“I am unable to comment on that right now; as you know we’re now in VP season and I am preparing for that,” Member of Parliament for East Kingston Phillip Paulwell told me when I phoned him last month with regards to the flare-up in violence in the Rockfort community. Paulwell, who is part of the opposition People’s National Party, was too busy preparing for a vice presidential seat to speak about a serious matter affecting residents in a constituency he has held since 1997. But thank heavens for public relations, the minister publicly “condemned” the surge in violence weeks ago, but this is just deja vu for East Kingston residents like myself. Residents in sections of St Andrew Central, St Andrew Southern and Western Kingston have publicly voiced their satisfaction with the recent implementation of the State of Public Emergency (SOE), while others have blasted the government for taking too long to act. I wish I could share the sentiment of the latter, except East Kingston is yet to have the SOE and I fear this will ever happen due to political interference.

Several residents were forced to abandon their homes last month after gunmen from Oliver Road in Rockfort resumed a longstanding feud with gunmen from Jarrett Lane in Mountain View. This “battle of the spent shells” reigned despite police presence, and even continued on September 3, when most students were scheduled to begin their first day at school. While I laud the government for declaring another SOE in areas of Kingston, I am dumbfounded as to why East Kingston is not included, especially based on its criminal history.

Rockfort is a crime-plagued community of the East Kingston Police Division. The warfare which reignited weeks ago echoes a similar tale last summer, and the year prior. In August 2017, police discovered 300 spent shells at a crime scene where 20-year-old Andgel Henry was murdered on Oliver Road. This was just one of several murders committed in three months by gangs in the area.

The Gleaner reported that “lottery scamming and an influx of illegal guns” were the ingredients to the rotten beef stemming between two gangs in Rockfort. Subsequently, frustrated residents called a press conference and voiced their fears and irritation to Jamaican media. One resident said police held little presence in the area and demonised “the MP” for only being active when “it’s voting time”. Tears flowed down the cheeks of a female resident who expressed fears that her daughters could be raped by “dons” in the area who are preying on young girls. The feud also affected the smooth flow of back to school and even small business operators, who were forced to prematurely end work days due to unceasing gunfire. When Nationwide News visited the community in July 2017, residents went on record asking Prime Minister Andrew Holness to implement a “Special Zones of Operations” in the area. TVJ News was not to be left out and interviewed “Killer”, a former gangster of Rockfort, who pointed to corruption as the cause of violence in the area. He said internal gangs are at war to secure the primary contract for work on a mini stadium to be constructed in the area.  He further added that a main reason for the surge in crime was as a result of politicians paying gunmen to carry out several duties.

While I appreciate residents coming out of the woodwork to call for an end to crime and violence in Rockfort, I also find it strange that residents are fed up of violence yet continue to re-elect Paulwell each term.

East Kingston is a PNP stronghold and I have often heard stories about politically motivated crimes committed ever since I was a child. I cast my first vote as a citizen of Jamaica in the 2016 general elections. I recall the night before the elections, I stepped out of my house to a hand-written note advising me to vote for Paulwell which I found rather creepy. The culture has become one of such where residents cannot seem to separate logic from being a “die-hearted” PNP supporter. Getting a $5000 bill to secure Paulwell’s seat seems to override longterm problems like never-ending crime.

Other issues have contributed to the crime in the area, such as the women who are spouses to criminals, accused of washing bloody clothes, nursing wounds and even passing ammunition to gunmen. These women have been labelled as “spotters” who look out for police or rival gang members.

East Kingston is not just limited to Rockfort; other areas like Dunkirk have had issues with crime over the years, further cementing my stance that East Kingston is in need of its own SOE.

It is my hope that one day Paulwell will do more than verbally condemn the recurring crime in Rockfort, and actually legally and morally act on mitigating the problem. If not, I hope residents will see the power they hold and the part they play in the problem, and take a stance to expose criminals at any cost.

News peg: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20180923/sections-corporate-area-now-under-state-emergency