A blocked street in the Rockfort community which has seen a flare-up in crime and violence in recent months. (Photos: Michael Gordon)
Anger, frustration and fear have come to a boil in Rockfort where marauding gunmen have been trading bullets and terrorising residents for the past few months.
During an emotional news conference on Friday called by the Rockfort Development Council (RDC) in the troubled community, residents blasted the police, their member of parliament Phillip Paulwell, and local government representatives, accusing them of not doing enough to end the bloodshed and rampant theft.
“As most of you are aware, we’ve been enduring several months of instability. As a matter of fact, that is a mild description as the community of Rockfort and adjoining communities are facing terrorism and we are of the view that the State is not taking its responsibility seriously,” RDC representative Desmond Harris told residents and journalists gathered at the council’s office.
He said that one of the primary duties of a democratic government is to provide security for its people. However, the community believes that the State has not been adequately doing its duty therefore they want Jamaica to know what is happening and how they feel about the situation.
Two sets of conflicts are said to be playing out in the community. One is between gangsters on Barnes Road and thugs from the ‘Corner One’ area, while the other involves men from Oliver Road and Wareika Hills who are fighting men from Jarrett Lane.
The fighting is not only affecting residents, but has resulted in a decrease in business in the community.
The residents, who were initially reluctant to speak, eventually opened up, saying that one of the main problems was that the police presence in the community was inadequate.
They argued that the removal of a police post a few years ago has greatly contributed to the problem, which has worsened.
According to the residents, the police usually appear after the gunfights have taken place and patrol only a certain area within the community, not taking the time to go into the different lanes to see what is happening.
“Wi call 119 till wi tired and nubody naa come, so weh we fi do, go outside di door, go look fi who out there a do it? If them not protecting us, then who a go protect we? Everybody a run lef dem yard and dem (gangsters) move out di furniture out a di house and carry it gone a fi dem yard,” one elderly resident stated to shouts of support from the crowd.
She added that Paulwell and the councillors, who, she said, have been noticeably absent amidst the growing problem, need to intervene.
This view was supported by the other residents, including Annmarie Wilson, who said that the much-needed intervention cannot be left to the police alone.
“We have to look at the MP,” she said. “We are not seeing them, not seeing the councillor, we don’t just want the security forces alone to carry out this, it takes a combined hand. Where they get these guns from? It’s very bad. We exercised our due right to vote, so we want to hear from our representatives.”
Someone, she insisted, needed to come “today and not tomorrow as by tomorrow there will be another dead man on the streets”.
Another elderly resident, William Carr, pointed out that he narrowly missed being added to the community’s murder statistics.
According to Carr, on Independence Day, a few weeks ago, he witnessed some men looting a nearby house around 5:00 am.
He said that against his better judgement he stayed near his door to see what was happening, despite the fact that gunshots were being fired.
The men, according to Carr, moved to another house closer to his and eventually he realised that they were coming towards his house so he ran into his bathroom to hide.
“Mi only hear di whole a di glass (window) dem lick out,” he said. “Dem kick di door and then… when mi siddung deh, mi a tremble, all mi can see is a little ting open the door and only feel something point up inna mi nose.”
He said the gunmen told him that his friends had run away and left him. They pointed a gun to his face and questioned him about their whereabouts.
One of the men, Carr related, started saying to the others that he wanted to be the one to ‘dun’ Carr, but was quickly told, “no man, a elder him be”.
While the other men raided his house, the thug again asked for permission to take Carr’s life. However, his request was denied.
He said he doesn’t know if it was divine intervention that saved him, but the thieves left soon after, taking with them most of his possessions.
“Di only ting dem couldn’t get fi carry a di RCA TV. Dem gone wid di fan… I don’t know weh dem nuh gone wid in deh; down to the [gas] cylinder dem lift up outta di kitchen and carry, and I say ‘Jesus peace, I can’t believe unnu a human being’,” he stated.
“Gentle folks, mi a beg you please, wi can’t tek it nuh more, we can’t tek it nuh more. Inna my 59 years, I neva see something like this. Mi a beg unnu please do something to help wi, man. Yuh have some little boy weh dem want to turn di place upside down,” the resident continued, his voice shaking.
