D.K. Duncan SAMMY (THE monkey) escapes from confinement (the Hope Zoo) and is found dead. The Acting Assistant Curator of the Zoo is reported in Sunday's Gleaner as saying it was a clear case of human error. The Security Officer (an animal keeper) was fired within hours of the death and a few days after the escape. He did not kill Sammy. Rapid response post-mortem examination determined that dogs did. The animal keeper was held responsible and therefore accountable for the circumstances leading to Sammy's death. Sanctions were applied immediately.
Twenty-seven Jamaicans died in Western Kingston over a period of four days (July 7-10, 2001) during a major operation of the Security Forces. After an expenditure of over $40 million and some 11 months later, a Commission of Enquiry found that: "First, there is no proof that these persons died as a result of the action of the Security Forces: and second, assuming such proof had been made, their deaths were probably justified under section 14 (2) of the Constitution (of Jamaica)".
In addition, the Commissioners found it palatable to issue a report of close to 500 pages, which did not include the names of the deceased (except for the Security Officers) even in the appendices.
Three years earlier, on July 14, 1999, at least 32 Jamaican citizens were rounded up at night in the streets of Montego Bay, the second city. Herded like cattle into trucks, they were dumped close to a water-logged garbage dump in St. Elizabeth some 70 miles away.
NO ACCOUNTABILITY
A Commission of Enquiry set up eight months after the incident found no one responsible. Three junior operatives faced the courts and had their cases dismissed. The names of these 'street people' have been recorded - most live on - and some have been compensated. There has been no accountability, no acceptance of responsibility and no sanctions.
A mentally challenged Jamaican citizen while attempting to cross a security barrier in St. Andrew in August 1999 was battered to death by security officers. A coroner's inquest found that the group of officers was responsible for his death. The Director of Public Prosecution was unable to find an individual to charge. There have been no sanctions since no one was held accountable. The victim had a name - Michael Gayle.
Sixteen months ago on March 14, 2002, seven young Jamaican citizens died during a security forces operation in Braeton, St. Catherine. A Coroner's inquest, convened in January 2002, is still looking into the circumstances surrounding their deaths. They all have had their names recorded. The outcome of this inquest is important from a number of points of view - not the least being the presumption of innocence - a principle recently espoused and clarified by a principal in those operations - Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams.
Several incidents of suspected extra-judicial police killings have taken place over recent years. In very few cases, if any, have there been any semblance of accountability much less sanctions.
Most victims of these fatalities have had their names officially recorded, except for those who died during the events of July 7-10. The Commission reports that: "Violence in West Kingston between May and July 10, 2001 resulted in the loss of over 50 lives. Twenty-four were attributed to community conflicts during May and June. Twenty-seven occurred over the four days of violence from July 7-10. Many persons were injured." No connection was made between the two sets of incidents.
The Report continues: "Our study of the post-mortem (of July's victims) disclosed that some of the deceased were engaged in occupations in West Kingston - such as fish vending, higglering, shopkeeping: one was a security guard: another, an air-condition repairman, a third a juice factory worker."
The citizens of Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens, identified the names of most of those who were killed. An independent investigator assigned to the Commission could have done the same. The citizens at a memorial service recently unveiled a monument to their memory.
The Commissioners' Report further state: "The essential cause of the violence in Denham Town, Tivoli and its environs during 7-10 July, 2001, was the presence of drugs, the proliferation of guns and ammunition in the hands of civilians residing in the areas, and the desire of the owners to protect them." They also found the actions of the Security Forces to be "unexceptionable."
Some of the incontrovertible facts are:
1. The Security Forces mounted a massive operation on July 7, 2001. It lasted four days.
2. Twenty-four people had been killed immediately prior to these operations, which included areas other than Denham Town and Tivoli.
3. No similar size operation had been mounted elsewhere during the months of May, June or July.
4. Statistics in an expert paper attached to the Commission's report indicate that in the Kingston Western Police Division, murder had decreased from 209 in 1996 to 94 in 1998. By 2000, it had dropped to 61. This Police division include Tivoli Gardens, Denham Town, Hannah Town, Matthews Lane, Rema and Arnett Gardens.
5. In two of these communities alone and in four days, 27 people died during the course of an operation initiated by the security arm of the State.
6. The Security Forces recovered one handgun.
7. The Security Forces did not produce one gunman dead or alive.
8. The Security Forces produced no drugs.
9. After an expenditure of over $40 million in an enquiry for which the Police investigated themselves, there is no closure.
10. The civilian victims remain nameless in the Report.
At least Sammy - the monkey - had a name. His killers were identified and at least one person has been found accountable and immediate sanctions applied.
In the events of July 7-10, no one is accountable. There can be no sanctions. Regrettably there is very little remorse in the society. We are now poised to play partisan politics with the lives of the deceased.
One love, on heart.
Former PNP General Secretary and Government Minister in the PNP administration of the 1970s, Dr. Duncan - a dental surgeon, recently established "the D.K. Duncan Political Institute". E-mail: dktruth@hotmail.com
