MONTEGO BAY, St James — Twenty-four years after a group of people living on the streets of Montego Bay were carted off and dumped near a mud lake in St Elizabeth, Councillor Everes Coke (Jamaica Labour Party, Maroon Town Division) is demanding that the People’s National Party (PNP), which was in power at the time, apologise for the incident.

Coke made the call during Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation while highlighting the importance of a recent march led by the local body in support of the parish’s homeless.

“In July 1999, one of the most despicable, inhumane, I think there are no words to describe how bad, how wicked, how inhumane this act was where over 30 of the street people in Montego Bay were rounded up, tied up with ropes, mouth gagged, pepper sprayed, herded into a truck like animals and shipped off to St Elizabeth in the vicinity of a mud lake,” he remarked in his opening salvo.

He took direct aim at the minority leader of the local authority, Councillor Michael Troupe (People’s National Party, Granville Division).

“As a part of the healing process there must be some, not only recognition, but there must be some acknowledgement and perhaps a public apology because my research tells me that my colleague, Councillor Troupe, it was his administration who led this despicable act — and he was a part of the council at that time,” Coke said.

After public outcry in the wake of the incident, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled that Egbert Campbell, an employee of Western Parks and Markets; Police Inspector Ainsworth Giddens and truck driver Roger Leslie should be charged. There was a commission of inquiry launched into the incident but further blame was not ascribed to any particular person or body. The commissioners instead proposed a raft of measures going forward.

On Thursday, Coke urged his peers in the meeting to support his call for “a public apology starting with minority leader, Councillor Troupe”.

He got support from Councillor Dwight Crawford (Jamaica Labour Party, Spring Gardens Division).

“The unfortunate incident with the street people, I felt like I was reading a book written by Stephen King, a sinister plot,” he stated.

However, Troupe insisted that he did nothing wrong.

“There is nothing for me to apologise for. I had just come into the council, fresh, didn’t even know what was happening but the matter itself is something for us to think on,” he replied.

“It is not something to keep repeating because every time we keep repeating the same thing. There is nothing for me to apologise for. It was a history in our time as councillors. I wasn’t the leader back then and if it needs an apology, I think there have been several apologies that have already been made,” Troupe added.