Parents also told the news conference that their children are prisoners in their own homes to ensure their safety, a problem that will grow worse when the new school year begins in three weeks.
Leonnie Marriott, who has two daughters, minced no words describing how the situation has drastically altered the behaviour of her children.
“Mi have a two-year-old an’ a eight-year-old and di way how this thing inna dem, mi deh inna di kitchen Monday and the pot cover drop and the big one say… ‘Mommy, yuh hear that?’”, Marriott recounted.
“Yuh si when mi go roun and a seh a di pot cover, she tek up her little sister and say ‘Mommy, no, a gunshot. Mek wi go under the bed’, cause she directly thinking it is a gunshot and mi just want it to stop,” said Marriott, who is a single parent.
She said that a teacher at her daughter’s preschool in the community told her that only three students are registered at the school as parents sent word that they were going to be sending their children elsewhere.
Stating that she was just fed up with the situation, the mother said she no longer cares about her own safety, only that of her children. As such, she said she has put in place her own measures to try to protect them, should the worst happen.
Marriott also said that word passing around the community is that the gunmen have said they intend to start raping women and girls.
“Dem say dem a start rape, dat a something weh circulate inna di community,” she fumed. “Go see somebody a rape all mi two baby dem; go see somebody a rape mi in front a my two youth dem, how mi fi live so? Mi nuh have nowhere to go,” she said in a tearful voice.
The residents made an appeal for the holding of a peace meeting between the warring factions, the police, parliamentarians, and residents of Rockfort and surrounding communities.
They maintained that intervention from all sides is needed quickly and vowed to continue speaking out until their cries are heard.
Nobody nuh fi have to live suh. Hear how that boy was desperate and eager to kill the man, just to feel the sick thrill of taking a life. People a lose dem life as entertainment for others. The children under such stress that normal household noises already have them in motion for survival. This is no way to live. The mother should try and reach out to an NGO or other org that is focused on the protection of women and children to see if they can be relocated somewhere. If police can’t help unno the only solution is to either go renegade, which seems unattainable here, or move. There is no shame in moving from from a hellhole to peace and tranquility.
Well it’s those very same Jamaican people defending and hiding the gunman dem and protesting when police kill them, and now when the guns turn on then they’re crying for police intervention…. Where’s Indecom and Jamaican’s for Justice, I would love to hear their views on all the lawlessness going on in society, they always have an opinion when the police match the criminal’s brutality with their own…. I only feel for the children and the innocent people who has nothing to do with the whole politics or protesting against the police brutality and hiding of these criminals, and are still mixed up in this foolishness. …
It only going to get worseeee. When those little girks 14-19 have kids, dem go school and if teacher beat their kids to discipline them, those mothers go school go fight off teachers, these set of gunmen were never disciplined by parents and teachers could not. So let me ask the obvious, if kids 15 16 now grew up seeing people living bad, people not working but wearing name brand and dig out them hand middle, uno really think this can change? While u have a few kids n people that live in these communities, most are warhead n if them have a situation they are not willing to talk about it, they rather kill them own neighbour just to prove who is the badder person. It sad but we have to call it how we see it, the problem is the parents who lack of proper upbringing n them leave them kids fi community bad men n women influence and raise dem kids. Some run away to usa n london leaving them kids to be raised by half blind grandparents n sickly grandparents and poor grandparents cant cope, so area man pon corner or area don grow dem, they grow up have kids, by the time dem reach 12 dem father get killed so the mother reach out to area don fi help because a tradition. This cycle keeps repeating itself. Nuff a dem get the chance to better education but choose fast money, scamming, hitman, tun dj. I tell u there is little hope for ghetto people because they wanna live rich n go all the uptown parties n behave like rich uptown people so if it mean dem a go tek money from bad men n wash the blood up clothes dem nuh care. Jamaica is in a serious crisis especially poor people. Our minds and thought process are our worst enemies.things happen all over the world but a nuh the world mi sleep a night time, is jamaica mi bed dey dat mi sleep in. Too much hot head, full a ego young people live a oliver road, das why when nuff a uno nuh want disipline uno kids from a young age then go beat off teacher, now uno same one a come pon tv bout uno cant tek no more, well guess wat, 15 or 20 years ago uno should a stand up in a di boy or the gal chest and clath out dem rass good n proper to mek sure him nuh tun nuh future gunman or she nuh breed at age 13 but no, uno a 21st century parents n uno americanise. Oh uno brag uno nuh beat uno kids and if no teacha boy or gal eva touch uno kids dem dead. Well sad to say a uno create uno environment, is uno the parents have the responsibility fi grow uno kids right. Now uno a bawl n living in fear for the monsters uno help create, the monsters uno could a did break from a tender age but no uno rather go bleach, walk a fren yard, breed up fi 10 different men. I feel sorry for the few innocent ones that have to live in that environment.
