Jamaica's To-Be-Murdered List

Every Jamaican, who lives is Jamaica, is on a to-be-murdered list. If you are a Jamaican living in Jamaica who disbelieves this then you are in denial. Your day to be murdered has not come yet. But but based on the current trend of random murders, your day will come. Until then, consider yourself lucky.

It doesn't have to be this way. Together, we have the power to change this. Jamaicans, rich and poor, must take a very serious stand against violence in Jamaica and demand that the government of Jamaica do more to make Jamaica a safe place. There are many things that can be done to sustainably reduce murders in Jamaica. The solutions will come from the use of the imagination and with the commitment of resources to address the problem. The excuse of lack of resources is unacceptable. The very first priority of the Jamaican government should be to protect the lives of its citizens.

Here is a list of four, out of many, things that can be done to arrest murders in Jamaica:

1. Triple the police force. There should be sustained police presence on the streets of Jamaica 24 hrs every day.

2. An elaborate PR campaign that uses the media via public service announcements etc to call on the Jamaican people to reject violence and aggression

3. Strengthen the justice system. Where there is no justice there will be mob and vigilante rule. This includes seriously improve the way in which witnesses to crimes are sought and protected.

4. New legislation is needed to seriously punish illegal gun slingers in Jamaica. The mere idea of carrying an illegal gun in Jamaica should leave people fearful, since the penalty for doing so is severe.

Wake up Jamaica. We cannot continue along this path.

LIFE IS SACRED.

The Witness Dilemma

There is an urgent need to significantly improve the way witnesses to murders are sought and protected in Jamaica. Until this area of the justice system is properly addressed murderers will continue to walk free and will just move on to there next murder. Wake up Jamaica. We must hold our government accountable and demand that they do more to protect us from becoming victims of murder:

Murder suspects freed after witness no-show
published: Thursday | November 2, 2006

Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

The three men who were accused of murdering three persons in Bayshore Park, eastern Kingston, in an alleged reprisal for the killing of two men, were freed on Monday because of the unavailability of the main Crown witness.

They are 29-year-old Dwyane Shaw, 42-year-old Trevor Hunter and 38-year-old Aaron Christie, of Bayshore Park.

The case was set for trial in the Home Circuit Court but Donald Bryan, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, told Mr. Justice Lloyd Hibbert that the Director of Public Prosecutions took the decision not to proceed with the trial. Mr. Bryan said Monday was the third trial date and there was uncertainty as to when the main witness for the prosecution would be available.

The judge told the accused that if at any time the witness became available then the case might proceed against them.

Defence lawyers Norma Linton, Q.C., Dianne Jobson, Christopher Townsend and Robert Armstrong, who represented the men, said two of them had been in custody for more than a year.

Allegations

The allegations were that 47-year-old Ivenora Campbell and her son, 27-year-old Miguel Panton, and their friend 43-year-old Everton Brown were shot dead at Campbell's home early on the morning of April 17, 2004.

The triple murder was reported at the time to be a reprisal for the murder of Rodney Leroy Far-quharson and Dayton 'Scotchbrite' Williams, both of Bayshore Park.

The men's burnt bodies with gunshot wounds were found in an open lot on Rose Lane, near Matthews Lane, downtown Kingston, on April 15 last year.

Well-known Matthews Lane resident, 50-year-old Donald 'Zekes' Phipps, and 31-year-old farmer, Garfield Williams, of Bayshore Park, were charged with the murder of Farquharson and Williams.

Williams, who is the son of the deceased Campbell, was freed on a no-case submission while Phipps was convicted in May of the double murder. Phipps was sentenced in June to life imprisonment and ordered to serve 30 years before he becoming eligible for parole. He is appealing against his convictions and sentences.

LIFE IS SACRED.

Death by Dancehall

Reject violent dancehall lyrics and live

Violent Advertisements

When was the last time you took the time to listen to the lyrics of some of today’s dancehall music? Well, when next you listen, you are guaranteed to hear most of the artistes spitting rhymes that blatantly call on us to maim, mob, and murder others, with the assumption being other Jamaicans. Or you will hear artistes bragging about crimes that they committed. Or you will hear them sending threats to anyone who dares to diss them, or any of their family members and friends. Our dancehall artistes are well armed, and they make it very clear to us that we too should bear illegal arms. Our dancehall artistes are murderers, and they encourage and implore us to be murderers too. Our dancehall artistes are lawless, and irresponsible, and they deliberately disregard the role they are playing in fueling aggression and violence in Jamaica. These are the only conclusions that must be drawn after listening to the things they say. Unless they expect us to believe that they do not mean what they are saying. Or better yet, do they want us to believe that they should not be taken literally, since their tunes are supposedly artistic expression? Of course, they will say that their art captures their reality. You know, the whole art imitating life thing. But could it be that they are creating, and continue to create, their own reality with this kind of so-called art, and in the process helping to keep us all trapped in this nightmare of aggression and violence?

