Basil Jarrett | Tivoli 2010: Lest we forget

HISTORY IS a funny thing. On one hand, it teaches us that past events don’t necessarily determine your future outlook, but on the other, it warns us that those who forget the events of the past are doomed to repeat them. A week away from the 14th anniversary of the May 2010 military operation in West Kingston, and I find myself wondering what, if anything, have we learnt from that very unfortunate episode, and how close are we to repeating it.

The events leading up to and on May 24, 2010, have gone down as one of the darkest periods in this country’s modern history. As human beings, it is natural to try to bury painful memories of the past by looking to the future with hope, enthusiasm and a fair bit of denial. But history is like a pimple. It has an annoying habit of popping up every so often and at some of the most inconvenient times. Take the events of four Sundays ago in the Old Capital, Spanish Town, for instance. A tense protest following the killing of Top Banks don, Sheldon ‘Termite’ Walters, served a gentle reminder that beyond the sea, sun and sand of ‘Jamaica, No Problem’, we are never far off from a spectacular demonstration of this country’s uncomfortable relationship with crime and violence.

A NOT SO GENTLE REMINDER

Walters’ death at the hands of the police on Friday, April 19, was followed by dangerous, violent demonstrations in sections of the town the following Sunday. While not as dramatic as the May 2010 stand-off between soldiers, police and Dudus’ armed thugs, the Spanish Town protest with its roadblocks, gunshots and violence brought back memories.

The events of May 2010, which now seem like centuries ago, book-ended a watershed moment for Jamaica and the Jamaica Defence Force. I was just a few months into the service when word came to Up Park Camp that an extradition order for Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke had been signed by the Government.

To be fair, everyone knew it was coming. Months and months of legal wranglings over the legality of the extradition request had created an atmosphere that was tense and thick with anticipation and fear. West Kingston residents spoke in hushed tones, casting nervous glances over their shoulders as rumours swirled through the air like smoke from a smouldering fire. Almost overnight, roadblocks sprung up, manned by heavily armed gunmen who dared police and military personnel to come take their king.

NERVOUS TIMES

Nervous motorists, pedestrians and onlookers tried their best to remain calm, but you could feel it in the air that something bad was about to happen. Several airlines cancelled flights to and from Kingston as foreign governments issued emergency warnings against travel to the city.

The government’s ultimatum to Dudus was clear: surrender peacefully or face the consequences. But Tivoli Gardens remained defiant, barricading and bracing itself for a showdown of epic proportions. Kingston held its breath. Schools closed their doors. Businesses shuttered their windows. And families in the affected communities huddled together in nervous anticipation, praying for safety. The tension was palpable, as Dudus’ army wrapped its thick, gunpowder covered fingers around the heart of downtown Kingston, holding innocent men, women and children hostage as human shields. How anyone could forget those days is beyond me.

ENTER THE JDF

When it was apparent that we would be required to enter and retake Tivoli Gardens by force, I can tell you that no one in the JDF was under any illusion as to the gravity of the situation. By then, several police officers had been shot or shot at. A number of police stations were attacked and looted, including the Hannah Town precinct which was firebombed and burnt to the ground. The Tivoli militia staged nothing short of an all-out attack on the State, as Coke’s loyalists violently resisted any attempt to serve that arrest warrant on their king.

THE FIGHT FOR WEST KINGSTON

What happened next is history. A state of emergency was declared and a JDF mission was authorised to retake Tivoli Gardens. What ensued was nothing short of a war zone and to this day, I am still humbled by the immense bravery displayed by our soldiers who fought their way past Dudus’ thugs.

For days, the streets echoed with the staccato rhythm of gunfire as our boys clashed with heavily armed criminals who poured everything at them from high-powered AK-47s and M16 assault rifles, thousands of rounds of assorted ammunition, numerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and hundreds of Molotov cocktails. Even a Grizzly Big Boar .50 calibre rifle famously introduced itself to Jamaica.

For hours, buildings shook from the fighting as plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, casting a pall over Kingston. Civilians in their homes prayed for safety as the violence raged outside their doors. Innocent residents were held hostage in their homes with little or no food, running water or electricity. Corpses of young men, some of whom were killed because they refused to fight for Dudus, lined the streets and filled the morgues. The toll was devastating.

BUT WHAT ARE THE LESSONS?

May 2010 was the result of an outright attack by heavily armed men determined to resist the will of a law-abiding country. But it was also the result of decades of neglect, organised crime and corruption. That May, the thin fabric of our society frayed, revealing the ugly truth of Jamaica’s struggle against crime, poverty and lawlessness. Nearly 60 members of the security forces, including over 30 soldiers, were injured during the fighting. One soldier and two police officers gave their lives. Over 140 assorted weapons and nearly 17,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered, alongside 19 grenades, 32 IEDs and an assortment of plastic explosives and other incendiary devices. Roughly 700 persons were detained, including approximately 400 who did not live in Tivoli Gardens or its environs. Jamaica’s reputation also took a beating on the international stage as our leaders scrambled to respond.

How much further away are we from another Tivoli Gardens, I can’t say. What I can say, however, is that amid the conflict, chaos and confusion, the men and women of the Jamaica Defence Force displayed a level of courage and professionalism under fire, that I am yet to encounter in any other sphere of my life. As they risked their lives in service to this country, it is indeed regretful that today, 14 years later, their sacrifices have been forgotten by a society that either just wants to move on, either out of desperation, disinterest or both.

And that, I believe, is the biggest travesty of this whole entire fiasco.

Major Basil Jarrett is a communications strategist and CEO of Artemis Consulting, a communications consulting firm specialising in crisis communications and reputation management. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com