THERE was a palpable air of resentment toward the police on Friday as hundreds marched in Mountain View in condemnation of the death of Kavorn Schue, the 25-year-old killed by cops under controversial circumstances in the St Andrew community last week.

Dressed in white T-shirts bearing placards, candles while singing mournful hymns, the sea of protestors marched from the Mountain View Police Station, meandering through several streets before rallying at Schue’s home on Jarrett Lane. There — with candles illuminating their sombre expressions — they reflected on the life of a youth who they said had “gone too soon”.

“Dem tek mi breadwinner. Mi star,” said Schue’s father, Errington, for whom the large turnout was no surprise.

“Kavorn was loved and respected by all in the community,” he said behind a forced smile.

Outside, during the sentimental pauses in the singing of the gospel songs, angry voices could be heard. Persons were still chastising the police for their actions, and worse, for their earlier attempts to prevent the vigil.

“This is not a march so we have not sought any permission for it. It is a walk. If they (police) want to call it a march they can call it that,” argued Horace Levy, head of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), one of several lobby groups who joined in the activities Friday evening. “They (people) are appealing for something that the police has done wrong. It is murder and absolute lies on top of it,” he continued, making reference to the police statement that Kavorn was killed in a shootout.

Levy said he was shaken by the incident, which, for the most part, has shattered the unity his organisation had helped to forge between the police and residents.

For him, that peace could only be restored with the removal of Superintendent Arthur Brown, the head of the Mountain View Police Station whose officers allegedly carried out the deadly operation.

“Get rid of Arthur Brown because he has a terrible reputation in West Kingston, and that is why when he was named to come here I was hoping that it wasn’t true,” said Levy, whose disapproval was echoed by other protesters including Dr Carolyn Gomes, head of lobby group Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ).

“Arthur Brown is on our files. There have been concerns about operations that he has led in the past, but this is a fresh one,” said Gomes. “Clearly, he must be held accountable for this. He cannot continue to walk the street as if nothing has happened,” said Gomes, bearing a placard with the message ‘We are tired of the same script from the police’, which was directed at security minister Peter Bunting.

“We need to see the taking off of front-line leaders. We need leaders to be held accountable,” she said. “What does ‘taken off of front-line duty’ mean? What we want it to mean is that the police involved must be removed from any position where they can influence the investigation or its outcome until it is completed,” said Dr Gomes.

Friday evening’s march was attended by relatives of 45-year-old Dianne Gordon, and Navardo Thomas, 22, who were both killed by police earlier this year in Cassava Piece and Spanish Town, respectively.

According to Navardo’s mother, Beverley Williams, she had come to lend support to Kavorn’s family and to lobby for justice for all the innocent persons who have been killed at the hands of the police.

“The police dem go around killing people innocently and who they should be looking for they are not looking for. They have their gunmen but they are not going to carry them in; they just want to kill innocent people all the time and plant gun on them,” said Williams.

“There has been too much of it (police killing) now, too much. My son was a working man. He worked for me, his father, and his sister,” she continued.

According to official police reports, Schue was killed by cops who stormed his home during a shootout with gunmen early last Saturday morning. Residents, including Schue’s brother, who listened from another room as his brother was being shot, have disputed the police claims.