Tag Archives: Gang

United We Stand…

By petchary on | Leave a Comment

…And you know the other half of that saying. Which is it to be, for Jamaica? The Gleaner newspaper has been running a series on its front pages on the topic of “Unity,” in the context of Jamaica 50. The newspaper asks “movers and shakers” this question: “Why is unity important at this time as we celebrate Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of Independence, and what will this mean for Jamaica going forward?”

The responses have been by turns optimistic, stoic, doggedly determined and idealistic. Lovely words like “commitment,” “integrity,” “transparency” and a short word with great significance for us, “trust,” adorn the short paragraphs attributed to leaders from the private sector, civil society etc. It’s all so predictable it’s almost painful. Yet one senses an unease among many of the comments. ”We are too close to the wire,” comments one young businessman. What does he mean by that? Another more mature businessman comments, “If we do not change direction, we may end up where we are heading.“

And where exactly are we heading? Have we, perhaps, already reached that place, without even realizing it?

Looking at today’s Jamaica Observer this morning, I got some answers as to where we are, right now. “Bloody weekend” declared the front page headline, noting an upsurge of what the police say is gang warfare in a deprived inner-city area situated close to uptown. Three people were shot dead and three injured.

Crime scene in Grants Pen

A crime scene in Grants Pen, an area which has been mostly calm until recently.

I turned the page to the newspaper’s “Page 2,”  which is devoted to the activities of a select group of uptowners with familiar family names that are regularly recycled, it appears. It’s hard to distinguish one from the other. The ladies wear fashionable sunglasses à la Mrs. Beckham, very short skirts showing off their well-toned legs, and “on trend” shoes, hats, handbags. They are usually “sipping” something – the finest wine, perhaps, or the latest cocktail. The men wear cool shades too, of course, and are also very fashionably attired. They all smile for the camera. What a life.

Well, it’s Sunday lunchtime in the city, and just as these ladies and gentlemen were getting ready for their pool party at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, a mile or two away 49-year-old Paul Jackson was shot dead while attempting to flee into a house in Grants Pen. While the guests were arriving, and as the music played and the mimosas and champagne started flowing, 32-year-old Ava-Gaye Ward was being “sprayed with bullets” in Sunrise Crescent, not far from Grants Pen. She was hit in the back, hip, abdomen and right palm, according to the Observer report, and did not survive the attack.

I will leave you, dear reader, to draw your own conclusions.

PS. Wherever you are in the world, please don’t forget to observe Nelson Mandela International Day on Wednesday, July 18. It is intended to be a day of action. To quote the great man himself…

“Rhetoric is not important. Actions are.”

Nelson Mandela

A lovely relaxed photo of Mr. Mandela at home.

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Posted in: Society | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday Sunshine: July 1, 2012

By petchary on | 11 Comments

Yes, we may be short of a lot of things in Jamaica, but we’re certainly not short on sunshine. As the sun thankfully dips behind the rooftops (the sun isn’t thankful, I am) I am just about to start this blog post with very little idea of what has or has not been going on this week. We took three days off away from all media, computers etc (unless you count switching to ESPN for the Euro 2012 semi-finals).  Thanks ESPN!  (I was quite upset by Italy’s sad defeat at the hands of Spain today, but the Italian team delighted me during the tournament with their creative, attacking play. Spain played like a passing machine, but seemed to wake up for the final). Ah well. The drama is over. We now await the start of the new English Premier League season.

Mario Balotelli and Sergio Ramos

Italy’s eccentric but awesome striker Mario Balotelli and strong Spanish defender Sergio Ramos exchange greetings after their opening match, a draw, in Euro 2012 (Reuters photo)

Meanwhile, back on the Rock, shock waves from last week’s “bloody weekend” – including the resurgence of gang warfare in the August Town area of St. Andrew – continued to ruffle the media; and the annual hand-wringing exercise over the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) examinations kicked into top gear.  On the former, I feel deeply sorry for the many peaceful and law-abiding residents. August Town is not, to my mind, a typical “inner city” area with all that the term suggests. The first time I visited there about twenty years ago – and I have done so a number of times since – I have felt that it was more like a village. The area is close to the University of the West Indies campus, on the outskirts of Kingston. There are narrow streets, small houses surrounded by low walls, a number of churches, and a bus service into Kingston. It is essentially a cul de sac, so the bus has to turn round and go back. There is the usually-dry Hope River (an escape route for criminals, I understand), and some houses on the other side. There is a primary school with a large yard, and the police station close by. What is most striking is the steep green hills on all sides – so close, so green, with one huge white scar where limestone was quarried. And yet, in true inner-city tradition, August Town has “corners” where young men gather, and is divided into areas called “Vietnam” or “Jungle 12.” And the small community (it really is small) which was ironically named after Emancipation Day on August 1, 1838, has a plague of gangs, mostly (or originally) politically-motivated. Since 2008, residents have been lulled into a sense of false security after the signing of a so-called “Peace Treaty” between gangs; this was negotiated through the efforts of an organization called the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) and the local community organization headed by the well-meaning Kenneth Wilson. I have my severe doubts about these peace treaties; how can they last? Gangs are gangs. Deputy Commissioner of Police Glenmore Hinds, who is in charge of crime, does not believe in them.  But Mr. Wilson has, on this occasion, complained that concerns expressed by residents in the area prior to the latest outburst were ignored  by the police, who were not “proactive” enough and could have prevented the murders if they had listened.

