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Find Plan B to failed ZOSO, say residents

Published:Friday | January 29, 2021 | 12:31 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
A man pushes a handcart past a massive mound of garbage on Beeston Street near the intersection with Rose Lane, resulting in single-lane traffic on Thursday. Residents of inner-city communities have expressed concern with irregular collection of garbage. Z
Nicholas Nunes/Photographer
A man pushes a handcart past a massive mound of garbage on Beeston Street near the intersection with Rose Lane, resulting in single-lane traffic on Thursday. Residents of inner-city communities have expressed concern with irregular collection of garbage. Zones of special operations aim to rehabilitate communities scarred by urban blight with improved social intervention and security presence.

With a whopping 650 per cent increase in murders in Kingston Western since the start of the year, residents are pleading with the authorities to revise their strategy in curtailing crime and violence in the area.

Up to Tuesday, January 26, there had been 15 murders in the police division, compared to just two for the corresponding period last year.

When The Gleaner visited Denham Town yesterday, the streets were empty as residents looked out from the safety of their yards.

A senior resident explained that sporadic gunfire and murders had caused the area to resemble a ghost town. The threat to their safety was real despite a zone of special operations (ZOSO) in effect in the community.

“Dem have ZOSO, and it nuh make nuh sense. From day one, we a say the ZOSO nah work. Nobody nah hear we. Dem come pon TV and talk all sort of nice things, but where is the result?” the resident lamented.

On Sunday night, six persons were shot at a party in the area. None of the injuries were fatal.

Then on Monday night, there was a double killing – not in Denham Town but further in the division, in Jones Town.

A resident said it was clear that the gunmen were not deterred by the increased police and military presence in the community under the ZOSO.

“Look on Sunday night, right at the ZOSO base six shot, could easily been six dead, under the ZOSO nose. The people making the laws need to come to Denham Town,” the male resident told The Gleaner.

“All right, dem say social stability. Mek dem show me one person whose life has been better since ZOSO. Memba a years dem box we up fi people kill we cause dem can’t defend we.”

Some residents accuse the police of taking sides, saying that there were different rules for Denham Town and the neighbouring Tivoli Gardens.

“Party can keep over deh (Tivoli) all hours any day of the week, but over here (Denham Town), a worries if you turn on a radio too loud. The police dem know what is happening. The pressure deh pon one side,” a male resident complained.

Meanwhile, Jamaica has recorded more than 100 murders with multiple mass shootings since the start of the year.

As at January 26, there were 104 murders, compared to 94 homicides during the first 26 days of 2020.

St James, with 18 murders, has also seen an 11 per cent spike in shootings.

Last November, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that there would soon be an overhaul of the ZOSO Act with a view to developing a template to expand the social-intervention and security initiative into more communities across the island.

A joint select committee concluded its third sitting deliberating on the act on Wednesday.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com