Jamaican Crime and Anarchy

The problem of crime in Jamaica has taken on a shape and form that juxtapose it very closely, if not head-on, to ‘the wall of anarchy’. Every time one listens to the news coming out of Jamaica or reads the newspapers or watches televison, one is inundated with news of murder, rampaging, innocent people being killed, taxi operators and other business interests being left to the mercy of criminals, having to pay regular extortion fees to criminals but have to be constantly in denial when the police investigates in an attempt to bring these culprits and lumpens to justice.

However, my speculation of anarchy in Jamaica contrary to the above view, may not be as true as it would appear on the numerous deliveries of criminality by the common media locally and abroad. The opposite may, in fact, be true. For a state to be in anarchy it has to be a condition where there is no one in charge and that there is no means to control events as they occur by the powers-that-be. Is this the case in the Jamaican crime situation? I think not.

There are several pieces of evidence, some of which are hurling around on the internet, that show that our political representatives may have more control and contact opportunity behind the scenes with gun-toting criminals than reach the Jamaican eyes or that we Jamaicans may care to admit.

Just a few days ago, I was sent clippings on YouTube that testify to the fact that political representatives may know who these criminals are and can contact them, probably as easily as dialing one’s number on their cellular phone.

I speak of a YouTube video which depicts how easy it is for a foreign jouranlist from England to come to Jamaica and be sitting and talking (interviewing) some of the most wanted gunmen in Jamaica that police and the authorities are telling us they cannot locate. In one stage of the video, the journalist stated that he was only able to get to these criminals and not be murdered as a political representaitve of the area, gave him authority and seemingly had conversed with the criminal ‘Don’ of his area to acquire confirmation for the visit.

To see this video, go to YouTube and type in its search engine: ‘Unreported World: Jamaica: Guns, Votes and Money. Parts 1, 2, and 3’ You may need to type in the title and part 1,2,, etc. individually, to see each clipping. It’s important that these videos be viewed by the Jamaican public. It tells a sorry story. The vidoes MUST be watched from part one to three to make sense. The video clippings can be seen at the following URLs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTrHQnva-h8&feature=related (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb8d9qk49nY&feature=related (Part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX-9mrt78us&feature=related (Part 3)

The million dollar question to be asked is, ‘Are politicians secretly using gun-toting criminals to their own advantage?’ It’s for you to deicide. However, these video clippings (and there are several on the intenet) would suggest that people in ‘high places’ and ‘low places’ not only know who the criminals are but can talk to them, reach them easier than it is for poor people to find money to buy a pound of rice in Jamaica.

Joshua Spencer

Toronto, Canada

[email protected]