Peter Espeut | Ineffective ZOSOs and anti-crime plans

The two churches I shepherd are in communities which have been in different zones of special operations (ZOSOs) in the inner city for well over a year. One of my Greenwich Town members was traumatised earlier this year when her brother was shot and killed in the ZOSO. Last Thursday, the father of one of my altar servers was shot and killed outside his home on North Street in a ‘drive-by’.

My congregation who live in neighbourhoods like Denham Town, Hannah Town, Rose Town, Tivoli Gardens, Rema and Jungle are decent and loveable Jamaicans; my young people go to Denham Town High and Tivoli High, but many also go to schools like St George’s College, Immaculate Conception High School, Alpha Academy and Ardenne High. They have dreams of careers and personal advancement, and they are working hard to get there. No one deserves to have to live in the violent politically charged environment of our inner city.

I am told that the killings are the result of increased gang activity. Reprisal killings are terrorist acts that operate on the principle that “if you can’t ketch Quaco, you ketch ‘im shut”. Innocent people are killed simply because they are relatives or neighbours of rival gang members.

All these gangs are politically aligned. I am not saying that all gang members take directions from politicians, but there are known associations. With their mouths the members of the ‘Gangs of Gordon House’ repudiate any connections with criminal networks, and deny receiving any benefit therefrom, but is that the reality on the ground? Could Dudus and Zekes and Claudie Massop and Bucky Marshall and Willie Haggart and their ilk have operated for so many years without some political backative?

The police have announced this week that murders in the country have increased this year over last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the many ZOSOs. I am not surprised! It is not unusual for automatic gunfire to ring out in my hearing while I am at my churches. I pass through ZOSO checkpoints at all hours of the day, and the young soldiers and police rarely glance up from their seats under tents – except last Wednesday afternoon when they politely refused me entry: “The area is under lockdown,” I was told.

NOT MAKING SLIGHTEST DIFFERENCE

The declaration of these zones of special operations are the centrepiece of the crime-fighting strategies of the Government, but I must confess I do not see that they make the slightest difference; the shootings and murders continue ‘same way’.

The mantra of the ZOSOs is ‘Clear, Hold, and Build’. Clearly, the security forces have not cleared the areas of gunmen and weapons, and the checkpoints are porous and ineffective at holding anything or anybody; only a few entry points are manned, and the multiple side streets are blocked off for vehicles but not for pedestrians or (motor)cyclists. I would say that there is free movement in and out of the ZOSOs I know. What is the point?

As for the ‘build’: I see no difference in the infrastructure in the areas – or in the services available to residents – in the last three years. We at the church have not been approached to be part of any community development or peace initiative. I led a delegation of leaders from our church to meet with the senior police officers in charge of the ZOSO to offer our support in the ‘build’ effort, but we were told that the police were not involved in that aspect of the ZOSO. So much for that!

The Government is prepared to level Allman Town, Campbell Town and Kingston Gardens to build housing to facilitate their ‘Government Oval’ on the only ‘green space’ left in city Kingston; but they are not prepared to dismantle their politically constructed garrisons. Our political parties identify turf war between armed political gangs as the main source of lethal violence without severing their links or bringing in the guns.

How long will this charade continue?

The majority of Jamaicans have withdrawn support from the ‘Gangs of Gordon House’, but these politicians continue in their tribalism with secure funding from the private sector. Who is going to be the game changer?

Peter Espeut is a development scientist and Roman Catholic deacon. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com