Bog Walk Slaughter
Headline from Friday's Daily Observer:
BOG WALK SLAUGHTER
If there are two things that seem to blight Kingston more than any other, they are gun crime and homophobia.
The first seems to revolve around either politics or drugs. And like in Norn Iron, the two are often related. The two major political parties here are the Peoples National Party and the Jamaican Labour Party. And these two seem to be at war with each other and their supporters are certainly gang like. During election time in particular, there are beatings and shootings and it's not advisable to wear green or orange - the colours of the two parties.
Anyway, on Friday, five men were shot dead at a gambling shack in Bog Walk, a suburb of the city. It's interesting how these incidents are reported in the paper. For instance, the patios is quoted without edit. "Ah peep through the door and see four men dead on the ground inna de gambling house. Ah tek time close back the door and ah tek time call 119" one man said.
"The district inna shock today, for all a de man dem wey dead a brethren, the whole community a family. We inna mourning ya now" said one senior citizen.
The other issue, as I mentioned, is homophobia. Even pentecostal church going Jamaicans have been telling me how brutal this is. It's not at all unusual for gay Kingstonians to be set upon, tortured or beaten. Sadly this seems to be encouraged by several dancehall/reggae stars, including not only Buju Banton, but Beenie Man, whose tour van I stumbled across at the cricket ground a couple of days ago.
And guess what? I'm also told by islanders from other Caribbean countries that Jamaica is the gayest country in the region. That there is a huge underground gay dancehall scene!
The law doesn't help of course. Sex between men, according to the criminal law of Jamaica, is illegal and punishable with up to ten years jail.
BOG WALK SLAUGHTER
If there are two things that seem to blight Kingston more than any other, they are gun crime and homophobia.
The first seems to revolve around either politics or drugs. And like in Norn Iron, the two are often related. The two major political parties here are the Peoples National Party and the Jamaican Labour Party. And these two seem to be at war with each other and their supporters are certainly gang like. During election time in particular, there are beatings and shootings and it's not advisable to wear green or orange - the colours of the two parties.
Anyway, on Friday, five men were shot dead at a gambling shack in Bog Walk, a suburb of the city. It's interesting how these incidents are reported in the paper. For instance, the patios is quoted without edit. "Ah peep through the door and see four men dead on the ground inna de gambling house. Ah tek time close back the door and ah tek time call 119" one man said.
"The district inna shock today, for all a de man dem wey dead a brethren, the whole community a family. We inna mourning ya now" said one senior citizen.
The other issue, as I mentioned, is homophobia. Even pentecostal church going Jamaicans have been telling me how brutal this is. It's not at all unusual for gay Kingstonians to be set upon, tortured or beaten. Sadly this seems to be encouraged by several dancehall/reggae stars, including not only Buju Banton, but Beenie Man, whose tour van I stumbled across at the cricket ground a couple of days ago.
And guess what? I'm also told by islanders from other Caribbean countries that Jamaica is the gayest country in the region. That there is a huge underground gay dancehall scene!
The law doesn't help of course. Sex between men, according to the criminal law of Jamaica, is illegal and punishable with up to ten years jail.