I recently saw a publication put out by a member of Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), Michael Abrahams. It was one of the more lucid and logical publications I have seen from that body.

He spoke of the general environment in relation to Jamaica’s homicide rate, rather than just the police shootings, without any reference to the rate. He cited the police shooting statistics of the state of New Mexico in the United States. He further noted that their police shootings are low in comparison to ours.

What Abrahams failed to include is that New Mexico had a homicide rate of 14 per 100,000 in 2024, and we have one that ranges between 45 and 50 per 100,000 every year. This is an important point, because it reflects the level of violence in the environment.

As I have said before, a high homicide rate results in more police operations. The greater the number of police operations, the higher the likelihood of contact with the gangs, and the higher the likelihood of police shootings. That being said, I felt the tone of the publication was reasonable.

The impasse between JFJ and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is somewhat understandable, for obvious reasons. The conflict between JFJ and the wider Jamaican society is a little more complex. The organisation is viewed as being “uptown”. Although no segment of Jamaican society is untouched by the gang crisis, it is fair to say that the impact on poor, inner-city communities is the worst. So, reasonably, it is believed that JFJ cannot connect with the horrors of the clientèle it represents. That is, to a large degree, the basis of the impasse.

Then there is that ridiculous mandate, that in the country which is subject to the worst violence and human rights abuses in the Pan Am region for decades, at the hands of gangs, you only choose to represent victims of State abuse.

I know you don’t like my comparison to Nazi sympathisers, but this is kind of the same as that group in France who criticised the French Resistance’s treatment of Nazi soldiers in occupied France.

There is also a general divide between uptown and downtown because of the quantum variance in lifestyle. There are many who recognise the contribution of uptown to both the creation of gang culture and its continued financing through extortion.

Let me explain.

The 70s was a time of revolution and civil conflict in Jamaica. Many believed we were becoming Cuba and embracing communism. Many also believed we were unjustly trying to hang on to a version of an oligopoly. Ascertaining who was right and who was wrong is irrelevant at this point. What can be agreed is that the formation, armament and politicisation of the gangs was, to a large degree, the work of learned men.

The gangs we have today would not exist if it were not for the contribution of our own educated and wealthy citizens of the 70s. They believed they were forming militias to fight a political civil war.

Then there is extortion. This is real. There are businessmen in our country who pay it and hate paying it. However, there is also the reality that many consider it cheaper than paying a security company. Almost none ever think about what the money is being used for. The Klansman and One Order gangs would never have existed without extortion. This was the foundation on which they were built. Even now, as organisations in decline, the gangs’ primary target group is, ironically, poor people once again.

Vendors and taxi men are currently the source of the gangs’ most consistent flow of funds. What started as a tax on retail business has now extended to low-income entrepreneurs.

This adds to the dislike of JFJ by the wider society, especially the poor. The fact that the organisation’s statements seem to pull the international community into our internal business also hurts its case with the general populace.

A divided society helps nobody! It also serves no worthy cause.

What I suggest, at the very least, is for JFJ to celebrate with us. The armed forces of this country have achieved a noble purpose. That is, saving lives!

We have consistently, since 2022, been reducing the number of murders in our society. There has been combat, as this is unavoidable, but at this point in time hundreds of families who would have felt the sting of having to bury a murdered relative will avoid that pain. This is something to celebrate.

I would advise all segments of society, to include the political parties, to shake hands and be happy that fewer of our brothers and sisters will die this year. In fact, I would suggest that all parties at least appear to be pleased, if only to demonstrate a sense of decency.

All involved in this hauling and pulling are largely bereft of gang involvement in their day-to-day life, but the true victims of a divided Jamaica will primarily be the poor. Lord knows they have suffered enough.

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