We watch the deteriorating situation in Jamaica with a great deal of anxiety. My wife and I have a special place in our hearts for Jamaica, as it is a place that has touched us deeply. It is a beautiful island, and the people are incredibly warm and open.
But they are also very poor, and away from the tourist areas, they are under threat from the scourges of poverty: drugs, guns, vice, and governmant woes. Recently, Kingston, the capitol, has been rocked by such a wave of violence that it seems as if the country is in a civil war.
At the center of the storm is Mr. Christopher "Dudus" Coke, the so-called "President" of the Tivoli Gardens Garrison, the leader of the Shower Posse drug cartel, and the target of an extradition order to the U.S.A. I've pictured him above in blood on a Jamaican-style cross, which seems to me fitting.
The Kingston Garrisons were created in the 1970's as a means to control the mobs of poor people. The garrisons were given to gang leaders by the government parties, where the gang bosses promised social control in return for stocking each garrison with partisan voters, often by will of force or terror. Today, these garrisons have come to represent radical fanatical political factions. One writer for the Jamaica Gleaner suggests that the garrsions would continue to vote for their respective parties even if they were relocated to Jupiter.
The leader of a garrison, such as Christopher Coke, is seen by many locals as a more legitimate authority than the government. The leader sees that the people are fed, that the children go to school, and settles diputes. This is important, as government officials have traditionally kept themselves at stand-off distance from the slums of Kingston. In a strange inversion of the Christian ethic, Dudus' followers are willing to die to absolve the sins of their savior. Says one supporter, "Jesus died for us, and we will die for Dudus". Nobody in Kingston seems to consider this an idle remark.
That Dudus is a fantastically wealthy and powerful man is no surprise considering his upbringing in the Coke family, long associated with the drug trade as well as local business and cultural affairs. What is suprising (to North Americans), is that the garrisons operate under the unoffical protection of the government. Some Jamaicans might argue, though, that the government operates on behalf of the garrisons. Either way, there is a remarkable degree of give-and-take between the organized garrisons and the elected officials.
The U.S. considers the extradition of Christopher Coke a priority matter on account of Jamaica being the greatest exporter of marijuana to the States. Conversely, though, the Americans supply 70% of all firearms to Jamaica. Now that the Americans have convinced Jamaica to extradite Mr. Coke, the Jamaicans have responded by invading the Tivoli Gardens garrison using the force of their national army. Considering how well-armed and fanatical the Tivoli Gardens garrison is towards Dudus, an army may not have been enough.
Several dozen people have died as a result of this action. I won't disagree that it will take extraordinary measures to resolve the terrible issues of powerty in the Kingston garrisons, but I don't consider removing Christopher Coke as the cornerstone of a strong plan. Dudus will eventually be replaced, perhaps by somebody who is not so much of a political liability to the ruling party.
I think what bothers me is that apart from differences in first-world versus third-word cultures, there is not a lot of difference between Jamaica and British Columbia. BC supplies a tremendous amount of marijuana to the States, and in return, they send us an unstoppable supply of hard drugs and guns. In BC, the government has not completely abandoned the poor, but niether have they managed to conquer the drug trade. At least in Canada, the police are not used as an organized gang that keeps the rich people away from the poor, as can happen in poorer regions. At least, this hasn't happened on a large scale in Canada, yet.
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