At the time of writing this column, some 55 people had been murdered in the parish of St James. Most of the victims were annihilated by the gun. Most of them were young men. Most of them hailed from so-called squatter or informal settlements. And most of them were killed by persons in their own age group.

This is a most frightening scenario that is not being sufficiently addressed by the powers that be. Why? I will continue to hold the cynical view that as long as these killings do not directly affect the tourism sector or the top echelons of the society, then nothing worthwhile is likely to happen. Indeed, as one fed-up cop told me recently, “Boss, might as well dem keep killing off one annoder. Less work for us and the courts.” Add a few extra-judicial killings by the security forces to this sordid picture and it becomes clear that St James is fast becoming a wild, wild West neighbourhood.

There was a time when people from rural Jamaica were afraid to go to Kingston. Persons living in Kingston looked forward to coming to the Bay because it was seen as a safe haven where everyone could party in safety and comfort till the break of dawn. Not so anymore. Interestingly, Kingstonians are now laughing at MoBay because the tables have been turned. Some time last year, a high court opined that Montego Bay was no longer the preferred place to be. He was taking that position based on the number of homicide-related cases he had to preside over.

Ironically, Montego Bay remains the main gateway to Jamaica’s tourism, and Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who is also a member of parliament in St James, continues to boast about how well that sector is doing. During a recent speech at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Minister Bartlett pointed to the fact that when most visitors were asked what they found most exciting about their stay, invariably the most frequent answer is the people. Yes, Jamaicans are warm, hospitable, friendly, caring and courteous to our visitors. Jamaica, no problem, mon!

The potent question to be asked, however, is why this same Jamaican will shoot to death another countryman who may have just accidently stepped on his toe at a dancehall session? What bitter-sweet irony! This socio-cultural phenomenon needs to be carefully studied and analysed if we are to come to grips with this harsh reality. Now that there are so many universities putting down their roots in the parish, this is an area of research that should capture the attention and imagination of academia. Perhaps out of such a study will come a greater understanding of the Jamaican psyche and ultimately help to point the way towards meaningful solutions. It has been said that there are three things that make a man feel powerful when he has one of them in his hand – a gun, the microphone or his penis. There are too many guns in St James, which means that there are too many young men in the parish who feel that they are all powerful. What has led to the proliferation of guns? Why are these instruments of death so easily available? How is it possible that unemployed youths who can barely afford three meals a day can have in their possession a gun and ammunition that cost thousands of dollars? Is there some evil genius out there who is distributing these weapons of mass destruction?

The bottom line is that the devil always finds work for idle hands and in St James, especially in the squatter communities, there are scores of young men who are unskilled, untrained, uneducated and in many cases unemployable. Many of them used to be part of a controlled crime syndicate usually led by a no-nonsense don. Over these many years, most, if not all of these dons, have either been incarcerated, killed or gone broke. As a result, these organised crime units fall apart and become very disorganised. In such a setting, many of these splintered groups implode, with intra- rather than inter-gang warfare being the order of the day. The fight for leadership becomes very intense as every little “fryers” sees himself as a potential don. It must be understood that the original don was able to keep his followers together, and if anyone fell out of line then jungle justice would ensue. Now that these dons are no longer around, a free-for-all mentality has taken over and anarchy reigns in the crime underworld which used to have its own kind of stability, thanks to the don.

St James no longer has such types of dons, hence the fallout. Yes, in some instances, pretenders to the throne have come forward, many of whom have been deportees with enviable criminal expertise learnt abroad, but except for the “baddest shotta” ruling the roost – and usually it is only for a time – the structure of gangs has become loose and cancerous, invading the social fabric from all angles.

It is the expected thing that once one becomes a lotto scammer, then one has to arm oneself. Having acquired a gun, the urge to use it becomes overwhelming. One young man told me that when he got his first gun, he felt very powerful and invincible. The adrenalin rush is so great, the desire to use it becomes increasingly overbearing, so the slightest altercation can lead to a homicide. Once a murder is committed, someone has to pay the price and not necessarily through the court system, which is tedious, long and often riddled with incompetence and corruption. Reprisals therefore become the order of the day.

St James is the victim of powerful men and boys – inept and uncaring politicians who remain stuck behind their microphones, promiscuous males who spread sexually transmitted diseases with a vengeance via their penis and those who use the gun to create mayhem by the constant bloodletting. When will it all end? Is there no balm in Gilead?

Of course, the obvious solution to the problem is empowerment by way of education, training and a more amenable environment. But where is the leadership and the commitment to make this happen?

lloydbsmith@hotmail.com