A video has been making the rounds on social media showing Richard Currie, the chief of the Accompong Maroons, locking off a reportedly unauthorised dance in the community on Saturday night.

“Who is you to tell the man to play? This is a town of order, this is a town of order, weh yu a do?” Chief Currie shouted into the microphone. 

“Ah set we a set the ting. Me give everybody dem right and dem authority….principle inna the community, have some respect, shut down the sound, please,” Currie continued. 

Members of the crowd heckled Currie using polysyllabic swear words along with shouts of “bias ting a gwaan” to drown out his speech. 

Sources from Accompong told OBSERVER ONLINE that the party organisers did not receive permission from Chief Currie to host the event.

However, one member of the community believes that Currie is overstepping his authority in this latest act. 

“Is a drinkout that a youth name Odane keep to make a money, and Currie come lock it down before 9 pm. Him a tek up things pon him head that no necessary, just mek party run until 12 so the youth can mek a food. Him anno government and him come a lock off party, him and him groupie friend dem. This is a self-governed community, him fi focus on us having more freedom, but is a curfew ting him ah bring in too, but dem caan programme me,” the Accompong Town resident said. 

Accompong, like other maroon villages across the country, claims to be a separate state from Jamaica which has a daily islandwide curfew as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The islandwide curfew began at 6pm on Saturday.