Black Saturday eclipsed
Published:Monday | May 31, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Tyrone Reid, Gleaner Reporter
Three major incursions by the security forces into Tivoli Gardens during the last 13 years have resulted in the deaths of more than 100 civilians and three members of the security forces.
Four persons died in May 1997, after the security forces clashed with gunmen in the western end of the capital city.
Four years later, in July 2001, 25 civilians, one soldier and a policeman were killed after the police and members of the defence force entered the community in search of guns and wanted men.
Fast-forward to May 2010, where 73 persons have so far being confirmed dead as a result of the military-led offensive in the area.
The lawmen were in search of Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, the Tivoli Gardens' strongman, in an attempt to execute a warrant for his arrest. Coke is to face extradition proceedings in court. He is wanted by the United States for alleged gunrunning and smuggling of narcotics.
One soldier was killed during the west Kingston operation, which also covered Denham, Hannah and Lizard towns.
Related incident
Two cops were killed in the Mountain View Avenue area during an attack the police theorised was a related incident.
Following the 2001 offensive by the security forces which left more than two dozen dead and 75 injured, the then Public Defender Howard Hamilton said Saturday, July 7 - the day the operations began - should be tagged 'Black Saturday'.
"The 7th of July is a black day in our history. I call it Black Saturday. Too many lives have been lost for nothing to come of this,' said Hamilton of the 2001 incursion led by retired Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Reneto Adams.
A new public defender is singing a similar tune to that of his predecessor. "I have remarked upon the striking disparity between the dead and the number of firearms recovered.
"What is it that they would have had to show for all these deaths apart from some 400 detainees - the majority of whom they are going to or have been released - and four or five firearms," Witter told The Gleaner last Thursday.
At that time the police had seized only six guns and approximately 8,000 rounds of ammunition. The figure has since jumped to 36 guns and more than 9,000 rounds of ammunition.
Witter has pointed out that he indicated to Prime Minister Bruce Golding that an "enquiry similar to the one staged in 2001 is obviously required".
The Golding administration has said there will be an independent enquiry into the security operation in Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town in west Kingston.
Witter opined that "there appears not to have been sufficient regard for the use of force and use of firearms policy of the constabulary itself and not sufficient restraint".
Meanwhile, human-rights activist Susan Goffe is not surprised that Tivoli Gardens has seen this type of horror over and over again.
Goffe, a spokesperson for Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), told The Gleaner that the atmosphere that spawned the events of July 2001 remains today.
"One of the ongoing problems with Tivoli Gardens has been the isolation over many years. You are looking at problems that have existed in garrison communities for decades," Goffe said.
The human-rights activist believes there will be a repeat of incursions that result in mass casualties if members of the security forces are not held accountable for their actions.
"Who was ever held accountable for that 2001 incursion? This is one of the problems that we have as a nation; we think we can move forward without accountability," Goffe said.