I agree with almost everything you said minus the beating part. I think hitting a child angers them even more, it’s like telling a boy when you’re a man if someone (girlfriend/wife) does something that you don’t approve of beat the shit out of them and for girls when they constantly get beating for doing something wrong as a child as an adult she will tek lick from man because that’s what she’s use to. They’re other means to punish children.
Paulwell has been the MP for this area for years and I don’t know how he keeps on winning because this situation gets worst year after year. The innocent people down there are living in fear and the children are being affected. While they (the politicians) sleep good at night a mother is worried about her children and have to take drastic measures to protect them. The elderly have no peace as they are also threatened for no reason at all. These gunmen/criminals steal the stuff and carry it to their house, where do these hoodlums live? For those who are protecting these non progressive elements unu just as bad. This has got to stop. The JDF/JCF need to move in on this situation. Andrew Holness has been too quiet on these topics/issues as well. If this continue, school nah keep September mawning!!!!
How Andrew Holness and him camera crew nuh reach down deh fi take pics yet? or a true him himself fraid a gunshot? most absent prime minister ever. all him do a take pic. Prime minister of photography. no action, no plan.
Prime minister dont need to go no dam where, a dem live dey, if dem cant behave dem damm self n when them have differences dem work it out, then God help dem. They are adults and if them want kill them one another because of stupidness a fi dem r ass business. I only sorry for innocent, young people, babes, elderly. But all a uno whey benefit n help gunmen uno tek wat uno sow and shut the hell up.
Well said lenaB…you lick the nail pon de head
Most a the gun dem a rockfort a Paulwell put in a the community.
So if u have a child n him rude n continue to rude, u speak to him but dont beat him, look here when uno kids rude n embarass uno rass n tun gunmen, uno shut the fuk up, beating never kill me nor none a my fren dem, it mek we fraid fi go even rude to people. Uno shut up bout when kids get beating dem tek lick from men, a must some rass ediot kids uno have fi uno kids grow big n dont know them nuffi tek abuse. Uno really silly, u think physical abuse is nothing, mental abuse is even worst, phyical beating nun happen every day, mental abusive can happen everyday. Look yah man until uno beat out uno blood cleth bad behavior out a some a uno kids things will always be the same. Look how much wealthy kids nuh get beating n them in a physical abuse marriages n dem never get beating from dem born. Uno find fuk excuse fi not discipiling uno kids den wen dem knock head wid bad men uno a chat bout jamaica gone to the dogs, if u kids give problem n trouble how u a go discipline dem, carry dem go kfc n burger king go feed dem n beg dem to behave, carry dem go disney n say behave kids. See a uno parents is wat is friggin wrong wid society. Want breed up n think kids a hand bag den when time fi discipline uno find excuse well guess wat das why nuff a uno a bury uno kids at a young age, das why some a uno adults is and will outlive uno kids. Uno prefer spare the rod mek uno kids grow up rude get in trouble, get killed dan beat him backside and mek him live to see 30 more years. Nuff a uno whey having kids now uno is a sad case and uno have no clue as how to be a parent. Uno f**k n breed because uno can breed n this is for every class because uptown people fund and support slackness too. Mr paulwell sure a him win n uno out dey a live like puss n dog, uno so stupid n crazy.