Half Pint

Half Pint (Paul Pothmont) 

At the age of eleven I carried a handgun. A magnum, which my bredrin’s gave me to me to protect mum and the cousins. I never used it and never wanted to…but I was the one who had that responsibility as dad had left…. 

I was born in Kingston Jamaica in 1961 and lived there with my mum Rita and my grandmother. I miss Jamaica. I miss my bredrins and the smell of food cooking … it’s slower there and people are more friendly. We always had curried goat and fish and people came to share these dishes. But growing up there for me was tough and growing up in the Waterhouse ghetto where I lived was tougher – too much guns and enough people getting kill off and torn apart. We lived in homes made of plastic and corrugated iron and stealing was common as people had no food. People steal because they are hungry, not because they are bad people. 

The two political systems were (Peoples National Party) PNP Michael Manley and the (Jamaican Labour Party) JLP Eddie Seaga and I was a PNP supporter, but my country was poor and we suffered because of colonial rule. I lived in Kingston with my mum until she left to become a nurse here in London. She worked as a nurse at St Mary’s, where princess Diana had her two children. My dad used to abuse her so my nan helped her leave and start a new life here. I stayed with my nan, and mum sent money back to Jamaica. 

There were two main sound systems when I was growing up then, Kilimanjaro and King Tubby and they influenced me up until this day. Killamanjaro Sound System celebrates 50 years in dancehall. The sound was founded in the summer of 1969. They are (in)famous for their clashes and large amount of classic dubplates. It's named after Mount Kilimanjaro. The name was changed to "Killamanjaro" after having established a reputation of being a tough clash-sound. Killamanjaro is notable for being a top sound in both the live-artist era of the 1980s, where it launched the careers of dancehall artists at the time, such as Early B, Super Cat, Puddy Roots, and Ninjaman. 

At the age of nineteen I arrived in a bitterly cold London and got my first job on Ridley Road setting up and clearing away the stalls. It was so busy then, you could not get from one end of the road to the other. I felt lucky to be here and thankful to be living with my mum in Colvestone Crescent just around the corner from Ridley Road. We shared a flat with another family but that was a place to live and we made it a home. I stayed on Ridley and ended up working at Toms Bakery where the queues would be all the down the road. I used to load up the van for deliveries and people would order for their parties and celebrations like christenings, weddings and funerals. Day to day people would always buy the Bulla Buns….. a sweet bread made with grated, coconut, coconut milk, raisins, cherries, currants and dried fruits and nutmeg, cinnamon. The Jamaican hardo bread (hard dough bread), locals loved this. Sweet bread also known as coco bread was also on offer and made with sweetened coconut milk. People also loved the spicy patties filled with lamb, chicken or vegetable. They also served rum cake, saltfish fritters and Guinness punch. Everybody know that bakery back then. It look a bit run down from the outside but it was clean and family run, so we all loved it. It was more than just a bakery… it was our people’s place. It’s such a shame they closed. I used to know everyone back on Ridley Road then and everyone came to that bakers, even famous people….. Denis Brown, Gregory Isaac, Yellowman, Toots and Maytails and Rupee Edwards. Rupee was local and sold his records on the road. 

When they told me I was coming to London, I said I am not going. Even on the plane I refused to get off….it was too damn cold and I only had t-shirts…… I liked London in time. I used to hang out with a sound system called Unity, back in the day, I was given the name Half Pint by Unity Sound System. They were king in the 80’s with “Watch How The People Dancing,” by Kenny Knots, put Unity at the top of the charts in 1986. I was a box boy back then, carrying sound boxes.I also liked raving and going to parties. It was peaceful back then and there were no guns and women weren’t run down in the music. Both those things have changed London culture. 

Reggae was my music Bob Marley, The Mighty Diamonds, Yellowman, Big Yout, Trinity, Rand and Trevor and (I)?Uroy. The police treated us with abuse back then. I think Jamaicans get it worst but I know other black people did too.. they call us yardies and that stereotypes and as criminals and bad people. Yardies means badness. Black people did not get many opportunities back then and not much has changed. The stop and search laws still target black people as they did back in the 1980’s. I don’t think enough has changed for my people and it's my biggest wish to see them get proper rights and good employment. This recent outcry over Child Q and the police shows how much we still have to do. Stoke Newington police station has been notorious for abuse since way back in the 1970’s and they are still continuing this now.

I love this square but there are too many police here now. Just because people smoke herbs, which in the bigger picture, are harmless. Make it legal. Most people smoke it and are not violent. Alcohol, crack and heroin are what’s making this town and people go mad. I smoke herbs because they calm me down and make me feel better. They are trying to clean up Ridley Road and get rid of the crack dealers – but crack addiction is caused by poverty – not badness… All that sort of thing caused the murder on the square last year. The death of Patrick Anzy, a young man we knew. 

In 2019 my mum Rita died and I found out I was loosing my sight. We were close because I was her only child and we were a single parent family. I’ve been diagnosed with Glaucoma at which means I can’t see very much and what I do see is blury…..My sight is getting worse and I feel bad on it… I miss my eyesight and they can’t treat it. They say my eyes have gone for good. Gillett Sqaure is where you will find me. I live in Tottenham now but Hackney is my original manor and I spent most of my life here. When I’m in doors I’m bored with just me and the four walls, so I think let me go to Dalston and have some weed and a joke with the people here.