Jamaica: A ghost story

Din Duggan, Contributor

APPARENTLY THERE is a ghost or, as we say, a duppy, on the loose in Spanish Town. The wayward spirit has been haunting an 11-year-old boy - kicking, pulling, and throwing things at him and other members of the Martin Street community. It seems this duppy is serious, for not even the CVM TV news cameras could deter him from his wicked ways. The boy, his family and his community have had enough. A pastor has been called in and there has been talk of an exorcism.

I wonder if this duppy bears any relation to that pesky poltergeist that has been tormenting Jamaica for quite some time, the same one that has been kicking us with rampant crime and corruption, pulling us into enormous debt and throwing false promises at us. Things have got so bad that not even the dead will rest in peace. It's unfortunate that this duppy chose to bother an 11-year-old child and his poor community. A trip to Gordon House might have been a more productive endeavour.

Nightmare in Negril

CVM TV deserves praise for its display of journalistic excellence in highlighting this pressing matter. Perhaps, when they finish playing ghostbusters, the news team might swing over to Negril to publicise the issue that has rocked that resort town. In this case, their report would more likely elicit tears than laughter, since there is nothing funny about an innocent man being gunned down in the street by those who have sworn an oath to keep and preserve peace.

By all accounts, Frederick 'Mickey' Hill, a well-known member of the Negril community, was a decent, honest, hard-working man. Eyewitnesses report that he was summarily executed by a group of police officers. His weapon? A 'scandal' bag loaded with cornmeal and condensed milk. His crime? Simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems things have got so bad that not even good men can walk in peace.

Last week, Mickey's family and friends, along with business owners and tourists, staged a peaceful protest to proclaim their outrage and demanded justice. Mickey did not choose his unfortunate fate, nor did his family and friends ask for this heartache. Perhaps a solitary glimmer of hope might be salvaged from this heart-rending tragedy. The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has launched a formal probe into Mickey's killing. The fledgling agency was created several months ago for this very purpose - to investigate fatal shootings and other abuses perpetrated by agents of the state. This case is an early and highly visible test of INDECOM's legitimacy. If truth prevails, Mickey Hill's family can find a tiny speck of solace in the fact that their son, father, husband and brother would have become a martyr for social justice and human rights.

The exorcism

Perhaps, in time, little boys across the country will once again exercise their imaginations through innocent games like 'police and thief', rather than 'trick the media'. Some might even want to play the role of the police. But, with more than 200 civilians killed by the police last year, allegations of rampant corruption, abuse of power, and a pervading lack of morale, it seems not even the police want to be the police.

In a country with a murder rate among the world's highest, our police officers are asked to serve as the last defenders of law and order, even while some of our leaders blatantly disregard the very laws they swear to uphold. The police are instructed to crack down on crime, yet criminals are publicly and passionately defended by the state. While many police earn just enough to barely fend off poverty, known criminals are enriched by multimillion dollar government contracts. It is no surprise, then, that some members of the constabulary are plagued by a type of bipolar disorder - valiantly defending the law on one hand and completely disemboweling it on the other. Treacherous as the conditions might be, they are no excuse for injustice.

The unalienable right to life should never become a casualty of even the most challenging social environment. Innocent lives cannot simply be discounted as collateral losses in a war on crime. For the memories of Mickey Hill and nameless others, for the cause of justice, for the continued credibility of our police force and the viability of our democratic institutions, let us all declare that we have had enough. INDECOM, let the exorcisms begin.

Din Duggan is an attorney and entrepreneur who now works as a consultant with a global legal-search firm. Contact him at facebook.com/dinduggan, twitter.com/YoungDuggan, or dinduggan@gmail.com