PMI representatives in August Town

Peace Management Initiative representatives listen to residents in August Town after the gang violence. Is the PMI an official (i.e. government) body?

Enough hot air has been expelled on the topic of the GSAT results to inflate a balloon and carry it half way round the world. Educators and officials, retired and otherwise, have all weighed in with interviews and columns in the media. Should the test be abolished? How can we breach the “social chasm” described by Minister Thwaites that afflicts our educational system (but hold on…doesn’t this afflict every aspect of our society, Minister Thwaites?) Meanwhile, one high school said it simply could not accommodate all the students who had been placed there by the test; and one of the conceptualizers of GSAT is quoted as saying – perhaps rather brutally – “I hear the minister apologizing to schools for being called failing, when in fact they are worse than failures. Some of them should not even exist.” Oh dear. Expect more of the same this time next year.

Speaking of education, one commentator on the Jamaica Observer website commented wryly, “I wish Jamaicans were as passionate about education as they are about two men in pink dresses.” Yes indeed, the “homosexual debate” drags on endlessly, with the usual obfuscation, manipulation, misinformation and religious propaganda. The latter gets plenty of airtime in the media, with religious leaders coming out of the woodwork all over the place with their arguments, and of course their Bible quotations. Thank God for sensible and clear-thinking people like broadcast journalist Dionne Jackson-Miller, who tried to make some sense out of it in her latest blog post (see link below).

The rumblings over whether Jamaica should remain in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – called by some a “talk shop” – continue intermittently. Speaking to the Sunday Observer today, CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque intones, “I think the single most important reason for keeping CARICOM alive is to serve the development of our region. It can’t be anything but that.” Well, as young people say… Duh. My italics, by the way – it appears CARICOM is on life support?  Well, it is worthy of note that a recent ECLAC survey on Caribbean GDP growth last year (and predictions for this year) pointed out that it was the non-English speaking countries of our small region that have registered – and will register – strong growth. For example, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Suriname – six, 4.5 and 4.3  per cent GDP growth predicted this year; Jamaica, Barbados and St. Kitts & Nevis – just one per cent each. Go figure. By the way, CARICOM’s annual summit for heads of government will meet this coming week; among the “big issues” to be considered this week is – yes, you’ve guessed it. West Indies cricket.

Caricom group proposes team to address region's debt crisis

Some CARICOM heads of government at a past meeting (second left is former Jamaican PM Bruce Golding) – looking as if they wished they were somewhere else.

But hey! Summer is here, and the seasonal distractions from the serious issues of the day are multiplying daily. Why worry about regional development, education and so on? It is hot. We all need to chill out. The rich ones will be disappearing overseas in a few weeks’ time – and of course, that includes our politicians. And there is sports. With the Olympics mere weeks away, the National Trials have been taking place over the last few days at the National Stadium – which, strangely, has been three-quarters empty, even for races with superstar Usain Bolt (who was beaten not once, but twice by his reportedly more focused rival and training partner Yohan Blake). Jamaicans adore their athletes; but there seems to have been confusion over entrance tickets. Besides, people probably just don’t have the money to buy them. Much cheaper to watch them on television.

Yohan Blake

Yohan Blake prays after winning the 200m final at the National Trials today (I thought they usually prayed before?)

And then, there is Jamaica 50. Of course, I still have questions (don’t we all?) For example, why was an International Reggae Day concert in Emancipation Park suddenly canceled at short notice? Why is the Portland Jerk Festival, which happens every year, a Jamaica 50 event – and such a costly one (J$1,400 at the gate)? Is there a schedule of Jamaica 50 events, and if so where? I tried to download the enlarged schedule pdf document on the Jamaica 50 website (“proudly presented” by the Jamaica Information Service), and got this message: “This is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?” 

Yes, it is. However, the website did remind me that we are just five weeks, 1o hours, 40 minutes and 18 seconds away from our nation’s fiftieth anniversary. And there is a basic schedule here: 
http://www.jis.gov.jm/ja50/v2/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/JCDC-CALENDAR-OF-JAMAICA-50-NATIONAL-EVENTS1.pdf
. For the month of July, there is Reggae Sumfest; the Festival Song Contest; and other regular annual events. OK, OK… I know, we don’t have any money, but are these really Jamaica 50 events, or just wearing the cloak of Jamaica 50?

