FOR motorists who traverse downtown Kingston, requests for “drinks money” or a “blessing” from men who frequent the busy business district have become commonplace, not as a form of begging but as an exchange for access to designated parking spaces.

These individuals often block the spaces — identifiable by white-painted kerbs — only removing the blockade to usher in eager motorists before demanding payment.

One man, who requested anonymity, told the Jamaica Observer that he has been approached more than 10 times in the past three months, paying as much as $200 each time to park at sections of King Street, Harbour Street, Ocean Boulevard, Orange Street, Princess Street, and other major roads. He recounted an instance in which an interaction led to a heated verbal exchange because he’d reached his limit and refused to pay.

However, the unofficial parking attendants maintain that their actions provide a service, claiming they help protect motorists from wrecker operators lurking nearby, ready to tow vehicles parked in ‘No parking’ zones, which are demarcated by yellow kerbs. They also insist that the money they collect is a request and not a demand for their kind act of helping drivers secure a safe parking spot.

Dressed in safety vests or sometimes plain clothes, these unauthorised attendants are not always visible, but seem to appear out of nowhere when a driver approaches in search of parking.

The Sunday Observer, on a trip to downtown Kingston recently, observed multiple buckets and plastic containers in designated parking spots on Ocean Boulevard. Upon approaching a space with a plastic container on the stretch, a man in a safety vest walked over to the designated parking space and removed the object. The team was allowed to park and exit the motor vehicle.

However, when the team was ready to leave the area and returned to the vehicle, the man in the safety vest reappeared as soon as the engine roared to life. He stood on the driver’s side of the vehicle, in the road, requesting a “blessing”. When pressed on what a blessing was, he requested funds to buy a drink because he’d helped to park the vehicle. The team gave the man $100, after which he made way for the motor vehicle to depart the parking space.

The Sunday Observer team also overheard another individual charging an unsuspecting driver $500 to park at a section of the same stretch. When the motorist refused to pay that amount he became visibly upset and attempted to negotiate a suitable price while standing close to the driver’s window. Cash was eventually exchanged.

The news team also visited Coronation Market and other men were also observed moving along Darling Street assisting motorists with the parking of their vehicles.

According to Superintendent Mischka Forbes, head of the Kingston Central Police, no recent reports of men charging motorists to park in already designated parking zones have been made; however, the absence of reports does not necessarily reflect the reality on the ground.

One motorist recounted an encounter on Ocean Boulevard in March, during which a man directed him into a parking spot under the guise that he was offering car washing services. The motorist said he declined the offer, but that did not seem to deter the man.

“When I came back and I was driving away,he actually ran down the car. I said, ‘This is kind of amusing because I know I’m not going to give him [any] money.’ He said, ‘See me here, see me here,’ so I said, ‘What? See you here, what?’ And he said, ‘What do you mean? Me nuh make you park?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, it’s on a public roadway,’ and then he changed his tone. He said, ‘Oh, leave a drink money with mi, man,’ ” the motorist recalled.

He added that in a separate incident on King Street he refused to pay one of the men the $500 he requested for “parking assistance”, an interaction that exploded into a heated exchange.

“From my knowledge, if there’s yellow [paint] on the sidewalk, you are liable to be towed; you should not park there. If it’s white, there are no restrictions. If it’s a white line, not even a business owner has the right to block the roadway,” he stressed.

The motorist said interactions with these unauthorised parking attendants have left him feeling violated, extorted, and scared. He said that while, on some occasions, he’ll stand up to the men, he feels bad for others who might not be brave enough to do the same because they are fearful that the situation might escalate.

“…It is traumatic to have to go through this, and then you are basically at the peril of them if you should take actions on your own,” he told the Sunday Observer, noting that the average Jamaican will not risk their life.

The motorist called for more police patrols in downtown Kingston and for the removal of any object blocking designated parking spaces.

“If anybody drives and them see an empty oil jug or a bucket in a parking spot, that is the sign that this is an extortion zone, so if the police drive by and see it all they would have to do is come out and kick it out of the way or take it and put it in the van and go dump it somewhere. That is what I would want; that’s actually littering, so they are committing an offence by the litter Act. They are littering the roadways with the oil buckets and should be charged for that,” he insisted.

However, the alleged culprits do not see their actions as illegal, but instead as a service.

The Sunday Observer interviewed one of the unofficial parking attendants near Coronation Market, who claimed he’s protecting motorists’ vehicles from being towed by providing them with a safe parking zone.

He noted that while there is a parking lot provided by the Government, on a busy market day Darling Street is congested and motorists struggle to find parking spots because most of the roadway is marked with yellow kerbs, which indicate ‘No parking’ zones.

“Them make it difficult because them manipulate them with the wrecker. Because the tow truck is a thing like this: If nobody no inna the vehicle them will move it, and even if you deh near, sometimes them conniving. They take your vehicle and jack it up in front of you when you deh there, and them nuh suppose to trouble it when you deh there or when you inside of it, but them will do that,” he said.

He alleged that the wrecker operators go as far as to charge motorists half the cost they would pay to get back their car if it was towed, and they protect the motorists by “dealing with” the wrecker operators. He insisted that the payment from motorists is not a demand and that it is given freely.

“We nuh disrespect them and we nuh anger them, we just deal with them and get a little thing from the people. When the market dear we know we can’t kill them, and when the market is cheap, we know them will smile and come out and give you a thing. Little money will run inna the holiday for certain holidays; money will run inna the month-end and [on] weekend, or from foreign people…them would try and say, ‘Remember the good youth, see a little thing here,’” he said.

“We nah do nothing wrong,” he insisted.

Parking in the downtown Kingston district has long been a challenge that the Government has sought to address. Both the Urban Development Corporation and the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) have provided parking lots for motorists and commuters to help ease the burden; however, the volume of traffic continues to overrun the available spaces.

Most recently, the KSAMC announced key initiatives, including the introduction of paid parking on Orange Street and a partnership with the Jamaica Stock Exchange to rehabilitate Gold Street. The council also plans to target 32 streets across downtown, New Kingston, and Cross Roads for metered parking.

Wrecker operators remove a car parked illegally in downtown Kingston.

An informal parking attendant sits on a bucket in downtown Kingston blocking a designated parking spot.