'Sumfest Seven' for court today By Denise Clarke, Staff Reporters WESTERN BUREAU THE SEVEN dancehall acts charged with using abusive and indecent language during their performances on the Dancehall Night segment of Reggae Sumfest 2001, are to have their day in court today. The artistes slated to face the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court this morning are Grammy-winner Beenie Man, Bounti Killa, Merciless, Baby Cham, Elephant Man, Alozade and Kip Rich - all topflight drawing cards on the local dancehall circuit. They are charged under the Town and Communities Act, and could be fined $2000 or spend 30 days in jail if found guilty. In a release to the media in late August, Constable Lancelot Tyrell, the CCN Liaison Officer for St. James, told The Gleaner that the charges against the artistes stemmed from a slew of profanity-laced lyrics, which formed the prelude to a violent bottle-throwing incident, which ended the show prematurely. The local artistes were not the only acts that were singled out for legal action by the police. Summonses were also issued for the United States-based international rappers Snoop Doggie Dog and Jah Rule, who both used the 'F' word repeatedly in their performances on International Night. Prior to the decision by the Montego Bay police to charge the 'Sumfest Seven', the St. Catherine police slapped similar charges on Bounti Killa, Anthony B, Lady Saw and Sizzla for reportedly using lewd, indecent and abusive language at the Champion in Action stage, at Fort Clarence. When three members of the quartet appeared before the Spanish Town RM Court, Bounti Killa and Lady Saw both pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 240 hours of community service. Anthony B, who pleaded not guilty, had the charge against him dropped, as the court ruled that what he was accused of did not constitute a criminal offence. Since the Dancehall Night fiasco, which has gotten extensive local and international media coverage, local police have been quite vigilant at stage shows, making sure that artistes perform within the ambit of the law. While artistes such as Lady Saw and Bounti Killa have intimated that they might bypass local shows and limited their performances to overseas events, others such as Kip Rich, Beenie Man and Merciless seem somewhat apologetic and have hinted that they are prepared to tone down their performances. In regards to the summons issued for Snoop Doggie Dog and Jah Rule, these are not likely to be served unless the artistes return to Jamaica. According to the head of CCN, Deputy Superintendent AJ Forbes, the summonses for the duo will be served on their booking agents, who have an obligation to bring them before the court. Should Snoop and Jah Rule fail to put in a court appearance, bench warrants, which can be executed whenever they return to Jamaica, will be issued for their arrests.
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