Dear Editor,

On Sunday evening, June 11, 2023, I went out to view the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) finals between Cavalier and Mount Pleasant at Sabina Park. Chaotic and uncivilised are two words I could use to describe the experience.

I had no problem purchasing the ticket from the bus provided for that purpose, but what ensued afterwards was a nightmare for many, myself included. There were no systems in place to command the crowd and to ensure orderly entrance into the venue. For example, there were no security or police officers outside the entrance to ensure a smooth flow. As a result of these many shortcomings, people bundle up by the entrance, pushing and shoving in their efforts to get in, which heightened the chaos and confusion that was already present.

In the midst of all this, a single police officer from the inside shouted that people will be allowed to enter one at a time. The crowd did not take well to this statement and more pushing and shoving occurred. To mollify the situation, the police officer used pepper spray on the crowd — a crowd that included parents with small children.

I managed to get some water from a vendor close by to wash out my eyes and was able to make my way to the Andrews Memorial Hospital for treatment.

While I agree that some of the chaos is because of the indisciplined nature of the people, it is not right to be treated in such a inhumane manner. I believe all of this could have been avoided if there was a proper system in place with proper crowd management.

The situation was most unfortunate, but it could have been avoided. Events of this nature are not new in Jamaica and crowd management is very important.

I am imploring the organisers and all the relevant authorities that approve the staging of these events to ensure that adequate provisions are made for logistics, and priority should be placed on ensuring the safety of patrons. Let’s not wait for something worse to happen.

We can and must do better.

Kemmehi Lozer

k_lozer@yahoo.com