THIS is without a doubt the most challenging article I have attempted in the six years since I was cajoled by senior media colleagues to begin writing this column. Initially, I had it all planned out and down pat. You see, I am presently in Negril, working on the Reggae Marathon, which is listed as one of the 10 best in the world. So, I was quite prepared to highlight and extol its virtues, its superior organisation and even to recommend it as an excellent pilot for so many other potentially successful projects showcasing athletics and Reggae — the two things we are most famous for worldwide.

Furthermore, Dr Donna Hope-Marquis, lecturer in Reggae Studies at the University of the West Indies, has published on her Facebook profile what I thought was excellent advice in relation to the Gully/Gaza saga and I had fully intended to heed it. To quote her, “No publicity is bad publicity, but no publicity is bad publicity.” Then on Tuesday, four days before the ‘Real McKoy’, it was announced that the police had turned down Alliance Entertainment’s application for a permit — under the Noise Abatement Act — to stage Mavado’s annual birthday bash at Temple Hall Estate. Why wait so long, when the application had been submitted since November 3?

There is a classic security strategy in circumstances where the foundation is weak. It advises security officers to ensure that their public pronouncements cover all angles. This is seemingly very transparent and rational, so that their actions cannot be viably challenged. To achieve this, they usually obfuscate the problem with extraneous information. Unfortunately for them, this time the tactics are deluding no one. As my daughter has a habit of telling me, when I try to overwhelm her with statistics and facts to rationalise crap, “TMI, Daddy”, meaning too much information (or details). All of seven reasons were given by the police for their denial of the permit. When these reasons are taken all together, it does lead any well-thinking person to conclude that Jamaica does not have the capacity, or prevailing conditions to stage any public functions at this time. When they are peeled away, one at a time, scrutinised and examined in detail, it reveals however a hidden motive.

The first point made by the police is that “the Stony Hill area has been seeing an upsurge in shootings and murders in recent times”. Well, which planet did they just arrive from? Whilst sadly, it is generally true that Stony Hill has been experiencing increased criminality, to use relative terms such as ‘upsurge’ and ‘recent’ is cynically preying upon the real fears of its residents. As someone who lives there, I can confirm the facts, but this has been a trend for five years or more. Secondly, to say that “the conflict with Mavado and Vybz Kartel — Gully/Gaza situation is of great concern as persons loyal to one or the other might create problems” is an attempt to exaggerate for manipulative purposes, what is a national predisposition to violent actions in dealing with our conflicts.

How is it that when the man slashed the throat of the police officer at the entrance of Jamaica House recently, the Commissioner never saw it as a reflection of the quality of the security system at Jamaica House or I suppose its occupants? Should the leaders of the two main political parties be blamed for the many atrocities that are meted out daily in their names, all across Jamaica? The most violent street demonstrations of recent times was the gas riots of April 22, 1999. Those demonstrators never hid from the police. We saw them on TV, and the protest was led and manned, in most part, by some of our current business, civic and political leaders. Nevertheless, it all went awry, but the youths learnt their lessons well.

It is funny though, that Supt Castelle thought that the behaviour of the demonstrators on Thursday typified that of the patrons who would be attending the Real McKoy, even though Mavado and his management team denounced the actions of the demonstrators, and rightly so, all of us know that they have little or no control over what people choose to do when they are upset. The police should be assisting with conflict resolution, not aggravating it through their actions.

In his song, What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye said, we don’t need to escalate, you see, war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate, you know we’ve got to find a way to bring some lovin’ here today.

The third rationale shocked me even worse: “the likelihood of persons from Cassava Piece and Grants Pen, following this artiste to the area”. To paint two whole communities like this with a broad brush is nothing short of prejudice and discrimination of the sort I thought we had left behind when we gained independence from our colonial masters. To quote Marvin again, Father, father, everybody thinks we’re wrong, oh but who are they to judge us, simply because our hair is long (or we come from), oh we’ve got to find a way to bring some understanding here today.

Next in their refusal, the police speak to “the strong possibility of gunfire at this function”. I suspect we will also hear how many guns and knives were found in their raid of the event in 2007. Do we all remember the shooting incident that took place backstage at the JLP conference last year? Did we not have the capacity, professional training and expertise to design and implement a plan this year, to eliminate the potential of that recurring? This is a national dilemma for which we have to develop more practical and intelligent measures to counteract.

The fifth and sixth issues raised, regarding increased traffic congestion and loud noise nuisance, are common to every single event and public gathering, including church, which are hosted in this country because of our nation’s poor practices in urban planning and the general paucity of designated and appropriate entertainment zones.

Furthermore, Temple Hall is unique in this sense, as it provides adequate parking for its patronage, and is located away from any housing development or scheme.

Lastly, for the refusal statement to admit the inability of the police to effectively monitor the function is a reflection on the police force itself and should not be an acceptable reason for not allowing this event to be staged.

I wish to recommend in closing, that the ‘big stick’ approach we inherited will not work with today’s youth. We have to appeal to their better instincts and self-interest, which can only be done through discussions and negotiations. Beyond that, the real issue we face is the need to update our laws and regulations, so that they are in keeping with timelines as it permits to adequate planning and promotional requirements for events. This is how we will achieve mutual respect and social justice, lest they become merely words that we band about.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com