Profiteers, Not Patriots

Last year, over 1,600 Jamaican men, women, and children were murdered. How many more Jamaicans must be killed for us to rise up individually and collectively to address our crisis? And yet, Jamaica has been very sparing of dancehall artistes. Besides the murder of dancer and quasi-dancehall artiste ‘Bogle’, in January 2006, there has been no killing of a dancehall artiste in recent memory. Dancehall music started out as entertainment for the poor, who used it back then to help take their minds off their plights and struggles. It has since transformed into a persecutor of the poor, and everybody else, since it calls on us to maim, mob, and murder each other. Indeed, it has lost its way and has been fueling our serious and urgent problem of aggression and murder in Jamaica. Dancehall artistes are prepared to say just about anything in the name of artistic expression and they use the most cleverly created musical beats (rhythms) to deliver their usually catchy messages. It is a gross abuse and misuse of free speech and of their talents. These perpetrators are profiteers, not patriots, which make them no different than the politicians and the ‘system’ that the music once fought against. So what was to be a part of the solution is today a major problem.

We Are All Guilty

How does a dancehall artiste expect fans to respond to a song that is constantly calling for gun brandishing and gun touting, and for the killing of anyone and everyone who dares to disrespect in any way, shape, or form? Or do they not stop to think about the possible repercussions of their violent lyrics? Where are their pride, and their love and respect for people, country, and self? Is it that they hate Jamaica and their fellow Jamaicans? Or is it that they lack creativity and have no other lyrical ideas? From the most recent newcomers to the veterans in the business, most are guilty. And the guilty ones know themselves. But we too are guilty. We attend their shows and cheer them on as they call on us to be killers. Our radio stations scratch out some of the more shocking parts of their lyrics and spread their call for us to be assassins across the public airwaves. The sounds systems take delight in playing these ‘deadly’ tunes to dancehall’s loyal disciples, who wait with cocked guns and firecrackers to salute the tunes that are the deadliest. So, indeed, we are all guilty, and have abdicated our responsibility, to each other, to our country, and to ourselves.

Reject Violent Dancehall Music

Be not confused. This is not a call for censorship. That may worsen the problem. This is a call for all of us to take a look in the mirror and re-find our lost love for our people, our country, and ourselves. The dancehall was very nice before violence hijacked it and it can be very nice again without violent lyrics. For many years Jamaica has been losing the very difficult fight against aggression and violence. We have become a nation of trigger happy gun slingers, who are willing to kill no matter what the conflict is about, and in some cases, shots will be fired even when there is no conflict. Poverty, economic hardships, and drugs and gang activities are all major factors that are contributing to our high murder rate. However, let us not ignore or underestimate the power of music; and we know that dancehall music is well loved in Jamaica, especially in poor and underserved communities. Please, stop beseeching us to kill each other. Give us music that is about hope and encouragement, and lift our spirits with tunes that call for truth, equal rights, and justice. Each of us only has one life and we must do everything possible to safeguard it. We should also be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Until we are able to arrest and control the problem, we are all at risk, even dancehall artistes. We therefore must work together. But as we search and wait for solutions, it is not to our benefit to glorify or advertise violence in our homes, in our cars, over our airwaves, and in the dancehalls. The line must been drawn in the sand. The beats are beautiful and are very tempting, but we must listen very carefully to the lyrics. Reject violent dancehall music, as you reject violence in all other areas of society, and live.

LIFE IS SACRED.

Victims of Murder

When someone in our society gets murdered, the society as a whole is negatively impacted. Children become fatherless or motherless, marriages and/or relationships are permanently broken, relatives are sad and angry, and a general sense of loss affects the people who are immediately connected to the murdered victim. There is also the possibility of revenge, which may result in the taking of other innocent lives. So essentially, when one of us is murdered, we all become victims, whether we know it or not. It is therefore in the best interest of us all to ensure that this problem of killing is discontinued. It is our duty to our self and to our great country to make sure that each and every one of use die by natural causes or by acts of God. No one has the right to kill another person. This insane practice of killing must be urgently address. Our lives literally depend on it.

LIFE IS SACRED

Photograph of the beautiful countryside in Jamaica.

Why Not Murder?

Why not murder (in Jamaica)? This is a very important question. As a rule, it is almost natural for people to do things that they can get away with. This was one of the concerns that is behind the origins of law, since it was and still is believed that 'man is by nature evil and must be kept in check'. In Jamaica, there is a belief that the probability of literally getting away with murder is very favorable (for a would-be murderer). Murder cases are hardly ever solved. And to add insult to injury, a prison break is always possible. There is inadequate and insufficient policing. There is a slow and ineffective justice system. And our fellow citizens (would-be murder victims) are of the view that to assist the Police to solve murder cases (and other crimes) is a very bad thing to do. In addition to this, there is a 'mickey-mouse' witness protection program. If you are a witness to a crime and you are determine to testify in court then you are better off taking your protection in your hands, before, during, and after the case.

So we kill each other becase we think we can get away with it. And why not? Why not? Our elected representatives don't understand that we all have one life that goes away forever when we are killed. Urgent action is needed. Help us tell the Jamaican government that we want urgent action. Time wasted results in additional loss of lives.

LIFE IS SACRED.

Why Murder?

Once upon a time, when two indiviudals have a dispute in Jamaica, it was almost guaranteed that they would either exchange harsh words in the form of a quarrel or at worse have a clean fist fight. Those days are long gone. Now every dispute is almost guaranteed to result in the pulling of a gun with the intent to kill. How did our society transform from being so peaceful to being so fierce? Of course, there are those who argue that it all started with our tribal politics but what hapen to individual morals and our general regard for human life? How can a society deteriorate so fast and somehow manage to maintain that deterioration so well? Why has the Jamaican government not made quelling this problem a priority? These are some of the many questions that we have. What are your questions?

We want back Jamaica, in its purest form. We intend to take it back.

LIFE IS SACRED.