EXTORTION AND CORONATION MARKET

This empty lot located in front of one of the entrances to Coronation Market is a popular parking area for motorists who visit the market.

CORONATION Market in downtown Kingston is one of the most popular markets in the urban area and is often visited by people who live outside of the area. But for those motorists who conduct their business, either in the market or nearby, they sometimes have to pay ‘hustlers’ to secure their vehicles.

“They park you enu, they don’t really bother you, them will say ‘stop, come now, and back up in ya suh’ and dem watch yu back up and den wen yu leaving, yu give them a ting,” said a 61-year-old Coronation Market customer who asked not to be named.

He said that one gets accustomed to paying them after a while, so a big deal is not made about it. However, in his case when he tells them he has no money at times, they don’t threaten his security or that of his vehicle.

The man who usually parks in the lot directly outside of Coronation Market said he remembers being robbed around eight years ago on Pechon Street in downtown Kingston.

“Right where the fence is now, dem bruk into mi vehicle and tek out some a mi tings dem, but nuttin nuh come out of it,” the former vendor said.

The man who used to sell clothes from the back of his van then, said he didn’t report the incident to the police.

“See when you report it, the amount of rigmarole you haffi go tru, some time you leave it alone. But the youth weh did round deh say him a try find some a di tings, but mi jus did tell him say is alright cuz him did out fi give me a money and ting still enu cuz dem did know mi,” he recalled.

However, Inspector of police at the Darling Street Police Station, Horatio Rowe said it is the lack of reports why the police station is unaware that persons are unlawfully charged for parking.

“The difficulties police have with these activities are that persons are not reporting them to the police. If it is that we get these reports we can basically guarantee that there will be action, but we are just not getting these reports,” Rowe told the Jamaica Observer.

The inspector outlined how the system operated, highlighting that a person cannot just give a statement and the police hold on to the accused and that’s it.

“Statements are collected, persons are identified, and persons are placed before the court. When they are placed before the court that is another whole process whereby persons go through the system, give evidence to what transpired, and that is the reality of the situation,” Rowe stated.

He said that so far no one has been prosecuted for extorting people for parking, but that there is legislation that would allow for fines and imprisonment if a person was found to be guilty.

Rowe added that there are several established parking areas that customers shopping in the vicinity can use, such as the one located on Pechon Street. In addition, people can also park anywhere that does not have a ‘no parking’ sign or is not designated as a no parking area.

In the case of Ossie Murphy, he chooses to park his van outside a bakery in the area when he comes to the market, but he too has to pay as he has two young men who ‘watch’ his vehicle while he’s away.

“Well some time mi give them a two bills or suh, and mi well protected, they don’t force me to pay, because dem know mi from long time, so mi nuh get nuh problem,” Murphy said.

But Murphy said he decided to deal with just two of the many men who are around, as he expressed that he never knows how difficult the others will be to deal with and doesn’t want to take that chance.

The shopper said he has been visiting Coronation Market from 1998, and even back then, one had to be paying people to watch the vehicle.

“I don’t see nuh problem paying them, cuz them tief weh mi friend car bout three years ago. Him come (to the market) and him park him car and lock it up, but when him go back out deh it nuh deh dere … just the spot, he look on di spot till him eye get dark cuz he couldn’t believe it,” Murphy recounted.

He said that in his friend’s case he didn’t leave the vehicle under the care of anyone and so he lost big time.

“So mi learn from that and mek sure somebody a look on it, cuz right now my door out deh so nuh close, and me feel confident. No man, yu mad, nobody can’t go in my vehicle when dem out dere,” he exclaimed.

For yet another Coronation Market customer who identified himself only as Val, he tries to outwit the hustlers by parking in the ‘no parking zones’ near a section of the market.

“Once you park elsewhere, yu see dem come trying to back yu in and park you, and saying your vehicle is secure. But as for me, I will run the risk wid di wrecker, because at least me know the wrecker man so dem nah go charge me so me park over deh so,” Val shared.

He said he believes the authorities are to be blamed for allowing this to happen as, to him “the country runs as a free-for-all”.

“If yu go back on King Street, the two sides of that street, yu see a lot of guys from Southside, and these guys will come over and try park you, but it’s not just parking anymore,” Val told the Sunday Observer.

He said the men will be parking a car and soon after go on their phone and then someone will come and rob the vehicle while they wipe the windshield of a car and behave as if nothing has happened.

He stated that the relevant authorities know what is happening but choose to turn a blind eye and sugested that this needs to change.

“We need to put up back the parking meters, you pay for a period of time and wen yu pay for like two hours and yu go over it, they clamp your vehicle or yu pay for another two hours, you don’t need these people out there,” Val stressed.

The consumer highlighted that even the stalls on the road help the criminals, as they hide behind them and watch as people come out of the banks and ATMs and target them.

“They need to regularise it, cuz nuttin wrong to pay the money, it’s just to pay it to the relevant authorities because they talking about guns fi drug trade now. They trying to cut out that, but what happen to the man weh a collect hundreds and thousands of dollars daily to park vehicle, where dat money go?” he asked.

However, according to Rowe, the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s overall desire is for members of the public who are having difficulties based on harassment when going about their lawful business, whether it be parking or otherwise, to come forward.

“So far we have not received any such information. We are not discrediting this information, but on the other hand we would love for persons to come in, because when you make reports, this is how the police develop strategies to deal with these incidents or cases,” he said.

“I don’t know, but for the most part persons just not speaking up, and sometimes it’s probably a misnomer, because they say the force is corrupt and I’m not saying that persons aren’t corrupt, but for the most part you have good men and women out there who are reliable persons,” Rowe added.

He ended by pointing out the other methods of passing on information, such as calling 311, police control or Kingfish as the police wants to act on the information because that is what they are here for.

Before leaving downtown Kingston, the Sunday Observer team spotted one of the ‘parking assistants’ directing drivers in a lot just outside Coronation Market.

When approached, the elderly man who was accompanied by a younger man, responded to questions about how much it would cost to park in the lot by saying: “Yu can buy a drinks or so, yu know wah go fi di vehicle and come, when yu come back we work something out”, before hastily turning away to attend to prospective customers.