New York, USA — The man who has stirred controversy among the Jamaican Diaspora by calling for protest demonstrations in major world cities where Jamaicans live to dramatise issues like corruption, violence, and crime in their homeland has pledged to continue his mission.

Dr Rupert Francis managed to draw approximately 100 placard-bearing Jamaicans to the first demonstration outside the Miami Consulate on January 19, 2024, but described it as a success which would motivate him to lead further protests in other cities.

Dr Francis, who heads the Jamaica Diaspora Crime Intervention and Prevention Task Force, said one person attended the rally from Chicago, Illinois, and others came from Florida and North Carolina.

“I am both proud and satisfied with the response, and I expect to see similar or better support in our upcoming efforts,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Sunday.

His next stops, he said, would be New York and Washington, DC, before heading for Toronto, Canada, and London in the United Kingdom.

While angering the Jamaican Government, which fears his actions would embarrass the country, Francis has found that many Jamaican nationals oppose his call for protest even as they agreed that his position on the issues was understandable.

As a result he has come under heavy criticism from some diaspora groups and government officials after issuing a letter last month blaming the Government for high crime rate and corruption in Jamaica and failure to provide promised service delivery.

The letter, which was sent to Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States Audrey Marks, also spoke of Government’s unfulfilled promises regarding the diaspora’s involvement in the political process.

“I wish to inform you, and by extension the Jamaican Government, that the diaspora will engage Jamaica’s international partners to seek redress of our grievances,” Dr Francis told Marks.

“Additionally, the community has endeavoured to legally and peacefully conduct protests at the official offices of the Jamaican Government in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to garner international attention.”

Critics accused Francis of being political and have expressed concerns that his action could likely damage the country’s reputation and the important tourism industry.

The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council and many prominent Jamaicans here have largely distanced themselves from his action.

David Mullings, who is chairman and chief executive officer of Blue Mahoe Holding Incorporated, said that while he agreed that crime and corruption “are at levels that need attention, I do not agree with the approach taken by Dr Francis”.

“He should have come to the table and sought dialogue with the various diaspora groups and the Government about his concerns, because it is true that many of his concerns need to be addressed,” he added.

Another entrepreneur, Rory Richards, the CEO of Grocery List Jamaica, said he would have preferred if Dr Francis had taken a different approach on the matter. “There are a lot of connections that he could have reached out to and establish a collaborative consultation with the Government about these concerns,” he argued.

Richards said that many of the issues raised by Dr Francis require long-term fixes and social intervention. “I just don’t think that going public, as he did, was a good idea as it could only damage the country.”

Kay Chong, a long-time South Florida diaspora activist who was scathing in her criticism of Dr Francis, was equally critical of the Government and the leadership of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council “for not doing enough to deal with the many issues affecting Jamaicans here”.

She said that the “Diaspora Crime Intervention and Prevention Task Force is not part of the official Global Jamaica Diaspora Council and, as such, Dr Francis is not authorised to speak on behalf of the diaspora”.

Chong said that those elected to represent the diaspora should be meeting with the Government twice annually and report on what is happening, “but this is not being done”. “I do not disagree with a lot of the concerns raised by Dr Francis, and they need to be addressed.”

Still, Francis, a former Jamaica Defence Force captain, has garnered a few supporters willing to go public with their views.

“Sometimes we need to embarrass ourselves to attract the attention we need — if indeed that was the intention of Dr Francis, which I do not believe it was,” declared Patrick Beckford, a former head of the then Diaspora Advisory Council for the north-east US.

Beckford noted that the concerns raised by Dr Francis were not new, as “they have been repeatedly highlighted before. We have seen little or no tangible effort in dealing with these concerns or to have them addressed meaningfully”, he told the
Observer.

Chicago-based Dennis Sutherland, a television personality, dismissed the view that the move by Francis would damage the tourist trade and that his action was taken to embarrass the Government.

Sutherland, who travelled the more than 1,000-mile journey from Chicago to Miami to attend the recent public protest, said that after spending $60 million on a house, with plans to return home, “I am still here because of my fears over the level of crime and violence.”

Describing Dr Francis as “very passionate about Jamaica”, he urged him to continue his quest “until Government begins to pay more attention to our concerns”. He also took the opportunity to call for better remuneration for police officers in their fight against crime and violence.

Europe-based attorney Joan Webly was sceptical about public protests, but argued that “something needs to be done as there needs to be a greater effort all round to integrate the skills of the Jamaicans abroad”.

And independent journalist Carlos Gray said, “The action by Dr Francis has been a long time coming and should have happened before. Those who see his approach as damaging to the country are not being fair in their assessment.”