Adrian Frater, News EditorWESTERN BUREAU:
IT HAS been less than two months since Norma Black (not her real name), a resident of one of Montego Bay's volatile inner-city communities, buried her 21-year-old son, who was cut down in a hail of bullets by gangsters reportedly at war with his older brother.
The brother, who is alleged to have been the real target of the attack, is now in police custody facing multiple murder charges. To compound Ms. Black's problem, she is now fearful that she could become a target for reprisal from the enemies of her sons.
"Situations like those are some of the harsh realities of life in the inner city, where it is much easier to get a gun than a job," said Dr. Horace Chang, the Member of Parliament for North West St. James, which has 17 of the city's 19 inner-city areas.
FAMILIES HAVE SUFFERED
"A lot of families have suffered at the hands of daring young
criminals, who see crime as a part of their daily existence."
Despite the difficulty of penetrating these areas because of the absence of proper roads and street lights, head of the Area One Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police Keith Gardner, said the police were nonetheless winning the war against criminals.
"We had 18 gangs, but we now only have four," contended ACP Gardner. "We have identified some of the main players and while some are still on the run, we have apprehended a few and have taken a number of illegal weapons off the street."
FOUR GANGS
The four gangs, which he said has been strengthened by members from some of the gangs that have been dismantled, have been identified as the Stone Crusher (Norwood), One Order (Flankers), Killer Bees (Granville) and Tight Pants (North Gully).
"Our intelligence reveals that these gangs are responsible for most of the killings in the parish," said ACP Gardner, who noted that the fighting is usually over turf and guns. "We believe that these gangs are being financed by monies acquired from the drug trade."
For residents in communities such as Norwood, North Gully and sections of Granville, this year has been quite a miserable one for them. Earlier this month, residents of Norwood were fleeing the community in droves as gangsters traded shots in the community with impunity.
BRUTAL ATTACK
Last week, residents of North Gully came under a brutal attack from marauding gunmen, who shot and killed two persons and injured five others. Since then, the area has been quite tense, despite the round-the-clock presence of the police.
"Most of the people suffering as a result of the violence are decent and law-abiding," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields, during a visit to Montego Bay.
"That is why we are urging these people to cooperate with the police and tell us what they know so that we can apprehend those behind the violence."
However, the police's call for cooperation is unlikely to have an impact on some of those families who have lost lovde ones in the violence and want revenge.
"I want my brother's friend to kill the men who murdered him," said a inner city resident, whose brother was killed in a gang feud six months ago.
"I don't want him to go to prison to eat taxpayers money, I want him get a bullet in him head ... I want him dead."