Meanwhile, the politicians talk. And talk. Minister of Agriculture Roger Clarke and Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites are the two current Champions of Talk at the moment. Speeches galore. Minister Clarke, an amiable and obese man, raised scattered laughter when he asked his audience whether they agreed that he had thrived (thriven?) on a good healthy diet of Jamaican food. The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party has been largely quiet, apart from Justice and National Security Spokesman Delroy Chuck, who is clear and sharp in his commentary. There is an occasional obscure piece of waffle from the Opposition Leader, who seems to have gone back into his shell. Among other serious issues, Mr. Chuck has asked why the monthly meeting of the National Security Council has only taken place once since the new administration took office six months ago; if this is true, what is the story behind this?

Minister Roger Clarke and others at agricultural college

Minister Roger Clarke with half-eaten banana, at left; with Permanent Secretary Donovan Stanberry and EU representative Helen Jenkinson.

Our Prime Minister is also very quiet, and only speaks when spoken to at the moment, like a well-behaved child in Victorian days. At least, I have seen very little reported.

But let’s give a huge round of applause to our very own Jamaica Defence Force and to all the other participants – including those from overseas – in the Jamaica Military Tattoo 2012. This was only the fifth in Jamaica’s history, and by all accounts our military outdid itself. Congratulations to all involved.

A drill during the JDF Military Tattoo

A drill during the JDF Military Tattoo

On the arts front, congratulations are also due to the urban arts festival Kingston on the Edge (KOTE) 2012, which took place over the past week. It was an extraordinarily lavish schedule of art in all its forms – grassroots, uptown, downtown, in-between – showing how vibrant and creative our much-maligned capital city truly is. Special congratulations to Veerle Poupeye, director of the National Gallery of Jamaica and her hard-working staff for their ongoing work (and for their monthly Sunday openings); and of course, to Karin Wilson Edmonds and the many others who worked so hard to make KOTE 2012 a huge success. I have to add that this is largely a private sector effort – thanks to all the sponsors and supporters, and may it be even bigger and better next year!

Kingston on the Edge urban arts festival 2012

“Inna Di Yard,” a Rastafarian performance at the Shaare Shalom Synagogue in downtown Kingston.

And of course, the sports. Mr. Yohan Blake and Ms. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are worthy of special mention for beating the favorites in the National Trials in both the 1oo and 200 meters. But congratulations to all the young men and women who put out all their efforts and the best they have to offer. I am sure those who qualified for the London Olympics will continue to strive and do well for Jamaica.

Let’s round things off with another old and hoary “chestnut”: It’s “health tourism” time again! For the umpteenth time, this wonderful idea (it is a great idea actually) has been taken from the shelf and dusted off, this time by Industry, Investment & Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton. The Jamaica Information Service describes health tourism as “a new growth area with significant potential.” We first heard these words – or something very similar – approximately fifteen years ago. Well, let’s give it another whirl. I am sure the long-suffering “diaspora” will be thrilled to hear about it – or did I hear a stifled yawn from across the waters? Surely not. It’s a new area, folks! Let’s talk about it some more!

Well, dark has descended and I have rambled on too long. We are due for at least a few more days of hot, dry weather, with clouds that drift high above and have no intention on raining on us here in Kingston.

It’s summer, we haven’t solved the mystery of the noxious fumes yet (more on that another time) and…let’s try to have a great week!

In Memoriam

My deep condolences to the family and friends of all those who were murdered in Jamaica in the past week. This may not be a complete list, but my thoughts are with all those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

  • Kemado “Joe” Edwards, killed by the police in St. James
  • Unidentified man found in a cane field in Llandilo, Westmoreland
  • André, in Barnett Lane, Montego Bay, St. James
  • Bryan Morris, 33, in Sheffield, Westmoreland
  • Sylvia Beckford, 40, in Sheffield, Westmoreland
  • Judith McCauley, 31, in Sheffield, Westmoreland
  • Unidentified man killed by the police in Camrose, St. James
  • Courtney Willis, in Nuts River, St. Thomas
  • Unidentified woman chopped to death in Manchester
  • Fabian Buckley, 26, in Duhaney Park, Kingston
  • Newton Steer, 40, in Red Ground, St. Catherine
  • Hugh Modest, 47, in West Meade, St. Catherine
  • Cyril Kelsey, 59, in Leeds, St. Elizabeth
  • Norman Noble, 48, in St. James
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Policeman with mask on Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston

Policeman with mask on Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston – protection against the “mystery noxious fumes.”

Posted in: Art, Film, Music, Society, Sport | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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