By Robert Lalah, Staff ReporterTHERE ARE mixed reactions to the Kingston Mayor Desmond McKenzie's announcement that he will be launching an assault against extortionists in an effort to revitalise the commercial district of downtown Kingston.
The Mayor made the announcement on Sunday, stating that the initiative, which will come on stream before the start of the Christmas season, is in response to repeated complaints from business operators about the problem of extortion.
RESERVED
When The Gleaner visited downtown Kingston yesterday, business operators, though quick to express their gratitude to the mayor for his plans, remained reserved in their expectations of the new initiative.
The manager of a furniture and appliance store said he was hopeful that the mayor's new plan will reap success, but said the crime problem, coupled with the extortionists, have led him to believe things may never get better. He added that his store has been burglarised twice since the start of the year.
Pointing to his store full of stock, yet completely devoid of shoppers, he said, "Nobody is coming to the town. Right now the store should be full with customers. That is what we are accustomed to. The people are afraid ... They are afraid of the criminals and the extortionists. If the problem is not solved quickly, the business community will not be able to cope."
FRUSTRATING
The manager of a jewellery store, who declined to give her name, said she welcomed the mayor's announcement, but had doubts as to whether it would stem the problem. She said: "The mayor is a very hardworking person, but this problem is so frustrating that I will have to see the success before I believe it."
Henrietta Patterson, a nurse who was out shopping yesterday, said she hopes that a crackdown on extortion and crime in general in the area will take place soon. "When I was younger I used to enjoy coming to downtown. Now I only come here when I have no choice. I hope the Mayor's strategy will work," she said.
Mayor McKenzie's plans to tackle extortion come on the heels of the announcement by Dr. Peter Phillips, national security minister, of a new crime fighting initiative dubbed 'Operation Kingfish', which will specifically target the leaders of an estimated 85 active criminal gangs across the island, many of which are suspected of being involved in extortion rackets.
