gunmen who used Buxton as their hideout as the situation spiraled out of control attacked others in nearby communities.Last Thursday,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysnear.us@#$%&/]cheap jerseys nfl wholesale[/url], when I got back to my car I was not surprised that everything was intact. The villagers are mindful of the bad publicity that they had been given over the past few years and are determined to ensure that the opposite occurs instead.What used to happen in Buxton is now occurring in Agricola, once the home of the late gang leader Rondell ?Fine Man? Rawlins.And of course Buxtonians now feel justified in their claims that their village was held hostage by criminals from outside even as Buxton itself had just a few criminals of its own and a few misguided youths who took advantage of the situation.